10 Best Things to do in Tanzania

10 Best Things to do in Tanzania: Tanzania is the most beautiful travel destination in Africa that every traveler should visit in that it offers a wide range of exciting activities ranging from mountain climbing where you will climb Mount Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain in Africa and Mount Meru which is the second-highest mountain in Tanzania, cultural tours, exploring different national parks such as Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara, taste different Tanzanian foods, go for shopping, visit some beaches among others.

Go for shopping: There are various shopping spots in Arusha, Zanzibar, and Dar es salaam where you can shop rare and unique items to take back home after your safari. Some of the best shopping areas in Tanzania include Tingatinga art gallery where you can buy some art paintings, Maasai market where you can buy beaded jewelry, woven baskets, Maasai souvenirs, Kizimbani and Kindaichi spice plantations where you can smell, taste and buy some spices like clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, Mwenge woodcarvers market in Dar es salaam where they make unique products like wooden sculptures, African drums, Fahari Zanzibar where they sell hand made products like leather bags, jewelry which are made of local materials such as cow horn, oyster shells, sterling silver, wood and African print, visit Shanga Shanga which is a foundation that started as an income generation initiative for the disabled in Tanzania, therefore, tourists can shop handmade beaded jewelry from recycled glass powder beads as a way of encouraging their skills. Kariakoo market in Dar es salaam where they sell local produce like fruits and vegetables and many other shopping centers.
Visit Serengeti national park: Serengeti national park is the oldest protected area located in the northwestern part of Tanzania. The national park covers an area of 14,763 square kilometers which is composed of savannah vegetation, woodlands, riverine forest and rolling grasslands. the national park harbors abundant wildlife including elephants, wildebeests, buffaloes, hartebeests, giraffes, elands, topi, warthogs, hippos, bushbucks, aardwolf, ground pangolin, bat eared fox, leopards, striped hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs, lions, mongoose, otters, primates like vervet monkeys, yellow baboons, different bird species such as kori bustard, secretary birds, helmeted guinea fowl, yellow billed stork, yellow barbet among others. Serengeti national park is famously known for the annual migration where more than one million wildebeests, gazelles and zebras cross the Grumeti River to the Masai Mara for greener pastures. The national park offers amazing activities including game drives where visitors explore the park in a 4WD pop up safari vehicle with great views of the beautiful scenery, animals grazing in the open plains, birds, views of the sunrise/sunset among others, witnessing the great wildebeest migration where one and a half wildebeests, gazelles, zebras and other antelopes move annually from Serengeti cross the Grumeti River, Mara Rivers to the Masai Mara in Kenya in search of greener pastures. Other activities in the park include bird watching where you will be able to view different bird species including migratory birds from Europe, endemic birds which are only found in the Serengeti ecosystem, near-endemic birds which are also found in the neighboring countries and aquatic species, hot air balloon activity where you will have aerial views of the park, animals, tree tops, birds, guided nature walks where you will explore the park on foot which gives you an opportunity to get up close and personal with animals in their natural habitat, plant and tree species, butterflies and cultural tours where you will interact with the Masai people in the local communities and learn about their way of living, culture, tradition, lifestyle, visit their homesteads among others.
Climb Mount Meru: Mount Meru is the second highest mountain in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro and it’s the fifth highest mountain in Africa. The mountain is free standing volcano that is located in Arusha national park and stands at an elevation of 4566meters above the sea level. climbing mount Meru can be accompanied by an armed park guide to protect you from dangerous wild animals and during hiking you will have spectacular views of beautiful scenery, different animals such as buffaloes, elephants, warthogs and giraffes in the lower slopes, various bird species among other and when you reach at the summit you will have incredible views of mount Kilimanjaro and Arusha national park. 10 Best Things to do in Tanzania.
Visit Lake Manyara national park: Lake Manyara is situated at the base of the Great Rift Valley in northern Tanzania along the road to Serengeti national park and Ngorongoro crater. the national park covers an area of 330 square kilometers which makes it the smallest national park in Tanzania but rich in biodiversity composed of rainforests, marshlands, savannah, woodlands, wildlife including animals like the tree climbing lions ,elephants, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, leopards, klipspringer, primates like olive baboons, blue monkeys, bird species like pink backed pelican, flamingos among other. Lake Manyara national park offers a number of activities such as night game drives where tourists drive with in the park at night with spotlight torches so as to view nocturnal animals which become active at night, day game drives where you will have great views of animals like elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras among others grazing in the open savannah plains, view the tree climbing lions lying up in acacia tree branches, view beautiful sunrise/sunset, guided nature walks where you will explore the park on foot and have closer views of animals, butterflies, mountain biking where you will explore park and the neighboring villages on a bike, canoeing on Lake Manyara where you will paddle along the lake shores and have spectacular views of hippos in water, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes drinking water along the banks, view aquatic bird species like African fish eagle, flamingos, kingfishers among others. 10 Best Things to do in Tanzania
Visit Zanzibar: Zanzibar is one of the top adventures in Tanzania with eco tourism areas such as unique wildlife species, sandy beaches, interesting history, rich culture among others. There are different destinations which you visit in Zanzibar such as the Zala park where you will have learn, hold and have views of reptiles such as lizards, tortoises, chameleons, visit Mnarani marine turtle conservation pond, old fort which is the oldest building in stone town that hosts festivals, a gift shop, café, cultural galley, tour company leaflets among others, visit Zanzibar butterfly centre where you will learn about the life cycle of the caterpillar, view hundreds of butterflies in the tropical garden and let them fly close to your hands, visit cheetahs rock where you will have a face to face and eye to eye interaction with the rescued animals, learn about their behaviors, habits, feed some of the animals in a fence among others. During your visit in Zanzibar you can also visit Jambiani beach where you will engage in snorkeling in the ocean, swimming, scuba diving, sunbathing, eat different food types, visit Jozani forest where you will have great views of bird species, animals, primates and reptiles, visit the spice farm where you will smell and taste different spices like turmeric, papaya, chili, coconut, black pepper, cassava, cloves, cinnamon, explore the local villages, engage in quad biking among others.
Climb mount Kilimanjaro: Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the second highest freestanding mountain in the world rising at 5895 meters. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is an adventurous and exciting activity where you will follow various routes such as Machame route, Rongai route, Lemosho route, Marangu route, northern circuit route and Shira route. During hiking, you will have views of different animal habitats, pass through different vegetation types such as grasslands, alpine meadows, moorlands, tropical rainforest and have spectacular views of different animals and colorful bird species. 10 Best Things to do in Tanzania
Taste different foods: There are different foods that you should taste during your safari in Tanzania such as Zanzibar Pizza which is the most delicious food in Tanzania that is made of beef or chicken, seafood, vegetables, cheese and mayonnaise, pepper, Mchuzi wa Samaki which is a delicious dish with a swahili word which means fish that is cooked with garlic, tomatoes, onions, oil, curry powder, water lemon juice, coriander and served with hot white rice, Wali wa Nazi dish which is a side dish that is made of rice cooked in a combination of coconut milk and water, Chipsi Mayai which is a Swahili name for chips and eggs which is a dish that is served with kachumbari sauce consisting of tomatoes, onions and chili pepper sold on the streets of Tanzania, Ndizi na Nyama which is a popular dish that is made using bananas and meat, Mchemsho dish which is made of various ingredients such as potatoes, carrots, cabbage, green beans, bananas, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants and variety of spices, Mchicha dish which is a creamy and thick vegetarian dish that is prepared with vegetables like spinach, amaranth, grated coconut, coconut milk, peanut butter, tomatoes, onions and its served with rice, Ugali and beans on the side, Ugali dish which is the most common staple food in Tanzania that is made from cooked white maize flour and water cooked slowly until it becomes a dough and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner, Mshikaki dish which is made of marinated meat that is cooked slowly over open coals. 10 Best Things to do in Tanzania
Visit Mahale mountains national park: Mahale mountains national park is located on the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika in the remote western part of Tanzania. the national park borders with lake Tanganyika which is the deepest lake in Africa and its famously known for harboring large numbers of chimpanzees, red colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, yellow baboons, animals like giraffes, zebras, lions, roan antelopes, buffaloes, elephants, wild dogs, porcupines, mongoose, squirrels, different bird species among others. Mahale mountain national park offers interesting activities such as chimpanzee trekking where visitors are allowed to spend time with the endangered chimpanzees in their natural habitat, guided nature walks where you will explore the park on foot with great views of animals, birds, primates, butterflies, bird watching where you will be able to view migratory, water and forest birds, sport fishing where you will use a catch and release method, kayaking, snorkeling among others. 10 Best Things to do in Tanzania
Visit Ngorongoro conservation area: Ngorongoro conservation area is one of the most visited protected areas located in northern part of Tanzania. The conservation area was established in 1959 mainly to promote conservation of natural resources and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 due to its abundant and rich biodiversity. Ngorongoro conservation area is composed of crater filled highlands, acacia woodlands, grass plains and abundant wildlife including the big five mammals like elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, leopards, lions, other animals like giraffes, hippos, zebras, wildebeests, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, different bird species like augur buzzard, kori bustard, ostriches, greater flamingos among others. There are a number of activities that you can engage in during your safari in the Ngorongoro conservation area including game drives where you will have great views of animals, vegetation types, cultural tours where you will interact with the local people in the surrounding villages, birding where bird lovers will be able to spot different bird species such as migratory species from Europe and Asia, aquatic species, endemic birds which are only found in the Serengeti ecosystem and near endemics which are also found in the neighboring countries, guided nature walks where you will get up close and personal with animals in their natural habitats, birds, butterflies, breath fresh air, enjoy the cool breeze, listen to sweet sounds of birds among others. 10 Best Things to do in Tanzania.
Cultural tours: This is an amazing activity in Tanzania where you will tour some of the selected villages in the country. Most cultural tours were developed by the Tanzania tourist board in conjunction with the Netherlands development organization. During cultural tours you will be able to interest with the local people and some of the popular cultural centers in Tanzania include Mto wa Mbu village near Lake Manyara national park, Ngireshi and Mulala villages in Arusha town, Maasai villages in Ngorongoro conservation area, the Hadzabe and Datoga villages among others. Cultural tours in Tanzania give you an opportunity to know more about the local peoples culture, lifestyle, way of living, dress code, visit their homesteads, farmlands, market places, learn how to make handicrafts, taste their local dishes, learn how to make local beer from bananas, buy some craft souvenirs among others.