A holiday in Tanzania offers exciting safaris and unparalleled game viewing in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara wildlife areas, and scuba diving and watersports or indulgent relaxation on the exotic beaches of Zanzibar’s spice islands. 

The vast Serengeti ecosytem of Tanzania, is part of an almost continuous wildlife area of over 30,000 square kilometres.  It is a world heritage site and is home to the Big Five, as well as over 70 smaller mammal species and more than 540 bird species, both residents and migrants.  However, it is the great migration for which the Serengeti is perhaps most famous.  Over 1,000,000 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.  It is one of the last great migratory systems still intact and is truly a sight to behold.

Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater is the largest un-flooded and unbroken volcanic caldera in the world and was formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed some three million years ago.  The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is home to black rhinoceros, wildebeest, zebras, eland and Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles.  The crater also has the densest known population of lions.  Higher up, in the rainforests of the crater rim, are leopards, elephants, mountain reedbuck, buffalos, spotted hyenas, jackals, rare wild dogs, cheetahs, and other felines.  The legendary annual wildebeest and zebra migration also passes through Ngorongoro.  Over 500 species of bird have been recorded within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Lake Manyara is a shallow, alkaline lake at the base of the western Rift Valley escarpment of Tanzania, located on the way from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.  The alkaline soda of Lake Manyara is home to an incredible array of bird life that thrives on its brackish waters.  The vast lake is sanctuary to over 400 species of bird, including thousands of flamingo, storks, herons, spoonbills and geese. The park is home to huge herds of buffalo and elephant, as well as giraffe, hippo, reedbuck, warthog, wildebeest and zebra.  Lake Manyara National Park is especially famous for its unique tree-climbing lions, who spend most of the day spread out along the branches of Acacia trees, six to seven metres above the ground.

Zanzibar off the coast of mainland Tanzania is the number one beach location in East Africa.  It is an archipelago of islands with tropical white-sand beaches, fringed by coral reefs, greened by lush, fertile plantations, and with an incredible history and a fascinating culture.   The islands produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper and, for this reason, the Zanzibar archipelago is sometimes called the Spice Islands.  Zanzibar is an unspoilt paradise, enabling you to experience an Indian Ocean island holiday without the crowds.  The coastline is dotted with resorts, where the focus is on snorkelling and diving.  The crystal clear tropical waters are home to some of the world’s most diverse sea life and colourful reefs.  Stone Town, the historical centre, is a World Heritage Site and its labyrinth of alleyways and ancient Arab architecture are worth a visit.