Tanzania & Zanzibar

Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, also a world heritage site and recently proclaimed the 7th Wonder of the World, the Serengeti is famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing.

Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers one of the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle.

Zanzibar is unique, colorful, interesting and has a lot to offer. Its sandy beaches have been rated among the nicest in the world!.

This piece of paradise is home to large amounts of beaches and clear Indian Ocean water, as well as coral and limestone scarps which allow for significant amounts of diving and snorkelling.

Zanzibar is the home of the endemic Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkey, the Zanzibar Servaline Genet, and the (possibly extinct) Zanzibar Leopard. Not less important, Zanzibar is known for its spices, raffia and tourism. In particular, the islands produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper. For this reason, the islands, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, are sometimes called the Spice Islands.

This region is one of the Indian Ocean best hidden secrets.

With its white sandy beaches and breathtaking aquamarine waters, Mafia Island is a laid-back alternative with no tarmac roads, few hotels, no shopping! Just relax, swim, eat, and enjoy nature and peace…

The stretch of water between the delta of the Rufiji River and the island is called Mafia Channel. Whale sharks, Turtles and Humpback Whales can be found in the waters surrounding Mafia Island.

NCA is a unique protected area in the whole of Africa where conservation of natural resources is integrated with human development.

The main feature of the NCA include the Ngorongoro Crater, The Serengeti Plains that support about 2 million migratory animals of the Serengeti Mara-ecosystem and the catchment forest; the Northern Highland Forest Reserve (NHFR) known as 'Entim Olturot'.

Other important features found in the NCA are the archaeological and paleontological site located at Oldupai Gorge and the early human footprints that were discovered at Alaitole in the Ngarusi area. NCA was accorded the status of a World Heritage Site and listed as one of the International Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Reserve Program.

Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.

The compact game-viewing circuit through Manyara offers a virtual microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience. Contrasting with the intimacy of the forest is the grassy floodplain and its expansive views eastward, across the alkaline lake, to the jagged blue volcanic peaks that rise from the endless Maasai Steppes.

Large buffalo, wildebeest and zebra herds congregate on these grassy plains, as do giraffes -some so dark in coloration that they appear to be black from a distance-.

The Tarangire River has shriveled to a shadow of its wet season self. But it is choked with wildlife. Thirsty nomads have wandered hundreds of parched kilometers knowing that here, always, there is water.

Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons.

It's the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared Oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed. The swamps, tinged green year round, are the focus for 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.

Ruaha national park is one of the few Tanzania’s famous wilderness area where one can have a rare experience of game viewing spiced up by the fascinating landscape. The park is rich of plants and animals such as Greater Kudu, which cannot be found in any other national park.

The park boasts of her almost untouched and unexplored ecosystem, making visitors’ safari experience very unique. The Great Ruaha River as other rivers like Mwagusi, Jongomero and Mzombe serves as the lifeline of the park.

During dry season, these rivers become mostly the main source of water for wildlife. There are few natural springs serving the same purpose.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa (5,895mt) and a major climbing destination.

Kilimanjaro is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. When you see it, you understand why. Not only is this the highest peak on the African continent; it is also the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible high summits, a beacon for visitors from around the world.

Most climbers reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination. And those who reach Uhuru Point, the actual summit, or Gillman's Point on the lip of the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates (and their amazing memories).