Travel to Kenya and Tanzania
Travel to Kenya and Tanzania: Kenya and Tanzania are both located in East Africa and are famous destinations of wildlife viewing. Tourists from different parts of the world visit these 2 countries to engage in a variety of activities and visit different attractions.
Some of the destinations to visit during a safari in Kenya include the following;
Masai Mara national reserve
Masai Mara national reserve is a wildlife viewing destination which is located in the south western part of Kenya. The reserve is one of the oldest in Kenya and it covers about 1510 square kilometers.
The Masai Mara national reserve is also home to the big 5 such as lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinos and elephants. There are also many other wildlife species which can be seen during a safari around the destination and they include zebras, wildebeests, antelopes, giraffes, cheetahs and many others.
The wildebeest migration also takes place in Masai Mara national reserve and the wildebeest herds can be seen during the months of July to October. Over 1.5 wildebeests move across the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem annually during the wildebeest migration.
Lake Nakuru national park
Another destination in Kenya is Lake Nakuru national park which is located in the rift valley of Kenya. This national park covers about 188 square kilometers and it also consists of a shallow lake called Lake Nakuru.
Flamingos are among the major attractions of Lake Nakuru national park and they can be spotted along the lake shores during a safari. This national park is also home to the endangered rhinos which include both white rhinos and black rhinos.
Lake Nakuru national park is also home to other wildlife species such as giraffes, lions, waterbucks, impalas, baboons, gazelles among others. There are also over 550 species of birds which can be seen during a safari around the national park.
Amboseli national park
Amboseli national park is located in the southern part of Kenya and is a wildlife viewing destination which is famous for elephants. From the national park, Africa’s highest mountain which is Mount Kilimanjaro can also be seen.
The national park is very scenic and is made up of acacia woodland, swamps and marshland where different wildlife species can be spotted and they include lions, leopards, buffalos, hippos among others.
Tsavo national park
Tsavo national park is located in the south western part of Kenya and is the biggest national park in Kenya covering about 22,000 square kilometers. The national park is made up of Tsavo west national park and Tsavo East national park.
Wildlife species which can be seen during a safari around Tsavo national park include lions, elephants, buffalos, hartebeests, giraffes, kudu, hippos, waterbucks, leopards, rhinos among others. Tsavo west national park is famous for the man eaters or man eating lions.
Tsavo east national park is semi-arid in nature and is also made up of savannah grasslands while Tsavo west national park consists of swamps, springs, wooded grasslands and a rugged mountainous landscape.
Mombasa
Mombasa is a coastal town which is located in the southeastern part of Kenya along the Indian ocean. This destination is popular among tourists due to its beautiful beaches and also the port of Mombasa is a major point of entry and exit for cargo into Kenya.
Some of the attractions of Mombasa include Fort Jesus, Haller park, Nyali beach, wild water, Mombasa Marine national park among others.
Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the 2nd highest mountain in Africa at 5199 meters and is located in the southern part of Kenya. Activities which are carried out on the mountain include mountain climbing, trekking and hiking using routes such as Naro Moru and Sirimon.
The mountain has three peaks namely point Lenana, Nelion and Batian.
Some of the destinations of Tanzania which are visited for safaris include the following;
Serengeti national park
Serengeti national park is the oldest national park of Tanzania which covers about 14750 square kilometers and is located in the northern part of Tanzania. This national park is also famous for the wildebeest migration.
The wildebeest migration is the annual movement of over 1.5 wildebeests across the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. The big 5 are also among the wildlife species which can be seen during a safari around Serengeti national park.
Serengeti national park is made up of northern Serengeti, Serengeti plains and western Serengeti. Wildlife species of Serengeti national park include zebras, antelopes, gazelles, impalas, waterbucks, giraffes, cheetahs, hippos among others.
Lake Manyara national park
Lake Manyara national park is another destination which is located in the northern part of Tanzania. This national park is famous for tree-climbing lions and a big part of the national park is covered by Lake Manyara.
The national park is also found in the Great Rift Valley and is made up of diverse habitat where the wildlife species such as elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, waterbucks, hippos, zebras, giraffes, baboons, gazelles, warthogs among others.
Tarangire national park
Tarangire national park is also a wildlife viewing destination which is located in the northern part of Tanzania. This national park is known for its big herds of elephants as well as other wildlife species such as giraffes, hippos, buffalos, zebras, lions, leopards among others.
This national park is also home to over 600 bird species and is named after Tarangire river which flows through the national park and is a major attractions and source of water for the wildlife species living in the national park.
Ngorongoro conservation area
The Ngorongoro conservation area is a wildlife viewing destination in northern Tanzania where the world’s largest inactive caldera can be seen during a safari. The Ngorongoro crater is also among the 7 natural wonders of Africa.
Ngorongoro crater was formed as a result of collapse of a volcano over 2 million years ago and is home to numerous wildlife species such as elephants, rhinos, buffalos, lions, leopards, gazelles, waterbucks, wildebeests, zebras, hippos, hyenas, warthogs and many others.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain of Africa is also found in Tanzania at an altitude of 5885 meters. This mountain is visited annually by tourists interested in getting to the summit and engaging in activities on Mount Kilimanjaro such as mountain climbing.
The snowcapped mountain is found in the northern part of Tanzania and is made up of 5 climatic zones such as the bushland zone, rainforest zone, moorland zone, alpine desert zone and the arctic zone.
Routes which are used during climbing or trekking on Mount Kilimanjaro include Marangu route, Machame route, Lemosho route, Rongai route and Umbwe route.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar is another destination to visit in Tanzania and it is popular among tourists interested in relaxing and leisure along the white sand beaches of the island.
Among the similarities between Kenya and Tanzania is that both are East African countries, both experience the wildebeest migration, both are home to the Maasai people, both are Swahili speaking countries, both countries have the big 5 and both Kenya and Tanzania share a coastline of the Indian ocean.
When you travel to Kenya and Tanzania you will see that they do not have much of a difference although they are two different destinations with unique features and attractions.
