Tanzania
Tanzania “Land of Kilimanjaro”
When one conjures up images of an unspoiled wildlife paradise, Tanzania comes to mind. Everything about Tanzania is big and immensely beautiful. The Natural wonder of Ngorongoro Crater, the highest mountain in Africa Mt. Kilimanjaro, the endless Serengeti and the largest and most remote game reserve Selous all make Tanzania the most exciting Safari destination.
Tanzania boasts the least crowded parks in Africa and the most peaceful people. For bird watchers, Tanzania offers fantastic opportunities.
Serengeti National Park “ Endless Paradise”
Since 1913, when an American, Stewart White, blazed the trail, the Serengeti has become a magnet for wildlife enthusiasts. It has inspired famous authors like Ernest Hemingway, film makers like Alan Root not to mention a myriad of photographers and scientists. It’s the jewel in the crown of Tanzania’s protected areas. It was immortalized by 1960’s classic film “ Serengeti Shall Never Die”
Part of Serengeti–Mara ecosystem, extending into both Kenya and Tanzania covering 30,000 km2. It is a unique eco-system protecting the greatest and most varied collection of terrestrial wildlife on earth. It is the stage on which the dramatic annual migration of over a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles is acted out, one of the last great migratory systems still in existence.
Many superb lodges and tented camps are ideally located to provide a ringside seat for the greatest show on earth.
Useful links.
Mbuzi Mawe Serena Tented Camp- http://www.serenahotels.com/Tanzania/mbuzi/home.asp
Serengeti Serena Lodge- http://www.serenahotels.com/brochure/serengeti.pdf
Kirawira Serena Tented Camp - http://www.serenahotels.com/brochure/kirawira.pdf
Serengeti Sopa - http://www.sopalodges.com/serengeti/home.html
Ndutu Safari Lodge -www.ndutu.com
Serengeti Migration Camp - http://www.elewana.com/smc/serengeti-migration-camp.html
Ngorongoro Crater “Garden of Eden”
The world’s largest unbroken caldera is 600 mtrs deep and 9 miles across. It is a microcosm of East African scenery and game. Scenic grandeur and stunning views are the hallmark of this Eight Wonder of the World - one of the most incredibly spectacular game haunts in Africa.
The Crater harbors grasslands, swamps, forests, saltpans, a fresh water lake and a glorious variety of birdlife, all confined within its towering walls. All the big mammals are here including Big Cats which can easily be spotted on a game drive.
Within the Ngorongoro conservation area is Olduvai Gorge, a steep sided, 30 mile long ravine where the Leakeys discovered the hominoid remains of a 1.8 million year skeletons. Excavated fossils show that the area is one of the oldest Hominoid habitations in the world.
Lodges are built high up on the rim giving unobstructed views of the crater below.
Useful Links
Ngorongoro Serena - http://www.serenahotels.com/brochure/ngo.pdf
Ngorongoro Sopa - http://www.sopalodges.com/ngorongoro/home.html
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge - http://www.ngorongoro-crater-lodge.com/
Crater Lodge - http://www.craterlodge.com/
The Manor - http://www.elewana.com/tnm/the-manor-at-ngorongoro.html
TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK.
Tarangire is quintessential Africa - wide savannah grasslands dotted with open acacia woodland and studded with large Baobab trees. This is a year-round park with distinct seasons offering different experiences. From dusty, dry and baking with animals clustered around the rapidly reducing river, to the fecund green season that is full of new-born animals and chattering birds.
The park is a dry season refuge (June-Nov) for many of the migratory animals (elephants, wildebeest, zebra, gazelles, eland and buffalo) and animal density sometimes rivals that of Ngorongoro Crater.
Useful Links
Tarangire Safari Lodge -www.tarangiresafarilodge.com
Tarangire Sopa Lodge - http://www.sopalodges.com/tarangire/home.html
Tarangire Tree Tops - http://www.elewana.com/ttt/tarangire-tree-tops.html
Lake Manyara “Loveliest in Africa”
Stretching for 50km along the base of the rusty-gold 2000 feet 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. The lush jungle-like groundwater forest where hundred-strong baboon troops lounge, contrasts with the grassy floodplain and its expansive views eastward - across the alkaline lake - where 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. A narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favored haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants.
Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife that even a first-time visitor to Africa, might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day.
Useful Links
Lake Manyara Tree Hotel - http://www.lakemanyara.com/
Lake Manyara Serena - http://www.serenahotels.com/brochure/lakemanyara.pdf
LakeManyaraHotel -
http://www.hotelsandlodges-tanzania.com/tanzania-hotel-and-lodges-lake-manyara-hotel.htm
ZANZIBAR “Venice of Africa”
Few names evoke such romantic associations as Zanzibar, a 65 mile long segment of coralline reef in the Indian Ocean, 40 km from the mainland of Tanzania.
Steeped in history, the old town is a maze of narrow streets with whitewashed houses and magnificently carved brass studded teak doors, quaint shops and bazaars.
Zanzibar is also the name of the capital which is located on the West coast. It was the ancient trading port of the sultans of Oman in the 19th century. This city is a medina: the only one of its kind south of the Equator.
Inland, the island is a Garden of Eden offering the most exquisite tropical species, redolent of cloves, cinnamon and other spices which flourish everywhere. But perhaps the nightly feast at harbor area is the most lingering image of Zanzibar. Every evening, next to the harbor, fisherman prepare the day’s catch of lobster and crabs into mouth watering delicacies Swahili style.
Useful Links
Zanzibar Serena Inn - http://www.serenahotels.com/brochure/zanzibar.pdf
Fairmont Zanzibar - http://www.fairmont.com/zanzibar
Zamani Zanzibar Kempinski - http://www.kempinski-zanzibar.com/en/home/index.htm