Tanzania Destinations

Tanzaniais more than twice the size ofCaliforniaand has over 25% of its total land area designated as protected areas and national parks. Because of its size and vast protected areas, there is no shortage of spectacular pristine environments ranging from glaciated mountain peaks to white sand tropical beaches.Tanzaniaalso has world famous game parks that include the largest game reserve in the world. Some of the most spectacular destinations inAfricacan be found inTanzania, such as:

Ngorongoro Crater,

Serengeti,

Tarangire National Park,

Lake Manyare National Park,

Zanzibar Islands,

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Tanzania is rapidly becoming the traveler’s destination of choice in East Africa. Travelers are finding that in comparison to Kenya, well...there is no comparison! Aside from the crowds, and deterioration of services in Kenya,Tanzania has so much more to offer. Kenya has Mt. Kenya, while Tanzania has Mt. Kilimanjaro! Kenya has Masai Mara Game Park, while Tanzaniahas the Serengeti! Kenya has Lamu Island,. Tanzania has Zanzibar! In addition Tanzania has so many other attractions such as the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, with the highest concentration of predators in the world, and now designated as one of a handful of World Heritage Sites; Lake Tanganyika the deepest and second largest lake in Africa and home of Jane Goodall's famous chimpanzee research center - Gombe Stream National Park; the Selous Game Reserve the second largest game reserve in the world; and an incredible 25% of the entire country devoted to parks, reserves, conservation areas and protected lands.

In addition, Tanzania has its unique people, comprising over a hundred different tribes living together harmoniously. Perhaps the most famous of these people are the Maasai. The proud warriors of this tribe once controlled most of Tanzania and Kenya, and are still living much the way they have for hundreds of years. In recent history, Tanzania has been a fairly isolated country, pursuing a socialist philosophy of collectivization. While next-door neighbor Kenya pursued a capitalistic path, with helter-skelter development and commercial tourism, Tanzania went its own way with little interaction with the western world. That changed in the mid-eighties, and Tanzania once again opened its doors to the western world. However, as a result of this period of isolation, and in contrast to Kenya, Tanzania has preserved the beauty and wilderness of its land and the grace and character of its people.

Tanzania is now the ultimate African travel destination, and the industry here is just starting. Kilimanjaro International Airport in northern Tanzania is in the process of receiving a $25 million refurbishing and several additional international hotel chains are in the process of building or expanding their operations there. Despite this investment, there are, as yet, no crowds here. The land is still untouched and the people retain a charm and hospitality that is not found anywhere else. Because of this, right now may be the best time for travelers to experience Tanzania.