TANZANIA

Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika) is situated on the east coast of Africa, south of the Equator. It is almost four times the size of the United Kingdom and twice the size of California. The population is estimated at 36 million (2009).

Off the mainland lie the beautiful Indian Ocean islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia. The major attractions continue to be its National Parks:

- Serengeti
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Mount Kilimanjaro
- Lake Manyara
- Tarangire
- Lake Tanganyika, the deepest and longest freshwater lake in Africa
- Selous Game Reserve

Tanzania has a long, colourful history. It was inhabited by man some 14 million years ago. Tanzanians today are the resultant mixture of many peoples and cultures. The first outside influence was the arrival of Arabs about 700 AD, which gave rise to the poetic Swahili language. Persians arrived around the 10th century, bringing with them the Muslim religion. Trade developed in ivory, rhino horn, coconut oil, gold – and the notorious slave trade. Vasco da Gama sighted Tanganyika in 1500 and Portugal ruled for 200 years. The Arabs drove the Portuguese out of Zanzibar in 1698. From 1994 until the end of World War I, both Tanganyika and Zanzibar fell under German colonization; they were then passed to the United Kingdom under a League of Nations mandate. Tanzania finally became independent in 1961 - the first East African country to do so. In 1964 Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzania has more than 126 tribes each with its own dialect. Swahili is the official national language and English is widely spoken in towns and cities.

The Serengeti spreads over 9,000 square miles and hosts the start of a wildlife phenomenon each year that provides a spectacle like no other – the annual migration of millions of wildebeest, zebra and other plains game, followed by the predators, as the antelope follow the rains and head north through the Serengeti reserve into Kenya's Masai Mara. Yet, it must not be forgotten that the Serengeti provides magnificent game viewing most of the year and the endless plains offer opportunities to see huge herds of antelope, lion prides and many other species both large and small, together with prolific birdlife.

The famous Ngorongoro Crater is a World Heritage Site and the largest unbroken ancient caldera in the world. Nearly 3 million years old, the Crater is now a haven for hundreds of wild game.

The Ngorongoro volcano, before it exploded and collapsed 2 million years ago, was one of the world’s tallest mountains. The crater measures about 12 miles across and the rim is 2,000 feet above the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is inhabited by over 20 000 animals, all protected within the confines of the crater walls. Resident zebra, wildebeest, Grants and Thomson’s gazelle are a predator's dream. Black rhino are protected and regularly sighted in the crater.

Herds of buffalo, solitary male bull elephants, lions, cheetah and hyena are also found, as well as thousands of flamingoes in the soda lake. Many Maasai people live within the conservation area around the crater.

Lake Manyara National Park is a small, but very diverse park for its size - well known for its lions which hunt on the grassy shores of the lake and are known for their unusual habit of climbing trees. Elephant concentrations and large troops of baboons are noteworthy. The shallow, alkaline lake covers a vast area and the land portion of the Park is situated between the lake and the sheer rock walls of the Rift Valley escarpment. Lake Manyara is a birding paradise, especially for waterfowl and migrants.

Tarangire National Park occupies almost 2,500 square miles of pure Rift Valley wilderness, southeast of Lake Manyara. Tarangire's signature attractions are elephants and giant baobab trees. The area is also a haven for wildebeest and zebra which ensure Lion in good numbers. This is also Tanzania's best bird watching area with over 550 species recorded to date.

In an opposite direction, south of Dar Es Salaam, and somewhat less known, lies the huge Selous Game Reserve, which covers 6 % of Tanzania's total land mass (the equivalent of Switzerland). The reserve is home to huge volumes of animals including the African hunting dog and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mt Kilimanjaro rises dramatically from the northern Tanzanian plains - at 19,340 feet (5,896m) it is the tallest mountain in Africa and 5000 feet higher than the tallest mountain in the contiguous USA (Mount Whitney). It is also the tallest mountain in the world that one can walk all the way to the summit without technical climbing gear. That fact alone lures thousands of trekkers from around the world who attempt to climb it from along the many routes to the top. The top of Kilimanjaro has permanent snow (although rapidly diminishing) which is an awesome sight a few hundred miles south of the equator.

Although Arusha National Park is one of the smallest parks in Tanzania, it offers breathtaking scenery, craters, lakes, rich bird life and some good animal sightings. Its location is what makes it unique as it lies between the peaks of Mt Meru and Mt Kilimanjaro, about 17 miles from the town of Arusha. It is possible to climb Mt Meru too – the altitude rises from 4,920 feet at the Momela Lakes to 14,990 feet at the summit.

The economic hub is the eclectic city of Dar Es Salaam on the coast with a wonderful mix of cultures and architecture and a vibrant shipping and fishing trade.

For the more adventurous and those particularly interested in primates, Gombe Stream National Park covers a strip of hill country rising from Lake Tanganyika. The riverine forests are home to the park's chimpanzees made famous by Dr Jane Goodall.

Click here for information on Zanzibar.