Ngurdoto crater, within the Arusha national Parks (ANAPA) is a thrilling tourist attraction on its own. A caldera of an extinct volcano, Ngurdoto has a ring road that allows fabulous views down into the lush crater interior.

At the moment you can only drive up to the crater rim through the misty forest inhabited by the nimble black and white colobus monkeys that are the mascot of the park, Leopards are the main predator in this area and, strangely, there are no lions apart from the odd visitor.

Driving along the high ridges on the Crater edge provides a stunning view of the forests, glades and animal tracks that abound in this lush habitat.
The good news now is that the crater will be more thrilling to visitors as one would now be able to walk around the rim, half way.

In other words, Tanzania has once again added a new dimension into its already famous tourism industry. It has just introduced a new tourist product a walking safari around the ream of the world famous Ngurdoto Crater – at Arusha National Park.

Indeed, and typically Tanzanian, the tourist Mecca of the world has a further feature in game viewing Safaris and Trekking around the park which also include the Mount Meru.

“We are on the final touches of introducing another added value at the Ngurdoto Crater”, says thrilled ANAPA Chief Park Warden, Mr. Erastus Lufungulo.

He said the crater, known as a ‘mini Ngorongoro’, would start being accessed by walking tourists from July or August this year. Presently visitors can only access the ream half way by driving only.

Mr. Lufunguro said the on going works include clearing the foot paths and placing various guiding signs around the crater, adding that the works are almost complete and, when the walking trips are officially launched, “ANAPA would further be shrouded by its mystery and beauty”.

He said another uniqueness of the walking safari around the crater is that even older people would be able to walk around as the area is not steep. There would be several viewing points, staring at Leitong view point and ending at the highest viewing point known as Vikindu.

The three kilometre wide 400 metres deep volcanic caldera Ngurdoto Crater is famous for large herds of buffaloes, black and white colubus and blue
monkeys, among dozens other features in Arusha National Park.

TANAPA officials say, the additional attraction at ANAPA would further make the park demonstrate an incredible diversity of environments. In addition to preserving Mt. Meru, an extinct volcano of almost 15,000 feet, (4,566 metres) this park is also home to beautiful mountain lakes and craters.

The park has three distinct habitat zones that contribute to the amazing variety of wildlife in the area. From the lush green swamps surrounded by thick forest in the Ngurdoto Crater, up through the scenic beauty of the Momela Lakes, each a startlingly different hue, through to the chilly alpine like tundra on Mount Meru.

In addition to being an excellent park for birders, Arusha is one of the only places to see the black and white colobus monkey, flamingoes in huge congregations in the Momella lake

The remains of a large volcano, the Ngurdoto Crater is a steep sided bowl of lush swamps and riverine forest, home to elephant, buffalo, baboon, reedbuck, colobus monkeys, leopard and duikers.

Mosses, ferns, lichens and orchids thrive in the damp atmosphere of the Crater, giving way to huge mahogany, olive and date palm trees on the drier crater walls.

Descent into the Crater itself is not allowed, in effect creating a sanctuary within a sanctuary and leaving a large area of the park to the wildlife alone.

The Arusha National Park was ‘discovered’ by Sir Julius Huxley. Founded in 1960, it is 33,800 acres in size and consists of three spectacular features: the Momella Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, and Mount Meru.

There is a beautiful mountain forest with unique species of plants and wildlife. The park is famous for its 400 species of bird life, both sedentary and migratory, and the black and white colobus monkeys. It is dominated by Mount Meru, an extinct volcano that rises 14,990 feet.

Tourists also have the opportunity to view a snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, weather permitting.

If you’re staying at one of the Valley’s lodges, the guides will ensure you have every opportunity to see all that the valley has to offer of its wildlife, birds and varying vegetation and habitats. If you’re in your own vehicle, be sure to get a map of the park from the   Crocodile Farm at the park entrance and follow the loop roads graded in the park, past dambos bursting with   hippos,  crowned cranes, grazing  antelope and scurrying  baboons. Further out on the plains you’re bound to see the large   elephant herds, reaching up to 70 in number.  Buffalo  are abundant and spread throughout the valley.

The hippopotamus is one animal you won’t miss. As you cross over the bridge into the park there are usually between 30 and 70 hippos lounging in the river below and most of the dambos and lagoons will reveal many. There is estimated to be at least 50 hippos per kilometre of the Luangwa River!

Zebra can be seen running in small herds of about a dozen. The difference between Zambia’s zebras and those in the south and east of Africa are in the stripes. Here they are evenly spaced as opposed to broad light stripes with a faint shadow stripe in-between.

Thornicroft’s Giraffe, unique to Luangwa Valley should be easily spotted.

The park has 14 different antelope species, most of which are easily seen on game and night drives. Watch out for the elusive bushbuck, preferring to inhabit densely covered areas. The common duiker is not that common near the Luangwa river but inhabits the back country of the Luangwa Valley. The largest of the antelope is the eland, usually near the Nsefu sector of the park. The most numerous antelope is the impala, these gregarious animals can be seen in herds all over the park. Not to be confused with the Puku, of similar size but a much fluffier buck with a rich orange coat and also prolific.

Perhaps the most beautiful is the Kudu, with its majestic spiral horns and delicate face. Although fairly common, they’re not always easy to find due to their retiring habits and preference for dense bush.. Reedbuck, roan, sable, hartebeest, grysbok, klipspringer and oribi are all here but not prolific in the central tourist area of the Park. They tend to stay deeper in the remote parts towards the Muchinga escarpment.

Of the primates, baboons and vervet monkeys are prolific. More scarce is Maloney’s monkey. Present, but unlikely to be seen except on night drives is the night ape, and the nocturnal bushbaby.

Hyenas are fairly common throughout the valley and their plaintive, eerie cry, so characteristic of the African bush can be heard on most nights.

South Luangwa has a good population of leopard but they are not that easy to spot and tend to retreat when they hear vehicles. Many of the Lodge’s game trackers are skilled in finding leopards on night drives however, and often visitors are rewarded with a full view of a kill.

Lions are as plentiful in the Luangwa as anywhere else in Africa, but when a kill is made away from the central tourist area, the pride may stay away for several days and may not be seen by visitors on a short stay. Very often they roam in prides of up to thirty.

Of the other carnivores present but not often seen is the caracal, wild dog, serval and side striped jackal.

The Luangwa river also has an extraordinarily high number of crocodiles. It is not uncommon to see several basking on the riverbanks or even floating down the river tearing at a dead animal.

Night drives are fascinating in the Luangwa. Not only for the chance of seeing a leopard but for the many interesting animals that only come to life at night. Genets, civets, servals, hyenas, and bushbabies as well as owls, nightjars, the foraging hippos, honey badgers and lion.

Experts have dubbed South Luangwa as one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world, and not without reason. The concentration of game around the Luangwa river and it’s ox bow lagoons is among the most intense in Africa.

The Luangwa River is the most intact major river system in Africa and is the life blood of the park’s 9050km2.    The Park hosts a wide variety of wildlife birds and vegetation. The now famous ‘walking safari’ originated in this park and is still one of the finest ways to experience this pristine wilderness first hand. The changing seasons add to the Park’s richness ranging from dry, bare bushveld in the winter to a lush green wonderland in the summer months.

There are 60 different animal species and over 400 different bird species. The only notable exception is the rhino, sadly poached to extinction.

Wildlife in South Luangwa

Access to Sumbu National Park and Nkamba Lodge is either by road via Mansa or Kasama to Sumbu and the Park Gate (1363 Km and 1188 Km respectively from Lusaka), by air from Lusaka (or Ndola) to Kasaba Bay / Nkamba Bay Airports (810 Km direct), or by boat from Mpulungu (no regular service). There are gravel tracks from Sumbu to Nkamba Lodge and Kasaba Bay, to the various scouts’ camps, to the balancing rocks, and from Nkamba to the Lufubu River where a link with the Mbala road is planned but not yet completed . At present, most client transfers between the Lodges are carried out by boat.

Kasaba Bay Aerodrome is currently owned and operated by the Department of Civil Aviation.  Other laterite airstrips are at Kasama and Mprokoso. There are currently no aviation refuelling facilities in the area, the nearest being at Ndola on the Copperbelt. Chartered flights are available to Kasaba and Nkamba Bay.

Whilst the National road network is gradually being improved, journeys can be long and arduous to this corner of Zambia, particularly on the unpaved portions. The most direct route from Lusaka is via Serenje, Mansa and Kawambwa on paved roads, then to Mporokoso on a good gravel road, and finally from Mporokoso to Sumbu on a poor gravel road.

A longer route, but with better gravel roads, is via Nchelenge from Mansa on a paved road, thence to Sumbu via Kaputa on a good gravel road which runs through Mweru Wantipa National Park. Finally, there is a route via Kasama to Mporokoso, but this is in poor condition. Access to the lake via Mbala and Mpulungu is by paved road all the way, but there is no link yet between Mbala and Sumbu.

There are no reliable, regular road or lake transport services to Sumbu or the Lodges in the National Park. However, the Lodges have their own boats and vehicles available for short-distance transfers, and there are companies which have vehicles for hire.

A ferry service between the major international ports on Lake Tanganyika is operated by Tanzania Railways, using the historical MV Liemba with a capacity for 500.
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Hotels & Lodges -Where to stay
There are three lodges in secluded bays along the Park’s shoreline, Nkamba Bay , Kasaba Bay and Ndole Bay. . Camping is possible at Ndole Bay.

Even though the wildlife population in the park has declined, there is still a wide variety of species present in the park and numbers are recovering, although sightings are not guaranteed. Roan, sable, eland, hartebeest as well as buffalo and zebra and occasionally elephant, lion and leopard.

Bushbuck, warthog and puku often frequent the beaches. The rare blue duiker is one of the Park’s specialties along with the shy swamp dwelling sitatunga. Other varieties seen in the park are the spotted hyena, side-striped jackal, serval, impala, waterbuck and reedbuck This side of the Lake is teeming with crocodiles, so swimming is obviously not advisable. Some reach up to six meters in length. Hippos often emerge at night around the lodges to ‘mow’ the green grass.

Birdlife in the park is still prolific with many migrants coming down from East Africa and up from South African regions. The flamingo is one of the more spectacular migrants while some of the lakeshore inhabitants include the skimmer, spoonbill, whiskered tern along with many different storks, ducks and herons. Commonly encountered species around the lake include the grey-headed gull, lesser black-backed gull, white-winged black tern, whiskered tern, African skimmer, and of course the ubiquitous fish eagle. The palmnut vulture and Pel’s fishing owl are also occasionally seen.

The Balancing Boulders are shrouded in myth and are of great significance to the local Tabwa people. On the Nundo Head Peninsula a large boulder balances upon three smaller ones and is the scene of annual ceremonies in which a white chicken is sacrificed to honour the God Nundo.

Further east at Kabwembwa, just outside the Park there is a sacred place where the Spirit of the Lake resides. Local fishermen throw offerings into the water here whenever they pass as a sign of respect.

Nsumbu is famous for it’s excellent angling off the shoreline and some of the better catches are the large Nile perch, goliath tigerfish, vundu catfish, lake salmon and the tasty yellow belly or ‘nkupi’.

Occasionally the much sought after golden perch is caught. The Zambian National Fishing Competition takes place here every year around March or April and some world records have been set here.

Lying on the southern shores of Lake Tanganyika in the Northern most tip of Zambia, Sumbu National Park covers an area of just over 2000 square km’s encompassing 100kms of some of the most pristine shores of this vast Lake. Its beauty ranges from sandy beaches, vertical cliffs, rocky coves and natural bays to the rugged hills and deep valleys of the interior. The Lufubu River winds its way through a valley flanked by 300 meter escarpments on either side.

The western boundary of Nsumbu National Park is buffered by Tondwa Game Management Area, an IUCN Category VIII Multiple Use Management Area of 54,000 ha. The much larger Kaputa Game Management Area (360,000 ha) is also contiguous with the National Park to the north-west and south-west therefore, with the National Park, completely surrounding Tondwa. Sumbu National Park and the two Game Management Areas thus form important parts of a network of Protected Areas in Zambia.

The Park is dissected from west to east by the sizeable and perennial Lufubu River, which also demarcates the eastern boundary of the Park up to the river’s discharge into Lake Tanganyika. Nkamba and Chisala Rivers are ephemeral and smaller than the Lufubu, draining Tondwa Swamp into Nkamba and Sumbu Bays respectively, the former through an attractive valley with abundant wildlife in relation to other parts of the Park.

Much of the park is covered by combretum thicket, but along the lakeshore there are many strangler figs and ‘candelabra’ trees along with the strange and interesting boulders balanced on top of one another.

Safaris in Sumbu Parks, sightseeing
Getting there and accommodation, hotels, lodges

Lochinvar tourist park
South Luangwa park
Sumbu National park
Kafue safari park
Nyika National park
Kasanka tourist park
Liuwa Plain safari park
Luambe National park
North Luangwa holiday park
Lower Zambezi National park
Sioma Ngwezi safaris park
Bangweulu Floodplains National park
Mosi-O-Tunya National park