Tanzania - A bright future?

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Finding someone who’s dreamed of visiting Tanzania is easy. Why? Names like Zanzibar, Serengeti and Kilimanjaro evoke a spirit of adventure that many of us crave. In this 21-page special feature, we look at the country’s top attractions and let you know how to turn your visions into reality today. We also explore Tanzania’s potential, uncovering dozens of destinations to tempt you in the future. The treasures of today... It’s true, most people travelling to Tanzania are attracted to a handful of much-vaunted destinations. Do these sights continue to have pulling power, despite the increasing number of visitors? And is it still possible to have an intimate African experience with your surroundings while travelling in them? Philip Briggs talks of Tanzania today. From the snowy heights of Kilimanjaro to the sultry tropical coastline of Zanzibar, from the endless vistas of the Serengeti to the majestic confines of Ngorongoro Crater, from the oceanic freshwater expanse of Lake Victoria to the prodigious biodiversity of the Eastern Arc forests, it’s difficult to think of any other African country that outshines Tanzania in terms of natural variety and biological wealth. The nation’s conservation areas, which astoundingly cover a quarter of its entire landmass, are estimated to harbour around 20 per cent of the continent’s big game. Ngorongoro, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro… they’d all find their way onto a top ten list of Africa’s most alluring place names. And in the second division of pack-up-and-go recognisability, there’s also Olduvai Gorge, Gombe Stream, Lake Tanganyika, Kilwa and Manyara. But Tanzania’s top attraction, the lynchpin of its tourist industry, is Serengeti National Park – easily the most famous game reserve in Africa, and so far as these things are measurable, almost unarguably the finest. Why do I say that? Well, for one, the open plains of the Serengeti host the world’s greatest mass wildlife phenomenon, the annual migration of more than two million wildebeest, zebra and other ungulates along an ancient circular route that nudges into neighbouring Kenya. To encounter one of these countless herds in bleating, snorting, dust-kicking motion is a spectacle surpassed only by the tense, action-packed crossing of the croc-infested Grumeti or Mara Rivers. Then there are the predatorial hangers-on. It’s the big cats that get the most attention, of course, and here the Serengeti truly excels – blond-maned lions loll nonchalantly in the shade, cheetahs pace the open grassland with an aura of agitated determination, and leopards can be surprisingly easy to locate as they rest up in the buffalo-thorns and sausage trees that line the Seronera River. Spotted hyenas might be less glamorous, but there’s no better place to observe the fascinating social interaction of these unfairly maligned clannish carnivores. The streamlined serval cat is also something of a Serengeti speciality – I’ve enjoyed more sightings here than in all the other African parks I’ve visited combined – while the dainty bat-eared fox and a trio of jaunty jackal species maintain an especially high profile during the denning season. I suspect that for most people, the word Serengeti conjures up an image of flat treeless grassland studded with isolated kopjes. But this classic Serengeti landscape, known to the local Maasai as Serengit (‘Endless Plain’), is largely confined to the southeast of the national park. Elsewhere, the western corridor supports a sweltering tract of moist wooded savannah, much favoured by giraffes, as well as a ribbon of lush riparian woodland – home to black-and-white colobus and western forest species such as Ross’s turaco – that follows the Grumeti River before it empties into Lake Victoria. Different again, the more densely wooded north is perhaps my favourite part of the Serengeti, studded with mountainous granite boulders that give way to rolling green Mara-like grassland reminiscent along the remote international border with Kenya. Extending over 14,763 square kilometres, the Serengeti is the largest component in a vast cross-border ecosystem that also includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area – gazetted as part of the original national park in 1951, but subsequently downgraded in status to allow the local Maasai to live and graze their cattle there. Here, the Ngorongoro Crater stakes a strong claim to be East Africa’s ultimate Big Five destination. Something of a retirement home for aging elephant bulls, the crater’s fever-tree groves and swamps support some utterly magnificent ground-scraping tuskers. A rare herd of black rhino is regularly observed in more open terrain, alongside abundant herds of buffalo and other grazers. And as with the Serengeti, Ngorongoro is prime predator territory: the crater floor supports the world’s densest populations of lion and spotted hyena, while leopards are abundant (but elusive as ever) on the lush montane forest that swathes the misty crater rim. Wildlife aside, Ngorongoro ranks among Africa’s most compelling scenic attractions. The relic of an extinct volcano that stood taller than Kilimanjaro does today in its petulant prime, it now forms the world’s largest intact caldera, its sheer forest walls enclosing some 260 square kilometres of woodland, savannah and wetlands. The crater offers some tremendous birdwatching too. Saline Lake Magadi is often tinged pink by thousand-strong flocks of flamingo, while marshland and grassland species include ostrich, kori bustard, crowned crane, white stork, secretary bird, and Egyptian vulture........ Full articles from the current edition are not available online. To subscribe or buy back issues, click here  The treasures of tomorrow.... So where does Tanzania’s tourism potential lie? Philip Briggs shifts his experienced gaze off the northern safari circuit and onto eight unique, little-visited regions to find the destinations of the future. Don’t want to wait? Visit them today. Central Rift Valley The stretch of the Rift Valley immediately south of the Ngorongoro Highlands boasts many of the elements that attract adventurous travellers to the arid badlands of northern Kenya. Culturally, it’s a fascinating area, inhabited by the traditionalist Barabaig and other semi-nomadic herders. Scenically, the parched plains are alleviated by a liberal scattering of forested mountains and shallow saline lakes. And the central Rift also boasts two of the country’s most neglected attractions in the form of Mount Hanang and the superb prehistoric rock art of Kondoa District – both of which could easily be appended to a road safari along the northern circuit. Mount Hanang Often visible from more than 100km away, Tanzania’s fourth-highest mountain rises to an altitude of 3418m from the Rift Valley floor above the small town of Katesh. It’s held sacred by local Barabaig pastoralists, and offers stunning views across in all directions. The rich volcanic soils of its well-watered north east slopes support a cover of lush montane forest and elusive populations of antelope, monkeys and birds. Because Hanang lies outside the national park system, it is inexpensive to climb – this generally entails camping overnight on the upper slopes, or sleeping in a cave, though super-fit hikers could conceivably do the round trip in a very long day. Eastern Arc Mountains Nourished by moist oceanic winds since they formed some 30 million years ago, the montane forests of the Eastern Arc lie on a scattered ‘archipelago’ of 13 massifs that protrude from the otherwise dry savannah of the low-lying coastal belt. Often referred to as the African Galápagos, these forests are renowned for their extraordinary biodiversity, supporting at least 75 endemic vertebrate species, and many thousands of unique plant taxa, including the genus Saintpaulia (Africa violet). The hiking and rambling opportunities are practically limitless. Western Usambara Lushoto, the region’s most established travel focus, lies in the Western Usambara, a somewhat degraded range whose indigenous cover is now largely supplanted by sterile plantations and subsistence farms – though the forested slopes of Mount Magamba (2230m) remain a stronghold for several endemic birds. This cheerful market town, with its equable mid-altitude climate, leafy montane setting and interesting German colonial architecture, makes for a wonderful introduction to small-town Tanzania. The area is increasingly popular with walkers, thanks partially to its well organised tourist office: worthwhile goals include the immense Irente Viewpoint, the remote cliff-top village of Mtae, the pretty Soni Falls and the historic Lutheran mission hospital at Bumbuli. Southern Safari circuit Relocate it to practically any other African country, and the trio of world-class game reserves that sprawl across the Tanzania’s scrubby lowlands in the south east would form the cornerstone of a national tourist industry. As it is, however, these fine reserves, almost completely overshadowed by the big names of the northern circuit, are among the most untrammelled in Africa – indeed, the entire complex of reserves is serviced by perhaps a dozen small upmarket camps with the collective bed space of one medium-sized city hotel! Selous Game Reserve At 45,000 square kilometres, Selous is Africa’s largest conservation area, and lies at the core of a vast cross-border ecosystem hosting the world’s largest extant populations of elephant, buffalo, sable antelope, lion and African wild dog. The hypnotic Rufiji River, which bisects the reserve, harbours prodigious numbers of hippo, croc and various water-associated birds, while game drives offer as good a chance of a wild dog sighting or lion kill as anywhere in Africa. Unlike the northern circuit, game drives can be supplemented by motorboat trips or guided walks, and fly-camping is offered by most lodges..........

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