Mikumi National Park

Mikumi National Park

Mikumi is Tanzania’s fourth-largest national park. It’s also the most accessible from Dar es Salaam. With almost guaranteed wildlife sightings, it makes an ideal safari destination for those without much time.

Since completing the paved road connecting the park gate with Dar es Salaam, Mikumi National Park has been slated to become a hotspot for tourism in Tanzania. Located between the Uluguru Mountains and the Lumango range, Mikumi is the fourth largest national park in Tanzania and only a few hour’s drive from Tanzania’s largest city. The park has a wide variety of wildlife that can be easily spotted and well acclimatized to game viewing. Its proximity to Dar es Salaam and the amount of nature that live within its borders makes Mikumi National Park a popular option for weekend visitors from the city or for business visitors who don’t have to spend a long time on an extended safari itinerary.

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Bagamoyo Town

Zanzibar Island

Saadani National Park

Mafia Island Marine Park

Mahale Mountains National Park

Mahala Mountains National Park

The Park, like its northern neighbor Gombe, is home to some of Africa’s last remaining wild chimpanzees, a population of roughly 900; they are habituated to human visitors by a Japanese research project founded in the 1960s.

Tracking the chimps of Mahale is a magical experience.

Mahale is located in Western Tanzania to the South of Kigoma town; it is bordering Lake Tanganyika-the World’s longest, second-most profound, and least polluted freshwater lake-harboring an estimated 1000 fish species.

Best time to visit the Park

The dry season (May -October) is the best period. During this period, chimpanzees are likely to be seen in big groups, the sunshine illuminates the fish in the Lake, and the beach is an inviting place to relax. However, Mahale Mountains National Park is accessible all year round. A visit in the rainy season can also be a memorable experience, made remarkable by views of the neighboring country DR Congo across the water and incredible lightning storms that light up the Lake at night.

Tourist Attractions

– The Chimpanzees

– Chain of Mountains (Mahale range)

– Forest fauna and flora (Angola colobus, red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys, forest birds, alpine bamboo, montane rain forest, etc.).

– Beach along Lake Tanganyika

– Local fishermen

– Sunset on the Lake horizon

What to do

– Chimp tracking (allow two days)

– Hiking to the Park’s highest point, “Nkungwe” (8,069ft), held sacred by the local Tongwe people.

– Camping safaris

– Snorkeling

– Sports fishing and many more water sports activities

Park Accessibility

Mahale is accessible by air, road, and boat. There are several flights, car, and boat options to suit most travelers and chimps lovers:

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Arusha National Park

Gombe National Park

Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park, located on the western border of Tanzania and the Congo, is most famous for Jane Goodall, the resident primatologist who spent many years in its forests studying the behavior of the endangered chimpanzees.

Situated on the wild shores of Lake Tanganyika, Gombe Stream is an untamed place of lush forests and clear lake views. Hiking and swimming are also popular activities here, once the day’s expedition to see the chimpanzees is over.

Gombe Stream’s main attraction is the chimpanzee families that live protected in the park’s boundaries. Guided walks are available that take visitors deep into the forest to observe and sit with the extraordinary primates for an entire morning — an incredible experience and one that is the highlight of many visitors’ trips to Africa. Besides chimpanzee viewing, many other species of primates live in Gombe Stream’s tropical forests. Vervet and colobus monkeys, baboons, forest pigs, and small antelopes inhabit the dense forest, in addition to a wide variety of tropical birdlife.

An excited whoop erupts from deep in the forest, boosted immediately by a dozen other voices, rising in volume and tempo and pitch to a frenzied shrieking crescendo. The famous ‘pant-hoot’ call is a bonding ritual that allows the participants to identify each other through their vocal stylizations. To the human listener, walking through the ancient forests of Gombe Stream becomes a spine-chilling outburst which is also an indicator of close visual contact with man’s closest genetic relative: the chimpanzee.

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Arusha National Park

Dar es Salaam City

Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam is the largest city and economic capital of Tanzania. Located in a quiet bay off the Indian Ocean coast, the city has developed into an economic importance to become a prosperous center of the entire East African region. Its bustling harbor is the main port in Tanzania. Its industrial area produces products for export and uses throughout the country. Government offices all have their main base in Dar es Salaam, and diplomatic missions and non-governmental organizations all have a presence in the bustling urban city.

Restaurants, shops, office buildings, and government buildings are all standard features of Tanzania’s urban center. During the German occupation in the early 20th century, Dar es Salaam was the center of colonial administration and the main contact point between the agricultural mainland and the world of trade and commerce in the Indian Ocean and the Swahili Coast. Remnants of colonial presence, both German and British, can still be seen in the landmarks and architecture around the city. The National Museum, the Village Museum, and many colorful markets are well worth a visit. Numerous historical landmarks, including St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the White Father’s Mission House, the Botanical Gardens, and the old State House, make for an exciting walking tour around the waterfront and city center.

Seven kilometers north of the city is Bongoyo Island Marine Reserve, which offers good snorkeling and diving sites for those who want to explore the water. The reserve boasts of its beautiful beaches, secluded islands, and many varieties of marine species. Although the type and population of coral and fish species are not as numerous as other sites on Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia Island, the Bongoyo Island Marine Reserve is well worth visiting. It is a great way to spend a day out and see the coast.

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Pangani Town

Pangani Town

Pangani is a small town on East Africa’s coast that was 50 kms South of Tanga with a long history of culture. The city has Arabic, German, Asian, and British Colonial rules influence. This is a place where Swahili, Arab, colonial traditions, and modern hospitality blend together.

This town is located at Pangani River’s mouth that collects its water from Mt Kilimanjaro and Meru to the Indian Ocean. Here you will enjoy coastline with clean beaches where endangered Green Turtles breeds, historic sites, coral reefs, Old Port, and great diversity of tropical marine dwellers.

At the point where the massive Pangani River empties itself into the Indian Ocean, a village has grown. The Pangani River passes through the northern side of the town, separating the old buildings and the present-day market from the farms and tiny houses on the southern side. The river itself requires a ferry to cross; its dark brown waters filled heavily with alluvial silt as it meanders slowly into the ocean. On either side of the little town, coconut palms and sisal plantations undulate towards the horizon.

Once a center of Swahili trade with the African mainland, the town of Pangani is now a sleepy backwater with little memories of days of splendor. The old German administrative boma still stands behind a colonnade of tall shade trees, and the former prison, painted a fading ochre red, looks over the river’s lazy waters. Old houses and the main road offer lived-in examples of colonial and traditional Swahili architecture, slowly crumbling against the monsoon winds. Visitors passing through the area would do well to explore what remains of the old town on foot. Even a short walk rewards visitors with a glimpse of quiet life in the ancient trading towns along the Swahili Coast.

PANGANI OFFERS

– Historical town tour… Explore Historical buildings of Pangani town, slave market, old port, and slave routes

– Pangani River cruising

– A boat trip to Maziwe Marine Park Island for swimming, sun-bathing, snorkeling, and watching dolphins

– Village tours.. a welcome to Coast people’s home and stay with a family getting an insight into the Swahili culture. Participate in various activities with the family members

Getting there:

Pangani can be easily accessed by road. There are daily buses leaving Dar- es -Salaam and Arusha to Pangani via Tanga. It takes 6 hours drive from Arusha and 7 hours from Dar- es Salaam. Pangani is 53km South of Tanga town, where several minibusses to Pangani are available. Minibusses leave once all seats are occupied, and it takes an hour to Pangani.

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Bagamoyo Town

Bagamoyo Town

The town of Bagamoyo is home to world-class Historical sites and one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites with rich cultural heritage waiting for you to explore.

This town was once a most important trading port along the East African Coast and a German East Africa Capital. Bagamoyo is home to many ethnic groups, including the Wakwere, Wazaramo, and Wazigua. Different cultures, including people of Arab descent, coexist in Bagamoyo, making the town a peaceful and friendly place for visitors worldwide.

The town of Bagamoyo was one of the most important trading ports on the East African coast and the penultimate stop of slave and ivory caravans traveling on foot from Lake Tanganyika on their way to Zanzibar. Missionaries active in abolishing the slave trade made Bagamoyo, whose name means ‘bury my heart’ in Kiswahili, a center for their activities.

Bagamoyo is a quiet village with a few German colonial buildings still standing. In the past, the town of Bagamoyo was one of the most important trading ports on the entire East African coast. Its port was the penultimate stop of slave and ivory caravans that traveled on foot from Lake Tanganyika. Once the trains reached Bagamoyo, the slaves and ivory were shipped by dhow to Zanzibar, where they were dispatched worldwide. These days, Bagamoyo is a center of dhow building in the region and along the Tanzanian Coast.

Getting there

Bagamoyo located 75 kms North of Dar-es-salaam, a 1-1.5 hours drive. One can catch daily buses commuting between Dar-es-Salaam Mwenge local bus station and Bagamoyo Town.

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Zanzibar Island

Zanzibar beach is the semi-autonomous part of Tanzania in East Africa. It is composed of the Zanzibar,Unguja and Pemba. Its historic center is Stone Town, which is a World Heritage Site. Zanzibar is also known as the Spice Island, the beautiful island of Zanzibar on Africa’s east coast is bursting with culture and history, seemingly odd with white-sand beaches with palms swaying lazily in the sea breeze as the remains of Portuguese ,Omani Arabs and Turkish old city during their rulling time ago. Day-long spice tours to working plantations offer visitors the chance to observe the cultivation of cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices that have made the island famous.

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Saadani National Park

Saadani National Park

One gets to relish the palm trees as they sway in an oceanic cooling breeze. White sand and blue water sparkle alluringly beneath the tropical sun; brand Saadani is a splendid place to visit. Traditional dhows sail slowly past, propelled by billowing white sails, while Swahili fishers cast their nets below a brilliant red sunrise.

Saadani is where the beach meets the bush. The only wildlife sanctuary in East Africa to boast an Indian Ocean beachfront also possesses all the attributes that make Tanzania’s tropical coastline and islands very popular with European sun-worshipers. Yet it is also the one place where those idle hours of sunbathing might be interrupted by an elephant strolling past or a lion coming to drink at the nearby waterhole!

Protected as a game reserve since the 1960s, in 2002, it expanded to cover twice its former area. The reserve suffered greatly from poaching before the late 1990s. Still, in recent years a marked turnaround has been seen due to a concerted clampdown on poachers based on integrating adjacent villages into the conservation drive.

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Mafia Island Marine Park

Mafia Island

Mafia is renowned as an excellent world-class diving destination with some of the wealthiest reefs globally; the park covers the Southern part of Mafia Island and includes the inhabited islands of Chole, Juani Jibondo, and Bwejuu and several uninhabited islets and the associated waters.

Mafia Island and its chain of small islets lie approximately 120 km south of Dar es Salaam, and 20 km offshore from the eastern extent of the Rufiji is one of the largest delta systems in Africa. To the east of Mafia Island in the Indian Ocean. The main island of Mafia is about 48 km long and 17 km wide at its widest point. Several smaller islands and islets are scattered to the west and south.

Mafia Island Marine Park (MIMP) consists of eight small reserves along the Tanzanian coast under the Fisheries (Marine Reserves) Regulations of 1975; two of these are in what is now the Mafia Island Marine Park (MIMP), namely Chole Bay and Kitutia Reef.

The marine park area at Mafia Island extends across 822km2, more than 75% of it below the high watermark. The area hosts an outstanding mosaic of tropical marine habitats, including coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, and inter-tidal flats. In addition, a remnant block of threatened lowland coastal forest survives along the eastern seaboard of the island, roughly half of it within the marine park boundary. Two sea turtle species use Mafia’s beaches as nesting grounds, and the area has been recognized internationally as a critical site for biodiversity. Several historic ruins lie within the marine park area, some dating back to the 13th Century. Mafia Island’s separation from the mainland and its freedom from industrial development has ensured that its surrounding waters are contaminated in Tanzania. The marine park area has national importance as one of the few remaining reef complexes within Tanzania’s coastal waters in relatively intact condition.

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