Is the largest national park in east Africa and Africa as a whole, also is one of the largest in the world. The park is located in south eastern Tanzania, approximately 230 kilometers by road from Dar-es-salaam city to Mtemere Gate. Nyerere National Park is a newly established park which is part of what is known as Selous Game Reserve, in another word it was sliced out from the Selous Game Reserve that is a huge wilderness area and safari destination in southern Tanzania.  

The name of the park is given in recognition and in honor of the memory of Tanzania’s founding father of the nation, the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere. The park was established in 2019, covering an area over 30,000 square kilometers.  

The Nyerere National Park has relatively undisturbed ecological and biological developments. It can be considered as a remote, intact and unspoiled area compared to the more known national parks in the country such as Manyara, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti national park. The park is home to an unharmed and diverse range of wildlife. The park is new and largely less visited by tourists which means that the wildlife in the park tends to be less exposed to human contact. 

The greater numbers of wildlife found in the park include  ‘Big Cats’ including cheetah, lion, leopard along with other large wildlife such elephant, buffalo, rhino, giraffe, eland, zebra, wildebeest and is the last true stronghold for the African wild dog.

The Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected area in southern Tanzania (it is larger than Switzerland!), and has recently been split up to accommodate the newer Nyerere National Park in honor of the late Tanzania’s first President Julius Kambarage Nyerere.

It covers a total area of 50,000 square kilometers, an area several times the size of the Serengeti National Park, and has an additional layer of protection, it is a World Heritage property. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982 due to its wildlife diversity and undisturbed nature by human impact. Some of the diverse wildlife of the grassland includes the existence of the African Maasai giraffe, black rhinoceroses, large number of elephants, hippopotamus, lion, cheetah, wild dog, buffalo, zebra, crocodile live in this massive reserve area. Unlike Ngorongoro Crater, Selous Game Reserve permanent human occupation is not permitted within the reserve. 

The park has diverse vegetation areas, ranging from dense thickets, to open wooded grasslands.

Mikumi National Park is Tanzania’s fourth biggest national park. It’s also the most accessible national park from Dar-es-salaam. With guaranteed wildlife sightings, this makes it a perfect safari destination for those with a tight calendar or without much time to travel around. Two days should be enough to get you a lovely tour around the national park.

Mikumi National park is rich in wildlife including elephant, lion, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, warthog, baboon, hippos, eland, sable, jackal, giraffe and many more. There are also reptiles including python, crocodile, lizard and much more, which can be viewed almost throughout the year.

Udzungwa is one of Tanzania’s most outstanding and exciting wilderness areas, located in central Tanzania, between Iringa and Morogoro regions, with unique endangered wildlife species inhabiting this range of forests. The park is part of the Eastern Arc Mountains that stretch from Southern Kenya to Southern Tanzania.  

Udzungwa is a beautiful forested area, and with over 10 primate species that are only found in this part of the world, including the rare red Colobus monkey.  Udzungwa is home to over 400 species of birds, many of which are widespread to the area. The park is treasurable for the high level of biodiversity of birds, animals and plants. 

The park’s scenery is spectacular, with the rainforest spreading across rolling hills, valleys and mountains. The park has a number of impressive waterfalls, mostly accessible by foot and everything around the national park revolves around hiking, trekking and mountaineering. Swimming in the plunge pools of the waterfalls is particularly energizing following a good warm hike. The park borders Mikumi national park in the northeast, Great Ruaha River in the north and Ruipa in the southwest.

Ruaha National Park is located south in the Central part of Tanzania. It is the second largest national park in the country and one of the largest in East Africa and rich in wildlife. The name of the park is derived from the Great Ruaha River, which flows along its south eastern border and is the focus for game viewing. The park can be accessed by private plane as there are two airstrips there. 

Ruaha is well known for its diverse dramatic scenery, which includes rolling hills, large open plains, groves of skeletal baobab trees and the Great Ruaha River. The wildlife that can be found in this park include giraffe, lion, spotted hyena, hippopotamus, buffalo, zebra, cheetah, leopard, wild dog, warthog, sable antelope and many more. The park is known for its large elephant population, and over 500 species of birds have been identified in the park. Ruaha national park is one of the least busy places to visit in the country; the safari tour at the Ruaha national park feels remote and exclusive.