There are a few images of Africa that pretty much everyone has in their mind. One of these is definitely the Serengeti, the world-famous plain where animals roam free just like they did thousands of years ago and where you can truly experience Africa at its most stunning. If you are looking to experience this firsthand, the best place to go is Tanzania, a country in Eastern Africa which is full of national parks and reserves that offer exactly this. However, Tanzania is not just that.
It is so much more.
The Busy Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania and one of the most incredible cities in all of Africa. It is a cultural, historic and economic center of Easter Africa and as such, it is so vibrant and so alive that you will feel a very special kind of rush when visiting it. Spend a few days in the city and check out its attractions such as the Temple Road, the National Museum, the Village Museum and its many markets that are full of life and stuff to buy. You might also want to purchase a car and the best way to go is with a used one that will serve you during your visit and help you avoid public transport. You can also go online in Tanzania and get the best prices on used car that way.
Credit: Wikimedia Creative Commons |”Dar es Salaam before dusk” by Muhammad Mahdi Karim
Visit Zanzibar for its Beaches and Old Town
Zanzibar is probably most famous as the place where Freddie Mercury from Queen was born. It is actually a region of Tanzania made up of a few islands. You can reach the islands by plane or by boat and in both cases, you will quickly reach your destination which is truly something different. For one, there is the Stone Town, a historic area with a rich background and with plenty of old architecture still in place. Of course, no visit to Zanzibar would be complete without checking out the many sandy beaches found there; beaches that can easily stand against the most beautiful Caribbean beaches.
Take a Boat Ride In Selous Game Reserve
The Selous Game Reserve is the largest and the most majestic in all of Africa, covering an immense area and boasting such an abundance of wildlife that you will lose the ability to speak when you see it all. The best way to experience the Selous Reserve is to take a boat ride through the heart of it and watch lions, hippos, wildebeest, giraffes and other animals go about their business around you.
See the Game Drive at Ngorongoro
The Ngorongoro area is one of the most spectacular in the world. It is set against the backdrop of the Ngorongoro crater, the remnants of a volcano that exploded some two millions ago, making the area extra fertile and perfect habitat for innumerable animals. Ask around and book your visit for the game drive period where tens of thousands of animals engage in their annual migration. It is a spectacle of the highest order.
Take a Balloon Ride Over the Serengeti
Serengeti is something everyone should experience at least once in their life. It is one of those parts of the world that everyone has seen and that everyone falls in love with when they visit it. The absolute best way to do this is to book a balloon ride that will take you and your family and friends over the national park and provide you with vistas you will remember for as long as you live. The scenery, the wildlife, the sheer majestic nature of it all will change your life.
Climb the Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro is one of those legendary mountains that everyone has heard of, being the highest in Africa and the highest in the world when free-standing (not connected to other mountains) mountains are in question. It is a truly breath-taking site and if you feel like you have what it takes, you can climb the mountain, cross it of your bucket list. Even if you are not really interested in climbing one of its summits, you can still enjoy a less-demanding hike or camp at the foots of Kilimanjaro, with this spectacular mountain looming over you.
There is plenty more to see and do in Tanzania, but for the first visit, this will be perfectly enough. You will want to return though, and when you do, there are new places to explore and new places to meet. Tanzania just never stops giving.
