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Arusha National Park On clear days magnificent views of Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen from almost any part of the park. The vegetation and wildlife varies with the topography which ranges from forest to swamp. The park is famous for its 400 species of birdlife, both migrant and resident, including the pelicans and flamingo reside at the Momela Lakes and Ngurdoto crater. The birdlife varies from these places provided that they are separated
by a narrow peace of land. The park originates its name from the River Tarangire that cross the park been derived from Maasai language who inhabits the area. Covering an area of 2,600 square kilometers it's famous for its tree-climbing Pythons. The topography of Tarangire is open acacia woodland, open bush, swamps, rivers, plains with scattered baobab trees. The trees grow in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid tropical climates and hold up to 300 litre of water. Tarangire has a large population of elephants around the baobab trees. Other animals that resides the park include spotted hyena, cheetah,
lion, leopard, Maasai giraffe, impala, Grant's gazelle, lesser kudu,
African buffalo, eland, bushbuck among others. The topography of Manyara is wetland forest with Mahogany and fig trees, the open land, savannah, marshes and acacia woodland. The environment resides the large number of wild animals common zebras, herds of buffaloes and elephants, giraffes, impala, waterbuck, bushbuck, wildebeest, klipspringer, spotted hyena and leopards among the list. Lake Manyara is noted for its wealth of birdlife from the birds of prey to the water birds. The birds of prey include vulture and ayre's and crowned hawk eagles. Others are flock of flamingoes, pelicans, ostrich, marabou stork, white-backed ducks and goliath heron among others. Also the lake accommodates a large number of hippos mammals
into its pool and make one of East Africa park sighting at a closer
range. Manyara has also minor and major hotsprings within the park famous
known as "Maji Moto" a Swahili word means (Hot water) to the
north and some River like Chem chem, Ndala, Bosayo Rivers. The crater alone has over 20,000 large animals including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhino. Animals are free to leave or enter the crater but most of them stay because of the plentiful water and food available on the crater floor throughout the year. Other mammals include wildebeest, zebra, spotted hyena, hunting dogs, gazelles, hyena, jackals and primates like mice and grasshoppers. The open grassland covers most of the crater floor and feeds the herbivores. The crater has abundant yellow barked acacia trees to its Lerai forest making a home to Elephants, baboon, bushbucks, waterbucks and velvet monkey. The floor has a number of wetland including the Munge River, Lake Makati and Lake Magadi. The Lakes are the attractive point to the numerous flamingos, pelicans, blacksmith Plover, African Cuckoo, Red-eyed Dove and other water birds more than 300 species are recorded. Also the wetland accommodates the large number of hippos and smaller
creatures such as frogs and snakes. Within the crater walls there is
a high possibility of tourists to sight the "Big Five" that's
Elephant, Lion, Buffalo, Hippopotamus and Black Rhinoceros. Covering more than 14,500 square kilometers the park is the largest in Tanzania. Here is where the Great Migration of wildebeests and zebras can be experienced. During the dry season of June through July, these wild animals migrate to the contiguous Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for greens and water using the western and northern corridor. There are also acacia and savannah woodland, wetland like rivers and lakes and occasional swamp. The vegetation of the park accommodate mammals like Topi, Thomson's and Grants gazelle, coke's hartebeest, Impala, Klipspringer, common waterbuck, African Elephant, Bush Baby. Others are African wild cat, Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Spotted hyena, striped hyena, Jackal among the list. Serengeti to its western corridor is the Grumeti River with numerous crocodiles and other reptiles. During the Great Migration these reptiles obtain abundant food as the wildebeest and zebras cross the river to the Maasai Mara. The park is noted to its wealth of birdlife to its wetland. Colorful kingfishers, sunbirds, waterfowl and bee-eaters are among them. More than 300 species are recorded. |
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