HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCE AN ELEPHANT DOING ACROBATIC STYLE?

Somethings are just made to happen......great photos of a rather acrobatic elephant spotted by a tourist while staying at the Chada Katavi camp.  Clearly tamarind pods are super tasty.

What a treat, on the way to the airstrip!!

On the main road to Kogatende airstrip a flick of a tail caught one of Mr. Jairo's exceptional eyes!!

Can you spot what he's staring at?

This beautiful female leopard had decided to make use of a ranger platform in this Sausage Tree - a perfect place to rest.

We've had little time to leave the lodge this last month - so imagine our delight that on this morning`s mad dash for supply (some sort of yogurt emergancy!) we were rewarded us with these fantastic pictures.

The grimace above signifies a behaviour called flehmen - drawing the air over the vomero-nasal organ allowing these animals to test hormone signals in the air. Males tend to do this as a method of testing the reproductive status of potential partners. A female up in a tree like this is likely using it to get a better understanding of the scents around her. Perhaps the car was making her nervous and she was checking the air before deciding whether or not to move from the safety of her perch.

Suspension bridge at Tarime is a connector between Serengeti National Park and Masai Mara Reserve

What a tranquility Tented Camp in Serengeti western corridor.

 Everyone can tell from relaxing pause of tourists on the photos .Likewise on the same facility,It was a previlege for both Serengeti and the Camp to host Hon Deputy Minister ( one at middle) Mr Mahamoud Mgimwa for lunch break during his visit at Serengeti and nearby communities

Some of Management members for Serengeti National Park pay a visit to Masai Mara Reserve.

Serengeti Park Management not only visits Masai Mara Reserve to enhance good relationship but also to instil new management skills and put in place mechanisms to solve cross border challenges. These two Protected Areas are both world heretage sites and fall in Mara - Serengeti Ecosystem

GOLDLAND HOTEL_ONE OF THE BEST ACCOMODATION FACILITY AT TARIME

Goldland hotel is one of the best accommodation facility at Tarime. It is strategically located for clients entering and exiting Tanzania via Sirari International border (about 15km) from the border between Kenya and Tanzania.

Photos by UKARIMU

Mobile luxury camps in Serengeti is the talk of tourists

A and K trucks on convoy to Northern Serengeti to set up mobile luxury camp as this has become  popular and choice of many tourist touring Serengeti.

The Top 5 Series: Best Sunsets Around the Globe

#5 – Koh Lanta, Thailand

Life is simpler on Koh Lanta. It’s tough to beat unlimited access to friendly dogs and cats, a bungalow near the beach, and nightly sunsets that look like this. Add my beloved Princess Long Beach Lady Boy and a large Beer Chang and it’s my definition of heaven.

#4 – Santorini, Greece

Thousands of people around the world have photos of Santorini in their bathrooms, kitchens, and cubicles, but few actually get the chance to witness an Oia sunset firsthand. Last fall I got lucky and popped over to the gorgeous island for this. It did not disappoint.

#3 – Zanzibar, Tanzania

I had a love relationship with the island of Zanzibar. On one hand, it was impossible to go five minutes without being approached by a tout. On the other hand, the sunsets look like this, every night, without fail. Makes the negatives fade into the distance.

#2 – Angkor Wat, Cambodia

While my shot of the pink sky silhouetting Angkor Wat is beautiful, this was the true gem of the evening. As I walked towards my tuk-tuk across the outer lawn the descending sun released this burst of orange light across the horizon—absolutely magical.

THE WINNER, #1 – Copacabana, Bolivia

While sitting in the hotel room overlooking Lake Titicaca, you could not believe the scene—it was the most spectacular sunset in the entire world. I would put my entire life savings on that statement. This photo has not been touched since pressed the shutter release button and  think about this moment nearly every day as dusk approaches.

Are there other places that you think should be included on this list? Disagree with the order? Share your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!

Tanzania in UNESCO project for Usambura

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) last week launched the multi-million dollar project in the East Usambara Reserve areas aiming at empowering residents of area to make good use of the resources for their economic well being.

East Usambara is part of the Eastern Arc Mountain Range which is considered one of the twenty five biodiversity hot spots in the world. The East Usambara rain forests are one of the most valuable conservation areas in Africa and one of the biodiversity hot spots and centers of plant diversity of the world. Their biological significance has been compared to the Galapagos Islands. 

The $422,072 (Tsh700million) project  was made possible after the  - Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) offered the fund for the project to be implemented in nineteen villages surrounding the reserve as part of the implementation of the project dubbed  “Green Economy in Biosphere Reserves” (GEBR). 

The project will enable villagers to protect the reserve and use their resources wisely by reducing deforestation and creating economic and entrepreneurship related activities.

A member of the National Committee on Tanzania Live Reserve, Mr. Joseph Kigula explained that some of the activities that will be carried in the project include training in empowering villagers to run economic activities in the reserve.

The economic empowerment has already taken place in three out of the 19 villages and was coordinated collaboratively between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and The East Usambara Biosphere Reserve (EUBR) biodiversity hot spot area offers living environment for more than 100,000 villages where the villagers were taught among other economic activities business management, marketing, accounting, finance, entrepreneurship and education in environmental conservation.

The training is expected to expand understanding of the villagers about business relationships with environmental conservation and capacity building of entrepreneurship. Two other expected to take place at the end of the year.

Some entrepreneurs said the launch of the project will enable majority of the people living in the area to concentrate on the economic activities they have been trained on and do away

WWF awards Tanzania for wildlife efforts

ARUSHA, Tanzania - The WWF International President Yolanda Kakabadse last week awarded Tanzania’s 19 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) the ‘WWF Leaders for a Living Planet’ award in recognition to their conservation efforts.

Kakabadse recently presented the award to the Authorized Association Consortium - AAC Chairperson Amiri Mataka for outstanding achievements in conservation of Wildlife resources, preservation of habitats essential for survival of threatened species and to significantly contribute to sustainable wildlife conservation on village lands in Tanzania,

The Burunge Wildlife Management Area located in Manyara, a neighbouring region with Arusha, along with other 18 WMAs in the country, were also recognized.

WMAs are community-owned resource management areas, typically located near high-value protected areas. They provide a way for communities to gain economically from managing wildlife and other natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The 19 WMAs, serving 146 villages in 28,389-square-kilometre area with a total population of 410,000 people, are home to some iconic species in Tanzania

The award ceremony was attended by the African Wildlife Foundation - AWF Director, John Salehe, WWF Tanzania Country Director, Mr. Bell’Aube Houinato, Speaker of Burunge WMA, Ramadhani Ismail and WWF Tanzania Community Based Natural Resources Management Deputy Coordinator, Asukile Kajuni, Babati District Game Officer- DGO Nashon Makokecha and Leonard Mayeta, representative from the Ministry of Natural Resources & Tourism – MNRT.

Tanzania: Tanga Proudly Preserve Historical Buildings

TANGA regional authorities have been asked to protect historical buildings which have existed for over a century to preserve the history of the city and attract more tourists.

The call was made here yesterday by the chairman of a non government indigenous organisation established to protect old historic items including old buildings known as Urithi, Mr Abdala Majura said in an interview with 'Daily News on Saturday' here. He said Tanga city has a good history of old buildings which were built by the Germans over a century ago.

He said it was not fair to see people abolishing the old buildings to replace news ones. He further said government had already designated Amboni and Pongwe areas for construction, therefore those who would like to establish new buildings they should acquire land in those areas and not abolish historic buildings.

He would like government to take stand and strictly prohibit the destruction of old buildings as a measure to preserve the heritage for present and future generations.

Speaking about the efforts being taken by his organisation on the move, Mr Majura said that, apart from sensitising people on the importance of preserving old buildings for historical and tourism purposes, it has renovated some old buildings without tampering with their original structures.

"Most of these buildings were built during the German rule and some Germans come to Tanga to see these structures and houses where their forefathers used to live," said Mr Majura. Currently, Urithi runs a museum in Tanga city at the building that was formerly the central office of German governors which has an underground chambers used by the governors to escape once they sensed danger.

The Tarangire Sopa Lodge meets five star criteria

The Tarangire Sopa Lodge has been awarded a five-star certification in an exercise that involved more than 30 hotels and lodges in Manyara Region. The award considered a development to add more flavour in the Tanzania’s tourism industry.
The lodge was presented with the certificate after meeting the requirements set in by the East African Community in conjunction with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, becoming the only property in the wildlife-rich-region to attain the top five-star rating Tarangire region.
Located in the vicinity of the famous international attractions of Tarangire National Park, on the legendary Tanzania northern tourism circuit, experts say, the five star status offered to Sopa Lodge will help to boost tourism in the area.
The hotel status standardisation were set in by the East African Community (EAC) to ensure easy identification of the hotels in the region.
The representative from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Doroth Massawe said the ministry was optimistic that the hotel which is boosted with 75 luxury rooms will offer the best services in terms of accommodation and hospitality.
“With the aid of Tarangire National Park rolling plains and an awe-inspiring outlook, we expect Sopa Lodge to offer quality services as per the five-star standards” she said.
During the exercise of grading the hotels a total of 12 hotel properties were found to be sub-standard leaving 20 properties to undergo hospitality property standardisation exercise which led to a number of them getting various status.
Kennedy Ayoti, Sopa Lodge Group HSC, Operation Manager, said the award was a reflection on the concerted efforts put in by management and staff.
“We do everything as a team and quality is our key driver in all our endeavours. People are our greatest source of pride as a business,” he said.
Tarangire Sopa Lodge Manager, Dedan Ogelo said the hotel achievements in attaining status has been due to the modern hotel services and amenities services being offered at the hotel that makes them different from others in the Park.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY

Tanzania Tourism Board supports the Mitwara Culture and Tourism Fete

The southern Tanzanian town of Mtwara, which came to fame when major gas finds were made offshore a couple of years ago, will showcase the region’s tourism and cultural attractions between 16th and 17th of August, when the ‘Mtwara Festival’ will take place. The festival is organized by the Tanzania Creative Industries Network, a local NGO.

The Tanzania Tourism Board has thrown its weight and resources behind the festival and is partnering with other organizations and private sector companies to draw attention to this part of Tanzania, which apart of the gas finds is little known in the region leave alone the outside world.

Earlier in the week had the Tanzanian government announced plans to build a railway line from Dar es Salaam to Mtwara which is connected by Precision Air and Air Tanzania with the commercial capital as road transport to this part of the country requires long journey times.

Access to the Selous Game Reserve is possible out of Mtwara and the Mnazi Bay Marine National Park too offers insights into the marine life on this southern stretch of coast of Tanzania towards the border with Mozambique.

VISIT TANZANIA, THE BEST SAFARI COUNTRY

Tanzania: Home to The Serengeti National Park the site for spectacular animal migration; Mt. Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and the Ngorongoro Crater African's three Natural Wonders

Tanzania has so much to offer the discerning tourist. From the vast plains of the Serengeti, to the snow capped Mount Kilimanjaro and the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean, Tanzania really does have it all.
Please visit the Tanzania Tourist Board website to discover more about this wonderful, unspoilt country
WEBSITE: www.tanzaniatouristboard.com