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Tanzania has many natural attractions and is
a haven for eco-travelers, adventurers and those seeking a true
African safari. With some 800-kilometres of palm-fringed coast
bordering the warm Indian Ocean, the continent's highest
mountain - Mount Kilimanjaro - and longest and deepest
freshwater lake - Lake Tanganyika - Tanzania is one of Africa's
most attractive countries to visit. Except for a few main
attractions, such as Kilimanjaro and the island of Zanzibar,
much of Tanzania remains largely unexplored.
FACTS
Capital: Dodoma
Language: Kiswahili, English
Size: 945 090 sq km
Currency: Tanzanian shilling (TSh) = 100 cents
Electricity: 230 volts AC
Tel code: +255
Time: GMT+3
Landscape
As well as the remarkable Lake Tanganyika, a large part
of Lake Victoria, the world's second largest lake, lies within
the country's borders. Also situated in the northern region is
the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's second largest crater, which
forms a incredible natural reserve for a large variety of flora
and fauna. Also in this region is the Olduvai Gorge, a
world-renown archaeological site. The nearby Serengeti Plain is
renown for the dramatic annual migration of wildlife into
neighbouring Kenya.
Mainland Tanzania consists mostly of plateaus interrupted by
mountainous regions and the East African section of the Great
Rift Valley. The southeastern plateau, covered by dry grassland,
rises behind the narrow, coral-fringed coastal plain and is
bordered in the west by the southern highlands. Between this
region and the volcanic area of Kilimanjaro in the northeast is
the Masai Steppe, a plateau covered by grass and thornbush.
Between the eastern and western arms of the Rift Valley is a
vast, dry and infertile interior plateau. In the north it
descends to the more fertile Lake Victoria basin. In the south,
Tanzania shares the waters of Lake Malawi with Malawi and
Mozambique.
Off shore the islands of Pemba, Zanzibar and Mafia are renown
for their attractive beaches, historical-cultural attractions
and superb scuba-diving. Most of Tanzania's main towns are
concentrated on the coast, although there are some important
towns in the interior such as Arusha: providing access to
Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro-Serengeti conservation area;
Musoma: Lake Victoria port; and Kigoma: Lake Tanganyika port.
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Climate
The coast is hot and humid. Inland it is dry.
Temperatures are governed by altitude and due to its height much
of the land is cooler than it would otherwise be so close to the
Equator. In Dar es Salaam, on the coast, winter temperatures
average 19 degrees Celsius and summer temperatures average 31
degrees Celsius
The mountains are temperate and the central areas warm and dry.
The country has two rainy seasons - the short rains, known as
the Masika, when it rains sporadically in November and December,
and the long rains, known as Vuli, when the region is prone to
heavy downpours from February to May. The rainfall increases as
one travels north towards Lake Victoria. The central plateau is
vulnerable to flooding during Vuli.
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ATTRACTIONS
Tanzania's main attractions include:
Arusha
The city of Arusha is not particularly attractive, but is
the main jumping-off point for safaris to many of the nearby
national parks and game reserves as well as to mounts Meru and
Kilimanjaro. Places of interest in the area include the
Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Olduvai
Gorge.
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Dar es Salaam
This city, once the haven of Sultan Majid, the ruler of
Zanzibar, is now the economic and cultural centre of the
country, as well as the main port. The city is hot and crowded,
but never boring. Dar has a diverse mix of eastern and western
cultures. The main focal points in town include the Askari
Monument, the botanical gardens and Samora Machel Avenue, with
its run-down, but attractive, buildings, shops, restaurants and
kiosks. Kikuvoni Front at the harbour has a fish market. The
Indian-populated Asian District, with its spicy foods and
mosques, and Kariakoo, inhabited mostly by Swahili Africans,
make interesting diversions.
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Kilimanjaro
Africa's highest mountain reaches an altitude of 5895 metres
above sea level and although only three degrees south of the
Equator is permanently snowcapped. Affectionately referred to as
'Kili' by the locals it attracts people from around the world
who come to take up the challenge of climbing to its summit.
There are various climbing routes: the village of Marangu is the
starting point for most ascents and various operators are based
here. A number of routes also begin at Moshi, a small town to
the west of Marangu. It is essential that climbers take a guide
as the mountain is set in a national park. Those who want to
climb Kili should book their trip well in advance.
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Lake Tanganyika
Forming part of the Great Rift Valley the lake is the
longest in Africa and at 1 433-metres deep it is the second
deepest lake in the world. It has proved particularly
interesting to scientists and researchers due to its many
endemic species of flora and fauna. Most of the 250 species of
fish are found only in its waters. On the eastern shore of the
lake, the town of Ujiji was an important terminus of the Arabic
caravan route to the coast and the Arabic influence is still
visible in the architecture. Kigoma, 10 km north of Ujiji, is
the terminus of a railway completed by the Germans in 1914. From
Kigoma you can catch a ferry to other areas bordering the lake
such as Mahale Mountains National Park and Gombe Stream National
Park.
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Lake Victoria
Tanzania shares Lake Victoria, also known as Nam Lolwe (Lake
Without End), with Uganda and Kenya. The lake is the largest in
Africa and the second largest in the world. It is also the
source of the longest river in the world, the Nile River. The
lake has several islands. Bukoba, Mwanza and Musoma are Tanzania
three main ports on the lake from which travellers can catch a
ferry to Uganda and Kenya.
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Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is located between the
Serengeti and Lake Manyara. The area is home to the volcanic
Ngorongoro crater which is the largest unbroken caldera in the
world. The crater covers an area of 260 sq km and is 610 metres
deep. It can be reached after a day's journey from Arusha and
Lake Manyara and is considered one of the most impressive
wildlife refuges in the world. There are more than 25 000 large
animals within the crater itself - mostly buffalo and zebra.
However, it also a good place to see the endangered black rhino
and several prides of lion including the striking black-maned
males. It is a great site for bird watchers with more than 100
species of birds. Other game includes: leopard, cheetah, hyena,
elephants, warthog, impala, hartebeest, eland and several
smaller mammals. The renown archaeological site - The Olduvai
Gorge - is found in the Ngorongoro Crater. In 1959 fragments of
a two-million-year-old hominid skull were found. Further remains
of Early Man have since been found and there are several other
archaeological features.
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Pemba
Pemba, a small island 50 km north of Zanzibar, has untapped
potential as a tourist destination due to its many superb, and
virtually unexplored, beaches. The island also offers superb
diving on its coral reefs. Pemba, known to the Arabs as Al
Khundra, 'Green Island', gets its reputation from the production
of cloves which, along with slaves, dominated Pemba's 19th
Century history. Chake Chake is Pemba's main town and has the
remains of a 13th century Shirazi settlement and a Muslim fort.
At Ras Mkumbuu, on the west coast, lie the ruins of an Islamic
settlement established during the eighth and ninth centuries.
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Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti National Park is best known for its annual
migration, in late May/early June, of wildlife across the
Serengeti Plains - one of the most awesome wildlife spectacles
on Earth. The park is considered one of the most spectacular in
Africa and is home to many buffalo, elephants, lions, leopards,
cheetah, giraffes, wildebeest, zebra and a variety of buck.
There are also numerous sites of rock art. The annual migration
takes place when huge herds of herbivores move to longer grass
in rivers of grazing animals of up to 40-km long. It is a
triangular trek of about 800 km, which brings the animals back
to the short grass when the rains come in December. The easiest
way to get to the Serengeti National Park is from Arusha, where
car hire is available. There are numerous lodges within the
park.
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The Great Rift Valley
At Makuyuni on the road from Arusha south to Dodoma, there
is a gravel road which leads through the Rift Valley. The rugged
beauty of the irregular valleys formed along the fault lines is
captivating. Ol Doinyo Lengai, ('Mountain of God') is an
impressive mountain, overlooking the pinkish waters of Lake
Natron, one of the many alkaline lakes in the valley, and the
home of many flamingos. At Lake Manyara and its adjoining
national park there are hot springs and the groundwater forest
and soda flats are interesting geographical attractions. There
are numerous camps, lodges and a hotels in the park.
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Zanzibar
The island of Zanzibar has recently become popular with
travellers because of its unspoilt, palm-fringed beaches and
great scuba diving on the coral reefs. There are also many
cultural-historical attractions in Stone Town, the island
capital.
Known locally as Unguja, the island is only 85-km long and 20-km
wide. Historically it is renown as the capital of the slave
trade in East Africa and situated on one of the major historical
maritime trading routes it was settled by a number of traders.
However, the Arab influence dominated and this is evidenced in
its architecture. In Stone Town visitors can spend hours
wandering among the ruins of the Sultan's palace and the House
of Wonders, among other places. Near the seafront stands the
Arab Fort and the original slave market. The best time to visit
Zanzibar is between mid-May and mid-October and the island can
be reached by hydrofoil ferry from Dar es Salaam or you can fly
directly to the island.
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