Enormous Elephant approaching across the grasslands of the Serengeti
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As avid and experienced Travel Photographers, Bill and I captured over 8000 pictures and videos of the animals in Tanzania during our 9-day safari through the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park and Arusha National Park. It was literally a photographer’s National Geographic dream come true.

You may be wondering, “What kind of animals are in Tanzania?” or “What are the animals in Tanzania Serengeti?” We will show you our very best photos and videos of a wide variety of Tanzanian animals.

The Table of Contents will let you quickly find the animals you’re looking for, or you can just scroll through all the images to your heart’s content.

All photos on this post were taken by either Kari or Bill (except where noted), and cannot be shared or captured without permission. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.

Big Five Animals in Tanzania

#1 Elephant

Elephant and baby elephant at Lake Manyara National Park
Video clip of sweet elephant family, walking through the Serengeti
Sweet Family – click to watch
Group of elephants gathering at the river
Elephant walking towards us
One of the largest animals in Tanzania - the African Elephant
Close up of elephant wrinkled skin
Elephants of Tanzania, showing their gigantic ears
Elephant approaching tree at Serengeti National Park - he was 50 feet away from us!
Sweet elephant family - Mama, newborn and 3 year-old
Elephant snacking on grasses in the Serengeti National Park
Elephant drinking in the river at Tarangire National Park
Elephant walking towards us in Tarangire National Park
Massive elephant at Tarangire - one of the largest animals in Tanzania
Elephant family at Tarangire National Park
Video of the elephant approaching us from a long ways away, but coming at a fast clip
The long approach – click to watch
Video clip of the elephant scaring the lions away - credit to Charis Chung
Our VERY close encounter! Click to watch
Video clip of Curious elephant approaching our safari vehicle in Tarangire National Park
Curious Elephant – click to watch
Elephants scratching against a tree, and doing what they often seem to be doing - pooping!
Nature calls – click to watch

#2 Lion and Lioness

Male lion - he was just about 20 feet away from us!
Lioness on the prowl in the Serengeti
Male lion - one of the deadliest animals in Tanzania
Young male lion relaxing under a tree
Enormous male lion showing us his large teeth - he's one of the deadliest animals in Tanzania
Look at those teeth!
Lion and lioness relaxing after mating
Close up of male lion
Female lioness on the hunt
Male lion on the move - walking right towards us!
Female lioness showing us her teeth
Video clip of lion licking himself clean
Lion licking himself – Click to watch

#3 Leopard

Leopard checking out his surroundings
Leopard eyeing his next target
Leopard on the prowl
Leopard watching and waiting for animals in Tanzania
Video clip of leopard on the move
Click to watch – Leopard on the move

#4 Cape Buffalo

The African Cape Buffalo - one of the Big Five
Close up photo of a Cape Buffalo
Cape Buffalo with is curved horns
Animals in Tanzania - a group of Cape Buffalo
Note the different shapes of the horn curves from one buffalo to another

#5 Black Rhino

Rare and hard to find. We spotted this group resting in the Ngorongoro Crater, about a 1/2 mile away from us. So these shots are not up to my normal photography standards, but it checked the last box for us on the Big Five!

Black rhinos resting in the distance
Black rhino sleeping
Black rhinos in the Ngorongoro Crater

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Popular Animals in Tanzania

Zebra

The Zebras are absolutely my favorite animal in Tanzania to photograph. I love the way their stripes blend and merge, especially as they are moving. #PhotographyHeaven

Zebras are my favorite animal in Tanzania
Look at the way their strips blend and weave together
Zebras are the most popular animal in Tanzania to photograph
Zebras rest their heads on each other's backs, facing in opposite directions to keep an eye out for predators who might approach from anywhere.
Look at the intricate detail on a zebra's face
Resting on each other’s backs
The Zebras of Tarangire National Park are so beautiful and peaceful as they gather in large numbers.
Is this zebra pregnant? Her belly is soooo huge! Or is it just the angle of the camera?
Pregnant? Or is it just the angle?
Beautiful zebras with their stripes blending together. It's a black and white collage
Our first Zebra sighting at Arusha National Park - I was so excited!
The first ones we spotted!
Zebra showing off the patterns on their faces. Also notice the patterns on the chest - far less detailed.
Look at the detail on the face
Sometimes the zebras lay down and roll in the dust - perhaps scratching an itch?
Rolling in the dirt
Zebra kicking up a big pile of dust as he rolls in the dirt.
A close up of the intricate stripes on a zebra's face.
More face details

Giraffe

Close up of Giraffe eating from a tree
Giraffe
Solo giraffe underneath a tree in the Serengeti. This is one of my favorite animals in Tanzania
I’m a National Geographic Photographer!
Close up of side of giraffe face
Close up of giraffe skin, showing the unique pattern for each individual giraffe
Each skin pattern is unique
Red-billed Oxpecker bird perched on the neck of a giraffe at Arusha National Park
Oxpecker on neck of giraffe
Baby giraffe standing alone in the open space near a tree. Giraffes are one of the most popular animals in Tanzania
Baby Giraffe
Giraffe with straight neck reaching up to eat from a tree
“Straight up” eating off the trees.
Giraffe in Arusha National Park walking towards us
Detailed shot of the underside of giraffe body, legs and tail
Close up of giraffe hoof to show detail about the shape
Hoof detail
Giraffe legs are sooo long and they bend in different directions
The legs bend in different directions
Close up picture of side-by-side giraffes show how different their skin patterns are
Video of a lone giraffe gliding elegantly across the savannah in the Serengeti
Elegant Giraffe – click to watch

Cheetah

Pair of Cheetahs resting under tree
The Cheetah closest to us is watching the people who are watching him

Wildebeest

White-bearded wildebeest passing near our vehicle
Wildebeests love to roll in the grass to remove insects and parasites from their skin - watch this video to see how funny they look!
Wildebeest rolling #1 – click to watch
Herds of wildebeests gathering on a grassy hillside
Herds gathering at the River
White-bearded wildebeest hanging out with a herd of zebras in the Ngorongoro crater
Long line of wildebeests following the leader across the plains of the Serengeti
Follow the leader
Wildebeest rolling #2 – click to watch

Warthog

Female Mama and baby warthog grazing in the grass at Arusha National Park
Close up photo of female warthog grazing in the grass
Male warthog on the Serengeti - notice his large and prominent wart of fibrous growth on the side of his cheek
Side view of male warthog standing in the grass

The Great Migration and Mara River Crossing

Seeing the wildebeests pour down the banks and into the river is near the top of many people’s Bucket List, including mine.

But it’s not as easy to see as you might think. We met travelers who waited for many days, hoping to see it, but never did. The wild animals are simply unpredictable and they’ll go when they’re good and ready.

We were lucky enough to see 3 crossings in one day and it was really thrilling and exhilarating. Read more about our experience here.

Hundreds of trucks with safari goers line the banks of the river, hoping to see the wildebeests plunge into the river
Trucks waiting for the action to start
Large herds of wildebeests are gathering on the far bank
Herds gathering on the far banks
Finally, they start thundering down the embankment and into the water
Starting down the embankment
Video of the second group, struggling with the strong current to swim across.
Crossing #1 – Click to watch
Video of the WIldebeests struggling to cross the Mara River
Crossing #2 – Click to watch
Video #3 - This group is crossing in the opposite (and technically correct) direction
Crossing #3 – Click to watch

Water Loving Animals in Tanzania

Hippo

Close up photograph of Hippo in the water
Hippo with his mouth open in the Seronera River
Hippo grazing in the grasslands of the Ngorongoro Crater. Did you know their diet consists of grass, grass and grass? They sure get really big eating grass!
Hippo soaking in the river to keep cool in the heat of the day. The Hippo is one of my favorite animals in Tanzania!

Crocodile

Older crocodile resting on the banks of a river. He doesn't have as many teeth as crocs normally do so I think he's older.
Enormous crocodile swimming in the water in Serengeti National Park

Hoofed Animals in Tanzania

Topi Antelope

Found all over the Serengeti, a medium sized antelope, the Topi has thick, heavily ringed, lyre-shaped horns. They also have interesting patterns inside their ears, kind of like a leaf.

The Topi Antelope feature thick, ridged horns with a curved shape. Their hides are multi-colored so they look very different, depending on the angle you view them from.

Thomsen’s Gazelle

In my opinion, the small Thomsen’s Gazelles are the most beautiful of all the hoofed animals in Tanzania. Their prominent black strip along the side, with white below, makes them easily identifiable. Their long elegant ridged horns curve backwards.

The Thomsen's Gazelle showing his prominent black streak on the side of his body with white on the belly below. He also has elegant horns that slope back and then curve at the ends.
Two young gazelles prepare to practice their fighting skills as they approach from opposite directions.
Gazelles butting heads as they practice fighting.
The Gazelle's gather in large herds in the long grasses of the Serengeti plains

Impala

Majestic Impala with his beautifully curved antlers, seen in Lake Manyara National Park
Full body shot of the Impala of Tarangire National Park.
Impalas are one of the most beautiful deer animals in Tanzania
Impala of the Serengeti, looking towards us with big wide eyes and his curving antlers

Common Eland

The Common Eland is one of the largest hoofed animals in the Serengeti. Their antlers are in a “twisted” format.

The Common Eland is one of large hoofed animals in Tanzania
The Common Eland has twisty curvy antlers, like someone grabbed the end of them and twisted inwards.

Hartebeest / Dik-dik / Water Buck

Hartebeest
The Dik Dik is one of the smallest deer in the Serengeti
Dik-dik Antelope
A trio of Waterbuck, crossing the Serengeti
Water Buck

Monkeys in Tanzania

Baboon

Baboon family at Arusha National Park
Pink Butt = Female, Gray Butt = Male
Mama Baboon carrying her baby
Baboon group on the move – click to watch

Velvet Monkey

The Velvet Monkey sits on a railing, waiting to steal somebody's lunch!
The Velvet Monkey is a mischievous one with his black face.

Blue Monkey

A Close up of the Blue Monkey in the trees
Blue Monkey in the trees at Arusha National Park - one of the rarer Animals in Tanzania

More images coming soon!

Less Common Animals in Tanzania

Jackal

A jackal digs his den in the Ngorongoro Crater

Hyena

A hyena watches for prey to get closer to him in the Ngorongoro Crater

Banded Mongoose

Banded Mongoose slinks along the ground in Serengeti National Park
A trio of banded mongooses hunt for food in the Serengeti

Lizards

Unknown type of Lizard with spots all over him
Unidentified Lizard
Bright blue and red lizard, known as the Mwanza flat-headed rock agama.
Mwanza flat-headed rock agama

Animals that we saw in each National Park

Arusha National Park

Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Zebra, Colobus Monkey, Warthog/Pumba, Baboon (pink butt = female, gray butt = male), and Blue Monkey

Tarangire National Park

Greve Zebras, ELEPHANTS!!, Lions (hiding in the grass), Female Water bucks, Cheetahs, Giraffe, Wildebeest, Banded Mongoose, Velvet Monkey with the black face, and Impala

Lake Manyara National Park

Elephant, Giraffe, Impala, Bush Buck, Blue Monkey, Baboons, Velvet Monkey

Serengeti National Park

Elephants, Lions, Cheetahs, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, Giraffes, Hippos, Thomson’s Gazelle, Lioness, Warthog, Antelope (Topi), Impalas, Dik-dik Antelope, Crocodile (big ones), Hartebeest, Jackal, Wildebeest, Common Eland, Baboons, banded mongoose, velvet monkeys, baby crocodile, Water Buck

Ngorongoro Crater

Black Rhinos, Zebra, Thomsen’s Gazelles, Impala, Elephants, Baboons, Cape Buffalo, lots of hippos, lots of wildebeests, lioness, warthog, jackal, hyena, velvet monkey

More Tanzania Posts

Here are some more posts about Tanzania, Africa and Safaris, including some that I’m still working on. If you’d like to receive emails when I’ve posted new content to the site, please complete the short form above.

Learn more about Tanzania National Parks

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