Una karibishwa!!
Think of the "African Experience" and a kaleidoscope of images
springs to mind; herds of zebra, wildebeest and gazelle stretching to
the horizon under pearly dawn skies; a cheetah stalking through dry
grass; a warrior striding into the sunset; white beaches backed by
coconut palms swaying in the breeze off a warm sea; a snow-capped
mountain rising out of the red dust of the plains.
All these images reflect the beauty of not simply a great continent, but
just one country - Tanzania.
Basking south of the Equator over an area half the size of Western
Europe, Tanzania is a land of boundless fascination and diversity. From
the vast lakes of the interior to the azure blue waters of the Indian
Ocean, and from the northern mountains to the southern Ruvuma River, the
country is a mosaic of tropical forest, savannah grassland and
shimmering lakes and most beautiful wilderness areas of the world.
Spectrum Guide to Tanzania, Camerapix, 1992
Why visit Tanzania? What are the attractions of this beautiful country?
It is home to the Serengeti, the inspiration behind Walt Disney's
Classic, The Lion King. It is home to Africa's highest peak, Mount
Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. It is the country that inspired Toto's
Africa. It is a land full of diversity with over 120 tribes living
peacefully side by side. A land that offers you simplicity, yet some of
the best photographic opportunities you can imagine.
There are three reasons why you would visit Tanzania: to experience some
of the best nature have to offer, the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater,
and lakes abound; to experience the best African wildlife has to offer,
with no less than 28 National Parks and game reserves, with the annual
migration from the Serengeti to the Masaai Mara in neighboring Kenya;
and lastly to visit Zanzibar (discussed on the Zanzibar Page).
A quarter of Tanzania is devoted to national parks, game reserves and
"no shooting" areas, where almost every species of African wildlife can
be viewed - from the elephants of Tarangire to the tree climbing lions
of Manyara. But it is not only safaris that are high on the to do list
of the adventure traveller. Exchange the safari vehicle for a hot air
balloon and you have quite a different, if not unique, experience. Even
better still, tired of just lounging around and wish to get some
adrenalin going as well, spotting a herd of elephant from your canoe on
Lake Manyara, or just drifting by flamingoes and pelicans flocking
together, surely has to make memories dreams are made of.
Kilimanjaro, as much as the wildlife that lives and feeds in its shadow,
has come to symbolise the continent of Africa. Kilimanjaro is the
highest mountain in Africa and the tallest free-standing mountain in the
world. It is actually three volcanos in one, with Kibo the youngest and
highest at 5896m above sea level. The adventurer will enjoy a five-day
hike up the mountain for the awe-inspiring view from the "roof of
Africa". If mountains climbing is not your cup of tea, then river
rafting on the Rufiji River might just be what the doctor ordered. Even
the not-so-adventurous can do something to take a memory home by
embarking on one of the many available bushwalks in the Ngorongoro
crater. Sometimes called the eighth wonder of the world, this 18km in
diameter crater offer unique opportunities and sights to behold.
Whatever it is you do in Tanzania, you will always have a feeling of
being welcome. An apt feeling we would say, as one of the more popular
phrases of its friendly people, is Una karibishwa - you are welcome.