TANZANIA & ZANZIBAR, AFRICA TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION GUIDE

TANZANIA TRAVEL GUIDE

Somak's Spice of Life - ZANZIBAR

4 Off-The-Beaten Track Safari Locations In Tanzania
Tanzania is rightly famous for the Serengeti and the Great Wildebeest Migration and for the Ngorongoro Crater. However, there are less known safari adventures to be had in Tanzania, which are equally as rewarding, but with not so many crowds of visitors... read more

3 Top Cities To Visit In Tanzania
Tanzania is a popular safari destination, especially with regard to the Great Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti. However, the East African country’s cities also have plenty to offer tourists. Here we outline three cities which are definitely worthy of a visit... read more

Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania in Swahili), is a country on the east coast of Africa. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south. To the east it borders the Indian Ocean. The country is named after Tanganyika, its mainland part, and the Zanzibar islands off its east coast. The country has been a member of the Commonwealth since gaining independence in 1961. In 1964, Tanganyika united with Zanzibar, forming the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, later renamed to the United Republic of Tanzania. In 1996, Tanzania's capital was officially moved from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, although many government offices still remain in the old capital.

ZANZIBAR TRAVEL INFORMATION

TANZANIA INFORMATION

Highlights of Just a Few National Parks of Tanzania   by Ian Williamson

1. Gombe Stream National Park and Mahale Mountain National Park sit side by side in the remote west of Tanzania. They are found alongside one of the great lakes of Africa - Lake Tanganyika. They offer a rare opportunity to observe and study the behavior of the Chimpanzee. This area is difficult to get to and almost the only way to reach these parks is to fly to Kigoma. From Kikoma you must travel by boat to gain access to the Chimpanzee trails which are home to some if the last troops of chimpanzee's in Africa. 

2. Kilimanjaro National Park is in contrast very accessible; and at 5895m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest point and the world's highest freestanding mountain. Incredibly, the snow-capped peak is only a few hours away from a tropical coastline. This incredible trek climbs form the brown dusty plains of Africa through tropical rainforest, then upward onto the ice and snow and near artic conditions on the summit of this majestic mountain.

3. Ngorongoro crater heralded as the 'eighth wonder of the world' is an awe-inspiring collapsed volcano; enclosed by near sheer walls the crater is breathtaking; as is the descent onto the creatr floor in your 4x4 safari Landover. This small area is a mini Serengeti with a lake, savannah and forest; it is possible to have a six hour safari and see many animals in just a short time in this truly unique part of Africa.

4. The Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a park without roads and is Tanzania's first National Park created primarily to protect flora rather than fauna. This national park forces you out of your vehicle. No lodges in this park either so to truly explore these mountains means hard hikes and basic camping. The remote parts of this park become dangerous and inaccessible in the wet season.

5. The Serengeti home to last Great Migration left on our planet. These endless plains, contain valleys, hills and woodland as well as the open grasslands that seem to stretch out forever. Every time of year in the Serengeti offers something different, something special. 

6. In contrast to the ever popular Serengeti is the Katavi National Park in the remote and inaccessible west of Tanzania. This park has the largest herds of buffalo in Africa and where there are buffalo the lions are not far behind. The usual way to access this park is to fly into the one [luxury tented] lodge in the entire park. It is rumored that when a guest drives upto the park gates the wardens there are shocked and bewildered, so rare are tourists to this park. Here, in this park the only other people you will meet are other guests and the staff at the lodge. Here you have one million hectares to yourself.

7. A huge carpet of ground orchid's bloom quite unnoticed, every year, in a forgotten corner of Southern Tanzania. This high plateau called the Kitulo Plateau is high above the madding crowd is covered with a sea of orchids. This National Park of wild flowers in all its glorious color is a delight to anyone who appreciates and loves the orchid in its natural setting.

8. The Selous Game Reserve embraces 54,000 square kilometers of southwestern Tanzania; it is the largest protected wilderness reserve on the continent, three times larger than the Serengeti.

After the safari there are the rewards of Tanzania's coast; crystal seas, sun bleached white sands give the Tanzania cost a scintillating appearance. Ancient ruins rest among whispering palms enticing you to explore. This palm fringed coastline looks out over the warm turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Tranquil coral lagoons shelter underwater coral gardens, claiming some of the best diving in the world; Tanzania and Zanzibar welcome you to explore a diving tropical paradise.

Somak's Spice of Life - Zanzibar  by Louise Newton

Although Zanzibar consists of an archipelago of islands and islets, the largest of these - Unguja - is confusingly known internationally as.... Zanzibar. A separate state within Tanzania, Zanzibar is best known as a place to flop on the beach after the exhilaration of an East African safari. Now a new night flight from Nairobi makes combining the two even easier - and a quicker hop to the beach.

And what beaches! The eastern coast has a long stretch of perfect white sand beaches - uncrowded, often remote - fronted by warm aqua-coloured waters and interspersed with simple fishing villages, where life goes on much as it did in times gone by. Under the water a coral reef provides the backdrop for great snorkelling and world-class scuba diving. Above it, windsurfing, kayaking and state-of-the-art big game fishing are favourite holiday pastimes.

Zanzibar also has a rich culture - best discovered on a trip to its capital, Stone Town, recently categorised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Reputedly the only ancient town in East Africa still flourishing, Stone Town has changed little since the 19th century. Winding streets and alleyways, leading past more than 500 ornately-carved doors, take you back in time and yet the city is very much a place where people live and work. In this colourful, highly scented labyrinth, veiled women bargain noisily in crowded craft and food shops.

Away from the melée, the island interior is home to fragrant spice plantations - a real assault on the senses. Exotic forests are scented with the delicate fragrance of ylang-ylang, hibiscus and jasmine and the heady aroma of cloves and cardamoms, which provide the ingredients on which Zanzibar's spicy cuisine is based.