TANZANIA NATIONAL PARKS

THE SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Serengeti, which sprawls across 14,763 sq km (5757 sq mi), is Tanzania's most famous game park. Here you can get a glimpse of what much of East Africa must have looked like in the days before the 'great White hunters'. The brainless slaughter of the plains animals began in the late 19th century, but more recently, trophy hunters and poachers in search of ivory have added to the sickening toll. On the seemingly endless and almost treeless Serengeti plains are literally millions of hoofed animals. They're constantly on the move in search of grassland and are watched and preyed upon by a varied parade of predators. It's one of the most incredible sights you will ever encounter and the numbers involved are simply mind-boggling. The wildebeest has a starring role in the amazing annual migration. Serengeti is also famous for its lion, cheetah and giraffe populations. Don't forget to bring your binoculars

NGORONGORO CONCERVATION AREA AUTHORITY

The views from the 600m (1968ft) tall Ngorongoro Crater rim are spectacular but the real treasure lies on its 20km (12.4mi)-wide floor. It's been compared to Noah's Ark and the Garden of Eden - but has the added advantage of actually existing. Noah might be a bit a disappointed by dwindling animal numbers these days, but he'd have no trouble finding lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and many of the plains herbivores such as wildebeest, Thomson's gazelle, zebra and reedbuck, as well as thousands of flamingo wading in the shallows of Lake Magadi, the soda lake on the floor of the crater. Local Masai tribespeople have grazing rights here, and you may well come across them tending their cattle. You can reach the crater by private bus from Arusha (on the main highway) at least as far as Karatu but it may be difficult to find anything going beyond there. There are also plenty of trucks as far as Karatu.