Tanzania,
officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
in Swahili), is a country on the east coast of Africa. It is bordered by
Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic
of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south.
To the east it borders the Indian Ocean. The country is named after Tanganyika,
its mainland part, and the Zanzibar islands off its east coast. The country
has been a member of the Commonwealth since gaining independence in 1961.
In 1964, Tanganyika united with Zanzibar, forming the United Republic of
Tanganyika and Zanzibar, later renamed to the United Republic of Tanzania.
In 1996, Tanzania's capital was officially moved from Dar es Salaam to
Dodoma, although many government offices still remain in the old capital.
Tanzania
has considerable land area of wildlife habitat, including much of the Serengeti
plain, where Blue Wildebeest and other bovids participate in a large scale
annual migration. Up to 250,000 Blue Wildebeest perish each year in the
long and arduous movement to find forage in the dry season. Tanzania
has developed a Biodiversity Action Plan to address species conservation.
Zanzibar is the collective
name for two islands in Tanzania: Unguja and Pemba. The capital of Zanzibar,
located on the island of Unguja, is Zanzibar City. The city's old quarter,
known as Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site. Although Zanzibar enjoys
a high degree of autonomy, it is not a sovereign state: it remains part
of Tanzania.
Zanzibar's main industries
are spices (which include cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper), raffia,
and tourism. Zanzibar is also the home of the endemic Zanzibar Red Colobus
and the elusive Zanzibar Leopard. The word "Zanzibar" probably derives
from the Persian, Zangi-bar ("coast of the blacks") and it is known as
Zanji-bar in Arabic, also. "Zanzibar" may also refer to the spice ginger
(genus Zingiber). "Zanzibar" often refers especially to Unguja Island and
is sometimes referred to as the "Spice Islands," though this term is more
commonly associated with the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Pemba Island
is the only island apart from Zanzibar that still produces cloves on a
major basis which is the primary source of spice income for the islands.
E
Unoto Retreat, Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania This five-star lodge is
just 1½ hours drive from Arusha and in close proximity to famous
national parks including Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara,
E Unoto Retreat is the ideal location for your next holiday, romantic getaway
or safari. Twenty-five spacious bungalows provide luxurious accommodation
for all our guests. All bungalows have been designed Maasai style and decorated
internally with exquisite furnishings and carvings continuing the Maasai
theme. Each bungalow is a private suite with its own balcony offering panoramic
views of Lake Miwaleni and the towering escarpment. You may even see one
of the species of monkeys, birds or reptiles that live in the region or
catch a glimpse of one of the many hippos residing in Lake Miwaleni.
Mount
Meru Game Lodge & Sanctuary, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania This ‘boutique’ Lodge is
located 18 kilometres East of Arusha town along the main road leading to
Kilimanjaro International Airport. It is situated in a Game Sanctuary which
provides many of its visitors with their first exciting game viewing experience.
The Lodge is able to arrange full-day and half-day cultural, educational
and game viewing excursions to some of the best sites in Tanzania.
The many carefully planned facilities available at the Lodge combine to
provide visitors with an unforgettable experience of Africa at its very
best. The Lodge comprises 17 Double or Twin en-suite Bedrooms situated
in a combination of detached and semi-detached cottages. As you would expect
in a hotel of this standard, the design and character of the rooms are
as individualistic as the Lodge itself. All rooms have a veranda with comfortable
chairs where guests may sit during the late afternoons enjoying the peace
of the surroundings, or watching the animals and birds.
Saadani
Safari Lodge, Saadani National Park, Tanzania Tanzania’s youngest national
park, covering 1,000 square kilometers in the east of the country, north
of Dar es Salaam. The Park has the distinction of being the only coastal
wildlife sanctuary of its kind on the eastern coast of Africa. It offers
a completely unique safari environment, combining that most rare of recipes
– river, bush and beach. The extraordinary Wami River forms the southern
boundary of the Park. From the open sea, you can boat into the river mouth
and within minutes you are passing pods of hippo and basking crocodiles.
The game is plentiful in the inland bush: lions and other predators jousting
with a wide range of plains animals. The entire eastern boundary of the
Park is set along the Indian Ocean where white beaches stretch to the horizon
in both directions, and sand islands off-shore provide good snorkeling
and swimming. Set on the Indian Ocean with bush behind, in the heart of
the National Park at closest proximity to the most diverse range of wildlife
and environments.
Swala
Camp, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania Sheltered beneath a canopy
of majestic Acacia Tortillis in a remote and secluded corner of Tarangire
National Park, Swala Camp, with just 9 luxuriously furbished en-suite tents,
offers you the perfect setting from which to explore one of Tanzania's
best kept secrets. Swala Camp is located within Tarangire National
Park borders. The park is an easy 115 km's from Arusha on excellent roads
and the camp itself is another 67 km's into the park. This section of the
park is exceptionally private with no other camps around. Safari
Lodge, Game Drives, Bird Watching, Walking. The park's name is derived
from the Tarangire River, the park's only source of permanent water. In
the dry season this river is the lifeline, attracting much of the game.
Huge herds of elephant, greater kudu, and fringe-ear Oryx are what the
park is synonymous with. In addition, leopard and tree-climbing pythons
often inhabit the trees.
Mbuyuni
Beach Village, Beach Bungalows, Zanzibar Paje and Jambiani, It’s
50 km from Zanzibar town/international Airport. Our location has one of
the most beautiful coastlines in the world. A true sublime paradise Island
experience, A bay’s azure blue water-protected by the reef one kilometre
from the shore, It is ideal location for Sunbathing/Swimming and Snorkeling.
If the midday Sun becomes too strong, you can retreat into the shade of
our local open beach hut or on one of the hammock and sip a long, cool
drink and relax while enjoying Zanzibar’s distinctive, mellow pace.
Owned and run by a lovely couple, with a team of local friendly staff who
always give 100% to make sure our customers are having the time of their
life. They are nice, lovely bungalows with a big space in the bedroom
and big toilets which are well furnished and comfortable, with a modern
interpretation of "Zanzibar Chic". with the perfect blend of comfort and
style.
Shehe
Bungalows, Self-Catering, Zanzibar Shehe Bungalows was the
first private guesthouse to be established in Jambiani village. It has
since got a solid reputation of being a place full of atmosphere. With
over ten years experience in giving tourists the best Zanzibarian experience;
you can be sure that your stay with us will be a pleasant one. The
bungalows are on the beach itself, meaning that you don't have to venture
far to go for a swim when staying at Shehe Bungalows. The staff at Shehe
Bungalows always do their very best to make you feel at home. Whether
you want to relax in the sun, or take part in other activities, Shehe Bungalows
is the place to be. At Shehe Bungalows there are single-, double-
and triple rooms available. All rooms come with bed(s) with mosquito
nets, fans, hot water, a small fridge and all the rooms include breakfast.
Highlights
of Just a Few National Parks of Tanzania by Ian Williamson
Tanzania is the place where
dream safaris are made. The country is politically stable and the people
friendly. Tanzania's national parks are Africa's most diverse and dramatic
wildlife areas. Bellow is a taste of only a few National Parks in the extraordinary
land of Tanzania.
1.
Gombe Stream National Park and Mahale Mountain National Park sit side by
side in the remote west of Tanzania. They are found alongside one of the
great lakes of Africa - Lake Tanganyika. They offer a rare opportunity
to observe and study the behavior of the Chimpanzee. This area is difficult
to get to and almost the only way to reach these parks is to fly to Kigoma.
From Kikoma you must travel by boat to gain access to the Chimpanzee trails
which are home to some if the last troops of chimpanzee's in Africa. 2.
Kilimanjaro National Park is in contrast very accessible; and at 5895m
Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest point and the world's highest freestanding
mountain. Incredibly, the snow-capped peak is only a few hours away from
a tropical coastline. This incredible trek climbs form the brown dusty
plains of Africa through tropical rainforest, then upward onto the ice
and snow and near artic conditions on the summit of this majestic mountain.
3. Ngorongoro crater heralded
as the 'eighth wonder of the world' is an awe-inspiring collapsed volcano;
enclosed by near sheer walls the crater is breathtaking; as is the descent
onto the creatr floor in your 4x4 safari Landover. This small area is a
mini Serengeti with a lake, savannah and forest; it is possible to have
a six hour safari and see many animals in just a short time in this truly
unique part of Africa.
4. The Udzungwa Mountains
National Park is a park without roads and is Tanzania's first National
Park created primarily to protect flora rather than fauna. This national
park forces you out of your vehicle. No lodges in this park either so to
truly explore these mountains means hard hikes and basic camping. The remote
parts of this park become dangerous and inaccessible in the wet season.
5. The Serengeti home to
last Great Migration left on our planet. These endless plains, contain
valleys, hills and woodland as well as the open grasslands that seem to
stretch out forever. Every time of year in the Serengeti offers something
different, something special. 6. In contrast to the ever popular Serengeti
is the Katavi National Park in the remote and inaccessible west of Tanzania.
This park has the largest herds of buffalo in Africa and where there are
buffalo the lions are not far behind. The usual way to access this park
is to fly into the one [luxury tented] lodge in the entire park. It is
rumored that when a guest drives upto the park gates the wardens there
are shocked and bewildered, so rare are tourists to this park. Here, in
this park the only other people you will meet are other guests and the
staff at the lodge. Here you have one million hectares to yourself.
7. A huge carpet of ground
orchid's bloom quite unnoticed, every year, in a forgotten corner of Southern
Tanzania. This high plateau called the Kitulo Plateau is high above the
madding crowd is covered with a sea of orchids. This National Park of wild
flowers in all its glorious color is a delight to anyone who appreciates
and loves the orchid in its natural setting.
8. The Selous Game Reserve
embraces 54,000 square kilometers of southwestern Tanzania; it is the largest
protected wilderness reserve on the continent, three times larger than
the Serengeti.
After the safari there are
the rewards of Tanzania's coast; crystal seas, sun bleached white sands
give the Tanzania cost a scintillating appearance. Ancient ruins rest among
whispering palms enticing you to explore. This palm fringed coastline looks
out over the warm turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Tranquil coral
lagoons shelter underwater coral gardens, claiming some of the best diving
in the world; Tanzania and Zanzibar welcome you to explore a diving tropical
paradise.
About the Author
This information was taken
from http://www.thejumapage.co.uk
and also http://www.betheladventure.co.uk
These pages hold information about Tanzanian and Tanzania National Parks.
Use your time in Tanzania responsibly and use a safari company that uses
tourism to change lives.
Exotic,
colourful and above all fragrant, Zanzibar is the Spice Island, a place
that thrives on its centuries old association with aromatic cinnamon, cloves
and cardamoms. Once a wealthy empire at the hub of the Monsoon trading
routes and the world's slave trading capital, Zanzibar still has a touch
of mystery about it - which makes it perfect for a romantic interlude.
Although Zanzibar consists
of an archipelago of islands and islets, the largest of these - Unguja
- is confusingly known internationally as.... Zanzibar. A separate state
within Tanzania, Zanzibar is best known as a place to flop on the beach
after the exhilaration of an East African safari. Now a new night flight
from Nairobi makes combining the two even easier - and a quicker hop to
the beach.
And what beaches! The eastern
coast has a long stretch of perfect white sand beaches - uncrowded, often
remote - fronted by warm aqua-coloured waters and interspersed with simple
fishing villages, where life goes on much as it did in times gone by. Under
the water a coral reef provides the backdrop for great snorkelling and
world-class scuba diving. Above it, windsurfing, kayaking and state-of-the-art
big game fishing are favourite holiday pastimes.
Zanzibar also has a rich
culture - best discovered on a trip to its capital, Stone Town, recently
categorised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Reputedly the only ancient
town in East Africa still flourishing, Stone Town has changed little since
the 19th century. Winding streets and alleyways, leading past more than
500 ornately-carved doors, take you back in time and yet the city is very
much a place where people live and work. In this colourful, highly scented
labyrinth, veiled women bargain noisily in crowded craft and food shops.
Away from the melée,
the island interior is home to fragrant spice plantations - a real assault
on the senses. Exotic forests are scented with the delicate fragrance of
ylang-ylang, hibiscus and jasmine and the heady aroma of cloves and cardamoms,
which provide the ingredients on which Zanzibar's spicy cuisine is based.
