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Tanzania Safari in Southern Circuit |
Mikumi National Park |
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The
wild animals most frequently encountered are Maasai giraffe, zebra,
impala, warthog, wildebeest, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, sable antelope,
buffaloes, baboons, waterbuck, hippos, elephant, wild dogs, crocodile
and lion. Mikumi National Park is located in Morogoro region along
the Dar es Salaam Iringa main road.
The park covers an area of 3,230
square kilometers. The park can easily visited from Dar es Salaam
or Iringa with 294 kilometers and 217 kilometers away respectively.
The Mikumi topography covers the
flood plains of the Mkata River, grassland and woodland. Also it's
bordered by the Lumango and Uluguru mountains. In Mikumi there are
abundant birdlife along its wetland and surround, others are not
found in northern circuit of the country. These include violet-crested
Turaco, brown-necked parrot, white-backed night heron, green pigeon,
and white-headed black chat among others. |
Ruaha National Park |
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The Ruaha National
Park lies between two large rivers of Great Ruaha River and Njombe
with its vast area covers 12,950 sq km and still comparatively unexplored
bird and game sanctuary. It's the second largest National park after
Serengeti with the largest Elephants sanctuary in the country.
The topography of Ruaha is lush
plains, open grasslands, thickets, flood plains and woodland. Also
the park is bordered by mountains with altitude of 1,600 meters
to its massif Ngalambulwa.
The common wild animals that inhabit
the Ruaha National Park are herds of Giraffe, Buffalo, Greater Kudu
and Impala during the dry season of June through November. Others
include roan and sable antelope, lesser kudu, hartebeest, hippos,
common zebras, and warthog among other herbivores.
The carnivores such as hunting dogs, lion, spotted hyena, fox, leopard,
cheetah and crocodile resting to the river banks. |
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Along the
Ruaha river and the surrounding generally noted the richness of
the birdlife others not found elsewhere in East Africa. These include
rare raptorial eleonora's falcon, migrating flocks. Others are marabou
stork, dickinson 's kestrel, bat hawk, European hobby, red necked
falcon among the list. |
Selous Game
Reserve |
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The game reserve
gets its name from the hunter-explorer Frederick Courtney Selous,
whose books about his exploits were best sellers in Victorian England.
Selous was killed by an Elephant in early 1900's during the First
World War.
The Selous Game Reserve is the largest
protected wildlife area in Africa. Only in the Serengeti will visitors
see a greater concentration of wildlife. Yet Selous boasts Tanzania's
largest population of elephant as well as large numbers of buffalo,
hippo and wild dog. The remaining African Black Rhinos are also
dominating the reserve.
Other species commonly seen are
sable antelope, bushbuck, impala, giraffe, lion, eland, baboon,
zebra, crocodiles, leopard and greater kudu.
The topography of Selous varies from rolling savannah woodland,
grassland plains and rocky outcrops cut by the Rufiji River and
its tributaries, the Kilombero and Luwegu, which together cover
the greatest catchments area in East Africa. |
The Rufiji, which
flows from north to south, provides the life-blood of the Selous
and sailing or rafting down the river is a wonderful method of seeing
game, especially during the dry season between June and October.
The Rufiji River outside the reserve
has a delta which accommodates numerous birdlife species appropriate
for the bird watchers to visit. Walking safaris can be arranged
after along time of drive with 4x4 vehicles. Appreciate will be
made for the advance booking of walking safaris. |
Udzungwa
Mountain National Park |
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With
an area of 1,990 square kilometers the park is bordered to the eastern
by Kilombero valley and Selous game reserve, Mikumi town to the
north and the continuing Udzungwa Mountains to the south which makes
the total range of 10,000 square kilometers.
The park is attractive for its waterfalls
to the Mwanihama peak which can be climbed for three days. Hiking
to Udzungwa requires a high level of fitness as it is a very steep
climb. The north western side has deciduous trees dominated by acacia
while in eastern side of the park has evergreen moist forest of
both lowland and montane forest.
Udzungwa forests provides shelter
for a number of rare endemic and endangered species of flora and
fauna including the two diurnal primate species that are found no
where else in the world namely the Iringa and the Sanje mangabey
colobus. Walk safari takes you through ordinary woodland, Miombo
woodland then montane rain forest while sighting red, black and
white colobus monkeys, different colors of butterflies likely to
sight buffaloes, leopards and elephants escorted with armed ranges.
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