Four times the size of Great Britain and covering nearly a million square miles, Tanzania is a huge East African country with an exceptional breadth of landscapes and wildlife.
Tanzania’s northern region contains some of Africa’s most iconic sites: snow-capped Mt Kilimanjaro; Ngorongoro’s perfect crater; the Great Rift Valley; and the Serengeti savannah, scene of the epic annual migrations. With a broad choice of excellent safari lodges catering for a wide range of budgets and interests, the north is understandably popular with seasoned safari lovers.
The south of Tanzania lacks some of the “wow!” factor of the north but also has far fewer tourists. Exciting big game encounters are frequent in parks such as Selous and Ruaha – both of which have particularly high numbers of elephant and lion – but safaris can also focus on the smaller creatures such as monkeys, birds, insects and rare mammals like wild dog and sable antelope. Walking safaris, wildlife river cruises and a handful of small independent lodges all add to the overall impression of being in true, unspoilt African wilderness.
The remote far west of Tanzania is home to the vast seasonally-flooded plains of Katavi and the chimpanzee-inhabited forests of Lake Tanganyika. There you can experience a beautiful and virtually untouched part of Africa, staying in a mere handful of top-end lodges and enjoying unforgettable and exclusive wildlife encounters.
Tanzania’s interior wilderness is perfectly balanced by 800 kilometres of untamed coastline with many stunning Indian Ocean islands. The largest, Zanzibar, offers white sand beaches, coral reefs, spice gardens, a rich Arabian history and a wide choice of quality hotels. The smaller islands of Pemba and Mafia host stunning marine life, sleepy fishing villages, clove plantations and a handful of small, independent resorts.
With a wide range of quality accommodation, prolific wildlife both above and below the water, and exceptional scenery, Tanzania is rightly regarded by many safari cognoscenti as East Africa’s most desirable destination.
