The Ngorongoro Crater is often called as
the ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ’8th Natural Wonder of the World’.
It has as well
being declared as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa. A visit to the
crater is a main draw card for tourists coming to Tanzania and a definite
world-class attraction. Within the crater rim, large herds of zebra and
wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the
endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after
grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist. Just outside the crater’s
ridge, tall Masaai herd their cattle and goats over the green pastures through
the highland slopes, living alongside the wildlife as they have for centuries.
2. SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
A million wildebeests each one driven by the same
ancient rhythm, fulfilling its instinctive role in the inescapable cycle of
life: a frenzied three-week bout of territorial conquests and mating; survival
of the fittest as 40km (25 mile) long columns plunge through crocodile-infested
waters on the annual exodus north; replenishing the species in a brief
population explosion that produces more than 8,000 calves daily before the
1,000 km (600 mile) pilgrimage begins again.
Tanzania’s oldest and most popular national park,
also a world heritage site and recently proclaimed as the most voted Natural
Wonder of Africa, 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 arguably the most
scintillating game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of
elephants and giraffes, and thousands upon thousands of elands, topis,
kongonis, impalas and Grant’s gazelles.
3. ZANZIBAR
Zanzibar’s coastline
offers some of the best beaches in the world, but sand and surf vary depending
on what side of the island you’re on. On the east coast, waves break over coral
reefs and sand bars offshore and low tide reveals small pools of starfish,
small minnows, and anemones. Up north, ocean swimming is much less susceptible
to the tides, and smooth beaches and white sand make for dazzling days in the
sun.
The port city of
Stone Town dominates the west coast, and although the beaches of Mangapwani,
where slave caves are visible at low tide and nearby Bububu are less than half
an hour’s drive away, a night or two spent on the east or north coast is well
worth the extra hour it takes to drive there. That said, the Chole Island
Marine Park just off Stone Town as well as nearby Prison, Grave, and Snake
Islands make a refreshing day-trip and a good break from exploring the winding
passageways of the old city
4.TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Tarangire
National Park has some of the highest population density of elephants anywhere
in Tanzania, and its sparse vegetation, strewn with baobab and acacia trees,
makes it a beautiful and distinct location. Located just a few hours drive from
the town of Arusha, Tarangire is a popular stop for safari
goers travelling through the northern circuit on their way to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. The park extends into two game controlled
areas and the wildlife is allowed to move freely throughout.
5.LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Stretching for 50km along the base of the
rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment, 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. From the entrance gate, the road winds through an
expanse of lush jungle-like groundwater forest where hundred-strong baboon
troops lounge nonchalantly along the roadside; the blue monkeys scamper nimbly
between the ancient mahogany trees; dainty bushbuck tread warily through the
shadows, and the outsized forest hornbills honk cacophonously in the high
canopy.
6.MOUNT KILIMANJARO
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highlight of most
visitors’ experiences in Tanzania. Few mountains can claim the grandeur, the
breathtaking views of Amboseli National Park in Kenya, the Rift Valley, and the
Masaai Steppe, that belongs to Kilimanjaro. Hiking on the ‘rooftop of Africa’ —
the highest point on the continent at 5896 metres — is the adventure of a lifetime,
especially because, if paced well, everyone from seasoned trekkers to
first-time enthusiasts can scale the snowy peak. For more information, see the
‘Mountain
Climbing‘ section under ‘Things to Do.
7.SELOUS GAME RESERVE
Enter Africa's largest
protected area uninhabited by man, where Tanzania's greatest population of
elephants wander in an area bigger than Switzerland! The Selous (pronounced
“Seloo”) is considered important enough to be World Heritage Site, in which the
lucky few can experience a safari in absolutely wild and unspoiled bush. Selous contains about one third of all the wild
dogs (often called painted dogs), in the world. Their need to roam vast areas
and their formidable hunting skills have caused many to be shot by farmers, but
here in Selous they have boundless woodlands and savannahs in which to roam.
8.RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
The game viewing starts at 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. Second only to Katavi in its aura of untrammelled wilderness, but far more accessible, Ruaha protects a vast tract of the rugged, semi-arid bush country that characterizes central Tanzania. Its lifeblood is the Great Ruaha River, which courses along the eastern boundary in a flooded torrent during the height of the rains, but dwindling thereafter to a scattering of precious pools surrounded by a blinding sweep of sand and rock. A fine network of game-viewing roads follows the Great Ruaha and its seasonal tributaries, where during the dry season, impala, waterbuck and other antelopes risk their life for a sip of life-sustaining water. And the risk is considerable: not only from the prides of 20-plus lion that lord over the savannah, but also from the cheetahs that stalk the open grassland and the leopards that lurk in tangled riverine thickets. This impressive array of large predators is boosted by both striped and spotted hyena, as well as several conspicuous packs of the highly endangered African wild dog. Ruaha’s unusually high diversity of antelope is a function of its location, which is a transition to the acacia savannah of East Africa and the miombo woodland belt of Southern Africa.
The game viewing starts at 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. Second only to Katavi in its aura of untrammelled wilderness, but far more accessible, Ruaha protects a vast tract of the rugged, semi-arid bush country that characterizes central Tanzania. Its lifeblood is the Great Ruaha River, which courses along the eastern boundary in a flooded torrent during the height of the rains, but dwindling thereafter to a scattering of precious pools surrounded by a blinding sweep of sand and rock. A fine network of game-viewing roads follows the Great Ruaha and its seasonal tributaries, where during the dry season, impala, waterbuck and other antelopes risk their life for a sip of life-sustaining water. And the risk is considerable: not only from the prides of 20-plus lion that lord over the savannah, but also from the cheetahs that stalk the open grassland and the leopards that lurk in tangled riverine thickets. This impressive array of large predators is boosted by both striped and spotted hyena, as well as several conspicuous packs of the highly endangered African wild dog. Ruaha’s unusually high diversity of antelope is a function of its location, which is a transition to the acacia savannah of East Africa and the miombo woodland belt of Southern Africa.
9.MAFIA
Mafia
Island is a popular destination for visitors to relax after their safari and
the island’s relaxed and secluded beaches offer privacy and comfort for
discerning travellers. Mafia’s incredible and un-spoilt dive sites have
remained a well-kept secret of diving aficionados and beach recluses for years,
but now the island is fast becoming a preferred destination.
10. MOUNT MERU
Climbing
Mt. Meru is usually skipped in favour of its larger neighbour Mount Kilimanjaro
to the west, but the sheer beauty and challenge of this three-day climb makes
it a must-to-do activity for obliging itineraries. The early parts of the trail
pass through lush rainforests of fig trees and colubus monkeys high in the
canopy. As you climb higher, the cloudy forest clears in the late afternoon to
reveal striking vistas of Kilimanjaro and the volcano chain on the edge of the
Rift Valley. The last distance before the summit passes over the crater ridge.
It is an exhilarating experience, and it is not one for the faint-hearted. So
while Kilimanjaro offers the chance to scale to the ‘roof of Africa’; its
slightly smaller neighbour is certainly not lacking the adventure
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