Tanzania Travel Guide
Stone Town
Stone town meaning "ancient town" in Swahili, is an eclectic mix of African, Middle Eastern and European architecture and design. With narrow, windy streets, historic buildings and ornately carved wooden doors, visitors will find interesting sites around every corner. It is not hard to imagine the port when it was the main centre of trade between East Africa and Asia. The whole site has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site.
Arusha
Sitting in the shadow of Mount Meru and surrounded by some of Africa’s most famous national parks, Arusha is a city of nearly one and a half million people set on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley. Founded by German colonists in 1900, Arusha today is a major international hub and a multicultural city populated by large communities of Arab, Indian and European minorities. Located amongst the northern highlands, the city is Tanzania’s safari capital and one of its richest towns, playing host to a number of diplomatic missions, conferences and international festivals.
Katavi National Park
Isolated, untrammelled and seldom visited, Katavi is a true wilderness, providing the few intrepid souls who make it there with a thrilling taste of Africa as it must have been a century ago. Lying in remote south western Tanzania, the country’s third largest park covers nearly 4500 square kilometres at the heart of one of the richest wildlife areas in Tanzania. Much of the park sits within the Rukwa Rift Basin (part of the Central African Rift System) and is fed by the vital waters of the Katuma River. The river feeds the lakes of Katavi and Chada and the vast Katisunga flood-plain, providing a rich haven for vast herds of buffalo, elephants and zebra, thousand strong hippo pods as well as lion, spotted hyena and crocodiles.
Lake Manyara National Park
Once described by Ernest Hemingway as the loveliest lake in Africa, Manyara is a shallow lake lying on the edge of the Tanzanian Rift Valley. Covering over 230 square kilometres, the lake’s alkaline waters provide a home to a rich diversity of landscapes and wildlife. Its giant fig trees and acacia woodlands provide shelter for baboons and leopard, whilst the lake itself attracts huge numbers of birds, including grey-headed kingfishers, grey-headed eagles and thousands of pink flamingos. Dry season (July-October) is best for viewing the larger animals including the famed tree climbing lions, whilst the wet season (November-June) provides the best chances for bird-watching.
Mainland Coast
Largely overlooked in the past for the more popular island delights of Zanzibar, Tanzania’s mainland coast offers some wonderful surprises for the discerning traveller. With miles of unspoiled beaches and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, the country’s eastern coastline offers an enviable mix of tropical splendour and colonial history. The coast is sprinkled with settlements like Pangani and Bagamoyo and the historic island of Kilwa Kisiwani, whilst natural reserves such as Saadani and the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park offer ideal spots for wildlife spotting, both in and out of the water.
Mahale Mountains National park
Set deep in the heart of Western Tanzania, inaccessible by road, is the Mahale Mountains National Park. Just 100km south of where Stanley uttered that immortal greeting “Doctor Livingstone, I presume,” is a scene reminiscent of an Indian Ocean island beach idyll where silky white beaches hem in the azure waters of Lake Tanganyika. A chain of wild, jungle-draped peaks towers almost 2km above the shore: the remote and mysterious Mahale Mountains. This remote National Park is reputed to be the best place in Africa to see wild chimpanzees These clear mountain landscapes are believed to hold around 600 individuals, in three separate communities, and chimpanzee trekking safaris are one of the park’s most popular attractions. The forests around the park also provide a rich habitat for nearly 240 species of birds, leopard, wild pig and eight other species of primates.
Ngorongoro Crater
A UNESCO World Heritage Site located some 180 kilometres to the west of Arusha, the Ngorongoro Crater is home to some of Africa’s richest concentrations of wildlife. Originally part of the Serengeti National Park, the crater can boast vast herds of large ungulates, along with reputedly the largest density of predators on the continent. Formed from the explosion of a giant crater some 3 million years ago, the caldera today supports herds of zebras, wildebeest and gazelle that number in the tens of thousands. It also plays host to practically every species of wildlife in Africa, with animal numbers put at an estimated 25,000 within the crater.
Ruaha National Park
Boasting the largest population of elephants anywhere in East Africa (10,000 at the last count), Ruaha National Park covers nearly 22,000 square kilometres and is Tanzania’s largest national park. Taking its name from the Great Ruaha River that flows through it, the park mainly occupies the top of a 900 metre plateau in the central part of the country and is renowned for its herds of sable and roan. Remote and largely unexplored, it is also home to over 400 species of birds and offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience a little something of the true wilderness of the African bush.
Serengeti National Park
Famed for its annual migrations of wildebeest and zebras, The Serengeti is one of the finest wildlife reserves on the African continent. Home to incredible numbers of predators and prey, each year over one and a half million animals make the mass migration across its vast plains to new feeding grounds. Covering nearly 15,000 square miles of savannah, riverine forest and woodland, the Serengeti is believed to support the largest population of lions in Africa, as well as elephant, black rhino, African wild dogs and some 500 species of birds.
Selous Game Reserve
Situated in the remote south-east of the country, the Selous Game reserve is Africa’s largest protected wildlife area. Covering more than 5% of Tanzania’s total land mass, it is home to roaming herds of elephants, wild dogs and some of the last remaining populations of black rhino left in the country. Accessible only by light aircraft and fed by the waters of the Rufigi River Delta, it also boasts one of the largest water catchment areas in the region, providing a rich haven for an incredible diversity of bird and water life.
Tarangire National Park
Covering approximately 2,800 square kilometres and famed for it high concentration of elephants, Tarangire National Park lies to the south of the vast open grasslands of southern Maasailand. Its wide savannah, acacia woodland and large Baobab trees are home to herds of elephants that number up to 600 in the dry month of June to September. At this time it is also a haven for large herds of zebra and wildebeest, oryx and eland, who migrate from the dry Maasai steppes towards the life giving waters of the Tarangire River during the dry season. The saline waters of Lake Ndutu attract hordes of flamingos too.
Tanzania Travel Information
Visa Information
UK Passport holders require a visa to visit Tanzania. Typically, this can be gained on arrival at official border crossing or international airport.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the end of your trip, and it must have at least one blank page for each visa required. Please ensure the passport details we hold for you are correct.
Please note it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visa documentation when starting your trip. Country entry regulations can alter daily and it is always best to check with the relevant embassies for any changes.
If you would prefer to obtain your visa before arrival - this can be arranged through:
Travcour (UK)
Tempo House
15 Falcon Road Battersea
London
SW11 2PJ
Tel: 020 7223 5295
Fax: 020 7738 2617
Email: info@travcour.com
Website: www.travcour.com
If you are travelling on a non-UK passport, please contact your nearest consulate/embassy for up to date visa information.
Insurance:
Insurance that provides cover for emergency repatriation in case of a medical emergency is compulsory for all tours.
You should be aware that many standard insurance policies may not cover you adequately for all aspects of a Wild Frontiers trip and so we strongly recommend that you purchase a suitably designed insurance policy.
One such policy is the "Wild Frontiers" policy underwritten by Ace European Group Limited (ACE " firm reference 202803), which is available to EU residents (which excludes Norway & Switzerland) through our website or via the insurance company direct on 0845 345 3456. Under this policy there are two different levels of cover available.
Standard policy: a comprehensive travel insurance policy that provides cover for all Wild Frontiers activities, including trekking up to 6,000m. This policy does not provide cover for travel to areas where the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel.
Elite policy: provides the same comprehensive level of cover as the standard policy. In addition the Elite policy also provides cover for travel to areas where the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel. The policy will not provide cover for any claims arising from or relating to the reasons why the FCO is advising against travel.
If purchasing the Elite policy you also have the option to extend the cover provided by the policy to include cover for claims arising from a terrorist act in an area where the FCO is advising against travel. You can add this cover to your policy when purchasing online or over the telephone.
These policies are only available to those travelling on a Wild Frontiers holiday.
For more information and to purchase your policy online please visit the Insurance section of our website.
The cover is underwritten by Ace European Group Limited (ACE), and is arranged by Travel & General Insurance Service Limited. Both companies are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Wild Frontiers Limited is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Travel & General Insurance Company plc, details of which can be found at the FSA's website www.fsa.gov.uk.
To contact them please visit their website at
We also recommend:
• A dental check-up prior to travelling.
• You inform us of any pre-existing medical conditions or medication.
To be on the safe side you can also check on [http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk">www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk
