Outside the boundaries of Tanzania's National Parks are areas less traveled, but no less spectacular. These destinations make great extensions to your safari itinerery and we have listed a few of our favorites.

EMPAKAAI CRATER:

A beautiful little crater that exists in the Ngorongoro Highlands and only a couple hours drive from Ngorongoro Crater but seldom visited. This caldera is six kilometres wide with nearly half of its floor is occupied by lake, and its slopes covered by a thick forest. The scenery is spectacular from every point along the rim; from the northern and eastern side you can look out to the dramatic volcano of Oldonyo Lengai, the Great Rift Valley and Lake Natron; from the south and west you can see across the Bulbul depression. Sometimes you can even see the distant snows of Mount Kilimanjaro far to the northeast.
We enjoy camping on the rim as the view of Lengai and the Rift Valley makes for great photos. Camping and hiking into the crater are done with a ranger. The drive here passes through numerous Maasai villages and small herds of gazelle, wildebeest and dark-toned zebra in a setting, we've been told, that resembles the Scottish Highlands.
On the way to Empakaai is another seldom visited crater called Olmoti. A notch in it's rim creates a spectacular waterfall for the Munge river, which pours through on its way to Ngorongoro Crater. There is a very pleasant hike from the Nainokanoka ranger post through the forest up to the top of the waterfall.

OL DOINYO LENGAI:

Referred to as the 'Mountain of God' by the Maasai, Ol Doinyo Lengai is an active volcano just north of the eastern border of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The hike to the top is through volcanic dust and ash and is very steep, but an extraordinary experience for those who wish to view the inside of an active volcano. The summit reaches over 9,000 feet and the climb and descent take an entire day. The view from the top includes the Crater Highlands, Lake Natron and a glimpse into Kenya.
A visit to this area isn't complete without seeing Lake Natron. A soda lake on the border with Kenya, it's seldom visited, but well-remembered for it's pink ribbons of Lesser and Greater flamingoes by those who have made the trip. The area around the lake is inhabited by ostriches, zebra, giraffe and the occasional Thompson gazelle.

USAMBARA MTNS:

The Usambara Mountains, situated in north eastern Tanzania are covered by dense tropical forests and is the location of the Amani Nature Reserve established in 1997 to protect the biodiversity of the flora and fauna found here. In fact, the environment at Amani contains one of the greatest diversity of animals and plants in the world. Located within the Amani Nature Reserve is the Amani Botanical Gardens, which were established in 1902. Several nature trails have been established here along with campsites which we enjoy visiting.
When visiting here we also enjoy participating in some of the cultural tourism programs run by the Usambara farmers. These include a Western Usambara mountains tour, Masumbae forest reserve tour, Bangala river tour and visits to Usambara farms. These hikes will provide an opportunity to learn about the local culture while enjoying the incredible beauty of this region. Some hikes include visits to witch doctors, traditional healers and sacred sites. During colonial times the mountains were favoured by the Germans and English because of the moderate climate and many interesting buildings still exist which are also worth visiting.
Just north of the Usambaras is the Mkomazi Game Reserve which forms a natural extension of Tsavo National Park in Kenya. Part of the reserve has been set aside for breeding programs for wild dogs and rhinos and consists of vast grasslands populated by animals that are adapted to its dry climate, like gazelle, oryx, gerenuk, dik dik and kudu. We can take a walking safari accompanied by an armed park ranger along the southern boundary which borders the Pare Mountains in the east and the Usambara Mountains in the west.

LAKE EYASI:

Lake Eyasi lies in a secluded and seldom visited portion of the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands south of Lake Manyara Park. Living around Lake Eyasi is a tribe called the Hadza who speak a Khosian language which has a click sound as the major feature. We assume they are the direct descendants of the early humans who lived there about 3 million years ago and for more than hundred thousand generations they have lived in small groups without permanent settlements as hunters and gatherers. Unfortunately, pressure from surrounding pastorilist tribes and farmers threaten the continued existence of the Hadzabe and the environment that supports them.
The Hadza share this area with another remarkable tribe, the Barabaig or Datoga, also called "Il-man’ati" by the Maasai. The Datoga are easily recognized by the black cloaks their warriors wear, and by the women dressed in goat skins with ritual scars and tattoos around their eyes. Once fierce warriors, they now devote their lives to raising cattle in a region that extends southwest of the Crater Highlands and Lake Eyasi to Mount Hanang and Lake Balangida.
We enjoy offering our clients insight into the world of these two tribes. Through the simplicity of their needs, matched by their simple belongings, they live a life of natural elegance.

ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK:

We list Arusha Park here because a day hike can be arranged within the park with a ranger. You can either hike on the lower slopes of Mt. Meru or (during the dry-season) into the Ngurdoto Crater. Arusha Park has a high concentration of giraffe along with buffalo, elephant, monkeys, baboons, zebra, waterbuck, hippo and a hike here can be combined with a game drive through the rest of the park.
© Copyright 2024 Tanganyika Outdoor Expeditions All rights reserved. All registered trademarks herein are the property of their respective owners.