Terrific Tanzania

The East African country of Tanzania is officially known as the United Republic of Tanzania and is within the African Great Lakes region. It is known for its vast wilderness areas and national parks.

Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is home to Africa’s highest mountain peak. It is located in northern Tanzania and visitors mostly come here for the challenge of climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is a World Heritage Site. The mountain rises from farmland to rainforest and alpine meadow then up to a barren lunar landscape at the peaks.

The rainforest slopes are home to buffaloes, leopards, monkeys, elephants and eland. The alpine zone is home to birds with many birds of prey.

Serengeti National Park is mostly a vast treeless plain where millions of animals search for fresh grassland. “Serengeti” means an “extended place” in the Maasai language. This is the second-‌largest national park in Tanzania and attracts thousands of tourists every year. The annual migration of millions of zebra and wildebeest happens in May or early June.

There are large herds of antelope as well as lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, bat-eared fox, hunting dog and jackal. There are nearly 500 species of birds.

The Zanzibar Archipelago consists of two islands – Zanzibar and Pemba.

Zanzibar is also known as Unguja and is a major holiday destination due to its lovely beaches. This island has some of the best beaches in the world with varying surf. Visitors delight in soft white sand and clear shallow water.

Stone Town is the cultural heart of Zanzibar. There are grand old Arabian homes that line the narrow streets and winding alleyways. Many of the houses in the town were built in the 19th century when Zanzibar was one of the most important Swahili trading towns in the Indian Ocean.

Pemba Island is less visited. Visitors can watch traditional bullfighting from December to February. This is a hilly island with deep valleys and has become popular with mountain bikers who are drawn to the 1,000-meter peaks. Pemba is a major world clove producer and is well-known for its juju traditions of medicine and magic. People come from all over East Africa to learn from the voodoo and traditional healers and to seek cures.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is located between the Serengeti and Lake Manyara. It is home to the famous volcanic Ngorongoro Crater and is one of Tanzania’s most popular wildlife viewing areas. The huge volcanic crater has a permanent supply of water. Visitors enjoy viewing large game and birds. Of interest in the conservation area is the Olduvai Gorge.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact ancient caldera in the world and is nearly three million years old. The Ngorongoro volcano was one of the world’s tallest mountains before it exploded and collapsed. On the crater floor, you can see lions, elephants, rhinos, Thomson’s gazelles and buffaloes. There are a great many wildebeests and zebras. Hippos enjoy submerging themselves during the day and grazing in the grasses in the evening.

The Olduvai Gorge is an archeological site that is situated on a series of fault lines. Centuries of erosion have revealed fossils and remnants of early mankind.

Lake Manyara National Park consists of forest, woodland, grassland and swamps. Two-thirds of the park is covered by water. At Lake Manyara, you can see thousands of flamingoes and other diverse bird life.

The highlight of the parks is observing the large elephant population, tree-climbing lions and hippos. It also has the largest concentration of baboons in the world. Popular activities here are wildlife drives, canoeing, mountain bike tours and bird watching.

Mafia Island attracts divers and snorkelers from all over the world. The undersea world here is protected by the Mafia Island Marine Park. There are excellent coral gardens, a great variety of fish and a fantastic diving atmosphere. Lots of birds and 400 fish species. The island is also the traditional breeding ground for the green turtle, which is close to extinction. This is also a desirable location for deep-sea fishing, particularly for tuna, marlin, sailfish and other big-game fish.

Tarangire National Park was established in 1970. It is best to visit during the dry season from July to September when animals can be found along the river. During the dry season, you can find a large concentration of migratory wildlife among them wildebeests, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland. Among the highlights here are the Baobab trees in the grassy landscape.

This is a great park for bird watching with over 300 species like buzzards, vultures, herons, storks, kites, falcons and eagles.

Selous Game Reserve is the largest game reserve in Africa. It was established in 1922. The southern area is a forbidden zone that is underdeveloped heavily forested and has a series of steep cliffs.

Travelers are limited to the area north of the Rufiji River. Here visitors can find grassland, woodland, rivers, hills and plains. The river bisects the game reserve and has the largest catchment area of any river in East Africa. Here you can find elephants, hippos and rhinos as well as buffalo, antelope, giraffe, warthog, wildebeest, lion, leopard and cheetah. Over 350 bird species.

Arusha National Park is smaller than most in Tanzania. It consists of the forest of Mount Meru, Ngurdoto Crater in the southeast section and Momela Lakes, a series of seven crater lakes.

In the forested area, you can see black and white Colobus monkeys while the marshy floor of the crater has herds of buffalo, zebras, and warthogs.

Mount Meru is one of the most beautiful volcanoes in Africa and the second-highest mountain in Tanzania. The summit can be reached by a narrow ridge that offers great views of the volcanic cone lying several thousand feet below in the crater. The ascent takes visitors through parkland, forest, a giant heather zone and moorland.

Ruaha National Park counts as the least accessible park in Tanzania. Here birdwatchers can see more than 400 species of bird. There is the river, spectacular gorges and majestic trees. It has large herds of buffalo, elephants, and gazelles.

The Great Ruaha River is the park’s main feature with wildlife on both banks. The river also provides much of the electricity to Tanzania through a hydroelectric dam at Kidatu.

Katavi National Park is located in a remote location and offers unspoiled wilderness. Its predominant feature is the enormous floodplain divided by the Katuma River and several seasonal lakes. The lake has huge groups of hippos, crocodiles and more than 400 species of birds. One of the spectacular happenings is at the end of the dry season when as many as 200 hippos try to squeeze into a pool of water.

During the dry season herds of impala, reedbuck, lions, zebras and giraffes can be seen at the remaining streams and pools. There are an estimated 4,000 elephants and several herds of buffalo.

Gombe Stream National Park is the place visitors go to when they want to get away from the beaten path and get a look at chimpanzees. It is the smallest national park in Tanzania and is famous for the work of Jane Goodall. The British researcher arrived in 1960 to study wild chimpanzees. Visitors are taken on guided walks to observe chimps in the wild. Many different species of primates and mammals live in the park. There are more than 200 species of bird in the tropical forest among them barbets, starlings, sunbirds, crowned eagles, kingfishers and the palm-nut vulture.

Among the popular activities here are hiking and swimming. A forest trail leads to a waterfall in the valley.

Lake Victoria is the largest freshwater lake in Africa. It’s bordered by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. This lake is the source of the White Nile. The towns of Bukoba, Musoma and Mwanza have some attractions. There are many islands near Mwanza and Musoma. Popular excursions include bird watching and fishing trips. Boat trips and hikes can be arranged.