Best safari destinations near Mount Kilimanjaro : The best safari destinations near Mount Kilimanjaro offer a unique blend of wonderful mountain vistas and incredible wildlife viewing opportunities. Located in northern Tanzania, the destinations includes Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro crater and many others, you can spot the big five, and marvel at the wonderful beauty of Africa’s highest mountain, all within a short drive of Kilimanjaro’s snow-capped peak.
Ngorongoro Crater.
Ngorongoro Crater is a long trip from Moshi, but no one has ever complained. With a lost world of wildlife, including lions, elephants, black rhinos, spotted hyenas, flamingos, and much more, and a setting that is unmatched anywhere else, Ngorongoro is undoubtedly one of Africa’s greatest natural wonders. On Tanzania’s safari circuit, there aren’t many experiences that compare to the thrill of descending into the crater in the gentle, post-dawn light. The scenery, wildlife, and pure, unadulterated beauty make this an unforgettable encounter.
Tarangire National Park.
A true land of giants, Tarangire National Park is home to both elephants and baobab trees, both of which will be ethereal presences during your visit. The park is particularly well-known for its large cats, zebra herds, and other attractions. It also offers a great range of lodging options both within and right outside the park. You might occasionally see wildlife alone because it doesn’t receive as many visitors as other parks in the Northern safari circuit.
Lake Manyara National Park.
One of Tanzania’s greatest parks, Lake Manyara, is a short drive from Moshi. Along the park’s western edge, the Great Rift escarpment rises sharply, creating stunning scenery. It also boasts an amazing array of wildlife. Peter Matthiessen’s The Tree Where Man Was Born vividly recounts some of the early elephant exploits of renowned elephant expert Iain Douglas-Hamilton. You never know when you’ll look up and see a lion staring back at you, as the park is also famous for its tree-climbing lions. Particularly around the park entrance and along the beaches of Lake Manyara, the wildlife is amazing.
Arusha National Park.
The trip from Moshi to Arusha National Park, which is located in the wooded foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, is easier than you might imagine. It’s an amazing park with some of East Africa’s most breathtaking landscapes. The park’s boundaries include Ngurdoto Crater, often known as Little Ngorongoro, a region of wildlife-rich grasslands called Serengeti Ndogo (Little Serengeti), and Mount Meru, which is undoubtedly Mt Kilimanjaro’s competitor in terms of beauty. In addition to giraffes, elephants, zebras, red duikers, waterbucks, bushbucks, klipspringers, dik-diks, buffalo, and hippos, you may spot blue monkeys and black-and-white colobuses while on safari here. In addition, you may go to the top of Mount Meru, go canoeing, and search for some of the 400 different bird species.
Mkomazi National Park.
Visiting Mkomazi means leaving behind safari stereotypes as much as it means leaving behind the crowds. The majority of Tanzania safari vehicles drive quickly by, but that’s only because few people are aware that Mkomazi is a promising safari destination for the future. The classic features of Mkomazi are still present, including breathtaking vistas of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Usambara Mountains, which provide their own natural beauty despite the rocky slopes, baobabs, and dry plains. Topi, eland, zebra, and giraffe are almost expected to be seen here.
The park’s arid terrain is also ideal for observing certain highly valued, desert-adapted animals, like the fringe-eared oryx, smaller kudu, and gerenuk (the gazelle that aspires to be a giraffe). Mkomazi offers exceptional bird watching as well; astonishingly, over 400 species have been identified there. Any visit here is also made much more solemn by the enclosures for African wild canines and reintroduced black rhinos, which are intended to be released into the wild eventually.
