The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is situated some 190 km. west of Arusha, between Lake Manyara and Serengeti National Parks. Covering approximately 8,288 square km, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area consists of the Ngorongoro Crater itself, the Olduvai Gorge and Ndutu, the Empakai crater and the Oldonyo Lengai Mountain. The altitude at the crater rim is about 2286 meters above sea level, and temperatures can get quite chilly in the evening. The crater is home to many species of wild game and birds. With the exception of impala the topi (due to fierce competition with the wildebeest) and the giraffe (because there is not much to eat at tree level), almost every species of African plains mammal lives in the crater including the black rhino. The birdlife, which includes the flamingo, is mainly seasonal and is also affected by the ratio of soda to fresh water in Lake Magadi on the crater floor.

The Maasai, the main residents of Ngorongoro, are pastoralists who move widely with their herds of cattle, sheep, goat and donkeys in search of pasture and water. In recent years the Maasai have been encouraged to work on the land to supplement their traditional diet of milk, blood and meat. The Ngorongoro Crater, which is the central attraction in the area, is the largest Caldera in the world that has its walls intact. The sight of the Ngorongoro Crater is simply to ‘die’ for. It is one of the wonders of the world.

The Serengeti National park is the largest national Park in Tanzania covering an area of 14,763 sq. km. The park is located some 320 km to the northwest of Arusha, lying in a high plateau between the Ngorongoro highlands and the Kenya/ Tanzania border, and extending almost to Lake Victoria to the west. Declared a protected area in 1921 and gazetted as a National park in 1951, Serengeti is the oldest National Park in Tanzania and undoubtedly one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in the world. The principal features of the Serengeti are the short and long grass plains in the south and east, the acacia Savannah in the central areas, the hilly and densely wooded areas in the north and the extensive woodland in the west.

Serengeti comes from the Maasai name, “Siringet”, meaning endless plains you immediately experience this vastness as you enter the southeastern plains of the park from Ngorongoro. Home to countless numbers of a wide variety of animals and birds, you will encounter lions, cheetah, and leopards. There is a variety of scenery, which include the plains, lakes, hills and the rocky outcrops called kopjes. Common animals that can be seen here are lions, buffaloes, impalas, hippos, waterbucks, elephants, cheetahs and the leopard. From December, when the long rains start, to May, eastern Serengeti plains provide the best opportunities for game viewing as hundreds of thousands of the migratory animals are concentrated in this part attracted by the short palatable grass.

The park is situated between 900m and 1800m above sea level, is bordered to the west by the western escarpment of the Rift valley. To the east is the alkaline Lake Manyara at certain times of year-hosts thousands of flamingos and a diversity of other migrant and resident birdlife.

Apart from its striking setting and peaceful surroundings, Lake Manyara's main attractions are its superb birdlife, its tree-climbing lions, hippos and elephants.

The park's has a permanent water supply that ensures a huge and varied animal population, especially during the dry season when it rivals that of the Serengeti. The most common animals found in the park include zebras, wildebeest, lions, leopards, waterbucks, giraffe, elephants, gazelles, impala, gerenuk, lesser kudu and the beautiful fringe-eared Oryx. You may be lucky to spot the tree-climbing python, for which the park is famous, or the kudu and the roan antelope which are rare species in Northern Tanzania. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Park. The best bird watching months are October to May.