Beyond the guidebooks
Tanzania is more than safaris and sunsets - it's a land where crocodiles help catch fish, trees grow upside down, and music festivals pulse through ancient streets. From the calving grounds of the Serengeti to the hidden culture of the Usambara Mountains, this is a country packed with stories you won’t find in guidebooks. Here are 24 of the most unforgettable, offbeat, and iconic experiences to discover in Tanzania.
24.
When you walk a lot, sometimes jog for hours across open plains strewn with thorns, you don’t compromise on footwear. For the Maasai warriors of Tanzania, it’s a rite of passage to claim your first tyre tread sandals. Not just any tyre tread; it has to be motor bike tread. The front tyre for those a daintier foot size, and the junky rear for big guys. Don’t think second hand cast offs either, this is not an exercise in saving money. We’re talking brand new tyres, each one cut to make two pairs of warrior shoes; six years of wear if you’re in your prime. Take a pair home and leave your own special mark next time you’re on the beach in Brighton.
23.
Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) is unique for many reasons but is perhaps best defined by its lakes. The boat safaris here are legendary, and climbing aboard, hippos can be seen in several directions, ears flicking, nostrils snorting, all to the tune of a brass band warming up. The crocodiles are less conspicuous until, that is, you round the corner of the first bay to witness several large green logs, logs which suddenly streak into the water with a considerable splash. When the crocs jump in, the fish jump out, and on a good day, five or six can leap straight into the boat!
22.
Mahale Mountains is a spectacular and remote national park. Only accessible by boat, it protects a beautiful forest which slides down the steep slopes to the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Tanganyika is no ordinary lake; its incredible depths hold a dazzling array of cichlids, and seventeen percent of the world’s fresh water. The forest harbours a population chimpanzees which has been studied since the 1960’s. This study has built an incredible understanding of the dynamics within the different groups and to walk among their sophisticated, if often cruel, society is an experience to treasure.
21.
In February each year musicians from all
over Africa, and even beyond, gather to perform in the heady atmosphere of
Zanzibar’s Stone Town. The music is spectacular and varied, covering a rich
variety of tastes.
The festival now has the kind of clout to
launch local bands on the road to international celebrity and is a must visit
for all lovers of world music. The programme at the Old Fort on the opening
weekend is usually one not to miss.
20.
Well south of Zanzibar, east of where the Rufiji River pours its waters from the Selous Game Reserve into the Indian Ocean, lies Mafia Island. Its beaches are unspectacular, and the island itself is more gently attractive than spectacularly beautiful. However, the waters around Mafia are a diver’s paradise, and the opportunities to dive among whale sharks are fabulous. There is a resident population of these great fish, never too far from the island, and they move closest to shore in the period October to March. So huge are the whale sharks, they are often first seen from the plane as you approach the island!
19.
Everyone knows Lake Victoria, most don’t
quite know why. Those that do probably know it as the source of the Nile, and
little else.
The truth is Victoria is the second largest
expanse of water in the world. It all but touches the Serengeti along the
Easterly shoreline of Speke Bay, supporting a dazzling array of avian life.
It also offers fascinating opportunities to
explore wild shores and islands far from the familiar tourist trails.
18.
Tarangire may well be one of the most
under-rated parks in Africa. Its Baobab strewn landscape is starkly beautiful.
The high density of mighty pythons wrapped around the giant tree limbs adds an
invigorating chill to the atmosphere.
The Tarangire river traverses the park and
attracts phenomenal gatherings of elephants in the dry season. The iconic
giants and much more besides can be viewed in remarkable isolation across the
remote South of the park.
If not quite the hidden gem, Tarangire is
remarkably overlooked among the Northern parks of Tanzania. Those in the know
treasure the fact.
17.
It’s February in Selous Game Reserve. The landscape appears manicured, almost man-made after the year end rains have created a carpet of lush grass, filled with new born grazers. Atop the dried stands of old, dead ebony trees dazzling birds of blue and red sit in small gatherings. As the Land Rover passes, and takes a deliberate turn off the dirt tyre tracks, onto the grassy verges, insects leap to avoid the vehicle. The birds spring into life, leaping from their perches, one after the next. Five minutes after commencing the gentle figure of eight drive-byes, hundreds of the stunning Carmine Bee-eaters are dive bombing the flanks of the car, snapping up insects as they go. It is a spectacle to bring tears to the eye; little known but one of the great safari experiences.
16.
A real treat, easily missed, is a visit to
the Swahili language.
It’s good to pick up a phrasebook before
departure and essential, once in Tanzania, to learn some of the fabulous sounds
and quirks Swahili has to offer.
Swahili is phonetic, easy to read and
offers the chance to wrap your tongue around words like “uluguru” and mbuyuni.
In the latter case, remember the invisible “u” before the “m”.
In Zanzibar, education was introduced by
the British and school is spelt “skuli” with a hard “k”. In mainland Tanzania,
education was introduced by the Germans and here, students go to “Shuli” with a
soft “sh”.
What most people are left tickled by, is
the Swahili “I”. A petrol station is still a “Shelli” despite the Dutch giants
being absent from the country for fully forty years. A roundabout is a “keep
lefti; note the British influence again.
If your name is Arnold expect to be called
Arnoldi, David, Davidi, and yet, to the Swahili speaker, the most famous park
in the world is the Serenget, and the stringy pasta you may enjoy with
bolognaise is, wait for it, supaget.
15.
Foot safaris are a wonderful way to get close to nature. They heighten the senses to the thrill of being vulnerable to big nature. Don’t expect to wander through herds of animals, waiting to witness a kill. No mammals have lost their instincts as we have, they need them to survive and usually have you sussed long before you get near them. Foot safaris are about studying the signs of nature, witnessing the smaller superstars of the bush, and just occasionally holding your breathe for the megafauna. Nowhere offers foot safaris quite like the salt flats at Saadani National Park. The tidal sands fill with the prints of the previous night’s activity, allowing guides to easily interpret what was sat on the sand, and what was watching it from the fringes! In the best Harry Potter tradition, the high tide sweeps away the prints and the marauders map is again clean for the next mosaic of wanderings to show up.
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