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Tanzania Biography

Tanzania covers 937,062 sq km, making it the largest country in Eastern Africa. Just south of the equator, it borders Kenya and Uganda in the north; the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi in the west; and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique in the south, and is therefore a splendid centre from which to explore eastern, central and southern Africa.

Through the interior runs the Great Rift Valley, that vast fault-line down the spine of Africa that, in Tanzania, has created many fascinating topographical features such as the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Tanganyika. The central plateau (1,200m above sea level) is a huge expanse of savannah and sparse woodland. To the north, the 5,890-metre (19,340 ft) Mount Kilimanjaro rises, the highest mountain in Africa.

While the interior is largely arid, the 800 kilometre coastline is lush and palm-fringed as are the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia, including other coral and volcanic islands. Tanzania and its neighbours share the waters of the Great African Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa.

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Tanzania Map

Tanzania

History and Background

Tanzania is the “cradle of mankind”, and it was here, in the Olduvai Gorge, that Dr Louis Leakey discovered the fossilised remains of Homo habilis, or “handy man,” calculated to be 1.75 million years old and the fore-runner of modern man.

Tanzania was occupied by various African tribes, most recently the Masai from Kenya, who have retained their proud traditions. Arab merchants visited the coast some 2,000 years ago and settled in Zanzibar around the eighth century AD, later establishing trade routes into the interior.

The inter-marriage of Arabs and local people created a new people with their own language – Kiswahili (Swahili)whose word for ‘a journey’ is ‘safari’ – which has become the international description of a trip into the wild.

The Portuguese established temporary settlements in the 16th century, supplanted by the Omans in the late 17th century who developed the slave trade and made Zanzibar their capital. The scramble for Africa by the European powers at the end of the 19th century led to occupation of the mainland by Germany, although Zanzibar became a British protectorate.
At the end of the First World War, Germany was forced to surrender its territory to the British and the administration of the mainland was renamed Tanganyika. Tanganyika achieved independence in 1961 under Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere as the first President. Zanzibar became independent two years later and shortly afterwards joined with the mainland to become the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964.

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Adventures in Tanzania

Pick from a wide range of adventures to suit all

Sanctuary Kusini Camp

Kusini is located in the South Central area of the Serengeti National Park. The park itself covers 14,763 sq. kilometres, making it one of the world’s largest wildlife sanctuaries. Kusini…
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Ngorongoro Wilderness Camp

This comfortable and intimate tented camp lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and in line with NCCA policy, may be moved periodically. Ngorongoro Wilderness Camp is an exclusive, but simple…
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Sanctuary Swala Camp

Swala is located in Tarangire National Park which is famous for its large herds of elephant and spectacular baobab trees. A short drive from the safari town of Arusha, Tarangire…
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Serengeti Wilderness Camp

Serengeti Wilderness Camp is a ‘seasonal’ camp located in the heart of the Serengeti National Park. The style of camp is simple but with every comfort being taken care of.…
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Rufiji River Camp

Situated in southern Tanzania, the Selous Game reserve is the largest nature reserve in Africa and is the second largest in the World. It abounds in open space and liberty…
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8th Wonder of the World

The Annual Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania to Masai Mara in Kenya is one of the greatest natural spectacles in the world, the annual movement of massive herds…
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Tanzania Nothern Safari

8 Day Adventure Northern Tanzania has it all – the vast wilderness, wonderful contrasts with an abundance of game! Visit the Serengeti, Tarangire National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake…
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'We recommend their bespoke safaris and services'

We decided to go on Safari with Africabound Adventures, the service provided was excellent! Sylvia took care of all our holiday planning by listening to our queries and put all our anxieties at ease - addressing and meeting all our expectations. Her passion, close links and expertise of Zambia and the region prompted us to book with Africabound Adventures. This one-to-one personalised service was second to none! We had a superb holiday, visiting the 4 recommended National Parks! The lodges were great - of a consistently high standard and comfortable, particularly Lion Camp in the South Luangwa. The game viewing lived up to expectations! The food was great and the people warm and friendly. Thank you Sylvia, for all your efforts towards arranging and delivering a memorable and enjoyable safari with passion, energy and expertise.

Anne and Steve

Zambia

'It was absolutely wonderful!'

We travelled to three separate locations, staying in four beautiful venues; initially in Zambia at Sindabezi and Tongabezi, then moving onto Mfuwe for a stay at Nkwali Lodge - the safari part of our holiday and finally flying to Malawi and the paradise which is Kaya Mawa on Likoma Island. We can neither praise nor thank Sylvia enough for all the care and attention she gave us. As an example, whilst in Zambia we discovered on New Year’s Eve that we’d left one of our internal flight e-tickets at home. We phoned Sylvia in a panic and by the time we’d reached our next destination, our onward bound ticket was waiting for us at the reception. Not a service which would have been available from a high street tour operator I suspect! Tim had wanted to give me a trip of a lifetime and thanks to Sylvia he was able to do so. We will never forget our time in Africa and can’t wait to return. Thank you again Sylvia – it was absolutely wonderful!

Tim & Jo

Zambia & Malawi

'We can’t wait to go again!'

This was our first trip to Southern Africa and our first safari and we can't wait to go again. From the outset Sylvia was incredibly helpful understanding exactly what we wanted from the trip and using her vast local knowledge and experience to tailor the holiday perfectly. The choice is overwhelming and having the benefit of someone to guide you through the options and suggest places to stay and visit was such a help. Sylvia also worked closely with a travel agent to match the internal and international flights to the places we wanted to stay and maximise the time available on our trip. Having all the transfers arranged by Sylvia also took a lot of hassle out of moving between locations. The trip was amazing from the hospitality and drives around the reserve at Tanda Tula, getting up close to wonderful wildlife to the incredible welcome at the stunning River Club in Zambia and a walking safari with rhinos. I would totally recommend using Sylvia and Africabound Adventures to organise your holiday.

David Owen

South Africa & Zambia

'The lodge was great!'

We had a great time in Livingstone. The lodge was great - you need to have a love for nature to stay here. The rooms were quite open, overlooking the river therefore you were likely to get a few wasps, bugs etc. fly into your room. However the mosquito netting over the beds avoided one being bitten at night. The manager at the lodge was helpful – however I would recommend that anyone who travels to the Victoria Falls should book their activities directly from the individual activity centres. Other than that had we had great time!

Shreya and Family

Zambia

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