Take 12 Tanzania Instagrams
1. Elephantastic Tarangire
If you want to get up close and personal to that most beautiful of creatures, the elephant, don’t head for the well-trodden paths of the Serengeti. Those in the know head north for the Tarangire National Park, renowned for its vibrant population of protected African bush elephants that wander amid the ancient baobab trees and termite mounds. And if you get bored of elephants (really?) then you’ve over 550 species of bird to watch out for, including the largest bird in the world, the Maasai Ostrich. Yes, Tarangire is a small park but it attracts the biggest creatures!
2. Technicolour nature
The trademarks of Tanzania are colour and light. Cool, clear, mauve dawns and golden-apricot glows of sunset across huge skies are an everyday wonder. The African sky has all the pizzazz of a Broadway production, shifting its colour and texture as the sun climbs higher. Whether you’re on safari, clutching an early-morning coffee in the pre-dawn pink stillness, or looking back at sunset over Mawenzi peak, knowing that Kilimanjaro’s Uhuru Peak is within a day’s march, that play of colour and light will be etched in your memory forever.
3. The Serengeti: Not for people in a hurry!
Here’s the thing you need to know about the Serengeti. There are loads of animals. And they don’t care about you. They’ll be minding their own business, doing the lion thing, or the giraffe thing, or the buffalo thing and they’ll be so busy doing their thing that some will do their thing right next to you. So if you want to see animals, like these zebra (who are just doing their thing, thank you very much) close up, go on a safari in Tanzania. If you want to get somewhere quickly, don’t.
4. Graceful, badass giraffes
Giraffes are one of our favourite animals. Their size belies their grace. To see a herd so close up is something you can’t forget. Giraffe are built for survival: they can run at 35 mph, their kick is lethal, they only need to drink every couple of days or so, they mostly sleep standing up and giraffe babies are most badass of all – falling five feet or more when they pop out of momma and up and running within the hour.
5. Pooltime paradise
You might not expect a pool in the middle of the Tanzanian savannah but Tanzania is full of surprises. There’s nothing better after a tiring, dusty, fascinating game drive than to stretch out your limbs in the warm, clean waters of a lodge pool and watch the wildlife gathering for the evening at a nearby waterhole. Grab a cheeky beer and the evening is complete!
6. Watching and waiting
The Serengeti plays host to part of the Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest and zebra make their annual journey to fertile grasslands. And of course, lots of herbivores mean lots of predators. These Serengeti cheetahs are watching and waiting for an opportunity to strike. The cheetah population in the Serengeti is strong so there’s a good chance you’ll get to see these beautiful, deadly creatures.
7. If you like babies, you’ll love Tanzania
Tanzania’s diverse landscape supports a breathtaking array of wildlife, and this means babies. Cute is everywhere (but don’t touch. Some Tanzanian animal babies bite). Here’s elephant junior tagging along with mum but you’re sure to spot a leggy baby zebra that can run as soon as she can walk (and did you know that baby zebras are born brown and white, not black and white?). Maybe you’ll see an I’m-pretending-I’m-brave baby baboon clinging to mum’s back or even a little gang of baby hyrax (Google them).
8. Africa’s Rooftop
Kilimanjaro is a tough climb. Two gruelling weeks of energy-sapping hiking through montaine forest, alpine rocks and icefields. What keeps you going are your comrades and your character. It’s hard on your muscles and hard on your resilience. But you’ll know you’ll do it. The prize is worth it – that final ascent in the numbing cold of darkness to be rewarded with the warmth of a golden African dawn, as you stand, victorious, on the rooftop of Africa itself.
9. A new angle every day
No day is the same on Kilimanjaro. As you progress up the mountain, you’ll clamber through rainforest, montaine forest, alpine country and ice fields – four very different terrains that each have their own flavour of beauty. The winding climb takes in Kibo, the summit, from a plethora of different angles, and we haven’t even mentioned the views across the plains below to Mount Meru. You’ll track your progress by the wider vistas and even a sunlit carpet of cloud spreading beneath your feet. Once thing Kilimanjaro isn’t, and that’s boring!
10. Totally tropical
Beach life. And plenty of it. Did you know that Tanzania has more white sand beaches and clear, turquoise waters than you can shake a stick at? Zanzibar, the Spice Island, is justly famous for its amazing dive sites but it’s not the only paradise to discover. Pemba Island and Mafia Island are two gems you won’t want to miss, but there’s also almost the whole of Tanzania’s east coast to enjoy, too!
11. Uniquely weird
The Ngorongoro Crater is special. It’s the biggest unflooded volcano crater in the world, and its unique topography has formed one of the richest eco-systems in Africa. 600 metres deep and around 20km across, the crater is home to a range of wonderful wildlife, drawn there by its rich grazing grounds. It has a healthy population of black rhino and is one place you’re sure to spot the Big Five.
12. The Materuni Falls
Nestled in the green foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, set amidst coffee plantations and natural rainforest, the Materuni Falls are a little tropical gem that you shouldn’t miss. It’s a place to rest those tired feet, have lunch and chill out – or a quick splash in the safe and clean pool at the foot of the Falls. If there’s something better than floating on your back, listening to the birdsong and the plash of the water as it tumbles into the pool, we don’t know what it is.
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Saving elephants should be our main concern these days and, especially, these illegal hunters need to track down. For all these wildlife tourists, the Kenya and Tanzania safari tours are very important.
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