Tanzania March 2020

With more than two million large mammals, Tanzania is home to the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. This immense African wilderness allows vast migratory herds to circulate as they have for thousands of years.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ngorongoro Crater is a large volcanic caldera that is a unique ecosystem unto itself. Teeming with wildlife, the crater floor is 2,000 feet deep and covers 100 square miles. Mostly open grassland with two prominent wooded areas, the crater floor provides a habitat for between 25,000 and 30,000 animals, including lions, black rhino, wildebeest, cape buffalo, zebra, hyena, elephant, gazelles, monkeys, and many more.

Serengeti means “endless plains” in Kiswahili. This 6,900 square mile area is the site of the largest mammal migration in the world. The Great Migration is the ever-moving circular migration of over a million animals across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. The constant movement of columns of wildebeest and zebra follow an ancient route in search of grazing and water.

After calving in February in the southern part of Tanzania’s Serengeti near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the animals journey north through the Serengeti up and around in a clockwise direction. In August, the animals attempt to cross the crocodile-infested Mara River to get to the Masai Mara in Kenya. In October, the animals face the swollen waters of the Mara River for the second time as they cross on their return journey south. When the rains begin in November, the animals are propelled to the now fertile southern Serengeti. By the beginning of December, Ndutu starts seeing the herds return to calve, and the whole process begins anew.

In addition to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania boasts the Tarangire, Ruaha and Mahale Mountain National Parks, as well as the Selous Game Reserve and Mount Kilimanjaro, all of which offer their own thrilling natural adventures. As such, the following photo essay only begins to shed some light on the wonders of Tanzania.