Most Safaris in Tanzania are usually based around the popular northern circuit of National Parks, which will typically include Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Lake Manyara. Kilimanjaro is also in the North of Tanzania and the wonderful Western Kilimanjaro area where game viewing is on the Kenyan border with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. Arusha, is in the north and most safaris start and end in this [in every sense of the word] provincial town.

Dar es Salaam, one of the great cities of Africa, is the base for the southern circuit which includes wilder and much more exciting parks and reserves such as the Selous, Ruaha and Udzungwa Mountains. Tanzania has Chimpanzees in the western part of the country and here scattered along the inaccessible west from Lake Tanganyika to the great Lake Victoria are National Parks every bit as game rich as the Serenegeti; but as yet not many tourists know of these gems. They are difficult to access; with some of them boasting one lodge to a million hectares of park!

Some people say Tanzania is becoming touristy and if you go to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti in August and only safari into the Central Serengeti then yes I would agree this small section of Tanzania, at this time of year, is a little commercialized.

After the safari and Kilimanjaro climb there are the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar and the fifty or so islands that make up this spiced archipelago. There is also the Swahili Coast of the mainland beckoning the exploration of suburb beaches and small ancient towns. Tanzania is not famed for its food but here on the Swahili coast there is a magic blend where Africa and the spices of the east have met together.

The political situation in Tanzania is very stable, the people gentle and peace-loving. Hospitality is an art form in Tanzania with everyone truly enjoying the arrival of guests into their homes.

Mid July to September are the busy times for tourists in Tanzania and if at all possible avoid taking a safari at this time. March to mid June are low season and this time luxury safaris can be secured at bargain basement prices. However, there is a chance of the long rains at this time; although I have known it rain more in January and February in the so called