With an amazingly large number of animal parks, white sand beaches, a beguiling island and very hospitable people, Tanzania is definitely a top destination for those that seek to have an unforgettable travel experience. The Solid standing mountains surrounded by dense tropical forests, bird havens and ancient sites are all the more a compelling reason to take up your vacation in this expansive East African country.
What Serengeti National Park is to Tanzania can only be compared to the importance of Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Kruger National Park in South Africa. Home to over thirty-five species of plain thriving animals, the Serengeti spreads across an area of no less than fourteen thousand square Kilometres thus reaching all the way up to the Kenyan border. Animals found in this Park include lions, cheetahs, gazelles and the annually- migrating wildebeests that spectacularly do so between November and May.
Indeed the migration of the wildebeests was included among the Seven Wonders of the World and rightly so. The phenomenal and instantaneous exodus of the wildebeests in their thousands finds root in the quest for grazing land and a chance to mate. With Vicious Predators either laying in wait or in hot pursuit, the weak, the old and the too young stand very little chance of survival.
The Ngogongoro Conservation Area , rising high above the plains of Serengeti, spans from Lake Natron to Lake Enaysi to Lake Manyara. Resting in this Conservation Area is the active volcanic Mountain-Ol Doinyo Lengai, that in the beautiful Maasai language means Mountain of God and that whose last eruption was in 1983. The Ngorongoro crater is six hundred and ten metres deep, twenty kilometers in diameter and covers an area of three hundred and eleven square kilometers. Save for the Impala, the Topi and the Giraffe, this crater shelters the majority of plain dwelling mammals and it goes without saying that there is nowhere else in Africa that you will find as many predators concentrated in one area as in the Ngorongoro Crater. Should you decide to take a hike in this area, the sighting of the endangered Black Rhino should be most rewarding not to mention birdlife that includes flamingoes that are attracted to the area by the soda-containing crater floor.
Among Tanzania’s many wonderful Parks is the Selous Game Reserve that covers an area bigger than the entire of Switzerland and takes close to a sixth of Tanzania’s Surface Area. This is no wonder given that this Game Reserve is not only one of the biggest in the world but also is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a high concentration of elephants, lions and hundreds and hundreds of other wild animals.
Other parks in Tanzania include Lake Manyara, Gombe National Park, Udzungura Mountains, the Island of Rubondo, the Mahale Mountains, Katavi, Ruaha, Tarangire, Mikumi National Park and Arusha National Park. For those who are lovers of Marine life, Tanzania has many Marine Parks including Kilwa Reserve, Latham Island Reserve, Tanga Coral Gardens and Rufigi Delta. Tanzania also has got a number of proposed national Parks that include Saadani and Kizulo Plateau. As you can see, the options are many and no matter what your choices are, a trip to Tanzania will be most rewarding.
And now, how can the end of this article be neared without mentioning the challenge-tossing Tanzanian Physical feature that has attracted lots of tourists every year in the quest to climb the highest mountain in Africa? Mount Kilimanjaro, resting near Moshi with a spectacular snowy peak, is a good challenge for those who not only want to enjoy a spectactular view of Africa from the Peak but also have many tales thereafter of the wonderful experience in having conquering the highest mountain in Africa.
The Olduvai Gorge is a historical canyon spanning 50 km and 100metres deep and is also in the Ngorongoro Crater area. It has been the site for discovery of three different species of hominid fossils, with the oldest dating back 3 million years. Olduvai came as a result of a river that eroded rock in the area, subsequently exposing layers of volcanic soil in which Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the hominid fossils. A museum has been put up for you to view some of the ancient findings including the remains of a giant giraffe.
We cannot overlook Lake Tanganyika for the simple reason that it’s too grand. It’s the world’s longest and second deepest fresh-water lake. It is the gateway to the Gombe stream and Mahale Mountains National Parks and is central to the building of traditional dhow fishing boats. Make sure you check it out for the mesmerizing feeling that comes with looking at large masses of water.
Within these lines, there is one more place that you must pay a visit to: Zanzibar. This is no doubt one of Africa’s most renown and remarkable islands. This Indian Ocean Tropical Island is well known world over for white sandy beaches and a slow -paced way of life. The traditional dhow boats drifting amidst gently-swaying palm trees in the Zanzibar blissful breeze is a feeling that can only at best be remotely expressed by words. This Island has the allure of a paradise and the mystery of an out-of -this-world experience. Built on its fishing and spice trade, Zanzibar has not changed much and Arabic Influence has left its mark on the island’s architecture moreso in the historical Stone Town. To sum it up, Zanzibar speaks for itself!
Finally, in one sentence: Africa is blessed with many wonderful destinations, yet few of this beat Tanzania which you should seriously think of as you choose your next destination.
For more helpful informationabout Tanzania Vacations including Tanzania Hotels and other Africa Vacations, Visit the Author’s Africa Travel Website.