Mikumi National Park.

Swirls of opaque mist hide advancing down. The first shafts of sun colour the fluffy grass heads rippling across the plain in a russet halo. A heard of zebras, confident in their camouflage at this predatory hour, pose like ballerinas, heads aligned and stripes merging in flowing motion.
Size: 3,230 sq km
Location: 238 km west of Dar es Salaam, north of Selous, an en route to Ruaha, Udzungwa and (for the intrepid) Katavi.
Getting there: a good surfaced road connects Mikumi to Dar es Salaam via Morogoro, a roughly 4 hours drive. Also road connections to Udzungwa, Ruaha and (dry season only) Selous. Charter flight from Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Selous. Local buses run from Dar to park HQ where game drives can be arranged.
What to do: game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby Udzungwa or travel on to Selous or Ruaha.
When to go: Accessible year around.
Accommodation: two lodges, two luxury tented camps, three campsites, Guest houses in Mikumi town to the park border.

Ruhaha National Prak.

The game viewing starts the moment the plane touches down. A giraffe races beside the airstrip, all legs and neck, yet oddly elegant in its awkwardness. A line of zebras parades across the runway in the giraffe’s wake. In the distance, beneath a bulbous baobab tree, a few representatives of Ruaha’s 10,000 elephants – the largest population of any East African national park, form a protective huddle around their young.
Size: 10,300 sq km.
Location: Central Tanzania, 128 km west of Iringa.
Getting there: Scheduled and/or charter fights from Dar es Salaam, Selous, Serengeti, Arusha, Iringa and Mbeya. Year-round road access through Iringa from Dar es Salaam (about 10 hours) via Mikumi or from Arusha via Dodoma.
What to do: Day walks or hiking safaris through untouched bush. Stone age ruins at Isimila, near Iringa, 120 km away, one of Africa’s most important historical sites.
When to go: For predators and large mammals, dry season ( mid-May-December);      bird-watching, lush scenery and wildflowers, wet season (January-April). The male greater kudu is most visible in June, the breeding season.
Accommodation: Riverside lodge: three dry season tented camps: self-catering bandas, two campsites: Ruaha Hill Top Lodge.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Brooding and primeval, the forests of Udzungwa seam positively enchanted: a verdant refuge of sunshine-dappled glades enclosed by 30-metre high trees, their buttresses layered with fungi, lichens, mosses and ferns.
Size: 1,990 sq km.
Location: Five hours (350km) from Dar es Salaam; 65 km southwest of Mikumi.
Getting there: Drive from Dar es Salaam or Mikumi National Park.
What to do: From a two-hour hike to the waterfall to camping safaris. Combine with nearby Mikumi or en route Ruaha.
When to go: Possible year round although slippery in the rains. The dry season is June-October before the short rains but be prepared for rain anytime.
Accommodation: Camping inside the park. Bring all food and supplies. Two modest but uncomfortable lodges with en-suite rooms within 1km of the park entrance.