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Tanzania

Africa

Capital: DodomaJune to September

338

Documented species

16

Parks and reserves

5

Dive sites

Tanzania brings together the largest set of protected natural areas in East Africa and some of the most recognisable settings on the continent. The Serengeti, a plain of grass almost without trees, is the stage for the greatest land migration of mammals on the planet, with more than a million wildebeest accompanied by zebras and gazelles in an annual cycle that follows the rains. The Ngorongoro crater, the largest intact caldera in the world, encloses a complete ecosystem with thousands of resident animals. Kilimanjaro rises in isolation to almost six thousand metres and strings together rainforest, heath and high-altitude desert. In the south, Nyerere and Ruaha protect immense stretches of miombo and savannah, and on the coast Zanzibar and Mafia contribute reefs, mangroves and a colobus found only on the island.

Nature in Tanzania

National animal: The giraffe, Tanzania's national animal

Did you know?

Lake Natron is a soda lake whose waters reach a pH capable of damaging the skin of most animals. Precisely for that reason it is the only place where almost the entire East African population of lesser flamingo breeds regularly: the birds build cones of mud on the salt crust and raise their chicks in a setting almost no predator can approach.

Biodiversity profile

Conservation

At Gombe, Jane Goodall documented in 1960 that chimpanzees make and use tools, a finding that forced a redefinition of the boundary between humans and the rest of the animals. The Udzungwa mountains still keep yielding species new to science.

Where and when to watch wildlife

The Serengeti between January and March for wildebeest calving in the south and between July and September for the river crossings. Ngorongoro year-round. Mafia between October and March for whale sharks.

Natural phenomena in Tanzania

  • Great Migration: the Mara River crossing — July to October
  • Great Migration: calving season at Ndutu — January to March (peak in February)
  • Lesser flamingo breeding at Lake Natron — June to October (nesting Aug-Oct)

Parks and reserves

Conservation Area

Ngorongoro

The largest intact, unflooded volcanic caldera in the world, with one of the highest densities of wildlife in Africa

See park
National Park

Nyerere (formerly Selous)

Renamed in 2019 after Tanzania's first president; one of the largest protected wildlife areas in Africa

See park
National Park

Serengeti National Park

The setting of the great annual migration of wildebeest and zebra, and one of the best places in the world to see the complete Big Five.

See park
National Park

Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and the highest peak in Africa

See park
National Park

Lake Manyara

An alkaline lake at the foot of the Rift with tree-climbing lions and large flamingo gatherings.

See park
National Park

Arusha

Three settings in one small park: the Ngurdoto crater, the Momella lakes and Mount Meru.

See park
National Park

Gombe Stream

Where, in 1960, Jane Goodall began the longest-running study of wild chimpanzees in the history of primatology

See park
National Park

Rubondo Island

An island out in Lake Victoria where chimpanzees rescued from European circuses and zoos were reintroduced in the 1960s and 1970s

See park
National Park

Katavi

One of the most remote and least visited parks in Tanzania, with some of the largest hippopotamus concentrations in Africa through the dry season

See park
National Park

Kitulo

Nicknamed "the Garden of God" and "the Serengeti of flowers", with more than 350 flower species including 45 kinds of endemic orchid

See park
National Park

Mikumi

It shares an ecosystem with neighbouring Selous/Nyerere through an unfenced wildlife corridor

See park
National Park

Udzungwa Mountains

Nicknamed the African Galápagos for their extremely high endemism; home to primates only discovered by science in 2003 and 2005

See park
National Park

Mahale Mountains

Reachable only by boat across Lake Tanganyika; home to one of the largest wild chimpanzee populations in Africa

See park
National Park

Ruaha

Tanzania's largest national park; a transition point between East and southern African wildlife

See park
National Park

Saadani

The only national park in Tanzania where the savannah reaches the Indian Ocean.

See park
National Park

Tarangire

One of the greatest concentrations of baobabs and of elephants in Tanzania outside the Serengeti circuit

See park

Diving and snorkelling

Private coral reserve

Chumbe Island

A small island off Zanzibar whose fringing reef has been closed to fishing for decades, which has made it a benchmark for well-preserved coral in the western Indian Ocean.

See dive site
Coral reef

Bawe Island

A little-visited island off Stone Town, a quiet alternative to Zanzibar's busier reefs.

See dive site
Pelagic/Reef

Mafia Island (whale shark)

An island less known than Zanzibar but with better reefs and reliable whale shark aggregations.

See dive site
Atoll reef

Mnemba Atoll (Zanzibar)

A small private atoll off Zanzibar with one of the best-preserved reefs in East Africa.

See dive site
Ocean wall

Pemba Channel

A deep channel between Pemba and mainland Africa, with some of the deepest and most pristine coral walls in East Africa.

See dive site

Wildlife you can see now

What is worth looking out for this month in Tanzania?

Plains ZebraLeast Concern

Plains Zebra

Equus quagga

Now is a good time: Great Migration: the Mara River crossing (July to October)

Common WildebeestLeast Concern

Common Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

Now is a good time: Great Migration: the Mara River crossing (July to October)

Lesser FlamingoNear Threatened

Lesser Flamingo

Phoeniconaias minor

Now is a good time: Lesser flamingo breeding at Lake Natron (June to October (nesting Aug-Oct))

Similar countries

Where else might I want to travel?

Kenya

Same region: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

Sudan

Same region: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

Eritrea

Same region: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

Rwanda

Same region: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

Species documented in Tanzania

Filter
Class
Family
Habitat
Diet
Conservation

338 species found

Related guides

  • Where to see African Savanna Elephant in Tanzania10 species
  • Primates in Tanzania6 species
  • Fish in Tanzania4 species

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about Tanzania.

ParkNgorongoroDivingChumbe Island

Explore on the map

Interactive map

This page in other languages: Español · Deutsch · Français · Português · Italiano
Giant ClamCritically Endangered

Giant Clam

Tridacna gigas

White-backed VultureCritically Endangered

White-backed Vulture

Gyps africanus

CoelacanthCritically Endangered

Coelacanth

Latimeria chalumnae

Staghorn CoralCritically Endangered

Staghorn Coral

Acropora cervicornis

Black RhinocerosCritically Endangered

Black Rhinoceros

Diceros bicornis

Scalloped HammerheadCritically Endangered

Scalloped Hammerhead

Sphyrna lewini

Hawksbill TurtleCritically Endangered

Hawksbill Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

Martial EagleEndangered

Martial Eagle

Polemaetus bellicosus

Egyptian VultureEndangered

Egyptian Vulture

Neophron percnopterus

Blue WhaleEndangered

Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus

Lappet-faced VultureEndangered

Lappet-faced Vulture

Torgos tracheliotos

ChimpanzeeEndangered

Chimpanzee

Pan troglodytes

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