Tanzania borders Kenya to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo to the west and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. Tanzania is East Africa's largest country and an immensely rewarding place to visit. Tanzania offers world-famous attractions such as the plains of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa's highest mountain) and Zanzibar, with its idyllic palm-fringed beaches and historic Stone Town.

Almost everywhere you go you'll find interesting wildlife and inspiring landscapes, ranging from forest-covered volcanic peaks to dusty savanna populated by elephants, antelopes, lions, leopards and cheetahs. Tanzania is one of the four most naturally diverse nations on earth: it contains Africa's second-largest number of bird species (around 1500), the continent's biggest mammal population and three-quarters of East Africa's plant species (over ten thousand). Add to this the country's rich ethnic diversity, some superb hiking and other activities like snorkelling and diving and you have the makings of a holiday of a lifetime.

For all its natural diversity, Tanzania's best asset is its people: friendly, welcoming, unassumingly proud and yet reserved - you'll be treated with uncommon warmth and courtesy wherever you go and genuine friendships are easily made. The best known tribe are the Maasai, a pastoralist cattle herding people who inhabit the region around the safari parks in the north. There are at least 127 other tribes in Tanzania with rich traditions, histories, customs, beliefs and music.

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti is easily Tanzania’s most famous national park and it’s also the largest, at 14,763 square kilometres of protected area; it borders Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Park. Serengeti’s far-reaching plains of endless grass, tinged with the twisted shadows of acacia trees, have made it the quintessential image of a wild and untarnished Africa. Its large stone kopjes are home to rich ecosystems and the sheer magnitude and scale of life that the plains support is staggering. Large prides of lions laze easily in the long grasses, plentiful families of elephants feed on acacia bark and trumpet to each other across the plains. Giraffes, gazelles, monkeys, eland and a whole range of African wildlife occur in awe-inspiring numbers. Here you will find Grumeti River Camp, Faru Faru River Camp, Sabora Plains, Sasakwa Lodge and Klein’s Camp in the northern Serengeti.

The annual wildebeest migration through the Serengeti attract visitors from around the world, who flock to the open plains to witness the largest mass movement of land mammals on the planet. More than a million animals make the seasonal journey to fresh pasture to the north, then the south after the bi-annual rains. The sound of their thundering hooves, raising massive clouds of thick red dust, has become one of the legends of the Serengeti plains. The entire ecosystem thrives from the annual migration, from the lions and birds of prey that gorge themselves on the weak and the faltering to the gamut of hungry crocodiles that lie in patient wait at each river crossing for their annual feed.

But it’s not just the wildebeest that use the Serengeti as a migratory pathway. The adjacent reserves of Maswa and Ikorongo, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya all allow the animals and birds of the area a free range of movement to follow their seasonal migrations.



Lake Manyara National Park

Located beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment, on the edge of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park offers varied ecosystems, incredible bird life and breathtaking views. Located on the way to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, Lake Manyara National Park is well worth a stop in its own right. Its ground water, forests, bush plains, baobob strewn cliffs and algae-streaked hot springs offer incredible ecological variety in a small area which attracts amazing wildlife. Lake Manyara Tree Lodge is situated in the Lake Manyara National Park.

The alkaline soda of Lake Manyara is home to an incredible array of bird life that thrives on its brackish waters. Pink flamingo stoop and graze by the thousands, colourful specks against the grey minerals of the lake shore. Yellow-billed storks swoop and corkscrew on thermal winds rising up from the escarpment and herons flap their wings against the sun-drenched sky.

Lake Manyara’s famous tree-climbing lions are another reason to pay this park a visit. The only kind of their species in the world, they make the ancient mahogany and elegant acacias their home during the rainy season and are a well-known but rather rare feature of the northern part of the park. In addition to the lions, the national park is also home to the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world. Large herds of elephant and buffalo, giraffe, heck’s wildebeest and hippos are regularly seen.



Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park has some of the highest population densities of elephants anywhere in Tanzania and its sparse vegetation, strewn with baobab and acacia trees, makes it a beautiful and special location. It is located just a few hours drive from the town of Arusha. Swala Lodge is situated in the Tarangire National Park.

Before the rains, droves of gazelle, wildebeest, zebra and giraffes migrate to Tarangire National Park’s scrub plains where the last grazing land still remains. Tarangire offers unparalleled game viewing and during the dry season elephants abound. Families of the pachyderms play around the ancient trunks of baobab trees and strip acacia bark from the thorn trees for their afternoon meal. Breathtaking views of the Masaai Steppe and the mountains to the south make a stop at Tarangire a memorable experience.



Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and is the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World’. A visit to the crater is a main draw card for tourists coming to Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. Within the crater rim, large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist. Just outside the crater’s ridge, tall Masaai herd their cattle and goats over green pastures through the highland slopes, living alongside the wildlife as they have for centuries. Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is perched on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area includes its eponymous famous crater, Olduvai Gorge and huge expanses of highland plains, scrub bush and forests that cover approximately 8300 square kilometres. A protected area, only indigenous tribes such as the Masaai are allowed to live within its borders. Lake Ndutu and Masek, both alkaline soda lakes are home to rich game populations, as well as a series of peaks and volcanoes and make the Conservation Area a unique and beautiful landscape. The crater itself is actually a type of collapsed volcano called a caldera. After you descend down the crater rim, you pass lush rain forest, thick vegetation and flora, which opens to grassy plains through out the crater floor. The game viewing is truly incredible and the topography and views of the surrounding Crater Highlands are out of this world.



Tanzania’s Climate

Because Tanzania lies below the equator, the coolest months occur during the northern hemisphere’s summer and all-year round the weather remains pleasant and comfortable. Between June to October, temperatures range from around 10°C in the northern highlands to about 23°C on the coast. On the plains and the lower-altitude game reserves, the temperatures from June to October are warm and mild. On the coast, these months are some of the most pleasant to visit, with balmy, sunny weather much of the day and cooling ocean breezes at night.

From December to March, the days are hot and sunny with often not a cloud in the sky. Temperatures range from the mid-twenties to the low thirties through out the country. Clear sunny days are the norm in the northern highlands and the heat of mid-day is tempered by the golden light in late afternoon and the especially striking sunsets. In the game parks and central plains, the beautiful weather provides perfect opportunities for unhampered game viewing and clear night skies offer perfect opportunities for star-gazing and romantic evenings in the bush.

Tanzania’s equatorial climate brings two seasons of rain each year. The masika, or long rains fall from mid-March to the end of May. The mvuli, or short rains, occur intermittently through out November and parts of December and sometimes stretch into early January. The beginning of both rainy seasons is marked by a change in the winds which historically marks the time for trading boats to set off on expeditions across the Indian Ocean to return to their native lands.

Zanzibar forms part of the East African nation of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean between 25 to 50 km off the coast. It consists of numerous small islands, the two largest being Unguja (the main island, sometimes informally referred to as "Zanzibar") and Pemba. Zanzibar was once a separate state with a long trading history within the Arab world, it united with Tanganyika to form Tanzania and still enjoys a high degree of autonomy within the union.

The capital of Zanzibar, Zanzibar City, is located on the island of Unguja. The old quarter known as Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site. Zanzibar's main industries include spices, raffia and tourism. It is still sometimes referred to as the Spice Islands.

Mnemba Island Lodge is situated on an exclusive island just 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles) off the north-eastern tip of Zanzibar in the azure Indian Ocean.