Africa Travel Guides

Points of interest

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Crater is a volcanic caldera - the collapsed upper cone of an ancient volcano. Its high walls contain a microcosmic ecosystem, with lakes, forests, and plains supporting hundreds of species of wildlife. The views from the misty highlands of the rim are spectacular, as is the abundant wildlife on the crater floor.

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Mt Kilimanjaro National Park

An almost perfectly shaped volcano rising sheer from Tanzania's northeastern plains, Mt Kilimanjaro is one of Africa's most magnificent sights. Snowcapped and not yet extinct, at 5896m (19343ft) it's the highest peak on the continent.

The name of Kilimanjaro is as shrouded in mystery as the mist-enveloped summit. 'Mountain of Light' is one of the several possible translations, although many locals refer to the snowy peak as Kipoo or Kibo.

Daunting as it looks, it's possible to scale the mountain without technical mountaineering skills - all you need is determination, warm clothing and a properly equipped guide. There's no doubt you'll go through the pain barrier on the way to the top, but the reward is unforgettable - a sunrise view over what seems like half of Africa spread out below.

From cultivated farmlands on the lower levels, the mountain rises through lush rainforest to alpine meadow and finally across a barren lunar landscape to the twin summits. The lower slopes of the mountain also offer great hiking.

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Jozani Forest

A tiny patch of pristine rainforest right in the centre of Zanzibar island, Jozani Forest is home to the extremely rare Red Colobus monkey, the Ader's duiker antelope, and numerous bird species. There's a mangrove boardwalk through the trees and a small education centre.

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Serengeti National Park

Waving golden grasses, flat-topped acacia trees, distant blue hills. Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain. Stately giraffes, indolent lions, stealthy cheetah. How do you describe the Serengeti without using every cliché in the book? Perhaps in the words of Alan Moorehead - 'Anyone who can go to the Serengeti, and does not, is mad.'

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Selous Game Reserve

This reserve is one of the earth's last great wild places: 55,000 sq km (21,235 sq mi) of untamed bush, crocodile-filled lakes and emerald green floodplains. The only accessible bit is the northern section above the great muddy sweep of the Rufiji River, where you'll see hippos, elephants, zebras, a maneless variety of lion and the rare African wild dog.

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Attractions

Makonde Plateau

Few travellers visit the southeastern part of Tanzania adjacent to the Mozambique border, but this is where the famous makonde carvings originally came from (they've since been copied by artisans all over East Africa). It's also a beautiful part of the country.

Getting there involves a series of bus journeys and overnight stays in the towns en route, but there's no shortage of transport. The first leg is a bus from Mbeya to Njombe, one of the highest and coldest parts of the country. Then it's on to the rowdy town of Songea.

Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's premier city. The 'Haven of Peace' started life as a fishing village in the mid-19th century when the Sultan of Zanzibar got the urge to turn a creek (now a harbour) into a safe port and trading centre. Now it's a teeming metropolis of 1.5 million people.

Like most African cities, there are substantial contrasts between the various parts of the city. But while the busy central streets around the Kariakoo Market and clock tower are a world away from the tree-lined boulevards of the government quarters to the north, there's no evidence of slums.

The place is warm and salty with a heady cultural mix and none of the underlying aggro of Nairobi. Dar's National Museum is next to the Botanical Gardens in the city centre. It features important archeological collections and the sordid history of the Zanzibar slave trade. About 10km (6mi) from the city centre, the Village Museum is also worth a look. Oyster Bay, a beautiful (for now) stretch of tropical coastline, is the city's nearest beach.

Be aware that finding a place to stay in Dar can be difficult. It's not that there's a lack of hotels, it's just that they always seem to be full - this applies to the cheap, expensive and the in-between.

Zanzibar

Low in political coups and high in bliss-charged activities, the Zanzibar Archipelago is a mere hop, skip and a jump from the Tanzanian mainland. Its heady lure has tempted travellers, traders, slave-traders and colonists for centuries, and the archipelago continues to reflect this tumultuous past.

Zanzibar Island (known locally as Unguja) gets most of the headlines, but the archipelago also consists of lush Pemba to the north and numerous smaller islands and islets poised in luxuriously turquoise seas. There are countless unexplored pockets and loads of opportunities for flat-out hedonism.

Events

The biggest annual event in Tanzania begins at the Serengeti National Park near the Kenyan border, when huge herds of wildebeest head for greener pastures in Kenya. Starting in April each year, more than 2 million of these animals migrate northwards across the Serengeti's plains accompanied by zebras, antelopes, gazelles, lions and tourists. Tanzanian Independence Day (December 9) somehow pales in significance.