Track the wildthat watches back.

Arusha National Park is a compact 137 km² park about 25 km east of Arusha city, gazetted in 1960 around the Ngurdoto Crater and later extended to include Mount Meru and the Momella Lakes. It packs three distinct landscapes into a small area: the grassy floor of Ngurdoto Crater, a chain of shallow alkaline lakes in the north-east, and the forested slopes of Mount Meru, Tanzania's second-highest mountain at 4,566 m. The forest holds black-and-white colobus and blue monkeys, bushbuck and forest birds such as the Narina trogon, while giraffe, buffalo, zebra and warthog graze the open ground. The Momella Lakes carry large numbers of waders and, seasonally, flamingos. Because the park has no lions, it is one of the few places on the northern circuit where ranger-led walking safaris and canoeing on the lakes are routine. It is also the base for the four-day Mount Meru climb from Momella Gate.

Best June–October (dry season); Meru climbs also Dec–Feb

Sikjunior · CC0

Gombe Stream is the strip of forested hills on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika where Jane Goodall began her study of wild chimpanzees in July 1960, at the age of 26. Her observations of tool use among the Kasekela community changed the scientific understanding of primate behaviour, and the Gombe Stream Research Centre, founded in 1967, is now the longest-running field study of any wild animal, at more than sixty years. At only 35 km² it is Tanzania's smallest national park, reached by boat from Kigoma, about 20 km to the south; there is no road access. Visits centre on guided treks to find the habituated chimpanzee families, which move between the valley streams and the ridge tops. Olive baboons frequent the lakeshore, and red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys share the forest canopy. Around 200 bird species have been recorded, and the clear lake water in front of the camp is suitable for swimming and snorkelling.

Best Jun–Oct

fabulousfabs · CC BY 2.0

Gombe Stream National Park protects 35 km² of steep, forested valleys rising from the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika in Kigoma Region. Established in 1968, it is the smallest of Tanzania's national parks and is accessible only by boat from Kigoma town. The park's chimpanzee population, studied continuously since 1960, is its main draw. Trekking with a guide through the valleys usually leads to one of the habituated communities, and time with the animals is limited to an hour to reduce disturbance. Leopards are the main predator in the park, and hippos, small antelope and around 200 bird species are also present. The forest is a mosaic of evergreen valley woodland and grassy ridges, and a walk to the Kakombe waterfall or to Jane's Peak gives views across the lake to the Congo. Accommodation is limited to a lodge and TANAPA bandas on the lakeshore, so numbers are small and advance booking is needed.

Best June–October (dry season)

fabulousfabs · CC BY 2.0

The island's last stand of groundwater forest and the only home of the Zanzibar red colobus.

Best Year-round

Mnazini · CC BY 4.0

Katavi National Park covers 4,471 km² of western Tanzania, about 40 km south of Mpanda. It began as a game reserve, was gazetted as a national park in 1974 and was extended to its present size in 1997. The park is built around the Katuma River and the seasonal floodplains of Lake Katavi and Lake Chada, which are broad grassy expanses for most of the year. Its reputation rests on the late dry season, when the Katuma shrinks to a chain of pools and hundreds of hippos crowd into the remaining mud, with crocodiles retreating into riverbank caves. Very large herds of buffalo, together with zebra, giraffe, elephant and their attendant lions, gather along the same water. Katavi is one of the least-visited parks in the country — around 1,500 international visitors in a year — because access is by charter flight or a long unpaved drive. Camps are few and offer game drives and walks with little other traffic.

Best June–October (dry season); Aug–Oct for hippo concentrations

Calle v H · CC BY 2.0

The 'Garden of God' — a highland plateau that flowers with orchids after the rains.

Best December–April (flowering)

Daniel Msirikale · CC BY-SA 4.0