Udzungwa Mountains National Park








Udzungwa is the largest and most biodiverse of a chain of a dozen large forest-swathed mountains that rise majestically from the flat coastal scrub of eastern Tanzania. Known collectively as the Eastern Arc Mountains, this archipelago of isolated massifs has also been dubbed the African Galapagos for its treasure-trove of endemic plants and animals, most familiarly the delicate African violet.
Udzungwa alone among the ancient ranges of the Eastern Arc has been accorded national park status. It is also unique within Tanzania in that its closed-canopy forest spans altitudes of 250 metres (820 feet) to above 2,000 metres (6,560 ft) without interruption.

Not a conventional game viewing destination, Udzungwa is a magnet for hikers. An excellent network of forest trails includes the popular half-day ramble to Sanje Waterfall, which plunges 170 metres (550 feet) through a misty spray into the forested valley below.

The more challenging two-night Mwanihana Trail leads to the high plateau, with its panoramic views over surrounding sugar plantations, before ascending to Mwanihana peak, the second-highest point in the range.
Ornithologists are attracted to Udzungwa for an avian wealth embracing more than 400 species, from the lovely and readily-located green-headed oriole to more than a dozen secretive Eastern Arc endemics.
Four bird species are peculiar to Udzungwa, including a forest partridge first discovered in 1991 and more closely related to an Asian genus than to any other African fowl.

Of six primate species recorded, the Iringa red colobus and Sanje Crested Mangabey both occur nowhere else in the world – the latter, remarkably, remained undetected by biologists prior to 1979.
Undoubtedly, this great forest has yet to reveal all its treasures: ongoing scientific exploration will surely add to its diverse catalogue of endemics.

About Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Size: 1,990 sq km (770 sq miles).
Location: Five hours (350 km/215 miles) from Dar es Salaam; 65 kms (40 miles) southwest of Mikumi.

Getting there
Drive from Dar es Salaam or Mikumi National Park.

What to do
From a two-hour hike to the waterfall to camping safaris.
Combine with nearby Mikumi or en route to Ruaha.

When to go
Possible year round although slippery in the rains.
The dry season is June-October before the short rains but be prepared for rain anytime.

Accommodation
Camping inside the park.
Bring all food and supplies.
Two modest but comfortable lodges with en-suite rooms within 1km of the park entrance.


 Source: Tanzania National Parks

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Saadani National Park







Located in the centre of the historic triangle of Bagamoyo, Pangani and Zanzibar, Saadani National Park covers 1100km square. It is the only wildlife sanctuary in Tanzania bordering the sea. The climate is coastal, hot and humid. It offers a unique combination of both marine and mainland flora and fauna in a culturally fascinating setting. About 30 species of larger mammals are present as well as numerous reptiles and birds. Besides many species of fish (over40), green turtle, Humpback whale and dolphins also occur in the ocean nearby.       

Gazetted in 2005, it encompasses a preserved ecosystem including the former Saadani game reserve, the former Mkwaja ranch area, the Wami River as well as the Zaraninge Forest. Many villages exist around the boundaries of the park. Before being included in the national park, the zaraninge forest was managed by the World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) whose goal was to preserve the extremely high botanical diversity of one of the last coastal rain forests remaining   in Tanzania.


 How to Reach there

By road

Saadani National Park is located roughly 45km North of Bagamoyo. The park will be easily accessible through Wami River from Dar es Salaam via Bagamoyo when the bridge that is under construction is complete. However, currently in order to reach the park from Dar es Salaam one has to drive a 200km via Chalinze-Msata road.
From the north, one can reach the park from Tanga city by crossing Pangani River with a ferry (75km /3hours drive). Zanzibar Island is about 40km away from the park.
There is a daily bus connection between Dar-es-salaam and Saadani village as well as Tanga and Mkwaja village.

By air

Transfer by air can be arranged to Mkwaja or Saadani airstrip.
NOTE; In rainy season (March-April), the muddy roads can make travelling in the southern parts of the park very difficult. It is advisable to inquire about the condition of the road before traveling.

Accommodation

TANAPA rest houses and bandas are available near Saadani village and at the park HQ at Mkwaja. There are several camping sites in the park such as along the nWami River (kinyonga), Tengwe and beach campsites.
There are other privately owned accommodation facilities inside and outside the park such as Saadani Safari Lodge, KISAMPA and a tent with the view.


 Source: Tanzania National Parks

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The Mbozi meteorite-Kimondo


The Mbozi meteorite in Tanzania is one of the world's largest meteorites. Variously estimated as the fourth largest to the eighth largest, it is located near the city of Mbeya in Tanzania's southern highlands. The meteorite is 3m long, 1m high, and weighs an estimated 25 metric tons. Nine-tenths of its composition is iron, with roughly 8% nickel and traces of other elements including phosphorus.
The Mbozi meteorite has no crater.
Mbozi has been long known to locals, who call it kimwondo, yet became known to outsiders only in the 1930s.

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Matema Beach


This small town offers gateway into the Tanzanian side of Lake Nyasa. It lies 140km south of Mbeya on the road coming downhill from Tukuyu offering great glimpses of the lush montane escarpment.
The best place to visit while in Kyela is the long sandy tropical beach of Matema.
while staying in Matema beach you will meet with a good number of people whom will help you in one way or another.
There is Matema Beach View where you will Get accommodation at the affordable price.
You might imagine that you are staying in the sea side. The lake is long and deep 700m

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Mikumi National Park




























Mikumi National Park abuts the northern border of Africa's biggest game reserve - the Selous – and is transected by the surfaced road between Dar es Salaam and Iringa. It is thus the most accessible part of a 75,000 square kilometre (47,000 square mile) tract of wilderness that stretches east almost as far as the Indian Ocean.
The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular centrepiece of Mikumi, draw frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains.
Lions survey their grassy kingdom – and the zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo herds that migrate across it – from the flattened tops of termite mounds, or sometimes, during the rains, from perches high in the trees. Giraffes forage in the isolated acacia stands that fringe the Mkata River, islets of shade favoured also by Mikumi's elephants.
Criss-crossed by a good circuit of game-viewing roads, the Mkata Floodplain is perhaps the most reliable place in Tanzania for sightings of the powerful eland, the world’s largest antelope. The equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope haunt the miombo-covered foothills of the mountains that rise from the park’s borders.
More than 400 bird species have been recorded, with such colourful common residents as the lilac-breasted roller, yellow-throated longclaw and bateleur eagle joined by a host of European migrants during the rainy season. Hippos are the star attraction of the pair of pools situated 5km north of the main entrance gate, supported by an ever-changing cast of waterbirds.
About Mikumi National Park
Size: 3,230 sq km (1,250 sq miles), the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, and part of a much larger ecosystem centred on the uniquely vast Selous Game Reserve.
Location: 283 km (175 miles) west of Dar es Salaam, north of Selous, and en route to Ruaha, Udzungwa and (for the intrepid) Katavi. .
How to get there
A good surfaced road connects Mikumi to Dar es Salaam via Morogoro, a roughly 4 hour drive.
Also road connections to Udzungwa, Ruaha and (dry season only) Selous.
Charter flight from Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Selous. Local buses run from Dar to park HQ where game drives can be arranged.
What to do
Game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby Udzungwa or travel on to Selous or Ruaha.
When to go
Accessible year round.
Accommodation
Two lodges, three luxury tented camps, three campsites.
Guest houses in Mikumi town on the park border. One lodge is proposed at Mahondo and one permanent tented camp at Lumaaga

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Olduvai Gorge


Olduvai Gorge is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world and has been instrumental in furthering understanding of early human evolution.
The Olduvai Gorge Museum is located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Northern Tanzania on the edge the of Olduvai Gorge; directly where the Gorge split into two. It is approximately 5-km from the main road to the Serengeti plains north west of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The Olduvai Gorge Museum was founded by Mary Leakey in the late 1970s. The museum was originally designed to house paleoanthropological artifacts from the surrounding area. TheOlduvai Gorge Museum was later after her death put under control of the Tanzanian Government's Department of Cultural Antiquities. During the Mid 1990s The J.paul Department of Conservation renovated and added to the museum. This included a new wing with exhibitions that were designed by the J.paul

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Kimondo

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Mikumi National park


Mikumi National Park is located in the north of the Selouse Game Reserve in Morogoro region. It is bordered by Uruguru Montais in the North and Rubeho Mountains to the south-east. The main feature in the park is Makata river. The park was extended to border with Selous in 1975 . It was gazetted in 1964 during the construction of Morogoro- Iringa highway. The park shares the eco-system with the Selous Game Reserve, and Kilombelo.
With 3,230 square kilometers coverage Mikumi National Park is well-known park in Tanzania. The park is well-known for its population of elephants, giraffes buffaloes, zebras, elands, greater Kudu, wildebeest, roan and sable antelope. Predators include tree-climbing lions (which are in large number), leopards, wild hunting dogs and black-backed jackal.
More than 400 species of birds have been recorded here including Eurasian migrants such as red billed oxpecker, marabou stork and lilac breasted roller, which stays between October and April. There are more interesting bird species in the Miombo woodland, for example, Shelley's double collared sunbird, pale billed hornbill and violet-crested Turaco as well as violet-backed starling
The surrounding mountain and hills brings compelling natural beauty with addition to superb light, make it a wonderful venue for wildlife photographers.
It is common to see elephants, lions and sometimes giraffes on/along the Tanzania-Zambia highway, especially in the evening or night. Nowadays leopards are commonly seen


For Further information click here

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Ruaha National Park


For anyone seeking a true African wilderness experience, a visit to Ruaha National Park is essential. Although the second largest in Tanzania, the reserve is perhaps the least well-known and yet to connoisseurs it is without doubt one of the most spectacular in Africa.

Covering a conservation area of 10,300 square kilometres in the south-west of the country, Ruaha sprawls within and along the Great Rift Valley, covering a unique transition zone where the Eastern and Southern species of both fauna and flora meet against a dramatic topographical backdrop.

A fine network of game-viewing roads follows the Great Ruaha and its seasonal tributaries, where , during the dry season, impala, waterbuck and other antelopes risk their life for a sip of life-sustaining water. And the risk is considerable: not only from the prides of 20-plus lion that lord over the savannah, but also from the cheetahs that stalk the open grassland and the leopards that lurk in tangled riverine thickets. This impressive array of large predators is boosted by both striped and spotted hyena, as well as several conspicuous packs of the highly endangered African wild dog.

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Serengeti National Parks


It was 1913 and great stretches of Africa were still unknown to the white man when Stewart Edward White, an American hunter, set out from Nairobi. Pushing south, he recorded: "We walked for miles over burnt out country... Then I saw the green trees of the river, walked two miles more and found myself in paradise."

He had found Serengeti. In the years since White's excursion under "the high noble arc of the cloudless African sky," Serengeti has come to symbolize paradise to many of us. The Maasai, who had grazed their cattle on the vast grassy plains for millennia had always thought so. To them it was Siringitu - "the place where the land moves on forever."


The Serengeti region encompasses the Serengeti National Park itself, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa Game Reserve, the Loliondo, Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Over 90,000 tourists visit the Park each year.
Two World Heritage Sites and two Biosphere Reserves have been established within the 30,000 km² region. It's unique ecosystem has inspired writers from Ernest Hemingway to Peter Mattheissen, filmakers like Hugo von Lawick and Alan Root as well as numerous photographers and scientists - many of which have put their works at our disposal to create this website.

The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves.

It is the migration for which Serengeti is perhaps most famous. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June. So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or crocodile infested river can hold them back.

The Wildebeest travel through a variety of parks, reserves and protected areas and through a variety of habitat. Join us to explore the different forms of vegetation and landscapes of the Serengeti ecosystem and meet some of their most fascinating inhabitants.

Welcome to the Serengeti.

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Mount Meru


Size: at 4,5685m, the fifth highest in Africa. 
Location: Northern Tanzania, near Arusha.

Mount Meru is one of Africa's most beautiful volcanoes, and it is the second highest mountain in Tanzania. The mountain is located within Arusha National Park. This prime location gives climbers the opportunity to spot some of the birds and wildlife that inhabit the area. When on a Mount Meru trek , the ascend is quite steep, the route to the summit passes over streams, through parkland, forest, a giant heather zone and moorland. The summit is reached by a narrow, barren ridge, which provides stunning views of the Ash Cone lying several thousand feet below in the crater. Weather permitting, Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen in the West. Mt. Meru most recently had a minor eruption about a century ago. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity.

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1. Ngorongoro Crater


Ngorongoro Crater  is perched on the edge of the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater at the eastern edge of the Serengeti in northern Tanzania. It lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which covers more than 8 000 square kilometres (3 100 square miles) of pristine African wilderness. Inspired in design by the Maasai mud-and-stick manyatta (homestead), Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is without doubt one of the most architecturally spectacular safari lodges in Africa.

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Best Hotels in Tanzania

Serena Hotel
About the Hotel:  Hotel offers you East African culture and tradition combined with international standards and Swiss quality. It is the perfect base from which to discover some of the most impressive natural scenery and wildlife in the world.
Book Now click here

Sea Cliff Hotel
The hotel is Ideally situated on the North Eastern point of the Msasani Peninsula at the end of Toure Drive, and close to the city centre of Dar es Salaam, and 22km's from the international airport. Hotel Sea Cliff is the newest and probably finest addition to accommodate East Africa's tourist and business market.

Book now Click here

Kunduchi Beach Hotel & Resort
Welcome to Kunduchi Beach Hotel and Resort, built in a stunning Afro-Arabic design with all the splendour of a Sultans’ Palace overlooking the pristine white sands of Kunduchi beach.
The hotel is situated just 26km from Dar es Salaam International Airport and 24km from the city.



Golden Tulip Hotel

The GOLDEN TULIP Dar es Salaam is situated in the tranquil green area of the Msasani Peninsula, Dar es Salaam. The seaside location of the hotel gives you a fantastic view of the Indian Ocean. The architecture is inspired by the Arabic influences of the Swahili Coast and provides a luxurious and comfortable atmosphere. The entrance hall is spectacular with its stately pillars, rotunda and grand dome. The city centre, main business area, international organisations and embassies are all located nearby. The airport is situated 18 kilometres from the hotel on the outskirts of the city.


Kilimanjaro Hotel Kempinski

Known fondly as ‘The Kili’, this hotel is a popular landmark in the city, a reminder of the region’s elegant colonial heritage and a favoured meeting place of discerning locals as well as visitors in town. The hotel was totally rebuilt to open as a Kempinski in August 2005.Located in Dar Es Salaam, the commercial centre of Tanzania, on the shores of the Indian Ocean and a perfect starting point for those embarking upon the famous safari trails in the region.

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New Africa Hotel

Dar es Salaam, the economic capital of Tanzania, will be your first step in an unforgettable journey, either for leisure or business. So set foot in Dar es Salaam, in style! 


Nestled in the heart of the city, Dar es Salaam, the New Africa Hotel & Casino is a business hotel with elegant rooms and warm hospitable service. With fast links to Dar es Salaam International Airport and in close proximity to local landmarks, governmental as well as financial institutions, the New Africa Hotel combine comfortable accommodation with the latest facilities and excellent cuisine. 


For those with a little more time and an adventurous mind, the 24 hours New Africa Casino is the place to be!


Fancy for a trip back in the past…dreamed of silks, cloves and spices…or infinite white sandy beaches with shallow turquoise water…The ferry to Zanzibar based at the doorstep of our hotel, will sail you to Stonetown to make your dreams come true!!!


It’s definitely The Perfect Hotel for all international travelers.


For Further Booking and Hotels click links Below
South Travels  
Tanzania Hotels

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