Tanzania (/ˌtænzəˈniːə/;[Swahili: [tanzaˈni.a]), officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. Top Places to Visit In Tanzania On Your Next Vacation
Many important hominid fossils have been found in Tanzania, such as 6-million-year-old Pliocene hominid fossils. The genus Australopithecus ranged all over Africa 4 to 2 million years ago; and the oldest remains of the genus Homo are found near Lake Olduvai. Following the rise of Homo erectus 1.8 million years ago, humanity spread all over the Old World, and later in the New World and Australia under the species Homo sapiens. H. sapiens also overtook Africa and absorbed the older archaic species and subspecies of humanity.
Later in the Stone and Bronze Age, prehistoric migrations into Tanzania included Southern Cushitic speakers who moved south from present-day Ethiopia; Eastern Cushitic people who moved into Tanzania from north of Lake Turkana about 2,000 and 4,000 years ago; and the Southern Nilotes, including the Datoog, who originated from the present-day South Sudan–Ethiopia border region between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago. These movements took place at about the same time as the settlement of the Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika areas. They subsequently migrated across the rest of Tanzania between 2,300 and 1,700 years ago Top Places to Visit In Tanzania On Your Next Vacation
Top Places to Visit In Tanzania On Your Next Vacation
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world: 5,895 metres above sea level and about 4,900 metres above its plateau base. Kilimanjaro is the fourth most topographically prominent peak on Earth. It is part of Kilimanjaro National Park and is a major climbing destination. Because of its shrinking glaciers and disappearing ice fields, it has been the subject of many scientific studies.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected area and a World Heritage Site located 180 km west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera within the area. The conservation area is administered by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, an arm of the Tanzanian government, and its boundaries follow the boundary of the Ngorongoro Division of the Arusha Region. The 2009 Ngorongoro Wildlife Conservation Act placed new restrictions on human settlement and subsistence farming in the Crater, displacing Maasai pastoralists, most of whom had been relocated to Ngorongoro from their ancestral lands to the north when the British colonial government established Serengeti National Park in 1959.
Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti National Park is a Tanzanian national park in the Serengeti ecosystem in the Mara and Simiyu regions. It is well-known for its annual migration of over 1.5 million white-bearded wildebeest and 250,000 zebra and for its numerous Nile crocodile and honey badger. That migration is the largest remaining unaltered animal migration. It contains 1.5 million ha of savanna. The park is the centerpiece of the Serengeti Ecosystem which is twice as large
Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park is a national park in Tanzania’s Manyara Region. The name of the park originates from the Tarangire River that crosses the park. The Tarangire River is the primary source of fresh water for wild animals in the Tarangire Ecosystem during the annual dry season. The Tarangire Ecosystem is defined by the long-distance migration of wildebeest and zebras. During the dry season thousands of animals concentrate in Tarangire National Park from the surrounding wet-season dispersal and calving areas. It covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometers The landscape is composed of granitic ridges, river valley, and swamps. Vegetation is a mix of Acacia woodland, Combretum woodland, seasonally flooded grassland, and baobab trees.
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara National Park is a protected area in Tanzania’s Arusha and Manyara Regions, situated between Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley. It is administered by the Tanzania National Parks Authority, and covers an area of 325 km² including about 230 km² lake surface. More than 350 bird species have been observed on the lake
Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park covers Mount Meru, a prominent volcano with an elevation of 4566 m, in the Arusha Region of north eastern Tanzania. The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River; the peak of Mount Meru lies on its rim. Ngurdoto Crater in the south-east is grassland. The shallow alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying algal colours and are known for their wading birds. Mount Meru is the second highest peak in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro, which is just 60 km away and forms a backdrop to views from the park to the east. Arusha National Park lies on a 300-kilometre axis of Africa’s most famous national parks, running from Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in the west to Kilimanjaro National Park in the east. The park is just a few kilometres north east of Arusha, though the main gate is 25 km east of the city. It is also 58 km from Moshi and 35 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Selous Mapumziko Lodge
The Selous Game Reserve is a protected area in southern Tanzania. It covers a total area of 50,000 km² and has additional buffer zones. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to its wildlife diversity and undisturbed nature. Some of the typical wildlife of the miombo inhabits the reserve, such as African bush elephant, black rhino, hippopotamus, lion, East African wild dog, Cape buffaloes, Masai giraffe, Plains zebra, and Nile crocodile. Permanent human habitation is not permitted within the reserve. All human entry and exit is controlled by the Wildlife Division of the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
Mount Meru
Mount Meru is a dormant stratovolcano located 70 kilometres west of Mount Kilimanjaro in the country of Tanzania. At a height of 4,562.13 metres, it is visible from Mount Kilimanjaro on a clear day, and is the fifth-highest of the highest mountain peaks of Africa, dependent on definition. Mount Meru is located just north of the city of Arusha, in the Arusha Region of Tanzania. It is the second-highest mountain in Tanzania, after Mount Kilimanjaro. The Momella route – which starts at Momella gate, on the eastern side of the mountain – is used to climb Mount Meru. Much of its bulk was lost about 7,800 years ago due to a summit collapse. Mount Meru most recently had a minor eruption in 1910. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity. Mount Meru’s caldera is 2.2 miles wide. Mount Meru is the topographic centerpiece of Arusha National Park. Its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savanna and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, and also monkeys and leopards
Changu Island
Changuu Island is a small island 5.6 km northwest of Stone Town, Unguja, Zanzibar. The island is around 800m long and 230m wide at its broadest point. The island saw use as a prison for rebellious slaves in 1860s and also functioned as a coral mine. The British First Minister of Zanzibar, Lloyd Mathews, purchased the island in 1893 and constructed a prison complex there. No prisoners were ever housed on the island and instead it became a quarantine station for yellow fever cases. The station was only occupied for around half of the year and the rest of the time it was a popular holiday destination. More recently, the island has become a government-owned tourist resort and houses a collection of endangered Aldabra giant tortoises which were originally a gift from the British governor of the Seychelles.
Mikumi National Park
The Mikumi National Park near Morogoro, Tanzania, was established in 1964. It covers an area of 3,230 km² is the fourth largest in the country. The park is crossed by Tanzania’s A-7 highway.
Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park is a Tanzanian national park, located 300 kilometres south of the equator and in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The park is located near the region of Moshi. The park includes the whole of Mount Kilimanjaro above the tree line and the surrounding montane forest belt above 1,820 metres. It covers an area of 1,688 square kilometres, 2°50’–3°10’S latitude, 37°10’–37°40’E longitude. The park is administered by the Tanzania National Parks Authority. The park generated US $51 million in revenue in 2013, the second-most of any Tanzanian national park, and was one of only two Tanzanian national parks to generate a surplus during the 2012-13 budget year. TNPA has reported that the park recorded 58,460 tourists during the 2012-13 budget year, of whom 54,584 were foreigners. Of the park’s 57,456 tourists during the 2011-12 budget year, 16,425 hiked the mountain, which was well below the capacity of 28,470 as specified in the park’s General Management Plan.
Tarangire River
The Tarangire River is a perennial river located in the eastern branch of the East African Rift Valley, within northern Tanzania in East Africa.
Mnemba Island
Mnemba Island is a single small island located about 3 km off the northeast coast of Unguja, the largest island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania, opposite Muyuni Beach. It is roughly triangular in shape, about 500 metres in diameter and about 1.5 kilometres in circumference. It is surrounded by an oval reef seven by four kilometres in extent. These reefs have been declared a marine conservation area. Mnemba Island and its reef are sometimes called Mnemba Atoll which is incorrect because an atoll is an island that encircles a lagoon, which is not the case for Mnemba Island. Mnemba Island is a popular scuba diving site, with a wide variety of corals and associated species, as well as occasional sightings of larger species such as turtles and dolphins. Calm conditions are most frequent in November and March, with maximum visibility. The island itself is privately owned and can be visited only as a guest at a price of US$1155 to US$1600 per person per night. As Mnemba is a private island, non-guests are not permitted to land on the island. The island has a 200-meter exclusion zone around the island within which non-guests are not permitted.
Gombe National Park
Gombe National Park, also known as Gombe Stream National Park, is located in western Kigoma Region, Tanzania, 10 miles north of Kigoma, the capital of Kigoma Region. Established in 1968, Gombe is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania, with only 13.5 square miles of protected land along the hills of the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The terrain is distinguished by steep valleys, and the forest vegetation ranges from grassland to woodland to tropical rainforest. Accessible only by boat, the park is most famous as the location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioral research conducted on the chimpanzee populations. The Kasekala chimpanzee community, featured in several books and documentaries, lives in Gombe National Park. Gombe’s high levels of diversity make it an increasingly popular tourist destination. Besides chimpanzees, primates inhabiting Gombe include beachcomber olive baboons, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and vervet monkeys. Red-tailed monkeys and blue monkeys have also been known to hybridize in the area. The park is also home to over 200 bird species and bushpigs.
Oldupai Gorge Museum
The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world; it has proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early human evolution. A steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley that stretches across East Africa, it is about 48 km long, and is located in the eastern Serengeti Plains within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the Arusha Region, about 45 kilometres from Laetoli, another important archaeological site of early human occupation. The British/Kenyan paleoanthropologist-archeologist team of Mary and Louis Leakey established and developed the excavation and research programs at Olduvai Gorge which achieved great advances of human knowledge and world-renowned status. The gorge takes its name from the Maasai word oldupai which means “the place of the wild sisal” as the East African wild sisal grows abundantly throughout the gorge area. Twenty-five kilometers downstream of Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek, the gorge cuts into Pleistocene lake bed sediments up to a depth of 90 m. A side gorge, originating from Lemagrut Mountain, joins the main gorge 8 km from the mouth.
House of Wonders
The House of Wonders or Palace of Wonders is a landmark building in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is the largest and tallest building of Stone Town and occupies a prominent place facing the Forodhani Gardens on the old town’s seafront, in Mizingani Road. It is located between the Old Fort and the Palace Museum. It is one of six palaces built by Barghash bin Said, second Sultan of Zanzibar, and it is said to be located on the site of the 17th-century palace of Zanzibari queen Fatuma. The House of Wonders housed the Museum of History and Culture of Zanzibar and the Swahili Coast.
Ol Doinyo Lengai
Ol Doinyo Lengai, “Mountain of God” in the Maasai language, is an active volcano located in the Gregory Rift, south of Lake Natron within the Arusha Region of Tanzania, Africa. Part of the volcanic system of the East African Rift, it uniquely produces natrocarbonatite lava. The 1960 eruption of Ol Doinyo Lengai led to geological investigations that finally confirmed the view that carbonatite rock is derived from magma.
Mahale Mountain National Park
Mahale Mountains National Park lies on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Kigoma Region, Tanzania. Named after the Mahale Mountains range that is within its borders, the park has several unusual characteristics. First, it is one of only two protected areas for chimpanzees in the country. The chimpanzee population in Mahale Mountains National Park is the largest known and due to its size and remoteness, the chimpanzees flourish. It also the only place where chimpanzees and lions co-exist. Another unusual feature of the park is that it is one of the very few in Africa that must be experienced by foot. There are no roads or other infrastructure within the park boundaries, and the only way in and out of the park is via boat on the lake. The Mahale mountains were traditionally inhabited by the Batongwe and Holoholo people, with populations in 1987 of 22,000 and 12,500 respectively. When the Mahale Mountains Wildlife Research Center was established in 1979 these people were expelled from the mountains to make way for the park, which opened in 1985. The people had been highly attuned to the natural environment, living with virtually no impact on the ecology.
Jozani Forest
The Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is a 50 km² national park in Tanzania located on the island of Zanzibar. It is the only national park in Zanzibar. The Zanzibar red colobus, Procolobus kirkii found in the park, a rain forest species, is also known as Kirk’s red colobus, named after Sir John Kirk, the British Resident of Zanzibar who had first brought it to the attention of zoological science. It is now adopted as the flagship species for conservation in Zanzibar, from the mid-1990s. Other species of fauna found in the park are the Sykes monkey, bush babies, more than 50 species of butterfly and 40 species of birds. The nocturnal Zanzibar tree hyrax, which has four ‘toes’ on its front feet and three on its back, is said to be the first hyrax species that has acclimatized to the forest. As part of the tourism circuit, the park attracts 10% of the over 100,000 visitors to Zanzibar every year. Wild life attractions of Zanzibar also include dolphins apart from deep sea fishing for tuna, marlin, and shark. Another animal in the forests of the Unguja Island unequaled elsewhere is the Zanzibar leopard.
Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a national park in Tanzania with a size of 1,990 km². The habitats contained within the national park include tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland and steppe. There is a vertical height range of 250–2,576 metres, which incorporates the Udzungwa Mountains part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. There are more than 400 bird species, 2500 plant species and 6 primate species. It has the second largest biodiversity of a national park in Africa. Six primate species have been recorded in the park, five of which are endemic. The Iringa red colobus and Sanje crested mangabey are only found in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, the mangabey species was undetected by biologists prior to 1979. Tourism in the Udzungwa Mountains national Park revolves around hiking and trekking, as the park has no roads and is accessible only on foot. The hiking trails range in difficulty from the short one-hour Sonjo trek to the extremely challenging 6-day camping trek the Lumemo Trail.
Katavi National Park
Katavi National Park is a Tanzanian national park created in 1974 and is located in Katavi Region, Tanzania. It is a very remote park that is less frequently visited than other Tanzanian national parks. The park is approximately 4,471 square kilometers in area, which makes it the third largest national park in Tanzania. The park encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada floodplains.
Old Fort
The Old Fort, also known as the Arab Fort and by other names, is a fortification located in Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar. It is the oldest building and a major visitor attraction of Stone Town. It is located on the main seafront, adjacent to another landmark building of the city, the House of Wonders, and facing the Forodhani Gardens.
Saadani National Park
Saadani National Park is Tanzania’s 13th National Park. Tourists can view animals basking along the Indian Ocean shores. It has an area of 1062 km2 and was officially gazetted in 2005, from a game reserve which had existed from 1969. It is the only wildlife sanctuary in Tanzania bordering the sea.
Nungwi Beach
White-sand beach for snorkeling & more
Kibo
Volcanic cone on a famous mountain
Rubondo Island Camp
Rubondo Island National Park is one of two Tanzanian National Parks located on an island in Lake Victoria. The island attracts a small number of visitors each year, mainly game fishermen and bird enthusiasts.
Usambara Mountains
The Usambara Mountains of northeastern Tanzania in tropical East Africa, comprise the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The ranges of approximately 90 kilometres long and about half that wide, are situated in the Lushoto District of the Tanga Region. They were formed nearly two million years ago by faulting and uplifting, and are composed of Precambrian metamorphic rocks. They are split into two sub-ranges; the West Usambaras being higher than the East Usambaras, which are nearer the coast and receive more rainfall. The mountains are clad in virgin tropical rainforest which has been isolated for a long period and they are a centre of endemism. Historically they were inhabited by Bantu, Shambaa, and Maasai people but in the eighteenth century, a Shambaa kingdom was founded by Mbegha. The kingdom eventually fell apart after a succession struggle in 1862. German colonists settled in the area which was to become German East Africa, and after World War I it became part of the British mandated territory of Tanganyika.
Mkomazi National Park
Mkomazi National Park is located in northeastern Tanzania on the Kenyan border, in Kilimanjaro Region and Tanga Region. It was established as a game reserve in 1951 and upgraded to a national park in 2006. The park covers over 3,234 square kilometres, and is dominated by Acacia-Commiphora vegetation; it is contiguous with Kenya’s Tsavo West National Park. The area commonly called ‘Mkomazi’ is actually the union of two previous game reserves, the Umba Game Reserve in the east and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in the west; in government documents they are sometimes called the Mkomazi-Umba Game Reserves. Of the two, Mkomazi is larger, and has more diversity of relief and habitat, and a longer shared border with Tsavo West National Park. In the rest of this entry, ‘Mkomazi’ will refer to both the Mkomazi and Umba reserves together.
Chumbe Island
Chumbe Island is a small privately owned island a few kilometres off the main island of Zanzibar, known for its ecological innovation and exceptional coral reefs. In 1992 the fringing reef west of Chumbe Island was officially closed to fishing, boating, and diving. In 1994, the island and its surrounding waters were declared the Chumbe Island Coral Park, which contains the Chumbe Reef Sanctuary and the Closed Forest Reserve. The park is run by the nonprofit private organization Chumbe Island Coral Park, Ltd., which conducts marine research and small amounts of eco-tourism on the island. After the government of Tanzania established the protected area around the island and the fringing coral reef in 1994, the government gave the management rights to CHICOP, which is in charge of the CHICOP management plant. The Chumbe Reef Sanctuary is registered as a marine protected area by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and the first marine park in Tanzania The high quality of the reef is attributable to the fact that the island was within a military zone which limited human impact on the marine life
Kitulo Plateau National Park
Kitulo National Park is a protected area of montane grassland and montane forest on the Kitulo Plateau in the southern highlands of Tanzania. The park is at an elevation of 2,600 metres between the peaks of the Kipengere and Poroto mountains and covers an area of 412.9 square kilometres, lying in Mbeya Region and Njombe Region. The park is administered by Tanzania National Parks and is the first national park in tropical Africa to be established primarily to protect its flora. Locals refer to the Kitulo Plateau as “Bustani ya Mungu”, while botanists have referred to it as the “Serengeti of Flowers”.
Lemosho Route
Long distance hike to Kilimanjaro’s peak
Bongoyo Island
Bongoyo Island is an uninhabited island in Tanzania, situated 2.5 km north of the country’s largest city, Dar es Salaam. It is the most frequently visited of the four islands of the Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve and a popular daytrip for both tourists and Tanzanian residents alike for snorkelling and sunbathing. The island lies close to the Msasani Peninsula and is reachable by means of a 30-minute boat ride from the mainland. The point of departure for most visitors to the island is ‘The Slipways’ hotel complex on the western side of the Msasani Peninsula. The island has a very rocky shore and only two beaches. All visitors visit the beach at the northwestern tip of the island, where the boats moor and where there are some huts, drinks and food. The much longer but narrower beach along the northeastern side has no facilities and is mostly deserted. The entire island is covered in dense forest and has a few walking trails, so only a few people venture there. The terrain is somewhat treacherous with sharp rocks. In the middle of the island one finds the remains of a German colonial building at 6°42′8.48″S 39°16′11.49″E, clearly visible on Google Maps.
Grumeti Game Reserve
The Grumeti Game Reserve is found in Tanzania. It was established in 1993. This site is 411 km². On the northwestern border of the famous Serengeti National Park, there is the Grumeti Game Reserve: a migration corridor for herds of animals that naturally pass through the area. This is where it is easy to see the movement of huge herds of wildebeest and zebra and this describes the Serengeti/Mara ecology itself.
Forodhani Gardens
The Forodhani Gardens are a small park of the historical city of Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The gardens are located along the main seawalk of Stone Town, just in front of the most famous buildings of Stone Town, i.e., the House of Wonders and the Old Fort. The Gardens are especially busy after sunset, when tourists and local alike gather in a popular food street market in the main square, to have dinner enjoying Swahili and Zanzibari cuisine delicacies such as grilled seafood, samoosas, cassava and sweet potatoes. On July 31, 2009, a ground-breaking ceremony was held by the Aga Khan to introduce a revitalized park. It was rehabilitated by Aga Khan Trust for Culture at a cost of $3 million from the initial estimates of $2.4 million. The facelift involved the restoration of pedestrian walkways, landscape, infrastructure upgrading, incorporating lighting, sewerage drainage and civic amenities, and the rehabilitation of the seawall fronting the park.
spice community shop
The Darajani Market is the main bazaar in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is also known as Estella Market and informally as Marikiti Kuu. The market is located in Darajani Road, in the surroundings of the Anglican Cathedral of Christ. The main structure of the market was built in 1904 by Bomanjee Maneckjee, for Sultan Ali bin Hamud. It was later extended and restored. Darajani Bazaar is mainly a food market, but there are also shops selling a number of different goods, from consumer electronics to clothing.
Uhuru Peak
Highest peak on Kibo’s crater rim
Shira
Climbing, volcano, mountain and safari
Udzungwa Mountains
The Udzungwa Mountains are a mountain range in south-central Tanzania. The mountains are mostly within Iringa Region, south of Tanzania’s capital Dodoma. The Udzungwa Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species. The mountains are home to the Hehe people, and the name Udzungwa comes from the Kihehe word “Wadzungwa”, which means the people who live on mountainsides. Iringa is the largest settlement in the mountains, and the regional headquarters.
Mahali Mountains
The Mahale Mountains are a mountain range in western Tanzania, on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. They rise to 2,462 metres atop Mount Nkungwe. The range and its habitats are protected by the Mahale Mountains National Park, being known for wildlife including chimpanzees and lions.
Hamamni Persian Baths
The Hamamni Persian Baths is located in a historical building of Stone Town, Zanzibar. The name Hamamni is also used to refer to the neighbourhood where the building is located. The Baths were built between 1870 and 1888 for sultan Barghash bin Said for use as public baths, and maintained this function until 1920. They are referred to as “Persian” because their construction was commissioned to Shirazi architects. The word “Hamamni” means “the place of the baths”. The building had a complex structure with several rooms, including hot and cold baths, toilets, shaving areas, and a restaurant. Hot water was provided by underground aqueducts. Entrance was subject to a fee, so that only wealthy zanzibaris could use them regularly. They were open both to men and women, but with different hours of admittance. The Baths are not working anymore, but they are open to visitors and are a major tourist attractions of Stone Town. Visits are limited to some areas of the original complex because part of it has since been adapted for private residences.
Ndutu Lake
Wildlife-rich area known for migration
Zanzibar Butterfly Centre
Tropical buttery garden with tours
Old Dispensary
The Old Dispensary, also known as Ithnashiri Dispensary, is a historical building in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is located on the seafront, in Mizingani Road, halfway between the Palace Museum and the harbour. It owes its name to the fact that it served as a dispensary in the first half of the 20th century. The Dispensary is one of the most finely decorated buildings of Stone Town and a symbol of the multi-cultural architecture and heritage of the city. Its wooden carved balconies, with stained glass decorations, are of Indian influence; the main structure is built with traditional Zanzibari coral rag and limestone, but covered with stucco adornments of European neo-classical taste. The inside of the building is just as sophisticated, with a covered courtyard and carved bridges connecting the floors. The Dispensary is one of Stone Town’s major tourist attractions. It has a small museum about the history of Zanzibar.
Saanane National Park
Saanane Island National Park is a Tanzanian national park in Mwanza. The park is located on an island in Lake Victoria and can be reached by boat from the TANAPA offices on Capri Point in Mwanza town. It is named after the local farmer and fisherman Mzee Saanane Chavandi.
Tumbatu
Tumbatu Island is the third-largest island making up the Zanzibar Archipelago, part of Tanzania in East Africa. The island is located off the north-west coast of Zanzibar’s main island, also known as Unguja. The wedge-shaped island is 8 kilometres long but only 2 kilometres wide at its widest point. It is surrounded by a reef, making it somewhat isolated from the rest of Zanzibar, even though its southern shore is only 2 kilometres from Mkokotoni on Unguja Island. The island has two villages, Jongowe in the south and Gomani further north. There are no roads or cars on the island, although people travel frequently by boat between the villages and to Unguja. This significant archaeological site contains a large number of collapsed stone structures including private houses and several mosques, the largest of which is located on the shore facing the village of Mkokotoni on Unguja. The site has been investigated by Mark Horton and Catherine Clark in the 1980s and 1990s and by Henriette Rødland in 2017 and 2019. It was inhabited between the 12th and 15th centuries CE, a time of expansion and growth for many Swahili sites along the East African coast.
Mbudya Island
Mbudya Island is an uninhabited island in Tanzania, north of the country’s largest city, Dar es Salaam and is one of the four islands of the Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve. The island lies close to the beach resort and fishing community of Kunduchi and is reachable by means of a 20-minute motorboat ride crossing from the mainland. It is therefore a popular daytrip for both tourists and Tanzanian residents alike, serving as a location for a variety of leisure activities, including snorkelling, sunbathing and hiking
People’s Palace Museum
The Sultan’s Palace is one of the main historical buildings of Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. It is a 3-story building with merlon-decorated white walls, located in Mizingani Road, on the seafront, between the House of Wonders and the Old Dispensary. It stands on the site of the previuous palace, called Bait As-Sahel Arabic: بيت الساحل) that was destroyed in the Anglo Zanzibar war of 1896, The present palace was built in late 19th century to serve as a residence for the Sultan’s family. After the Zanzibar Revolution, in 1964 it was formally renamed to People’s Palace and used as a government seat. In 1994, it became a museum about the Zanzibari royal family and history. One floor of the museum is dedicated to Sultan Khalifa bin Harub; another one to Sayyida Salme, best known as Emily Ruete, former Zanzibari princess who fled from the sultanate to relocate in Europe with her husband; the exhibits include some of her writings, clothes and daily life accessories. Several of the furniture items and other belongings to the sultan’s family are in exhibition to give visitors an idea of how was the life in Zanzibar during the 19th century.
National Museum and House of Culture
The National Museum of Tanzania is a consortium of five Tanzanian museums whose purpose is to preserve and show exhibits about the history and natural environment of Tanzania. The consortium developed from the National Museum of Dar es Salaam, established in 1934 by Tanganyika governor Harold MacMichael. Four more museums later joined the consortium, namely the Village Museum in Dar es Salaam, the National History Museum and the Arusha Declaration Museum in Arusha, and the Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere Memorial Museum in Butiama.
Fanjove Island
Beaches, snorkeling & a boutique lodge
Anglican Cathedral
Christ Church is an Anglican cathedral in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. It belongs to the Anglican Church of Tanzania. It is a landmark historical church, as well as one of the most prominent examples of early Christian architecture in East Africa. It was built in seven years, the foundation stone being laid on Christmas Day 1873 until the opening on Christmas 1879, based on a vision of Edward Steere, third Anglican bishop of Zanzibar, who actively contributed to the design. As most buildings in Stone Town, it is made mostly of coral stone. It has a unique concrete roof shaped in an unusual barrel vault and the overall structure mixes Perpendicular Gothic and Islamic details. The cathedral was consecrated in 1903 and named after Canterbury Cathedral. The church is located in Mkunazini Road, in the centre of the old town, and occupies a large area where the biggest slave market of Zanzibar used to be; the construction of the cathedral was in fact intended to celebrate the end of slavery. The altar is said to be in the exact place where the main “whipping post” of the market used to be. In the square there is a well-known monument to the slaves as well as a museum on slavery.
Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings
The Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings are a series of ancient paintings on rockshelter walls in central Tanzania. The Kondoa region was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006 because of its impressive collection of rock art. These sites were named national monuments in 1937 by the Tanzania Antiquities Department. The paintings are located approximately nine kilometres east of the main highway from Dodoma to Babati, about 20 km north of Kondoa town, in Kondoa District of Dodoma Region, Tanzania. The boundaries of the site are marked by concrete posts. The landscape of this area is characterized by large piled granite boulders that make up the western rim of the Maasai steppe and form rock shelters facing away from prevailing winds. These rock shelters often have flat surfaces due to rifting, and these surfaces are where the paintings are found, protected from weathering. These paintings are still part of a living tradition of creation and use by both Sandawe in their simbó healing ceremonies, and by Maasai people in ritual feasting.
Cheetah’s Rock
ZIPA-accredited animal rescue center
Askari Monument
The Askari Monument or Dar es Salaam African Memorial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a memorial to the askari who fought in the British campaign against the German Army in East Africa in World War I. It was unveiled in 1927. The monument is located at the centre of a roundabout on Samora Avenue at the perpendicular junction to Maktaba Street and Azikiwe Street, a place that reportedly also marks the exact centre of downtown Dar es Salaam. The monument was erected in honour of the King’s African Rifles and the Carrier Corps. The main feature of the monument is “The Askari”, a bronze sculpture of an African soldier. It was realised in the United Kingdom by British sculptor sw:James Alexander Stevenson, who worked for Westminster’s Morris Bronze Founders. Stevenson signed the statue with his pseudonym “Myrander”. Before being sent to Dar es Salaam, the statue was exhibited at the Royal Academy, receiving critical praise. The soldier has a rifle with bayonet pointed towards the Dar es Salaam harbour. The statue stands on a stone pedestal
Amboni caves
The Amboni Caves are the most extensive limestone caves in East Africa. They are located 8 km north of Tanga City in Tanzania off the Tanga-Mombasa road. The caves were formed about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic age. It covers an area of 234 km². According to researchers the area was under water some 20 million years ago. There are altogether ten caves but only one is used for guided tours.
Lake Duluti
Lake Duluti is a volcanic crater lake in the Arusha region of Tanzania, on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley. It is located in Meru District near the town of Tengeru and is 14 kilometres from Arusha city centre and 1.31 kilometres from the Arusha-Moshi road. Lake Duluti covers about 63 hectares, and the surrounding Duluti Forestry Reserve covers about 19 hectares of land. The deepest part of the lake, in its center, is about 9 m deep; the shallow parts are at the lake’s shore, where the depth varies from side to side.
Spice & Stone Town Tour
Ngurdoto Crater
Ngurdoto Crater is a volcanic crater in Arusha Region, Tanzania. The crater is 3.6 km in diameter at its widest and 100 metres deep. Ngurdoto Crater is surrounded by forest whilst the crater floor is a swamp. It is located in Arusha National Park.
Chwaka Bay
Chwaka Bay is a large indentation in the central east coast of the Tanzanian island of Unguja – the largest island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. The bay contains several small islands, and the towns of Chwaka and Kae are situated on its coast. The southwest corner of the bay forms part of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park.
Mafia Island Marine Park
Mafia Island Marine Park is a protected marine nature reserve around Mafia Island, in the Indian Ocean southeast of Zanzibar Island. It is located in the Pwani Region jurisdiction of Tanzania.
Beho-Beho
Meandering sand river in a game reserve
Lake Ngozi
Lake Ngozi is the second largest crater lake in Africa. It can be found near Tukuyu, a small town in the highland Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, of southern Tanzania in East Africa. It is part of the Poroto Mountains and the northern rim of the caldera is the highest point in the range. The caldera mostly composed from trachytic and phonolitic lavas. Ngozi is a Holocene caldera that generated the Kitulo pumice 12,000 years ago during a Plinian eruption, most likely in the same eruption that generated the caldera. Other eruption deposits are the Ngozi Tuff and the Ituwa Surge base surge deposits of uncertain age, but intermediary to the Kitulo pumice and Ngozi Tuff. The youngest activity generated a pyroclastic flow that flowed southwards for 10 km around 1450 CE. Some pyroclastic cones surround the volcano. The walls of the caldera are forested, with the exception of segments scoured by landslides and high cliffs that inhibit access to the water. The inner caldera is forested with Maesa lanceolata, Albizia gummifera and Hagenia abyssinica, far fewer tree species than neighbouring mountains consistent with the recent geological origin of the volcano
Cultural Heritage Centre
The Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre is located in Arusha, Tanzania. It is a place where the past and present of the Tanzania’s 120-plus tribes can be viewed in a single compound. The centre boasts of various carvings, gemstones, artifacts, clothing and books. The Centre has hosted the following World statesmen: Norway’s King Harald, Queen Sonja and Princess Märtha Louise South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki and Zanele Mbeki United States’s Bill Clinton United States’s George W. Bush
Empakaai Crater
Volcanic crater with emerald-green lake
Jambiani Beach
Nakupenda Beach
Lake Empakaai
Meserani Snake Park
African reptiles & Maasai exhibits
Retima Hippo Pool
Deep pond favored by hundreds of hippos
Olmoti Crater
Misali Island
Kidichi Spice Farms
Working spice farm & visitor attraction
Bawe Island
Bawe Island is a small island in the Zanzibar Archipelago, in Tanzania. It is located about 10 km offshore Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar on the island of Unguja. At the end of the 18th century, sultan Barghash ibn Sa’id of Zanzibar gave the island to the Eastern Telegraph Company, that used it as an operation station for the underwater telegraph cable connecting Zanzibar to Seychelles and Aden. This agreement was extended by sultan Khalifa ibn Sa’id in 1889, in favor of Cable & Wireless, that also built houses on the island to accommodate their personnel. Nowadays, Bawe is solely a tourist destination.
Kariakoo Market
Kuza Cave
Maziwi Island
Maziwe island is a very small unvegetated island surrounded by coral reefs located about 8 kilometres south east of the town of Pangani off the northern coast of Tanzania. It became a nature reserve in 1975. At one time the island was larger than its present area and was well-vegetated but with the loss of its palm trees and scrub cover, it has suffered erosion and is now sometimes completely immersed at the time of the highest tides. Green sea turtles no longer nest on the island, but it is visited by numerous sea birds. The sea contains many species of coral and over two hundred species of fish. The reserve has received little active conservation work but management is now supported by levying a small fee on tourists which is used to compensate local fishermen for loss of income.
Nungwi Mnarani Aquarium
Turtles, aquarium and sea turtles
Pare Mountains
The Pare Mountains are a mountain range in northeastern Tanzania, north west of the Usambara Mountains. Administratively, the mountains are a part of Kilimanjaro Region. There are two mountain ranges – North and South Pare ranges, which rise to 2,463 m at Shengena Peak. They form part of the Eastern Arc of mountains. The Pare people live in the area. The Pare Mountains are accessible by 4WD, but there are few roads in the South Pares. Species in the Pare mountains include the endemic South Pare white-eye, mountain buzzard, olive woodpecker, moustached tinkerbird and the African hill babbler. During its German occupation, the area around Neu-Hornow was used for lumber exports along the Usambara Railway.
Mbalageti Serengeti
Safari, chalet, safari lodge and wildebeest
Kikuletwa River
Hot spring, maasai people and safari
Blue Safari
Mount Rungwe
Mount Rungwe is a volcanic mountain in Mbeya Region, in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands. At an altitude of 2,981 metres, it is southern Tanzania’s second-highest peak. Rungwe’s volcano is currently inactive.
Baraka Natural Aquarium – Nungwi
Turtles and aquarium
Dar es Salaam Zoo
Dar es Salaam Zoo is a zoological park in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The zoo is located in the Kigamboni-district in the eastern part of the city, 37 km from Downtown Dar es Salaam.
Azania Front Church
The Azania Front Lutheran Church is a Lutheran church in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, serving as a cathedral for the local diocese. It is among the most well-known landmarks and tourist attractions of the city. It is in the city center, close to the ocean, facing the harbour. It was built by the German missionaries in 1898, in the Bavarian style of the time, with a red-tiled roof, tiled canopies over the windows and bright white walls
Mafia Island Diving
Lake Masek
Safari lodge, lake, wildebeest, camping and safari
Selous Kulinda Camp
Coco Beach
Chapwani Private Island
Nyerere National Park
Park and garden
Ngezi Forest
The Ngezi Forest Reserve is a forest reserve located in Pemba Island, Tanzania. It covers an area of 1,440 hectares, mostly comprising primary forest. The reserve was established in 1959.
Kwale Island
Barranco Wall
Climbing and mountain
Mount Hanang
Mount Hanang is a mountain in Tanzania. The peak has an elevation of 3,420 m above sea level. Hanang is located in Manyara Region, Hanang District. It is the fourth-highest mountain in Tanzania, if you count the three peaks of Kilimanjaro as one mountain. The principal path to the summit starts in the town of Katesh. The climb can be done in one day, but it is also common for climbers to spend one night in a tented camp on the mountain and reach the summit on the second day.
Blue Reef Sport & Fishing Lodge
Fishing, safari lodge and sports
Sukuma Museum / Bujora Cultural Centre
The Sukuma Museum is a community-based museum located in Mwanza, Tanzania. It was designed in 1968, and is dedicated to the preservation and display of artifacts related to the Sukuma culture
Irente Viewpoint
Asanja Africa
Safari and camping
Furtwangler Glacier
Furtwangler Glacier is located near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The glacier is named after Walter Furtwängler who, along with Siegfried König, were the fourth party to ascend to the summit of Kilimanjaro in 1912. The glacier is a small remnant of an ice cap that once crowned the summit of Kilimanjaro. Almost 85 percent of the ice cover disappeared from October 1912 to June 2011. At the current rate, most of the ice will disappear by 2040 and “it is highly unlikely that any ice body will remain after 2060”. Furtwängler Glacier is ephemeral, existing continuously only since about 1650 CE, which corresponds with very high levels in Kenya’s Lake Naivasha and the beginning of the Maunder Minimum. Between measurements in 1976 and 2000, the area of this glacier was cut almost in half, from 113,000 square metres to 60,000 square metres. By 2018 the size shrank to 11,000 square metres. During fieldwork conducted early in 2006, scientists discovered a large hole near the center of the glacier. This hole, extending through the 6 metres remaining thickness of the glacier to the underlying rock, split the glacier in two by 2007.
