The Selous Game Reserve, in the remote south-east Tanzania is the largest protected wildlife reserve in Africa and covers 5 per cent  of Tanzania’s total area.

It is no wonder that statistics of mammals habituating here are more than 100 000 buffalo, 40 000 hippos, 150 000 wildebeest, 5 000 zebra and 50 000 impala.

There are lots and lots of the ever-towering giraffes hovering above the Selous grounds, that’s why some people call Selous the ‘Giraffic Park.’ The sheer size and numbers of game to see in Selous is phenomenal enough to make you pack your vacation bags and head there. The diversity of the park saw it earning the honor of being considered a World Heritage Site in 1988.

If adventure be your middle name, Selous will be your first choice of vacation because the restrictions here are close to zero. Due to the fact that it is a Game Reserve as opposed to a national Park, you can engage in tracking lions by foot, rowing a kayak over some fat hippos, driving under the giraffes or flying above their heads.

Roaming elephant populations, the reserve’s famous wild dogs and some of the remaining Black rhinos share in its rivers, hills and plains. The scenery is simply enchanting, and a wonderful Tanzania wildlife safari destination. Read the rest of this entry »

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When you’re finally in Tanzania the priority will no doubt be where to stay. Apart from making sure your accommodation has a fan and the occasional running water here are a few main point to make your stay easier and eventually-fun.

If travelling to Dar es Salaam on a  shoestring budget, Jambo Inn is located in the bustling Dar es Salaam City Centre can be a good accommodation option. By any standards this cozy little place with reliable fans guarantees you the value for your money whether in business or for pleasure.

Beachcomber Hotel & Resort backs the white of Jangwani Beach, located just 35 minutes away from the airport is also a good choice. Beachcomber is ideal for beach lovers and haters of traffic. Situated close by is Kaya Guest House, a large white villa, built like a residence and very intimate.

Mbezi Beach Home Rental is a home away from home apartment block. Each unit is a design masterpiece and has 2 bedrooms; one with a Queen size bed while the other has twin beds. The Green Hill Hotel consists 6 multi unit town houses offering luxury accommodation.

On the other hand if you’re travelling for business or you simply prefer the finer things in life Dar has an endless list of Tanzania hotels. For the best restaurants, swimming pools, room service, fitness centres, parking and access to business; you may try out Golden Tulip, Protea Hotel Courtyard, Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort as well as Sheraton Dar es Salaam.

The Golden Tulip is an indulgence at any time while Protea Hotel Courtyard has immaculate and extremely friendly service. Contrary to its  name, Sleep Inn Hotel is an impressive hotel bustling with just the right amount of energy to counter the lethargy of hot Dar es Salaam. Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort is on its part a  convenient sample of Dar’s splendid coastline while Sheraton Dar es Salaam one of the oldest modern hotels in Dar es Salaam – best recommended by the locals. Read the rest of this entry »

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A Tanzania safari offers some of the most exciting and best wildlife viewing in Africa. Safaris to Tanzania are memorably rewarding, with Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater as well as other extensive national parks toping the list of the most popular destinations in Tanzania.

Tanzania is served internationally from Europe by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam); British Airways (London-Heathrow) and Swiss International Air Lines. The Middle East and Asia by Emirates, Qatar Airways and for the thrifty traveler, Air India; and in Africa by South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways from Nairobi. Carriers originating from Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe also maintain regular flights to Dar es Salaam.

There are two major airports in Tanzania; one in Dar es Salaam, Julius Nyerere International Airport, and another in Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro International Airport, which lies halfway between Moshi and Arusha.

Domestically the best flight options are Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Coastal Aviation, ZanAir and Regional Air. Domestic flights are often late but generally reliable. They have improved considerably since the nineties when Air Tanzania (ATC) was teasingly known as; Any Time Cancellation. Read the rest of this entry »

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A jest is made in Eastern Africa that getting into Tanzania is significantly easier than getting around it. For the good humoured traveller this is not at all a deterrent but rather, a challenge.

Straddling a magnificent 954,087 km2  in area and boasting a colourful population of an estimated 37,187,939; it’s no surprise that the unprepared traveller would be taken aback.

Tanzania remains a land of geographical extremes. Ever the reliable witness to this fact; it houses Africa’s highest peak (Mount Kilimanjaro), as well as its lowest point (the lake bed of Lake Tanganyika), and a portion of the largest lake (Lake Victoria) on the continent.

Tanzania boasts some of the best, unspoiled beaches in the world. They are spectacular, with their white sand, palm trees, and cool Indian Ocean water. Rarely in the world does one find so fine a setting for island fantasy: conveniently situated among the skyscrapers of commercial Dar es Salaam or the rather sleepy day to day of Zanzibar. For the contemporary traveller, characteristically bored by lounging in excess, Tanzania’s beaches are packed with variety and gleaming sand in abundance.

Zanzibar has beautiful beaches and a historical Stone Town. It is great for scuba diving, snorkeling, and swimming with dolphins. Other attractions in Zanzibar include spice tours and the Jozani Forest, which shelters a minute population of red Colobus Monkey.

Mafia Island Marine Park, located south of Zanzibar, boasts some fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling. If you are brave you may also get to swim with whale sharks. Mafia Island Marine Park is one of the few areas in the world where sharks congregate yearly. You should not miss this experience so long as you can tolerate being the source of the indiscreet amusement of relaxed but world-weary fishermen as you interrupt their ‘nothing much happens around here’ island life.

Overland Tanzania safaris can be put into two basic categories and it’s well worth the while of any traveler to explore both options: The northern and the Southern circuits. The Northern Circuit includes the Serengeti National Park, which hosts a wide range of wildlife, including lions, cheetahs, leopards, hippopotamus, elephants, zebra, buffalo, water buck, crocodiles, gazelle, warthogs, and wildebeest. One major attraction is the wildebeest migration, which occurs between the Serengeti and Masai Mara in Kenya. Read the rest of this entry »

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Dar es Salaam abounds in crazy nightlife opportunities. Anybody who has been on a Tanzania holiday will attest to the fact that although Dar es Salaam does not boast many cafes or bars there are quite a number of decent watering holes within the city centre.

A typical evening out in Dar es Salaam starts with the consumption of a large plate of goat roast, chicken, beef mishkaki (kebabs), or chipsi mayai (a French Fries omelette). While these options are relatively sober, the other end of the evening involves the consumption of utumbo (intestine) soup with fresh hot peppers sometime around 6 or 7 am.

Dar es Salaam has an excellent restaurant scene. The melee of cuisines in Dar es Salaam hotels include the spicy savor of a strong Indian legacy as well as Zanzibari and Arabic tastes being well represented due to the large number of immigrants into the city. East African trends persisting, specialties here include “nyama choma” and “mishkaki,” and restaurants characteristically double up as nightclubs.

There are many music genres in the clubs of Dar es Salaam. The clubs along the outskirts of town are particularly geared toward Tanzanians. Downtown though, nightclubs are more aware of Western tastes, as this is where most of the tourists and locals of European descent reside.

Clubs generally do not come alive till around 11pm, but most offer late food. As is the trend in East Africa most clubs close at around 3 or 4am, although the city centre clubs stay open till dawn at weekends. Dar es Salaam is relatively safe to walk around at night but one should never really walk alone.

Popular clubs tend to rise up with grand openings and close within months of their openings due to mismanagement of lack of economic viability but the good ones remain reliable and the verdict on them is unanimous: they’re fabulous.

Undoubtedly some of the most popular clubs in Dar are Club Bilicanas and Much More. Both usually crowded on weekends and play a mixture of R&B, hip hop and Bongo Flava (local swahili music). The clubs are so popular among people on Dar es Salaam tours and safaris.

Mixing it up in Masaki means you can mingle and dance to live music at Dar stalwart Q Bar or dance till dawn on open air dance floors at Garden Bistro and Mambo Club, where you can also eat till late. A local favourite is Bar One. You can also visit Club Maisha, which is near Q Bar and Hotel Karibu. It’s open from Thursday till Sunday with Bongo Flava music and R&B.

Live music rocks The Slipway on most nights of the week but the show is usually over before midnight. If you happen to be in that direction near Oyster Bay, try Sweet ‘n Easy, a nice club situated on a rooftop, with a mixed audience.

Thursday nights are packed, sweaty and sociable and there is passable live music on Fridays. It is a popular bar/club with great food. If your purpose is late night dancing; next to the Ugandan High Commission in Oyster Bay, Trinity is a new-ish bar and club with garden seating and eclectic, dance music, mostly catering to Eurocentric tastes.

Sports fans can feel at home at California Dreamer and Sugar Rays - sports bars which showcase an unbiased array of world sports. The best nights are no doubt when the Tanzanian boxers step out in their chest thumping glory.

More intrepid travellers should try out local dance clubs in the city centre. Hotel bars at the Kilimanjaro Hotel and New Africa Hotel are a good bet for cocktails. Both hotels have casinos,  but you could as well try the more atmospherically seedy Las Vegas Casino.

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Sport fishing is a popular leisure activity in Tanzania - providing visitors to East Africa with rewarding fishing opportunities.

Fresh water rivers and lakes of Tanzania, occupying more than 6 per cent of the country, host plenty of fish and are ideal for sport fishing adventures. The best time to go on a fishing safari in Tanzania is immediately after the long and short rains. The short rains fall in November and December, while the long rains are received in April and May.

The southern port of Lake Victoria, Mwanza, is one of the leading safari destination in Tanzania. Mwanza is inhabited by Tilapia and Nile Perch and it makes for the best sport fishing starting point in Tanzania. Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake in the world and second largest freshwater lake in terms of surface area. The lake has a shoreline of 3440 km and has more than 3000 islands many of which are inhabited.

If you happen to be on a Tanzania safari and interested in taking down Goliath Tigerfish, Lake Tanganyika will be your favourite destination. Read the rest of this entry »

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Travelling to Southern Tanzania is a huge adventure. The region gives you the rare opportunity to explore the Indian Ocean coast and the Swahili ruins – all by yourself with no tourist on site.

In deed, the beaches of southern Tanzania have much that is unexplored, thus offering the chance of exploration to the visitor.

Mtwara is the gateway into Southern Tanzania for tourism. Access to and from Dar es Salaam is easy with requent and regular flights and sailings. Mtwara is a laid back town and is spread out over a large area.

The town is close to the Mnazi Bay Marine Park where it is possible to experience some of the most isolated dive sites on the coast. The town makes an excellent stop-over for trips to the Marine Park.

Mnazi bay was once known as the place to pick up dhow transport to Mozambique. Nowadays, visitors are motivated more by the miles of white sand and the presence of coral reefs close to the shore, which provide excellent snorkeling - even at low tide is good for exploring the coral reefs.

There are many water birds at Mnazi bay particularly waders which include  the Greater Sand - Crab Plover - Brown-headed Parrot - Mangrove Kingfisher - Four-coloured Bushshrike and the Zanzibar - Black-bellied Glossy-starling.

The area is recognized as being internationally important for its biodiversity, with a variety of mangroves, sea grass beds and coral reefs that provide livelihoods to the local communities. Mnazi bay is quite shallow and just to the north of the Ruvuma River. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tanzania is likely to lose its tourism market share to Kenya and Uganda in the face of the global financial crisis as the country maintains ‘business as usual` attitude.

Despite the global financial slowdown, Tanzania has made no effort to rescue its tourism industry. Kenya and Uganda have already lowered their entry fees for tourists in a bid to attract more arrivals.

Uganda was the first East African country to lower its entry fees by 50 percent for tourists in December 2008, before Kenya followed by reducing visa fees for tourists by half.

As a result, Kenya and Uganda are currently considered as the cheapest destinations, compared to other East Africa countries including Tanzania with similar tourist attractions. Majority of potential foreign tourists are currently scouting for cheaper destinations, as economic crisis takes its toll.

Apparently Tanzania`s public sector is undecided on the incentives to be offered for tourists, while the private sector has already reduced 10 to 15 percent of tourist package in response to financial meltdown. Tanzania has already trimmed its 2009 tourism earnings forecast of $1bn from 950,000 visitors, by about three percent due to the global economic downturn.

Tourists come to Tanzania to enjoy the beaches on its coastline and the Zanzibar archipelago, the national parks such as the Selous in the southeast and the Serengeti in the north, as well as to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Tanzania tours and safaris provide some of the world’s best  wildlife viewing adventures.

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Inland sport fishing is rapidly becoming a popular leisure activity among visitors to Tanzania.

Although fishing is not permitted in national parks and game reserves, Tanzania’s fresh water rivers and lakes – occupying over 6 per cent of the country’s total area- provide visitors with numerous rewarding fishing opportunities.

During the rainy season, the country’s rivers and their tributaries are inhabited by plenty of fish and it is therefore a good idea to take a fishing safari after the short and long rains.

The short rains fall in November and December, while the long rains are received in April and May. Some of Tanzania’s best inland fishing fishing grounds are Mwanza, Musoma, Lake Tanganyika and Rufiji River. These areas are among the most popular safari destinations in Tanzania. 

There are plenty of tour safari companies organizing fishing safaris for visiting fishing enthusiasts seeking for best fishing experiences in Tanzania. Boatmen at the ports of Mwanza and Musoma located on Lake Victoria are so welcoming and they can also allow you to go with them on their daily fishing trips. Lake Victoria, by far the largest lake in Africa, is home to attractive freshwater tropical fish species that are imported to aquariums the world over. Read the rest of this entry »

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Arusha National Park is considered the gem of Tanzania’s northern safari circuit. Located just 40 minutes from the Arusha, the safari capital of Tanzania, Arusha National Park is one of the few game reserves in East Africa that allow walking safaris.

Magically placed between the snow-caped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro and the rugged alpine of Mount Meru, Arusha National Park is used as the base for Kilimanjaro and Meru mountain climbing safari. The park was established in 1960 and it has over the years won the hearts of many tourists who rate it among the most interesting Tanzania safari destinations.

The national park is made up of three main features that include Momella lakes, Ngurdoto Crater and Mount Meru. Momella lakes comprise a collection of seven small lakes fed by underground water channels.

The water feeding into the lake is rich in minerals allowing various types of birdlife to be attracted to the lakes like flamingoes, little grebes, herons, Egyptian geese and many others. Each of the lakes has a different hue of green or blue.

Ngurdoto Crater sometimes called mini Ngorongoro is a fascinating tourist attraction comprising a caldera of an extinct volcano. The 3 kilometre-wide and 400 metres-deep bowl of lush swamps and ravine forest is home to duikers, elephant, buffalo, baboon, leopard, reedbuck and colobus monkeys. Read the rest of this entry »

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Game safari adventures in Tanzania offer the best opportunity to enjoy the ambiance of the East African bush. Tanzania, a premier hunting safari destination in Africa, boasts two safari circuits (north circuit and south circuit) with most wildlife lovers choosing to explore the southern circuit.

The Southern circuit is anchored on Dar es salaam and covers Ruaha, Mikuni, Udzungwa Mountains National Park and the Selous Game Reserve. The northern circuit, on the other hand, covers the endless plains of Serengeti, the world’s largest caldera in Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mout meru within the Arusha National Park.

Selous Game Reserve is the star of the southern safari circuit. Tanzania safaris can be very rewarding here. The reserve is named after the intrepid Fredrick Courtney Selous, a celebrated explorer and naturalist who died here in a sideshow of the First World War. Located 500 km to the southwest of Dar, the Selous Game Reserve occupies a staggering 55,000 sq km – larger than Switzerland- and is the largest of its kind in Africa.

The Selous was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982 due to the significance of both its flora and fauna. This immense wilderness has a diversity of habitats including savanna woodlands, swamps, open grasslands and forests. Read the rest of this entry »

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Placed on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Moshi is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tanzania. The small town located in northern Tanzania serves as the base for Mount Kilimanjaro climbing adventures.

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, and the highest ‘walkable’ mountain in the world offering a breathtaking undertaking.

One of the most unique aspects of Mount Kilimanjaro is the accessibility of its peak to climbers with no mountain climbing experience of scaling such heights.

Kilimanjaro rises to 5,895 m above sea level and is is composed of three extinct volcanoes: Kibo 5895 m, Mawenzi 5149 m, and Shira 3962 m. Read the rest of this entry »

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