Top Adventures to Enjoy in Tanzania

From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to a Lodge Safari in the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Lake Manyara to relaxing on the white sandy Indian Ocean beaches of Zanzibar, it's unlikely that you'll go home disappointed after you've experienced a visit with all of Tanzania's diverse pleasures.

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest peak and the highest alone standing mountain in the world. Hike the mountain through Machame Route, one of the most beautiful trails, and enjoy the wonderful sunrise from the top of the mountain.

Then go for safari in Ngorongoro Crater, which is the place of more than 20,000 animals. You will see elephants, buffalos, cheetahs, lions, hyenas, hippos, wildebeest, Africas last remaining black rhino, and many more of Africa's most spectacular animals.

Make sure you don’t miss the world's last great wildlife park, Serengeti National Park, to see various types of vegetation, including grassy plains, acacia-dotted savannahs, wooded hills and mountains.  They are the backdrop for an extraordinary concentration of animals.

Finally, visit the beautiful Zanzibar that combines ancient ruins and noble Arabic houses with miles of white, palm-fringed beaches. The lush island landscapes open to reveal clear blue waters, idyllic off-shore islands, excellent snorkeling and diving reefs and fantastic deep sea fishing and other water sport venues.

Tanzania: A great overview

This is probably one of the best videos about Tanzania that I have seen yet.  It explores the beautiful landscape and culture of this "wild" African nation.

Be sure not to miss the Maasai people (6:05)!  

Tanzania: Stuart's Holiday

We were there for a week and the time flew by. Personally I wasn't that excited about going to Tanzania as I'm not overly interested in big cats etc, or should I say I wasn't, but the holiday was so much better than I had ever anticipated it would be. It was so strange seeing the wildlife up close to start with, but by the end of the week it seemed to be the norm seeing either elephants or a herd of zebras right outside of the bedroom window in the lodge!

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro airport (after a connection at Nairobi), we transferred to Arusha for an overnight stay. We then drove on to Lake Manyara for a one night stay. Following this we went to the Serengeti for two nights. We then finished off with a further two nights stay at Ngorongoro crater, which was about 2,000 meters above sea level, and it was a little strange at first adjusting to the altitude.

 

 

During our visit we were lucky enough to see all of the 'Big 5' animals, being lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhino (although the rhino was soo far away, it just looked like a mound of earth! However, our guide, Seleman said it was a rhino so who was I to argue!)

The main currency that was used within Tanzania tended to be US dollars, although they do have their own currency which is the Tanzanian shilling. However, you can only exchange this whilst in the country, and no shillings can be taken out of the country. Therefore, personally I would advise just to take US dollars.

During our stay we were advised not to go outside of the boundaries of the Lodges we stayed in unless occumpanied by a member of staff, due to both the local people and animals which you may come across. This was especially the case in Arusha, which is a large city in Tanzania, and tourists would stand out. However, the people we came across at the lodges were most helpful and friendly (providing you gave them a tip!) and upon arrival we were assigned to a guide who stayed with us for the duration. They would drive us around the national parks we visited, and our driver had a reputation of driving rather quickly!

A Special thanks goes out to Stuart Jones of Trefonen, England for sharing with us his Tanzanian experience. If you have more questions for Stu about his trip feel free to post them in the comments section.