Reasons to Visit Tanzania
Reasons to Visit Tanzania: Tanzania is one of the fascinating safari destinations in the world in that it harbors stunning landscapes, beautiful beaches, unique culture, mount Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain in Africa, Ngorongoro crater which is the largest caldera in the world, abundant wildlife and birdlife in different national parks, offers exciting activities such as game drives, nature walks, bird watching, hot air balloon, chimpanzee trekking, boat safaris, camping, gives you an opportunity to witness the wildebeest migration where thousands of wildebeests, gazelles, zebras and other antelopes cross the Grumeti River in Serengeti to the Masai Mara in Kenya among others.
Large populations of chimpanzees
Tanzania is one of the destinations in Africa where visitors can trek the endangered chimpanzees which are found in two national parks that is Mahale mountains national park which harbors large populations of chimpanzees and Gombe stream national park. Chimpanzee trekking is an adventurous activity where visitors are allowed to move deep into the forest in search of chimpanzee families and once found spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their behaviors, habits, take great photos and record videos, watching them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, playing, hunting, resting among others.
The great wildebeest migration
The great wildebeest migration is an extraordinary experience where over one million wildebeests, thousands of Thomson gazelles, zebras and other antelopes move annually across the plains of Serengeti national park in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya in search of water and greener pastures. It’s believed that the timing of the wildebeest migration is usually dependent on the growth of new grass and rainfall patterns whereby they say that the wildebeest can locate rain more than 50km away while some experts believe that the animals react to lightning and thunderstorms in a distance.
Abundant wildlife species
Tanzania has a number of national parks in the northern circuit, western circuit, and southern circuit which harbor abundant wildlife species including the big five mammals which include elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards and rhinos, other animals like giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, cheetahs, hyenas, gazelles, African wild dogs, hippos, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, sitatunga antelopes, elands, greater and lesser kudus, sable and roan antelopes, dik-dik, topi, primates like chimpanzees, yellow baboons, vervet monkeys, patas monkeys among others. Animals in Tanzania can be viewed during the game drives in various national parks, boat safaris, hot air balloon safaris, guided nature walks and many others.
Tree climbing lions
Tanzania is one of the destinations that harbor the tree climbing lions which are found in Lake Manyara national park. Lions in the national park are usually seen lying up in the acacia tree branches for some hours and its believed that they climb trees to have better views of the prey, to have cool breeze and to escape from charged buffaloes and elephants. Tree climbing lions can also be found in Ishasha sector-Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda.
Abundant birdlife
Tanzania is one of the top birding destinations in Africa with more than 1125 bird species of which about 800 birds are residents, 200 regular migrants from Europe, 29 endemics to only Tanzania, forest birds, water species and about 43 near endemic species to Tanzania and other neighboring countries. birds in Tanzania are found in different destinations such as Serengeti national park, Ngorongoro conservation area, Lake Manyara national park, Tarangire national park, Arusha national park, Mahale national park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Katavi national park, Rubondo Island national park, Selous game reserve, Gombe national park, Ruaha national park, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria among others. Different bird species can be viewed during bird watching activity, guided nature walks, boat safaris, hiking and game drives. Bird species that can be spotted include red throated tit, ground hornbill, bare faced go away, yellow throated sandgrouse, lilac breasted roller, Gabon nightjar, sooty chat, Ross’s turaco, African finfoot, giant kingfisher, blue flycatcher, double toothed barbet, pels fishing owl, lesser flamongo, bateleur eagles, fichers lovebird, Hildebrandt’s starling, usambiro barbet, rufous tailed weaver, Kenya rufous sparrow, kori bustard, ostrich among others.
Big five mammals
The big five mammals are found in many countries in Africa but Tanzania offer you with the greatest big five experiences due to the fact that it harbors large populations of these mammals which include the African elephants, the African leopards, cape buffaloes, rhinos and the African lions. In Tanzania all the big five mammals can be viewed in Ngorongoro conservation area and Serengeti national park in the northern part of Tanzania while the big four mammals of elephants, buffaloes, lions and leopards can be viewed in other protected areas in Tanzania such as Tarangire national park, Selous national park, Arusha national park, Ruaha national park, Lake Manyara national park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Katavi national park among others. Visitors who want to have stunning views of the big five mammals in large numbers Tanzania is the best destination to visit.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing, snow-capped mountain in Africa. The mountain is located in the northern part of Tanzania and its composed of three distinct cones namely Kibo which is the highest and central peak that stands at an elevation of 5,895 meters, Mawenzi peak which is the third highest peak in Africa that stands at 5,149 meters and Shira peak which is the lowest peak that stands at 3,962 meters above the sea level. Most tourists who visit Tanzania participate in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro which is the most adventurous and breathtaking activity that shouldn’t be missed. There are several hiking routes to follow and during hiking you will have spectacular views of different animals, birds, vegetation types, views of the sunset among others.
The Ngorongoro crater
Ngorongoro crater is the world’s largest inactive, unbroken and unfilled volcanic caldera that is 610 meters deep, 19km wide and covers a surface of 264 square kilometers. Ngorongoro crater was formed when a large volcano erupted and collapsed on itself about three million years ago to create a caldera. The crater is known as a haven for different wildlife including the big five mammals and other animals like cheetahs, hyenas, warthogs, impalas, different bird species among others.
Beautiful beaches
There are a number of beautiful beaches in Tanzania which you can visit after your safari in one of the national parks. Some of the top beaches to visit include Nungwi beach which is located in Zanzibar, Zanzibar beach, Mbezi beach which is located in Dar es Salaam between the Indian Ocean and Bagamoyo road, Kendwa beach which is situated south of Nungwi village, Paje beach, Mafia beach, Kipepeo beach, Nakupenda beach, Misali Island beach, Jambiani beach among others. During your tour at the beach you will be able to relax, enjoy delicious seafood, the sunset, sunbathe, engage in interesting activities such as snorkeling, kayaking, biking tour, fishing, swimming, kite surfing, scuba diving, boat trips on the dhow, walk and play with the sand among others.
Best time to visit Tanzania
Tourists can visit Tanzania anytime throughout the year though the best time is in the dry season during the months of June to October and December to February because during this period vegetation in the national parks is sparse and animals gather around the water bodies which gives you an opportunity to have spectacular views of abundant wildlife and also take great photos.
Tanzania can also be visited in the wet season during the months of March to May and November because this is the perfect time for birding where bird lovers will be able to view migratory bird species. The wet season the Serengeti plains are rich with lush grass making it the perfect time for calving.
