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Tanzania

After the arrival of the Portuguese in the late 15th century, the position of the Arabs was gradually undermined, but the Portuguese made little attempt to penetrate into the interior. They lost their foothold north of the Ruvuma River early in the 18th century as a result of an alliance between the coastal Arabs and the ruler of Muscat on the Arabian Peninsula.

This link remained extremely tenuous, however, until French interest in the slave trade from the ancient town of Kilwa, on the Tanganyikan coast, revived the trade in 1776. Attention by the French also aroused the sultan of Muscat's interest in the economic possibilities of the East African coast, and a new Omani governor was appointed at Kilwa. For some time most of the slaves came from the Kilwa hinterland, and until the 19th century such contacts as existed between the coast and the interior were due mainly to African caravans from the interior.

In their constant search for slaves, Arab traders began to penetrate farther into the interior, more particularly in the southeast toward Lake Nyasa. Farther north two merchants from India followed the tribal trade routes to reach the country of the Nyamwezi about 1825. Along this route ivory appears to have been as great an attraction as slaves, and Sa'id bin Sultan himself, after the transfer of his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar, gave every encouragement to the Arabs to pursue these trading possibilities. From the Nyamwezi country the Arabs pressed on to Lake Tanganyika in the early 1840s. Tabora (or Kazé, as it was then called) and Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika, became important trading centres, and a number of Arabs made their homes there. They did not annex these territories but occasionally ejected hostile chieftains. Mirambo, an African chief who built for himself a temporary empire to the west of Tabora in the 1860s and '70s, effectively blocked the Arab trade routes when they refused to pay him tribute. His empire was purely a personal one, however, and collapsed on his death in 1884.

The first Europeans to show an interest in Tanganyika in the 19th century were missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, Johann Ludwig Krapf and Johannes Rebmann, who in the late 1840s reached Kilimanjaro. It was a fellow missionary, Jakob Erhardt, whose famous "slug" map (showing, on Arab information, a vast, shapeless, inland lake) helped stimulate the interest of the British explorers Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke. They traveled from Bagamoyo to Lake Tanganyika in 1857-58, and Speke also saw Lake Victoria. This expedition was followed by Speke's second journey, in 1860, in the company of J.A. Grant, to justify the former's claim that the Nile rose in Lake Victoria. These primarily geographic explorations were followed by the activities of David Livingstone, who in 1866 set out on his last journey for Lake Nyasa. Livingstone's object was to expose the horrors of the slave trade and, by opening up legitimate trade with the interior, to destroy the slave trade at its roots. Livingstone's journey led to the later expeditions of H.M. Stanley and V.L. Cameron. Spurred on by Livingstone's work and example, a number of missionary societies began to take an interest in East Africa after 1860.

Zanzibar

Portuguese and Omani domination

Africans are known to have inhabited both Zanzibar and Pemba islands possibly before the birth of Christ. Thus it is possible that the present African inhabitants of the former Sultanate consist (i) of the descendants of these ancient natives; (ii) descendants of the ex-slaves; and (iii) of Africans who have attained Zanzibar citizenship including the migratory labour force which comes and goes according to the season. The original African inhabitants of Zanzibar are believed to have migrated from the African mainland, probably and initially in search of better fishing facilities on a seasonal basis. The two ethnic groups were the Tumbatu, who lived at the outset on the islet of Tumbatu off the north-west coast of Zanzibar island, and the Hadimu, who occupied an area on the main island to the south of the Tumbatu islet.

Later on the Tumbatu tribe extended their settlements to the main island and now occupies the northern part of Zanzibar. The Hadimu now occupy more than 60 per cent of the total acreage of Zanzibar island in the central-eastern parts and almost all of the region to the south of the Zanzibar town. The main tribe which settled in Pemba was one called the Pemba; but a small group of the Tumbatu tribe also settled in the southern part of the island.

The small and separate village communities, which these early settlers created in the islands, formed themselves into monarchies or chieftainships, each community being, for all practical purposes, autonomous and independent of each other. A settlement of unknown size of population was therefore the largest political organization known to have existed in the early history of these islands, except perhaps where there was a kind of "confederacy" of a large number of small neighbouring settlements. Due to the lack of political unity based on an inter-tribal organization throughout the islands, the settlers remained vulnerable to attack and were liable to conquest by Asiatic and European countries whose nationals travelled from time to time through the centuries to the East Coast of Africa in search of trade and adventure.

Early visitors to Zanzibar and Pemba included Persians, Hindus, Jews, Arabs, Phoenicians and possibly Assyrrians. Ancient African settlers therefore had contact with a pot pourri of cultures and managed not only to survive and absorb some of the newcomers, but also to adopt many of their political, economic and social methods of organization. The Africans did not seem to have put up any resistance to these invaders but they became used to their comings and goings which were dictated by the seasonal monsoon winds. Because of the African inherent vulnerability, which was due to the absence of unity among the various ethnic groups, Arabs were able to establish a colonial regime in the islands.

But the establishment by the Muscat Arabs of an Arab colonial state in the nineteenth century was very recent compared with the time of arrival and settlement in Zanzibar of Persians. Ancient traders from Shiraz, then a small town in southern Iran (Persia), began in about the tenth century A.D. to arrive in Zanzibar in large numbers and to intermarry with local Bantu people there: the Tumbatu and the Hadimu. The Shirazis, who are an admixture of Bantu and Asiatic blood and are often known as the Swahilis, were the result of this miscegenation; and there emerged the Tumbatu and Hadimu Shirazis. Muscat Arabs also shared in the creation of the Swahili people and were an important cultural influence. The Comoriatis, who form a small ethnic group in Zanzibar, come from the French islands of Comoro in the Indian Ocean. The last population breakdown on an ethnic basis was made in l958 and gave a summary of population figures as follows: Afro/Arab, 279,935; Asians other than Arabs, 18,334; Europeans. 507; and others, 335. Arabs alone were about 47,000.

Swahili is the national language of Zanzibar and about one-third of Swahili words is said to derive from Arabic. Before independence was achieved in December 1963, two flags flew over Zanzibar: the red flag of the ex-Sultan,, and the Union Jack. The latter billowed along with the former to show who the real boss was. About 97 per cent of Zanzibar’s population are Moslems but as would be expected in a place where people of such diverse cultural backgrounds live together, the remaining three per cent are a pot pourri: Hindus, Christians, Ismailis, and others.

The history of Zanzibar was written by the wind. As we have seen, ancient Asiatic nationals used the monsoons to sail in their dhows to East Africa where they traded in ivory, slaves, spices, skins and iron. Gervase Mathew in a recent essay based on considerable research has said that the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea "is the earliest surviving description of the coast of East Africa".

According to Mathew, and contrary to what others had written about it, the Periplus is a "Greek commercial handbook of the late first or early second century". In the Periplus, which is extant, the author expressed the surprising familiarity which Arabs at that time already had with East Africa, their understanding of the language of the natives and intermarriage with them.

During the seventh to the tenth century some Arabs took advantage of their established familiarity with East Africa and rather than simply coming to visit the place, as others had done before them for several centuries, they actually came and settled there. These Arabs took refuge in East Africa after having fled their countries following religious disputes among Arab tribes over whom should be the rightful Caliph or Successor to Prophet Mohammed. It is believed that one effect of these religious upheavals was the flight in around A.D. 950 of al-Hasan bin Ali Sultan of Shiraz who sailed with his six sons and followers from southern Persia and established settlements on the East Coast of Africa and islands, one of which was Zanzibar. With his six sons and equipped with seven ships, Ali Sultan made his historic voyage to Zenji-bar or the country of the Blacks and thus marked the beginning of what became known as the Zenj Empire. It is believed that they founded seven settlements of which Kilwa Kisiwani (the island of Kilwa, and not Kilwa Kivinje which was founded much later on the mainland) was one. One of Ali Sultan’s sons called Au is "stated to have become the first ruler of Kilwa island in 956"1o. It is also generally believed that Kilwa later developed into a seat of the Zenj Empire, which lasted until the first decade of the sixteenth century when the Portuguese conquered it.

The empire had consisted of island and coastal settlements or "cities" of varying sizes, the best known of which were Mozambique, KiIwa island, Zanzibar, Pemba, Mombasa (Fort Jesus), Malindi, Sofala and the Lamu Archipelago, the last mentioned consisting of Pate, Manda, Faza (Ampaza) and Tarkwa islets. Petty Arab sultans or sheikhs and a very high level of civilization obtained ruled these. As a result of this civilizing influence which the Arabs brought with them, Africans came to identify civilization with Arabs. Hence the Swahili word "ustaarabu", which means "civilization", and implies that to be civilized one should be like an Arab. But the Pcrtuguese12, with their superior and more destructive weapons, wrested from the Arabs the "mastery" of the Indian Ocean and caused the disintegration of the Arab political control, thus interrupting, albeit only temporarily, what was already a flourishing commercial civilization on the East Coast of Africa.

The menacing influence of the Portuguese began with the historic voyage of Vasco da Gama around the Cape of Good Hope to Calicut, India. in 1498. Vasco da Gama did not bother much about conquests nor was he adequately and well enough equipped even to attempt to conquer any settlement of appreciable size; and the only main achievement of his first voyage was the discovery of a new route to India. But in the course of the journey he saw East Africa and had difficulties with Arab sultans and merchants especially in Mozambique, Kilwa island and Mombasa. In 1502, on his second expedition. da Gama was better equipped, having 20 ships, which was five times more than the vessels be used in his previous voyage. He was thus ready for any eventuality should the Arabs repeat their aggression towards the Portuguese.

On arrival in East Africa da Gama and Ruy Lourenco Ravasco hurled threats at the sheikhs of Kilwa, Zanzibar and Brava. They told them that their settlements would be burned down unless they were willing to acknowledge the supremacy of King Manoel 114 of Portugal and pay him a yearly tribute in gold. The sheikis would not heed the threats, however, and Portuguese attacks, which spread over a wide area, followed swiftly. By force majeure da Gama subdued Kilwa in 1502 and got the Sultan to agree to pay an annual tribute. Ravasco did the same with Zanzibar in the following year. The Portuguese then moved northwards to Mombasa and beyond. In all, Mombasa and Kilwa experienced the worst treatment from the Portuguese, presumably because they put up more determined resistance against them. Both were not only ruthlessly sacked, but also savagely burned and destroyed. Thus in Mombasa almost every living thing was destroyed and all who "failed to escape had been killed and burned. Lamu, Pate, Brava and Oja were the next targets of Portuguese attack. The two avoided destruction by capitulating early enough but Oja and Brava defied the attack. The first declared its allegiance to the ruler of Egypt instead, and both were "sacked and burnt". Mogadishu was the only town on the East Coast which seemed to have remained intact, having been assured of this happy situation by some unusually unfavourable weather conditions which effectively prevented the advance of the Portuguese. By about 1510 the Portuguese had ravaged the entire coast-line south of Mogadishu and could claim to have established effective political control there and seized the trade route to the sub-continent of India and beyond.

But the Portuguese lacked the necessary resources to keep the vast territories they had captured. Dissension and intrigue soon set in, and were followed by sabotage and assassinations of Arab quislings whom the Portuguese had installed as puppet rulers. In 1698, which was the bicentennial of da Gama’s historic voyage. The Sultan of Muscat in Oman Seif bin Sultan, who had been feeling increasingly envious of the Portuguese possessions in East Africa, incited the local Arabs to fight and they recaptured Mombasa from the Portuguese. These Arabs. repeated their performance in the following year by recapturing Kilwa and Pemba. But the Portuguese managed to regain Mombasa in 1727 only to lose it again, and this time for good, two years later. The Portuguese expulsion from Kilwa and Pemba in 1699 virtually ended their rule in East Africa north of Mozambique.

Meanwhile the Muscat Arabs had become virtually the dominant Arab group in East Africa notably after the earlier expulsion of the Portuguese from Fort Jesus in 1698. Pemba and Kilwa islands were two of their earliest strongholds. The Imam or the elected politico-spiritual leader of Oman then claimed as his territory all the east coast of Africa north of the Rufiji River and his governors (or liwalis) were put in charge of all the towns and settlements in the area. But neither this nor even the Portuguese expulsion from East Africa meant a tighter control over the East Coast by the Imam or Sultan of Muscat. At its best his hold on the territory remained "less than tenuous" and each city "was vassal only in proportion to the fewness of its cannon or the timidity of the local sheikhs".’ As seems always to be the case, the local so-called East African subjects of the Sultan of Muscat having removed the Portuguese were not prepared to be subjected to another colonial regime, as harsh and as ruthless in dealing with them as the Portuguese had been. They took advantage of the existence of an internal uprising against the Yorubi Sultans of Oman and by the early 1740s several of the east coast towns, notably Pate, Malindi, Pemba Kilwa island, Zanzibar and Mafia, were again showing signs of wanting to seek assistance from the Portuguese to rid themselves of their Arab masters. Sultan al-Hasan bin Ibrahim of Kilwa provided the necessary liaison with the Portuguese in Mozambique and reported to them in 1759 the eruption of war between Oman and the local Arab sultans in Mombasa and Pate. The apparent rap-preachment between the Portuguese and their former political vassals in the east coast culminated in an abortive Portuguese attempt in 1769 supposedly to "liberate" the Mazrui governors of Mombasa.

In the meantime the Yorubi dynasty of Oman (1711-1744) had been overthrown and replaced by the Omani Busaidi dynasty founded in 1744 by Ahmed bin Said al Busaidi who died in 1784. It was during his rule that Mombasa and Pate took the lead in expressing open and violent hostility against the Muscat Arabs which was soon copied elsewhere with frequent incidents of murdering the representatives of the Imam and of refusal to pay taxes to him. But it was not until after his death, when Oman had somewhat recovered from the effects of the protracted revolt against it by its Arab possessions in Asia, that any serious attempt was made to consolidate Oman's suzerainty over its African territory. Early in 1784 Said bin Ahmad, who was an unsuccessful claimant to the Omani throne, with his son Ali travelled in anger to the Zenji-lands and attempted to carve out a domain for himself. His son Ali subdued Kilwa island in the following year and soon after, Zanzibar also surrendered to them.

But the exploits of Saif bin Ahmad were short-lived. Imam’s forces arrived soon after, even before the surrender of Zanzibar was quite complete, and both islands were quickly regained and Ahmad banished to Lamu. A great deal still remained to be done, however, before the ruler of Oman could claim to have established an effective political control over his East African territory. This task was to be undertaken by the shrewd, tough and indomitable Seyyid Said bin Sultan (1806-I 856) who succeeded to the Omani throne after murdering the former Imam, his brother.

With his succession to the throne, Zanzibar soon emerged as the centre of Omani commercial operations on the East Coast of Africa and became also the chief slave trade market. He also directed his energies towards a final elimination of the nuisance of revolt in East Africa which had been "tolerated" to some extent by his predecessors owing to military weaknesses in Oman itself because of an internal uprising and political instability arising from it.

The hardest nut for Sultan Seyyid Said to crack was Mombasa with its Mazrui governors. The Mazrui Arabs who enjoyed a good reputation in Asia as able leaders and who seemed bent on becoming sovereign rulers somewhere, first took part in the leadership of Mombasa in 1727 when one of them became a deputy governor of the place. This, it will be remembered, was the year when the Portuguese regained Mombasa and then lost it two years later. After some time the Mazrui family became deeply entrenched in Mombasa with the seizure of power there by Ali bin Uthman al-Mazrui that by 1753 had also seized Pemba and unsuccessfully attempted to do the same thing with Zanzibar. A year after Seyyid Said had become ruler of Oman, another Mazrui governor, Ahmad bin Said al-Mazrui, extended political control over Pate and by 1814 he or his supporters had brought Lamu also under the domain of the Mazrui family. Thus the Mazrui challenge to the suzerainty of Seyyid Said on the East Coast of Africa became a factor which had to be reckoned with.

But Said was not in a position to do anything about this Mazrui defiance until the second decade of the nineteenth century since he had not yet consolidated his control over Oman itself. In 1822 Said dispatched Hamid bin Ahmad, who was his relative, to Zenji-bar and, within a short time Pate, Brava and Lamu were subjected to Oman. Omani efforts to inflict an early defeat upon the Mazrui in Mombasa were frustrated by some mix-up in which the British were involved; but in 1826 the British had withdrawn from there, and in the following year the Mazrui surrendered. They rebelled again shortly afterwards, however, when Said sailed back to Oman to try to quell a revolt there and it was not until about 1840 that the Mazrui were finally overcome. Said thus became the undisputed ruler of the entire East Coast of Africa north of Mozambique.

Meanwhile in 1832 Said had moved his palace to Zanzibar the better to be able, even before Mombasa capitulated, to tighten his control over a large section of East Africa. That is how modern Zanzibar was created.

In addition to being the gateway to East and Central Africa in the "pre-scramble for Africa" period, Zanzibar was also important for the role which its rulers played, albeit often by yielding to force majeure, in supporting efforts, mainly by the British, aimed at getting at the main sources and routes of the slave trade and ensuring its early abolition. By 1822 Sayyid Said had agreed to sign the Moresby Treaty which was to make "illegal", throughout his dominions, the "sale of slaves to subjects of Christian powers He also agreed to limit the slave traffic to ports in his African and Oman dominions. To confirm the Moresby Treaty and other existing trading regulations, the U.S. (1836) and Britain (1840) established diplomatic relations with Zanzibar and posted their consuls there. France also posted a consul. Zanzibar was thus the first territory in tropical Africa to enjoy such relations. In 1845 the Hamerton Treaty further restricted the slave trade to his East African dominions. This was a significant step for two main reasons: first, it tightened the noose around the neck of the East African slave trade; and second, it triggered bitter resentment and anger among the subjects of His Highness the Sultan. Muscat’s loss in revenue resulting from it was believed to be considerable, and it is generally accepted that this was one reason why Muscat pressed later for a separate sultan of its own. It is interesting to note that when a dispute about succession arose it was referred to Lord Charles Canning, then governor-general of India, for arbitration. He decided on 2 April 1861, that the late Sultan’s two sons (Thuwain and Majid) should divide their father’s possessions. Thuwain became the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and Majid of Zanzibar. Lord Canning further "pronounced the independence of Zanzibar, as part of the settlement. A year later Great Britain, Germany and France, in a joint multi-lateral declaration, recognized this independence. The recognition gave some international status to the Sultan’s claims over the mainland, but in 1886, as documented by the Delimitation Treaty, Great Britain and Germany violated the integrity of his territories. They, however, recognized his sovereignty over Zanzibar.

Earlier, stories told by such explorers as David Livingstone had ineffectiveness of the Hamerton Treaty of 1845 as slaves were still trafficked beyond the Sultan’s realm. For instance between 1867 and 1869, notwithstanding the determined efforts of British naval patrols, about "37,000 slaves were successfully smuggled overseas Sir Bartle Frere, a former governor of Bombay, headed a parliamentary committee which went to Zanzibar in January 1873 to persuade the Sultan to end the slave trade in his dominions. But Sultan Barghash, who had succeeded Majid in 1870, opposed the abolition of the slave trade. It was only after threats from the British Consul General, Sir John Kirk, that Barghash signed the treaty on 5 June 1873. This treaty made the slave trade illegal and the gates of the slave market were closed forthwith and forever. To commemorate this momentous emergence from darkness and inhumanity, the foundation stone of the Protestant Cathedral was laid on the same site shortly after, in 1873. Despite these favourable developments, the deeply entrenched institution of slavery did not yet seem to have been finally shaken. To be sure, the slave trade was illegal; but the legal status of slavery was not abolished in Zanzibar until 1897; the same objective was realized in Kenya in 1904. In Tanganyika it was not until the country had become a British mandated territory in 1919 that slavery was finally abolished.

Reference has already been made to the Delimitation Treaty signed by Germany and Great Britain between 29 October and 1 November 1886. The signatories had taken this step in an attempt to settle conflicting territorial claims over parts of East Africa. But they had done this without the Sultan being consulted. After this amputation of his dominions the Sultan retained sovereignty only over the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, and Lamu plus a 16 kilometre (ten mile) coastal strip, stretching from the Tana River in the north to the Ruvuma in the south. Britain and Germany divided between themselves the hinterland beyond the sixteen-kilometre limit by a line drawn from the Umba river westward to Lake Victoria and thus fixed the present boundary between Kenya and Tanganyika.

Barghash, as well as the Portuguese, reacted sharply to the Anglo-German agreement. Barghash sent cables of protest to London and Berlin requesting that he be given at least six months to consider the treaty. But this was not granted and he was forced to sign the treaty on 7 December 1886. He died in March 1888.

Humiliating losses of territory of this kind continued and Sultan Khalifa bin Said, who succeeded Barghash, also bowed to the inevitable, receiving £200,000 sterling from the Germans in exchange for the "Tanganyika" portion of the Littoral. The Imperial British East Africa Company, formed in 1885 to contest claims over parts of Tanganyika made by Dr. Carl Peters of Germany, was then busy reorganizing and was chartered by the Crown in September 1888, as the East Africa Company under the leadership of Sir William Mackinnon. The company operated in the Sultan’s coastal strip in exchange for payment of an annuity of £1 1,0(0 sterling. As the Empire builders increased their drive for the acquisition of territories in Africa, the further erosion both of Zanzibar’s independence and the Sultan’s sovereignty could hardly be avoided. In 1890 Germany and Britain signed the treaty of Heligoland by which they made a ‘‘swap" enabling the former to acquire Heligoland in exchange for her recognition of the latter’s protection over Zanzibar. The Kaiser, William II, unlike Bismarck who had just fallen, valued Heligoland, which is off the North German Coast, more than Zanzibar, because he needed the former in order to establish a naval base there. Uganda was also to be drawn within the British "sphere of influence" at a later date.

Social Organization Before colonial invasion, the indigenous people had built up formidable political systems and institutions. These were either kingdoms, chief-doms or social orders such as the Maasai Age-set rule. The Nyamwezi people under chief Mirambo, the Hehe under chief Mkwawa and a series of kingdoms among the Chagga and the Haya people are some of such developments recorded.

It is from some of these institutions that resistance to colonial domination, subjugation and exploitation emerged from late 19th century to the 20th century. For instance, in 1905-7, through the famous "Majimaji War" the people in the Southern part of Tanzania took up arms and fought the German rulers there. Helped by the world wars, eventually, the local people kicked the Germans out of Tanganyika. Traces of historic exotic artifacts have been made as evidences of the interactions between Tanzanians and the rest of the world societies. The Periplus of the Erythrean sea, for instance, puts clear the record that the East African coast had strong political developments.

Further Arabian influence in the country is recorded since the 7th century after the Birth of Christ. The occupation of the Isles and the Coastal areas by Asian societies did culminate in a systematic inhuman slave trade. Tired of cosmetic political changes in Zanzibar, the "Zenj" people evicted the Arabian rulers in 1964 through an armed revolution.

Similarly, after a protracted occupation by the unsuspecting traders, explorers and missionaries from Europe since the 15th Century Tanzania found itself being subjected to systematic colonial domination by Germany and Great Britain at different times before 1961. The Great Berlin conference of 1884 was the springboard of all what had happened for subjugating Tanzania and Africa.

During the domination of Tanzania by Germans, British and Arabs, the indigenous people were decimated, lost their destiny and cultural identity, were economically exploited and their technology disrupted. However, the worst evil of all committed by colonialists has been their wishful intent to discourage individual initiative to venture, discover, make attempts and to fabricate. The outcome is the current dependency status!

As early as 1950's different, but very interesting forms of modern struggles for independence were being created. For example by 1954 the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), a political party already was a force to reckon with under the able leadership of Julius Kambarage. Nyerere. It is under the same political party that Tanzania got rid of British domination in 1961. In Zanzibar, the Afro Shirazi Party emerged late in the 1950's and toppled the arab rule on the island in 1964. Tanganyika and Zanzibar United in that year to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

Colonial Period German East Africa

The first agent of German imperialism was Carl Peters, who, with Joachim, Count Pfeil and Karl Juhlke, evaded the sultan of Zanzibar late in 1884 to land on the mainland. He made a number of "contracts" in the Usambara area by which several chiefs were said to have surrendered their territory to him. Peters' activities were confirmed by Bismarck. By the Anglo-German Agreement of 1886 the sultan of Zanzibar's vaguely substantiated claims to dominion on the mainland were limited to a 10-mile-wide coastal strip, and Britain and Germany divided the hinterland between them as spheres of influence, the region to the south becoming known as German East Africa. Following the example of the British to the north, the Germans obtained a lease of the coastal strip from the sultan in 1888, but their tactlessness and fear of commercial competition led to a Muslim rising in August 1888. The rebellion was put down only after the intervention of the imperial German government and with the assistance of the British navy.

Recognizing the administrative inability of the German East Africa Company, which had thereto ruled the country, the German government declared a protectorate over its sphere of influence in 1891 and over the coastal strip, where the company had bought out the sultan's rights. Germany was anxious to exploit the resources of its new dependency, but lack of communications at first restricted development to the coastal area. The introduction of sisal from Mexico in 1892 by the German agronomist Richard Hindorff marked the beginning of the territory's most valuable industry, which was encouraged by the development of a railway from the new capital of Dar es Salaam to Lake Tanganyika. In 1896 work began on the construction of a railway running northeastward from Tanga to Moshi, which it reached in 1912. This successfully encouraged the pioneer coffee-growing activities on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Wild rubber tapped by Africans, together with plantation-grown rubber, helped swell the country's economy. The government also supplied good-quality cottonseed free to African growers and sold it cheaply to European planters. The administration tried to make good the lack of clerks and minor craftsmen by encouraging the development of schools, an activity in which various missionary societies were already engaged.

The enforcement of German overlordship was strongly resisted, but control was established by the beginning of the 20th century. Almost at once came a reaction to German methods of administration, the outbreak of the Maji Maji rising in 1905. Although there was little organization behind it, the rising spread over a considerable portion of southeastern Tanganyika and was not finally suppressed until 1907. It led to a reappraisal of German policy in East Africa. The imperial government had attempted to protect African land rights in 1895 but had failed in its objective in the Kilimanjaro area. Similarly, liberal labour legislation had not been properly implemented. The German government set up a separate Colonial Department in 1907, and more money was invested in East Africa. A more liberal form of administration rapidly replaced the previous semimilitary system.

World War I put an end to all German experiments. Blockaded by the British navy, the country could neither export produce nor get help from Germany. The British advance into German territory continued steadily from 1916 until the whole country was eventually occupied. The effects of the war upon Germany's achievements in East Africa were disastrous; the administration and economy were completely disrupted. In these circumstances the Africans reverted to their old social systems and their old form of subsistence farming. Under the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Britain received a League of Nations mandate to administer the territory except for Ruanda-Urundi, which came under Belgian administration, and the Kionga triangle, which went to Portugal.

Tanganyika Territory.

Sir Horace Byatt, administrator of the captured territory and, from 1920 to 1924, first British governor and commander in chief of Tanganyika Territory (as it was then renamed), enforced a period of recuperation before new development plans were set on foot. A Land Ordinance (1923) ensured that African land rights were secure. Sir Donald Cameron, governor from 1925 to 1931, infused a new vigour into the country. He reorganized the system of native administration by the Native Authority Ordinance (1926) and the Native Courts Ordinance (1929). His object was to build up local government on the basis of traditional authorities, an aim that he pursued with doctrinaire enthusiasm and success. He attempted to silence the criticisms by Europeans that had been leveled against his predecessor by urging the creation of a Legislative Council in 1926 with a reasonable number of nonofficial members, both European and Asian. In his campaign to develop the country's economy, Cameron won a victory over opposition from Kenya by gaining the British government's approval for an extension of the Central Railway Line from Tabora to Mwanza (1928). His attitude toward European settlers was determined by their potential contribution to the country's economy. He was, therefore, surprised by the British government's reluctance to permit settlement in Tanganyika. The economic depression after 1929 resulted in the curtailment of many of Cameron's development proposals. In the 1930s, too, Tanganyika was hampered by fears that it might he handed back to Germany in response to Hitler's demands for overseas possessions.

At the outbreak of World War II Tanganyika's main task was to make itself as independent as possible of imported goods. Inevitably the retrenchment evident in the 1930s became still more severe, and, while prices for primary products soared, the value of money depreciated proportionately. Tanganyika's main objective after the war was to ensure that its program for economic recovery and development should go ahead. The continuing demand for primary produce strengthened the country's financial position. The chief item in the development program was a plan to devote 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) of land to the production of peanuts (the Groundnuts Scheme). The plan, which was to be financed by the British government, was to cost £25 million, and, in addition, a further £4.5 million would be required for the construction of a railway in southern Tanganyika. It failed because of the lack of adequate preliminary investigations and was subsequently carried out on a greatly reduced scale.

Constitutionally, the most important immediate postwar development was the British government's decision to place Tanganyika under UN trusteeship (1947). Under the terms of the trusteeship agreement, Britain was called upon to develop the political life of the territory, which, however, only gradually began to take shape in the 1950s with the growth of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). The first two African members had been nominated to the Legislative Council in December 1945. This number was subsequently increased to four, with three Asian nonofficial members and four Europeans. An official majority was retained. In an important advance in 1955, the three races were given parity of representation on the unofficial side of the council with 10 nominated members each, and for a time it seemed as if this basis would persist. The first elections to the unofficial side of the council, however, enabled TANU to show its strength, for even among the European and Asian candidates only those supported by TANU were elected.

A constitutional committee in 1959 unanimously recommended that after the elections in 1960 a large majority of the members of both sides of the council should be Africans and that elected members should form the basis of the government. The approval of the British colonial secretary was obtained for these proposals in December 1959, and in September 1960 a predominantly TANU government took office. The emergence of this party and its triumph over the political apathy of the people were largely due to the leadership of Julius Nyerere. Tanganyika became independent on Dec. 9, 1961, with Nyerere as its first prime minister.

Zanzibar

British Protectorate

In 1890 what was left of the sultanate was proclaimed a British protectorate, and in 1891 a constitutional government was instituted under British auspices, with Sir Lloyd Mathews as first minister.On 14 December 1895, the Sultan was confronted with a new fait accompli involving the transfer of the administration of the Littoral to the British Government which was assuming administrative responsibility over the areas formerly administered by the IBEAC. The Sultan signed a document and the British Government agreed to continue paying the £11,000 annuity which the company had been paying.

In August 1896, on the death of the ruling sultan, Hamad ibn Thuwayn, the royal palace at Zanzibar was seized by Khalid, a son of Sultan Barghash, who proclaimed himself sultan. The British government disapproved, and, as he refused to submit, the palace was bombarded by British warships. Khalid escaped and took refuge at the German consulate, whence he was conveyed to German East Africa. Hamud ibn Mohammed was then installed as sultan (Aug. 27, 1896). In 1897 the legal status of slavery was finally abolished.

In 1913 Zanzibar was transferred from the Foreign to the Colonial Office and the Governor of the East African Protectorate, which seven years later became known as Kenya Colony, was in addition appointed the High Commission of Zanzibar. On the spot in Zanzibar a British Resident was appointed to administer the affairs of the Protectorate and, until 1926, was answerable to the High Commissioner in Nairobi. In that year Executive and Legislative Councils were introduced and the British Resident used the latter as the main instrument of authority which he needed for the administration of the Protectorate.

In the same year another important feature was incorporated in the Constitution. The position of the British Resident was very much strengthened by making him directly responsible to the Colonial Secretary in London instead of to the High Commissioner in Nairobi. In fact the office of the latter was abolished. The Sultan welcomed these changes as being calculated to familiarize his subjects with the workings of government in a way which had not hitherto been feasible.

In the Legislative Council the people of Zanzibar were henceforth to be represented by a minority of nominated unofficial members. Decrees proclaimed by the Sultan were in future to receive the approval of the legislature; but as the Council had an official majority with the window-dressing participation of a wholly nominated unofficial membership, such approval was expected to be automatic and formal rather than substantive.

Khalifa ibn Harub had became sultan in 1911. He was the leading Muslim prince in East Africa, and his moderating influence did much to steady Muslim opinion in that part of Africa at times of political crisis, especially during the two world wars. He died on Oct. 9, 1960, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Abdullah ibn Khalifa.

In November 1960 the British Parliament approved a new constitution for Zanzibar. The first elections to the Legislative Council then established were held in January 1961 and ended in a deadlock. Further elections, held in June, were marked by serious rioting and heavy casualties. Ten seats were won by the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP), representing mainly the African population; 10 by the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP), representing mainly the Zanzibari Arabs; and 3 by the Zanzibar and Pemba People's Party (ZPPP), an offshoot of the ZNP. The ZNP and ZPPP combined to form a government with Mohammed Shamte Hamadi as chief minister.

A constitutional conference held in London in 1962 was unable to fix a date for the introduction of internal self-government or for independence, because of failure to agree on franchise qualifications, the number of elected seats in the legislature, and the timing of the elections. An independent commission, however, subsequently delimited new constituencies and recommended an increase in the numbers of the Legislative Council, which the council accepted, also agreeing to the introduction of universal adult suffrage. Internal self-government was established in June 1963, and elections held the following month resulted in a victory for the ZNP-ZPPP coalition, which won 18 seats, the ASP winning the remaining 13. Final arrangements for independence were made at a conference in London in September. In October it was agreed that the Kenya coastal strip a territory that extended 10 miles inland along the Kenya coast from the Tanganyika frontier to Kipini and that had long been administered by Kenya although nominally under the sovereignty of Zanzibar would become an integral part of Kenya on that country's attainment of independence.

________History
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Tanzania

Northern Tanganyika's famed Olduvai Gorge has provided rich evidence of the area's prehistory including fossil remains of some of humanity's earliest ancestors. Discoveries suggest that East Africa may have been the site of human origin. Zanzibar

Tanzania

An early Arab/Persian trading center Zanzibar fell under Portuguese domination in the 16th and early 17th centuries but was retaken by Omani Arabs in the early 18th century. The height of Arab rule came during the reign of Sultan Seyyid Said who encouraged the development of clove plantations using the island's slave labor.

The Arabs established their own garrisons at Zanzibar Pemba and Kilwa and carried on a lucrative trade in slaves and ivory. By 1840 Said had transferred his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar and established a ruling Arab elite. The island's commerce fell increasingly into the hands of traders from the Indian subcontinent who Said encouraged to settle on the island.

Zanzibar's spices attracted ships from as far away as the United States. A U.S. consulate was established on the island in 1837. The United Kingdom's early interest in Zanzibar was motivated by both commerce and the determination to end the slave trade. In 1822 the British signed the first of a series of treaties with Sultan Said to curb this trade but not until 1876 was the sale of slaves finally prohibited.

The Anglo-German agreement of 1890 made Zanzibar and Pemba a British protectorate. British rule through a sultan remained largely uncharged from the late 19th century until after World War II.

Zanzibar's political development began in earnest after 1956 when provision was first made for the election of six non-government members to the Legislative Cou

Northern Tanganyika's famed Olduvai Gorge has provided rich evidence of the area's prehistory including fossil remains of some of humanity's earliest ancestors. Discoveries suggest that East Africa may have been the site of human origin. Zanzibar

An early Arab/Persian trading center Zanzibar fell under Portuguese domination in the 16th and early 17th centuries but was retaken by Omani Arabs in the early 18th century. The height of Arab rule came during the reign of Sultan Seyyid Said who encouraged the development of clove plantations using the island's slave labor.

The Arabs established their own garrisons at Zanzibar Pemba and Kilwa and carried on a lucrative trade in slaves and ivory. By 1840 Said had transferred his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar and established a ruling Arab elite. The island's commerce fell increasingly into the hands of traders from the Indian subcontinent who Said encouraged to settle on the island.

Zanzibar's spices attracted ships from as far away as the United States. A U.S. consulate was established on the island in 1837. The United Kingdom's early interest in Zanzibar was motivated by both commerce and the determination to end the slave trade. In 1822 the British signed the first of a series of treaties with Sultan Said to curb this trade but not until 1876 was the sale of slaves finally prohibited.

ncil. Two parties were formed: the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP) presenting the dominant Arab and "Arabized" minority and the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) led by Abaid Karume and representing the Shirazis and the African majority.

The first elections were held in July 1957 and the ASP won three of the six elected seats with the remainder going to independents. Following the election the ASP split; some of its Shirazi supporters left to form the Zanzibar and Pemba People's Party (ZPPP). The January 1961 election resulted in a deadlock between the ASP and a ZNP-ZPPP coalition.

On April 26 1964 Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar renamed the United Republic of Tanzania on October 29.

United Republic of Tanzania

TANU and the Afro-Shirazi Party of Zanzibar were merged into a single party (Chama cha Mapinduzi--CCM Revolutionary Party) on February 5 1977. On April 26 1977 the union of the two parties was ratified in a new constitution. The merger was reinforced by principles enunciated in the 1982 union constitution and reaffirmed in the constitution of 1984.

The elections that followed the granting of self-government in June 1963 produced similar results. Zanzibar received its independence from the United Kingdom on December 19 1963 as a constitutional monarchy under the sultan. On January 12 1964 the African majority revolted against the sultan and a new government was formed with the ASP leader Abeid Karume as president of Zanzibar and chairman of the Revolutionary Council. Under the terms of its political union with Tanganyika in April 1964 the Zanzibar Government retained considerable local autonomy.

Abeid Karume was named First Vice President of the union government a post he held until his assassination in April 1972. Aboud Jumbe a fellow member of the ASP and the Revolutionary Council was appointed to succeed Karume. In 1981 32 persons were selected to serve in the Zanzibar House of Representatives. The election marked the first poll since the 1964 revolution. In 1984 Jumbe resigned and was replaced by Ali Hassan Mwinyi as both President of Zanzibar and First Vice President of Tanzania. In the election of 1985 Mwinyi was elected President of the United Republic of Tanzania; Idris Wakil was elected President of Zanzibar and Second Vice President of Tanzania. In 1990 Wakil retired and was replaced as President of Zanzaibar by Salmin Amour.

In 1977 Nyerere merged TANU with the Zanzibar ruling party the ASP to form the CCM as the sole ruling party in both parts of the union. The CCM was to be the sole instrument for mobilizing and controlling the population in all significant political or economic activities. He envisioned the party as a "two-way street" for the flow of ideas and policy directives between the village level and the government.

President Nyerere handed over power to his successor President Ali Hassan Mwinyi in 1985 Nyerere retained his position as Chairman of the ruling party for five more years but in 1990 this post also was passed on to Mwinyi who started his last five-year terms at that time. Nyerere retired from formal politics but remains influential behind the scenes.

In 1990 in response to the currents of democracy sweeping much of the world Tanzania began making substantial changes to its political system of a down.

__________Practical Information
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Country Location

Tanzania is located in Eastern Africa between longitude 290 and 410 East. Latitude 10 and 120 South.

Most Northerly point: Bukoba 10 South Latitude

Most Southerly point: Mtalika 120 South latitude

Most Westerly point: Kigoma 290 East of Greenwhich

Most easterly point: Mtwara 410 East of Greenwhich

Tanzania has frontier to the following countries:

North : Kenya and Uganda

West: Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo

South: Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique

East: Indian Ocean

Geographical Features

Tanzania is the biggest of the East Africa countries (i.e. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania). Has a spectacular landscape of mainly three physiographic regions namely the Islands and the coastal plains to the east; the inland saucer-shaped plateau; and the highlands. The Great Rift Valley that runs from north east of Africa through central Tanzania is another landmark that adds to the scenic view of the country. The rift valley runs to south of Tanzania spliting at Lake Nyasa; one branch runs down beyond Lake Nyasa to Mozambique; and another branch to north-west alongside Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and western part of Uganda. The valley is dotted with unique lakes which includes Lakes Rukwa, Tanganyika, Nyasa, Kitangiri, Eyasi and Manyara. The uplands includes the famous Kipengere, Udzungwa, Matogoro, Livingstone, and the Fipa plateau forming the southern highlands. The Usambara, Pare, Meru, Kilimanjaro, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Oldonyo Lengai, all form the northern highlands. From these highlands and the central saucer plateau flow the drainage system to the Indian ocean, Atlantic ocean, Mediterranean sea and the inland drainage system.

Mountain Summits:

(metres above sea level)

Mount Kilimanjaro

5,895

Mount Meru

4,566

Mount Rungwe

2,960

Uluguru Mountains

2,648

Rubeho Mountains

2,576

Livingstone Mountains

2,521

Mbizi Mountain

2,418

Mahari Mountain

2,373

Usambara Mountains

2,300

Climate:

Tanzania has a tropical type of climate. In the highlands, temperatures range between 100c and 200c.during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures never falling lower than 200c. The hottest period spreads between November and February (250c - 310c) while the coldest period occurs between May and August (150c - 200c).

Two rainfall regimes exist over Tanzania. One is unimodal (December - April) and the other is bimodal (October -December and March - May). The former is experienced in southern, south-west, central and western parts of the country, and the later is found to the north and northern coast.

In the bimodal regime the March - May rains are referred to as the long rains or Masika, whereas the October - December rains are generally known as short rains or Vuli.

Country Profile

Area: Total 945,000 km2

Mainland: 881,000km2

Zanzibar: 2,000 km2

Water: 62,000 km2

Forest and woodlands: 3.350 km2

Political system: Multi party democracy

Administration:

26 administrative regions (21 mainland and 5 Zanzibar), 130 administrative districts (Zanzibar has 10 and Mainland has 120 administrative districts).

Population:

Estimated at 33 million people (2002);

- about 51% are women; and

- about 46% are under age 15.

Poverty: About 50% of the population are living below the poverty line.

Per Capital GNP: Estimated at US $ 246 (2001) (US$1 = T.shs. 800 in 2001)

Per Capital GDP: Estimated at US$ 251 (2001) (US$1 = T.shs. 800 in 2001)

Natural Resources:

Minerals - gold, diamonds, tanzanite and various other gemstones, natural gas, iron ore, coal, spring water, phosphates, soda ash and salt.

Wildlife and Tourism - 12 National Parks, the Ngorongoro conservation Area, 13 Game reserves, 38 Game Controlled Areas: National Cultural Heritage Sites (about 120 sites)

Fisheries - three large lakes: Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa, the Indian Ocean coastline, rivers and wetlands. Potential yield of fish from natural waters is estimated to be 730,000 metric tons annually, present catch is 350,000 metric tons.

Forestry and Beekeeping Non-reserved forest-land (1,903.8 km2), forest/woodlands with national parks etc (200 km2), and Gazetted forest reserves (1,251.7 km2).

Currency: Official currency is the Tanzania shilling or 100cents which approximate US$ 0.004.

Tanzania Shilling exchange rate US$ 1 = T.shs. 800 (2001).

Capital City

With a population of almost 300,000 (1998) Dodoma which is located at a distance of 309 km west of Dar es Salaam, is the country's political capital. Dar es Salaam is the country's commercial capital. Other big urban centres include Arusha; Moshi, Tanga and Mwanza to the north of the country, Morogoro in the east; Mbeya and Iringa, to the west. Tabora and Shinyanga are also important economic hubs in central Tanzania. Mwanza and Dar es Salaam are two cities in Tanzania so far.

National Holidays (2004)

DATE

OCCASIONS

1 January

New Year

12 January

Zanzibar Revolution Day 2* February

Idd el Haj (depends on moon sighting) 9 April Good Friday 12 April Easter Monday 26 April Union Day 1 May Workers Day 2* May Maulid ( depends on moon sighting) 7 July International Trade Fair 8 August Farmers' Day 14 October Mwalimu Nyerere Day and Climax of “uhuru Torch Race” 18* & 19 * October Idd - El Fitr 9 December Indepedence Day 25 December Christmas Day 26 December Boxing Day

National Symbols

The National Flag

Ratio length to breadth: Three to two, e.g. 3ft. x 2ft., 6ft. x 4ft. 12ft. x 8ft. Description: Green - Golden - Black and Blue, having the black center stripe centred on diagonal rising from flag-mast to top edge of the fly, two smaller golden stripes dividing the upper triangle portion which is green and the lower triangle portion which is blue. Proportions of colours: Black center stripe, centred on diagonal of flag of 6ft. x 4ft., is 13/48 of fly and 13" wide. Golden stripes are each 1/16 of fly and 3" wide. Colour Code and Significance:

B.S. No. 2660: 1955

Black: B.S. No. 9-103 - the People

Green: B.S. No. 0-010 - the Land

Blue: B.S. No. 0-012 - the Adjoining Sea

Golden: B.S. No. 0-002 - the Mineral wealth Uwiano wa Urefu

Kwa Upana:-

Maelezo: Tatu kwa mbili, mfano ft.3 x ft.2, ft.6 x ft.4, ft.12 x ft.8

Ina rangi za Kijani, Dhahabu, Nyeusi na Bluu ambapo rangi nyeusi imepita katikati ya bendera kuanzia pembe ya chini kwenye mlingoti na kuishia pembe ya juu kulia. Rangi hii huigawa bendera katika sehemu mbili zenye umbo la pembe tatu. Rangi nyeusi imetenganishwa na pember tatu ya juu yenye rangi ya kijani na pembe tatu ya chini yenye rangi ya bluu kwa mistari miwili midogo yenye rangi ya dhahabu. Viwango vya rangi na maana zake.

Nyeusi - Kiwango na. 9-103 - Watu

Kijani - Kiwango na. 0-010 - Ardhi

Bluu - Kiwango na. 0-012 - Bahari + Maziwa Dhahabu - Kiwango na. 0-002 - Madini Uwiano wa Rangi:

Rangi nyeusi kwa bender ya

Ft.6 x ft.4 ni 13/48 kwenda juu na

Ft.13 upana. Mistari ya dhahabu ni 1/16 kwenda juu na 3" upana kila mmoja.

The Tanzania National Anthem

KISWAHILI VERSION

WIMBO WA TAIFA

1. Mungu Ibariki Afrika

Wabariki viongozi wake

Hekima, umoja na amani

Hizi ni ngao zetu

Afrika na watu wake.

CHORUS:

Ibariki, Afrika

Ibariki, Afrika

Tubaki, watoto wa Afrika

2. Mungu Ibariki Tanzania

Dumisha uhuru na umoja

Wake kwa waume na watoto

Mungu, Ibariki

Tanzania, na watu wake.

CHORUS:

Ibariki, Tanzania

Ibariki, Tanzania

Tubariki, watoto wa Tanzania.

NATIONAL ANTHEM

FREE ENGLISH TRANSLATION

1. God Bless Africa

Bless its leaders

Let Wisdom Unity and

Peace be the shield of

Africa and its people

CHORUS:

Bless Africa

Bless Africa

Bless the children of Africa.

2. God Bless Tanzania

Grant eternal Freedom and Unity

To its sons and daughters.

God Bless Tanzania and its People.



CHORUS:

Bless Tanzania

Bless Tanzania

Bless the children of Tanzania

The Tanzania National Coat of Arms

The central feature of the Coat of Arms is a Warrior’s Shield which bears a Golden portion on the upper part followed underneath by the United Republic flag of Green, Golden, Black and Blue; and a red portion under which are wavy bands of blue and white.

The Golden portion represents minerals in the United Republic; the red portion underneath the flag symbolizes the red soil of Africa; while the wavy bands represent the land, sea, lakes and coastal lines of the United Republic.

Superimposed features on the Shield are flames of a burning torch which signifies freedom, enlightment and knowledge; a spear signifying defence of freedom and crossed axe and hoe being tools that the people of the United Republic use in developing the country.

The Shield is set upon a representation of Mount Kilimanjaro. On each side of the Shield there is an elephant tusk supported by a man on the right and a woman on the left. At the feet of the man is a clove bush and at the feet of the woman is a cotton bush – thus indicating the theme of co-operation.

The United Republic motto – Uhuru na Umoja – is written in Kiswahili and it means ‘Freedom and Unity’.

The Uhuru Tourch

The Uhuru Torch symbolizes freedom and light. It was first lit on top of mount Kilimanjaro (5,890m) in 1961. Symbolically to Shine the country and across the borders to bring hope where there is despair, love where there is enemity and respect where there is hatred. Yearly there is the Uhuru Torch race, starting from different prominent places.

Contributors
December 24, 2004 new by yonamaro
Currency

The local currency is the Tanzania Shiling (TZS)


_________Getting Around
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Less perfect road, Kilosa distr.

Less perfect road, Kilosa distr.

Ingvar
When to go

For the best times of year to visit Tanzania, visit the climate page.

How to get around

Coastal Travels and Precision Air offer a wide variety of aircharters and scheduled flights between Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Selous, Mafia, Ruaha, Zanzibar and Lake Manyara as well as other destinations in Tanzania

Organising Safaris, Treks, Transport and Accommodations in Tanzania
For tailor-made, responsible holidays to suit individual interests and requirements, contact Aim 4 Africa, who are based in the United Kingdom but originate from and have strong links with Tanzania. The company focuses on responsible holidays where local communities benefit, whilst ensuring that visitors to Tanzania get to experience the best that this wonderfully diverse country has to offer. Safaris to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Eyasi, Natron, Tarangire, Selous, Ruaha, Mahale, Gombe, Katavi, Saadani and some of the less well known areas in Tanzania; Treks up Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru, walking safaris, canoeing, cycling, hot air ballooning; Diving, sailing and beach holidays in Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia islands. They also can help organize extensions to the neighboring countries of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. For more information visit www.aim4africa.com, Tel: +44 114 255 2533 (or 0845 4084541 within the UK)

Visa Information

England: Further information con be obtained from the Tanzania High Commission in London.

North America:

Consulate in New York, 205 East 42nd Street, Suite #1300, New York, New York 10017

Telephone#(212) 972-9160, Fax# (212) 682-5232

9:30AM -1:30PM Visa Office Hours

Embassy Washington DC

2139 R Street NW, stockholm, DC 20008

Tel (202) 939-6125, Fax# (202) 797-7408

9:00AM-1:00PM Visa Office Hours

TTB Representation

North American Public Relations & Marketing Contact

The Bradford Group, 347 Fifth Avenue, Suite 610, New York, NY 10016

Tel (212) 447-0027, Fax: (212) 725-8253

_________Getting There
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International air connections to Tanzania, including code share (possibly not complete):

Addis Ababa to Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro: Ethiopian Airlines

Amsterdam to Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro: KLM

Beira (Mozambique) to Dar es Salaam: LAM

Blantyre (Malawi) to Dar es Salaam: Air Malawi

Dubai to Dar es Salaam: Emirates

Entebbe to Dar es Salaam: Air Tanzania

Frankfurt a.M. to Kilimanjaro: Condor Flugdienst

Harare to Dar es Salaam: Air Tanzania

Johannesburg to Dar es Salaam: Air Tanzania, SAA

Lilongwe to Dar es Salaam: Air Malawi

London to Dar es Salaam: British Airways

Lusaka to Dar es Salaam: Air Tanzania

Maputo to Dar es Salaam: LAM

Mombasa to Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro: Precision Air, Kenya Airways

Mombasa to Zanzibar: Precision Air, Kenya Airways

Moroni (Comores) to Dar es Salaam: Air Tanzania

Muscat to Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar: Oman Air, Gulf Air

Nairobi to Dar es Salaam: Precision Air, Kenya Airways

Nairobi to Kilimanjaro: Precision Air, Kenya Airways, Air Kenya Aviation

Nairobi to Mwanza: Precision Air

Nairobi to Zanzibar: Precision Air, Kenya Airways

Nampula (Mozambique) to Dar es Salaam: LAM

Pemba (Mozambique) to Dar es Salaam LAM

Zürich to Dar es Salaam: Swiss, American Airlines

Direct buses run from Entebbe and Nairobi through Arusha to Dar es Salaam. There are also buses from Mombasa to Dar es Salaam and from Voi to Moshi. Visitors who prefer to fly in or out through Nairobi can use the Impala Shuttle bus between Nairobi and Arusha. Overland travel from Ruanda is by local buses and minibuses. There are also buses crossing the border from Malawi. Any overland travel from Burundi should not be attempted.

From Mozambique Tanzania can be reached from the town Quionga from where there are minibuses (or similar) to a simple ferry at the mouth of the river Ruvuma. Once on the Tanzanian side, the travel continues to Mtwara, if some kind of transport can be found and if the road on the river floodplain is negotiable.

There are passenger trains from Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia to Dar es Salaam. Indeed, once a year an old-style train leaves from Cape Town to appear in Dar es Salaam 13 days later. The price is forbidding for most of us.

There are also passenger ships on Lake Nyassa from Malawi to Itungi Port and on Lake Tanganyika from Zambia and Burundi to Kigoma. There is conflicting information on whether there is or is not at present any vessel between Uganda and Mwanza.

_________Economy
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Economic Survey For a long time the Tanzania economy has suffered several shocks with severe destabilizing effects. They include the oil shocks. collapse of commodity prices, drought, breakup of the East African Community and the Uganda war. These shocks coupled with a poor policy regime culminated in severe economic crisis in the early 1930s. Several adjustment measures were implemented since 1981 but by mid 1990 fiscal instability was still severe.

The privatisation programme is now concentrating on the large and monopolistic enterprises whose privatisation has to be preceded by formulation of a legal and regulatory framework.

In early 1996, the Government committed itself to a shadow programme monitored by the IMF and from September 1996 a three-year Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) underpinned by a Policy Framework Paper (PFP). To-date, Tanzania has made significant progress in restoring macro economic stability. Overall fiscal balance (including grant) has been a surplus of around 0.8 to I.2 percent of GDP during the past three years. Inflation has been controlled from more than 30 percent in 1995 to 6.6 percent in early 2000. Foreign reserves have increased from 1.5 months of merchandise imports in 1995 to 4.5 months currently.

The Government recognises the need for a robust high growth to fight the nation-wide poverty. Higher (6-8 percent) and sustained growth is necessary. While growth is necessary it is important that it is broad-based and centred on improving the livelihoods of the poor.

The Government is committed to consolidating and intensifying the macroeconomic progress achieved to-date

Policy Framework Since the mid— 1980’s, Tanzania has implemented far—reaching reforms in the political system, economic management and Government administration. In 1992, a multiparty’ democracy system was introduced and successful multiparty elections were held in 1995. The second multiparty elections are due in October 2000. The economic reform programmes that commenced in 1986 have converted the command-based economy into a market one. Trade, exchange rates and interest rates are now fully liberalised. The reform of parastatals has privatised/divested about half of the more that 4001 parastatals. The public service reform has cut down the workforce in Government from 355.000 (1992) to 270,000 (1997), rationalised and streamlined functions and structures and salaries, introduced new management systems (performance! output based) and strengthened local Government through the formulation and implementation of the Local Government Reform Programme

Economic Indicators

Table 3A: Gross Domestic Products (Monetary & non-Monetary GDPfc) By Kind of Economic Activity (At Constant 1992 Prices) Table 4A: Gross Domestic Products (Monetary & non-Monetary GDPfc) By Kind of Economic Activity-Percentage Growth Rates (At Constant 1992 Prices)

Economic Performance

Output

Tanzania Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant 1992 prices recorded an average of real growth rate of 4.0 percent per annum during 1996-1999. Given the annual population growth rate of 2.8 percent, per capita real growth rate was around 1.2 percent. The composition of GDP is such that, agricultural sector accounts for around 50.0 percent, followed by trade sector which accounts for around 16.0 percent. Financial and business services rank third at the tune of 10 percent, followed by the industrial sector by around 8.0 percent. The mining sector has been contributing around 2.0 percent, but there is a bright future for the sector as foreign investments continue to flowing in. It is apparent that in the near future the sector will record a significant proportion of GDP.

Exports

Major exports from Tanzania are agricultural commodities. During 1996-99 agricultural exports accounted for around 56 percent of total merchandise exports. Major agricultural exports are coffee, cotton, tea, tobacco, cashewnuts, and sisal. Industrial exports have been on the rise following adoption of trade liberalization, and privatization of public enterprises. Tourism is a booming sector recording earnings of over US $ 500 million annually. Exports of minerals account earnings of around US $ 50 million, but given heavy foreign investments flowing it this sector, it is expected that the value of such exports will increase significantly in the near future. The value of total merchandise exports has been declining since 1996 as a result of declining agricultural exports caused by unfavorable weather conditions.

Economic Performance Indicators:

Please refer to the Economic Survey

_________Tours and Excursions
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Northern Parks

The most developed, but unspoilt, Tanzanian tourist route is the Northern circuit which encompasses many of the parks and reserves in Northern Tanzania. The circuit includes many famous national parks and landmarks:

• Serengeti National Park

• Ngorongoro Conservation Area

• Mount Kilimanjaro

Africa's highest mountain.

Other famous parks include:

• Tarangire National Park

• Lake Manyara National Park

• Arusha National Park

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Probably the most important consideration for any visitor to Tanzania is the time of year. Broadly speaking the rains fall in East Africa between April and May, and November. See climate for more.

--> Southern Parks

In the south of Tanzania lie some of the most untouched game reserves in Africa:

• Selous Game Reserve

Remote and wild, the Selous is the largest game reserve in Africa. The Rufiji River flows through the reserve attracting great herds of Tanzania elephant and allowing the visitor to experience the reserve by boat. The reserve has the largest number of elephants out of all the reserved wildlife areas in the country. It also has a wide variety of other animals including lion, wild dog and crocodiles.

• Ruaha National Park

Due to its relative inaccessibility Ruaha is Africa as it once was yet with all the comforts that today's traveller expects. The name derives from the great Ruaha River which flows along its entire border creating spectacular gorges. The Ruaha protects a wide variety of habitats including evergreen forest and swamp and contains the largest elephant population of Tanzania.

Western Parks

In Western Tanzania, on the banks of Lake Tanganyika, lie two parks that are famous for their wild chimpanzees and the research that goes on into animal behaviour.

• Mahale Mountains National Park

• Gombe Stream National Park

Contributors
December 24, 2004 new by yonamaro (1 point)

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African Safari Journals
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Trip journals contain valuable nuggets of information that will improve your safari experience to Tanzania immensely.

African Safari Journals has a collection of Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater diaries written by people who have travelled there on safari to provide you with advice, recommendations and tips that you won't find anywhere else.


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url: www.african-safari-journals.com
address: 8 Moorland Court, Ardrossan Gardens, Worcester park, UK
tel: 0208 224 1044
Tour Tanzania Safaris
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i
photo by: Rama

The Tour Tanzania Safaris is a comprehensive information service for visitors to southern Tanzania.

The little visited areas of southern Tanzania provide some of the most spectacular natural and cultural highlights of any visit to Africa.

Vast tracts of wilderness such as Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park offer distinctive safari opportunities without the crowds found in the better known parks.

Walking safaris and boat safaris provide different game viewing perspectives.

The southern highlands have fantastic trekking and scenery and more..
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tel: +255 777 991576
url: www.tourtanzania-safaris.com
email: info@tourtanzania-safaris.com
Kilimanjaro Trek
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Africa is a diverse and amazing continent, it offers some of the most extreme examples of nature found on earth. The most notable example is Kilimanjaro, the worlds highest walkable mountain.
Like a giant dominating the horizon, Kilimanjaro calls out to the adventurer "JUST TRY ME!" This call has been answered by countless explorers. One company that has lead over 15,000 of these explorers to an attempt to the summit is Africa Travel Resource.

This company has an 87% summit success rate and an exemplary safety record. They offer 6 different trek routes that more..
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address: http://amazingtours.rezgo.com/2007/12/how-to-kill-kilimanjaro.html
email: amazingtours@rezgo.com

_________People
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Maasai

Maasai

yonamaro

The history of human habitation in Tanzania goes back almost two million years, and the fossils found at Olduvai Gorge by Louis and Mary Leakey now stand among the most important artifacts of the origins of our species. Artifacts of later Paleolithic cultures have also been found in Tanzania. There is evidence that communities along the Tanzanian coast were engaging in overseas trade by the beginning of the first millennium AD. By 900 AD those communities had attracted immigrants from India as well as from southwest Asia, and direct trade extended as far as China. When the Portuguese arrived at the end of the 15th century, they found a major trade center at Kilwa Kisiwani, which they promptly subjugated and then sacked. The Portuguese were expelled from the region in 1698, after Kilwa enlisted the help of Omani Arabs. The Omani dynasty of the Bu Said replaced the region's Yarubi leaders in 1741, and they proceeded to further develop trade. It was during this time that Zanzibar gained its legendary status as a center for the ivory and slave trade, becoming in 1841 the capital city of the sultan of Oman.

In Tanzania's interior, at about the same time, the cattle-grazing Maasai migrated south from Kenya into central Tanzania. Soon afterward the great age of European exploration of the African continent began, and with it came colonial domination. Tanzania fell under German control in 1886, but was handed over to Britain after WWI. Present day Tanzania is the result of a merger between the mainland (previously Tanganyika) and Zanzibar in 1964, after both had gained independence. Tanzania has like many African nations experienced considerable strife since independence, and its economy is extremely weak. However, political stability does appear to have been established in recent days.

::::::::Arusha Travel Guide
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buko

buko

hp
Arusha is one of the bigger cities in the north of Tanzania at the base of Mt. Meru, not far from the border with Kenya. It is well known as an African congress centre and the International Tribunal for the Ruandese genocide is located here.

Safari tours to Serengeti, Ngoronogoro, Manyara and Tarangire usually start in Arusha. The city is also an excellent base for visiting the Arusha National Park where you find a wide range of habitats, from the lakes where many water birds can be watched, through the highland montane forest and on up to the imposing summit of Mt. Meru.

__________Getting There
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buko

buko

hp

Kilimanjaro international airport is 40 minutes from Arusha towards Moshi. It has connections from i.a. Amsterdam, Johannesburg and Nairobi. Domestic flights to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and various air strips in the national parks strt from Arusha airport, west of the city.

There are buses leaving to all over the country and international buses directly to Nairobi (6 hours). Impala Hotel run minibuses which go twice daily to and from Nairobi. From Arusha they start at 8 and 14 hours.

_________Tours and Excursions
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Arhsua is the main center for safari's to the Ngorongoro crater and Serengeti national parks. There are a great many safari companies located in Arusha.

:::::::::Arusha National Park Travel Guide
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x

Mt Meru caldera

Ingvar
Lying between the peaks of Kilimanjaro and Meru, Arusha National Park is an outstandingly beautiful area. The Park has a wide range of habitats, from the string of crater lakes where many water birds can be watched, through the highland montane forest and on up to the imposing summit of Mt. Meru.

The forests contain a wealth of birds and other animals, like the beautiful bushbuck easily glimpsed in the grades between the ancient cedar trees, or the black and white colobus monkeys climbing along their branches. The interesting geology of the area is reflected in the impressive view of the ash cone and cliff face leading to the summit of Mt. Meru.

Everywhere throughout the Park there are chances to observe the natural world at its own pace, to see different animals in their various habitats and absorb something of the serenity of the surroundings. Those who ascend the summit of the mountain will be rewarded with unparalleled views of the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Rift Valley.

Three distinct areas are to be found within Arusha National Park: Ngurdoto Crater, the Momela Lakes and the rugged Mt. Meru. Altitudes range from 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) above sea level at Momela to over 4,500 (14,764 feet) meters at the summit of Meru. The vegetation which occurs in the Park is correlated to the altitude and geology of the area. Ngurdoto Crater is surrounded by forest whilst the crater floor is a swampy area. The Momela Lakes, like many in the Rift Valley, are alkaline, and Mt. Meru is a mixture of lush forests and bare rocks.

Associated with these different vegetation zones and places are different types of animals: migrating water birds settle on the lakes, waterbuck and reedbuck are found near water, while shy bushbuck and duikers keep to the forested areas. It is obviously impossible to say exactly where different species will be encountered but it is possible to build up a picture of the most likely species to be found in any area. Within this wide range of habitats almost 400 species of birds have been recorded in the Park. Some of these are migratory and present between October and April, others are permanently resident in the forests.

::::::::Bagamoyo Travel Guide
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Bagamoyo is a town on the Tanzanian coast, about 75 km north of Dar es Salaam. It is one of the so called young Swahili towns and was founded in the late 1700s when Moslem families related to the ruler of Oman settled here. In the 19th century Bagamoyo became in important town for trade in ivory and slaves for the Arab market. The slave trade route through the interior of the country from Lake Tanganyika ended here. In 1868 Catholic missionaries were allowed to settle and their history can be studied in the Catholic museum. By the end of the 19th century Bagamoyo was the most important town on the coast, and the German colonialists made it their capital. However, in 1891 they moved the capital to the new city Dar es Salaam, and the importance of Bagamoyo subsequently declined, particularly after the railway had been built from Dar es Salaam westwards. A few kilometres south of Bagamoyo are the Kaole ruins, including two mosques, which were excavated in the 1950s. There are also remnants of a few tombs from the 13th century Although a number of European explorers started their expeditions in Bagamoyo, David Livingstone did not come to the town until his body was carried there after his death for further transport to Zanzibar and London. A number of stone buildings from the German times have been restored in recent years. There is also a German burial place. Today Bagamoyo can be reached easily on a newbuilt tarmac road from Dar es Salaam and new tourist hotels have opened.

:::::::::Bukoba Travel Guide
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Ben VanderVeen shooting video in Tanzania

Ben VanderVeen shooting video in Tanzania

Ben VanderVeen
Location and Climate

Bukoba is on the western shore of Lake Victoria in the extreme northwest of Tanzania. Bukoba is the regional capital and the largest town in the Kagera region, which borders Uganda to the north, Rwanda to the west, and Burundi to the southwest.

The climate is sunny and warm most of the year. Evenings can get cool but never cold. Rains occur almost every morning from March through May. It almost never rains in the p.m. hours.

People and Occupations

Bukoba has a population of about 100,000 people, and the Kagera region over one million. The main ethnic group of the region are the Bahaya, who speak Ruhaya. (Most people in town speak Swahili, and basic English is understood at most shops.) The main occupation is agriculture, the main commercial product is coffee, and the main food crop and dietary staple is matoke (large green bananas that are roasted or steamed). There are many NGOs, volunteers and other wazungu (ex-pats) in Bukoba and the surrounding area. A few travellers pass through from Mwanza (overnight by ferry) and Kampala (six hours by bus).

Orientation

Bukoba is a fairly small town and the centre of town is flat and compact, though many people and organisations are located in the surrounding hills. Bukoba has a bay with a sandy beach, a port with a ferry that travels to and from Mwanza, a small airport, a bus stand, and numerous hotels and bars. There are two main streets, both paved: Jamhuri Road goes from a cluster of old German buildings and government offices near the Lake Hotel to the centre of town where the market and the bus stand are located. Government Road goes from the port to the town centre (about 3 km) and proceeds out of town to Kampala and Muleba.

:::::::::
Kondoa Travel Guide
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Haubi badlands, Kondoa

Haubi badlands, Kondoa

Ingvar
Kondoa (or Kondoa-Irangi) is a small town along the old caravan route from the Indian Ocean to Lake Tanganyika. A still existing artesic water source here provided the caravans with good and plenty of water. Today the main communication route is north-south, from Arusha to Dodoma, a road that looks impressive on the map, being a section of the old Cape-Cairo highway. In reality the road is in poor condition and difficult during rains. It is supposed to become asphalted before the end of 2006.

A 3 km long road from the main road leads westwards into town crossing the Kondoa River on a narrow bridge. (Don’t take photographs of the bridge, as you are likely to be seen from the police station close by.) The town consists of dusty streets and low buildings, only few being two-storeyed. Polite children will greet the European visitor “Good morning, teacher!” any time of the day. There is nothing special to see, but the friendly tranquility that the visitor is met with among its predominantly Moslem inhabitants makes it worth while to stay there a day or two. The spiced coffee served in a kiosk at the bus stand can be recommended.

Ten or fifteen years ago it was a rare event to come across a bottle of beer in town, but times are changing. Today there are several bars and simple restaurants, some of them quite nice.

Remnant buildings from the German time can be seen east of the bridge, now used by the district administration. The post office, the most impressive building in town, is in the same area. A bank office can also be found there, and with some luck and plenty of time it may be possible to change money. The earlier extremely erratic electric power supply has improved dramatically with the connection of Kondoa to the national grid. The telephone exchange is still manual (unless recently changed).

The town is the economic centre in the Irangi Hills, which has a blend of several ethnic groups. The dominant group today is the Irangi agriculturalists. Of particular interest is the Sandawe, a remnant of the ancient San (bushman) peoples that are today mainly found in the Kalahari. Sandawe artists have produced many rock paintings, the oldest believed to be 20-30 000 years old. Some of these are shown to visitors. To see them one has first to travel northwards about 30 km (i.e. 40-60 minutes, depending on weather) along the main road to the village of Kolo. There the representative of the Department of Antiquities has to be approached to get a permit and a guide, both of which are compulsory.

The Irangi Hills are also infamous for their severe soil erosion. Some badlands can be seen from the main road. An area with gullies huge enough to be considered a tourist attraction can be seen at the village Haubi. To reach there, turn east at the village Gubali onto a road only negotiable with a Landrover or similar. If you get stuck, ask for help from the fathers at the Haubi catholic mission.

Moslem visitors will feel at home in Kondoa. A big new mosque was erected some years ago. Christian congregations mainly consist of immigrants and government officials. At Haubi there is an impressive Catholic establishment.
____________Getting There
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There are bus connections from Arusha and Babati arriving in Kondoa from the north, and from Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, arriving from the south. Travelers from Arusha to Dodoma or vice versa often have to stay the night in Kondoa and change buses there. During heavy rains the buses may have to be canceled or may get stuck along the road. Travelers from the west can use a direct road from Singida, but during the rainy season it is advisable to go through Babati or Dodoma instead. There is also a road from Tanga across the Maasai plains, with a not quite reliable bus service.

The bus stand is at the central market square.

A cross-country vehicle can make the 160 km disance from Dodoma in about three and a half hours during the dry season. During the rainy season the time is totally unpredictable.

::::::::::Lake manyara national park Travel Guide
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Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park

Simon
About two-thirds of the park is covered by the alkaline lake.

Mto Wa Mbu (Mosquito Creek) is a popular base for visiting the park. The village runs its own Cultural Tourism Program here that offers village walks, short bicycle tours and boating trips on the lake. Ask at Holiday Fog Resort or the Jambo campsite.

:::::::
Lushoto Travel Guide
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Lushoto

Lushoto

Hilda Osinga
Lushoto is the major town and district centre, albeit small, in the Usambara Mountains, halfway between the coast and the parks. It can be reached if turning from the main Dar es Salaam-Moshi road at Mombo. Direct buses run from Dar es Salaam and Arusha. It was founded by the German administration after the people of the area had been "pacified" about one hundred years ago. The Germans even planned to move their capital here because of the pleasant mountain climate.

It offers excellent opportunities for hiking both in the mountains, partly covered by Afromontane forest. Ecological tours are organized and are a good way of exploring the region. The popular pot plant Saintpaulia has its only wild occurrences in Tanzania, and particularly in the Usambara Mts.

It's a great place to get away from the heat of the coast or the dust of the plains. The people are particularly hospitable and the whole town has a lovely vibe to it. Accomodation in the town centre is cheap and there are some more upmarket options in the surrounding area. A word of warning though, those who suffer vertigo might want to think twice about taking the bus up the perilous road from Mombo!

:::::::Mafia island Travel Guide
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i
Mafia island is just perfect. Great diving, great beaches and great weather. What more do you need?

Chole Bay, Mafia's protected deep-water anchorage, is part of a protected marine park. Its natural horseshoe shape offers great beaches. Outside the bay there are some unique reefs that offer spectacular diving, including colourful coral gardens, walls at various levels and many shelves and coral heads.

::::::::::Mikumi national park Travel Guide
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Male Lion

Male Lion

Stine MS
A Day-Trip from Dar Es Salaam to Mikumi National Park

Around the back of the Dar Es Salaam airport we found a very smart-looking private charter company terminal and hangers, which contrasted strongly with the rest of the decrepit-looking airport. The operation was owned and run by a Canadian guy married to a Tanzanian. One of his 10-seater Cessnas took us on a 50-minute flight to Mikumi National Park about 150 miles inland to the west where we landed on a grass airstrip ("Landing is Mainly Recommended during Dry Season") and immediately began a game drive. The park consists largely of flat, lightly timbered savannah and contains a good selection of game. We saw many impala, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, hippopotamus and elephants (including a baby born that morning waddling along after his mother).We managed to get close to a majestic pride of seven lions lazing in the shade of a large acacia, and we spotted a few red buck, a lone warthog, a couple of eland, and a clan of six evil-looking spotted hyenas.

We took a break from the game drive in the middle of the day to sit by a waterhole in one of the four camps in Mikumi, and enjoyed a cold Kilimanjaro Beer and a simple lunch. In the strong mid-day sun this tranquil spot was quiet and still, and hardly a creature stirred other than the butterflies.

The park also has good bird life, and we identified lilac-breasted and Abyssinian rollers, marabou stork, hammerkops, red bishops, egrets, a hornbill and several other species. The park staff are welcoming, friendly, and very knowledgeable. (Contributed by Howard Banwell)
________Sights
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Bamboon in Mikumi

Bamboon in Mikumi

Stine MS

There is plenty of animal life in this quite small national park, west from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. You can see all kinds of wild animals, among them giraffes, elephants, impalas, bamboons, hippos, crocodiles, many types of birds, and if you are lucky; LIONS! Remember to hire an autorial guide on your safari trip, and don't forget the camera!

To see the crocodiles and the hippoes, your car stops by two small lakes, the crocodile and the hippo pool. You are also able to get out of the car to take a better look at these enormous and fantastic wild animals. Enjoy!

___________Museums
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Where you stop to pay the fee to enter the park, there is also a little park museum. This museum has free entré. Here you can get an overwiew of the park, and see some of the animals you can expect to meet while you are on safari. Here are also some brochures and other souvenirs.

::::::::Moshi Travel Guide
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photo

Yona Maro
Moshi is a busy little town set on the edge of the plains where they start to climb towards the huge Mt. Kilimanjaro massif. On this southern side, the mountain remains shrouded in cloud for most of the day, the snows being visible only early morning and late evening if you are lucky .. Moshi means "smoke" in Swahili language. Between Moshi and Arusha is Kilimanjaro International Airport.

_______Things to do
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While in Moshi we paid a visit to Scenery Safaris (www.scenerysafaris.com). They are truly a professional and friendly company. We trekked Kilimanjaro with them, the guide Alex, was amazing and without him we would never have summited. The food was great, never thought that we could be served such a menu on the mountain. On our free day, they organised a horse riding day trip on a nearby farm with picnic lunch.

We then went on a safari in a newly converted landcruiser, and this was the highlight of our trip. Tuma, our driver guide was professional. We spent 5 days in the bush, visiting Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. On the last day, we were offered dinner in an Italian restaurant in the middle of Moshi Town.

When you are in Moshi, pay them a visit or give them a call.

The St. Austins Team Trek and Safari 2008!

::::.Mtera Travel Guide
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Water birds, Mtera

Water birds, Mtera

Ingvar
Mtera was once a small village with 200 inhabitants in the Rift Valley between Iringa and Dodoma , until a huge dam was built across the Ruaha River and created a large reservoir called Mtera reservoir. The dam was completed in 1981 as a storage reservoir for the power plant at Kidatu. Later two turbines were installed also at Mtera with a capacity of 80 MW, which makes it a major contributor of energy in Tanzania . Mtera reservoir is one of the best places for birdwatching in Tanzania . The shallow waters at the former Logi Mbuga can be particularly recommended. To go there you turn west from the main road at Chipogoro. At Logi village guides can be easily obtained. Another excellent birdwatching site is Pakwaya (or Takanya) mbuga at the main road between Mtera and Chipogoro. An mbuga is a seasonal wetland and this site is not connected to the main reservoir. Note that it is not allowed to take photos at the dam and the hydropower plant. As always when visiting rural, non-touristic areas in Tanzania , courtesy visits should be made to the village governments in order to avoid misunderstandings. Mtera reservoir can be combined with a visit to Ruaha National Park and in fact the two are part of the same ecosystem. The reservoir is an important water source for the animals during the dry seasons.

__________Getting There
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There are daily buses between Iringa and Dodoma . The road is part of the old British “ Cape-Cairo Highway ”, but it is poorly maintained. A fourwheel-drive is necessary.

::::::Mwanza Travel Guide
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lake victoria

lake victoria

Hans ten Have
Mwanza is Tanzania's second largest port on Lake Victoria. It's a commercial center for the region, and acts as a gateway to Bukoba through the MS Victoria which leaves the city three times a week.

_________Getting There
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These plane wrecks are not a pretty sight at Mwanza airport

These plane wrecks are not a pretty sight at Mwanza airport

Hans-Peter Harmsen
Mzanza is centrally located in the country. It is relatively close to the Serengeti which makes it a good starting place for safari's but maybe not as good as Arusha.

From Mzanza, direct flights go to Bukoba, Arusha and Bahar dar among others.

::::::::::Ndutu Conservation Area Travel Guide
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Cheetas in Ndutu Conservation Area

Cheetas in Ndutu Conservation Area

Hans-Peter Harmsen
In February and March this is the game park to be.

The animals that trek around the Serengeti national park plains start in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya in August ending up here just south of Serengeti National Park in February.

This is where the small animals are born before the trek back north starts again.

Since Ndutu is a conservation area and not a national park, driving outside the indicated roads is allowed here.

::::::::Ngorongoro crater Travel Guide
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The Crater

The Crater

Mike Norris
The Ngorongoro crater is one of the finest places in Tanzania for watching game. It's a must see and it should be on the top of your priority list.

In fact, it's not really a crater it's a caldera, a collapsed volcano. The crater (we still call it a crater) has a diameter of 19km, it is about 600m deep. The bottom is flat, almost treeless and filled with some small creeks and lakes.

Ngorongoro is thought to have formed about 2.5 million years ago from a large volcano whose cone collapsed inward after a major eruption, leaving the present vast, unbroken caldera as its landmark.

The crater is loaded with game. Gazelles, zebra's, elephants, hyena's, buffalo's, hippos, lions and many many birds including ostriches. Only the giraffe is not present. The steep pathway down into the crater forbids this tall legged animal to descend.

The area was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. (See http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/39 for details.)

:::::::::Njombe Travel Guide
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view over Njombe town

view over Njombe town

Ingvar
Njombe, at an altitude of about 2000 m a.s.l., is one of the coolest places in Tanzania . In June-August it can be distinctly cold. The climate may be the main reason for the high number of churches found along the only main street of the town, as the place has been a convenient and pleasant base for missionaries. The traveller coming from the north will pass through extensive wattle and tea plantations in an unusually flat terrain which is part of the geologically ancient Gondwanaland erosion surface. South and southeast of Njombe is a very beautiful, hilly landscape with extensive grasslands.

:::::::Olduvai gorge Travel Guide
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Oldupai gorge

Oldupai gorge

Ingvar

The Olduvai (or more correctly Oldupai) Gorge contains some of the most important archaeological sites for our understanding of the history of our species and earlier hominids. The oldest finds date back about 2 mill. years.

Above the gorge there is a museum with competent staff. There is a minor charge for entering the museum area. With a guide it is also possible to travel into the gorge itself.

The name Oldupai comes from the Maasai word for the plant Sansevieria which is particularly common in the area.

:::::::::::Pangani Travel Guide
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photo_1

yonamaro

Pangani is a sleepy small Swahili town at the coast south of Tanga at the outlet of Pangani river. It has nice beaches.A number of hotels are said to have mushroomed in recent years. The mangrove forests are also particularly extensive here.

There is a fantastic beach 16kms south of Pangani called Ushongo Bay. It is possible to swim all day as there is water even at low tide. I can recommend The Tides Lodge, it has great food and has great beach side cottages. From Tides Lodge is possible to snorkel and scubs dive on Maziawe Island marine park which is has excellent marine life. The Tides can arrange transfers to Saadani and Pangani, and even has it's own airstrip if you want to charter your own plane to Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam. Well worth a visit.

__________Sights
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photo_2

yonamaro


Pangani is the Zanzibar of the Tanzanian mainland. It lies 45 km south of Tanga. Although its history goes back a long way it was developed by the Arabs as a settlement and slave trading centre. Being much less known it is much more peaceful than Zanzibar and the beaches around Pangani are virtually unspoilt. There is a variety of accommodation available although our basic programmes use the Argovia Lodge. By using public transport from Moshi we are able to provide a good quality coast holiday with all facilities such as diving, tours, fishing at a reasonable price. It is possible to upgrade to a private vehicle and luxury accommodation.

City tours: Pangani town elders serve as knowledgeable guides who can impart their vast knowledge of Pangani history and culture going back to the 15th century as they take you through the town. In 1810, the Arabs constructed the central boma building, people were buried alive under the pillars during construction as it was believed this would ensure strong foundations. Later the German administration used the buidings as a colonial district office and added a european style roof giving the building a unique appearance. The intricate Arab carved doors and foundation (still strong!) remain and the building is now used as the district commissioners office. The city tour includes numerous historical monuments: the original slave depots and slave market where arabs traded slaves to India and Arabia, the Freedom Grounds, Islamic and German graves, ancient mosques and traditional houses. In the streets carpet makers, woodcarvers, basket weavers, painters and other artisans sell a wide variety of hand made items.

:::::::Pemba Travel Guide
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Located just north of Zanzibar, Pemba is a serene island. Quiet beaches and mangroove groves along the shore, rainforest covers the inland. Not much tourist infrastracture, though there are a couple guesthouses ($10 per night) at Wete and a diving center.

There are regular slow ships going to Zanzibar (can take six to eight hours, $20), a ship to Tanga is going once a week. Also it's not a problem to find dhow to Mombasa.

:::::::Ruaha national park Travel Guide
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giraffes in Ruaha N.P.

giraffes in Ruaha N.P.

Ingvar
Ruaha National Park is a not much visited national park, although one of the largest wilderness areas in Tanzania . It has a reputation of being remote, but actually it is only 115 km from Iringa on an all-weather road.

The Great Ruaha River runs through the park. It has been considered a permanent watercourse but in recent years it has actually dried up during the dry season, with crocodiles and hippos surviving in pools with standing water. Animals also include a big number of elephants as well as greater and lesser kudu, zebra, bushbuck, giraffe, roan antelope, sable antelope, buffalo, eland and several others. Various kinds of woodland and bushland dominate the vegetation. Many visitors consider it the best of all parks in Tanzania .

_______Getting There
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Buses from Iringa run to Tungamalenga, 20 km from the gate. There is no public transport to the park itself. It is therefore necessary to hire a vehicle, which will anyway be mandatory inside the park. It is also possible to hire “all-inclusive packages” through the lodges in the park, all of which are, however, extremely expensive. Less wealthy visitors are recommended to stay the night in Tungamalenga. There are regular flights to the park airstrip.

:::::::::Saadani National Park Travel Guide
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Saadani Safari Lodge

Saadani Safari Lodge

Costa Coucoulis
Saadani is geographically the closest wildlife reserve to both Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar and is unique in that it is Tanzania's only coastal wildlife reserve thus offering the chance to see big game and birdlife interacting with the coast.

Saadani Game Reserve was gazetted in 1964, covering an area of some 250 sq km from the Wami river in the south to the Mligaji river in the north, with the Moshi railway line as the western boundary. Once Saadani became a Game Reserve new species of animal were introduced to compliment the existing diversity. Wildebeest, zebra and eland joined the resident populations including buffalo, elephant, giraffe, lion, and the extremely rare Roosevelt's sable antelope.

In 2003 Saadani was upgraded to become Tanzania's latest National Park under the direction of TANAPA. Boundaries have been expanded to include land north of the Mligaji, which is an important area containing the only permanent elephant population in the area as well as sable antelope, as well as North Mkwaja, the Zaraninge forest, noted for its variety of indigenous vegetation and animal and birdlife, and land south of the Wami river. The total protected area now covers over 1000 sq km and the TANAPA headquarters are based at Mkwaja ranch.

A Tent with a View Safari Lodge offers luxury beachfront accommodation and will arrange transport from both Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.

Saadani Safari Lodge is a luxury beachfront lodge located within the boundaries of the national park and 2 km away from the historical Saadani Village. A thriving relationship exists between the lodge and the village and the village's citizens have benefited directly from many projects supported by guests and ownership alike.

___________Getting There
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Beachfront banda

Massoud Kilanga
There are chartered flights from Bahar dar and Zanzibar or ATWV organise daily private car transfers from Dar es Salaam.

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Saadani Safari Lodge By Air
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Saadani Safari Lodge offers Daily scheduled flights from Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.

Daily flights depart Dar es Salaam at approx. 9.30am (subject to change)

Daily flights depart Zanzibar at aprrox 11.15am (subject to change)

Direct flights from Arusha depart on Fridays and return on Sundays.

Please contact below to make bookings and to get more info.
type: By Air
World66 rating: [rate it]
tel: +255 22 277 3294
url: www.saadanilodge.com
address: The Original Saadani Experience, P.O.Box 105854, Dar es Salaam
email: info@saadanilodge.com

::::::::Selous game reserve Travel Guide
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The Selous is the largest Game Reserve in Africa, covering some 21,000 square miles. It was established in 1922 to honour Frederick Courteney Selous, the famous bushman and elephant hunter.

Groves of tall borassus and doum palms border the many small lakes and channels that flow from the confluence of the Rufiji and Great Ruaha Rivers. Walking is permitted, accompanied by armed rangers, and there is no experience more exciting than encountering truly wild animals at close quarters on foot or from a small boat. Game drives in especially modified four-wheel drive vehicles are a great way to explore the reserve.

The Selous boasts one of the world's largest populations of elephant, and some of the last remaining Black Rhino. In addition to this, there are also Wildebeest, Giraffe, Lichtenstein's Hartebeest, Sable Antelope, Greater Kudu, Eland, Lion and Leopard to be seen. Hot volcanic springs and more than 350 birds and 2,000 plant species add to this sanctuary's varied attractions.

There are a variety of safari camps situated within the Selous Game Reserve, and all of these can be reached daily via scheduled aircraft from different places including Zanzibar.

________Getting There
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To get to the Selous you can either come with an organised safari, fly from Dar-es-Salaam - all camps have an airstrip so you can for light aircraft so you can reach your lodge easily.

Daily scheduled flights with Coastal Aviation depart zanzibar 14.00 and Dar es Salaam 14.30 arriving Selous 15.15.

The TAZARA train departs 3 times every week and costs just $10p.p. from Dar es Salaam to Kisaki. Sable Mountain Lodge (www.selouslodge.com) offer free 25 min transfers from the train station to the lodge.

:::::::::Serengeti national park Travel Guide
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photo
Serengeti is the best known game park of Tanzania and probably also in the world. The park measures almost 15,000 square km. In the park you find almost all the animals you want to have in your photobook in a perfect surrounding. On the Serengeti plains there are literally millions of hoofed animals. They're constantly on the move in search of grassland and are watched and preyed upon by a varied parade of predators.

:::::::Swahili Coast Travel Guide
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For centuries the Swahili Coast of Tanzania has watched as the winds blow traders, warriors, conquerors, slaves, refugees, explorers and now tourists past her shores. Palacial remnants of Persian and Omani kingdoms still remain. Ancient mosques dating beyond the 12th century can testify to the far reaching roots of Islam. Over 800 km of Tanzania’s white sands border the Indian Ocean offering picture postcard views of deserted beaches fringed by coconut groves.

Pictures from previous generations depict elephants roaming the beaches in Tanzania’s only coastal wildlife reserve. Marine parks offer some of the best diving in the world and the deep channels offer unparalleled deep sea fishing. Yet despite the mulititude of attractions, the Swahili Coast remains one of the least visited areas of Tanzania.

The proposed upgrading of Saadani National Park in 2003 from game reserve to Tanzania’s latest national park is a breath of fresh air for a long neglected sleeping beauty. As Tanzania’s only coastal wildlife reserve this is a unique natural environment offering the option of game viewing and beach all in one destination.
Tanga Travel Guide
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Tanga Caves

Tanga Caves

Hilda Osinga
On the Indian Ocean this area has excellent sailing facilities. It’s a nice fairly uncrowded coastal town (pop. 188 000) that we found relaxing because there’s nothing to do but enjoy the beach. If you’re in need of rest plan to stay three days. 115 mi/185 km north of Dar es Salaam.

From Dar-es-Salaam travellers wishing to take a trip to Mombasa, Kenya - can make a stop-over in Tanga for serenity and peace. Tanga has old-time history involved and life is laid-back (relaxed). Shop around Ngamiani Street, or the Main Streets (Market Street or Independence Street)

On Market Street, Don't forget to visit my dearest friend's Food Palace for best chicken & barbeque dishes. Scrumptuous Breakfast dishes and exotic juices makes a wonderful starting point. Fast FoodOctopus Exotica, despite the hokey name, serves some of the best Indian themed sea food in all of Tanzania.

Healtho, the drink of today's generation. Never to be found anywhere else besides this town. Anjari Bottler's historical drink that is being appreciated world-wide. A must to drink...never miss it!

Places to see around Tanga are Amboni Caves, Sulphar Baths, Raskazoni beach and the daily market in town centre.

___________Things to do
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Tanga Yacht Club has fantastic reasonably priced food and a well-stocked bar. It also has a small beach. Temporary and day membership is possible for visitors. View www.tangayachtclub.com for more information.

::::::::.Udzungwa National Park Travel Guide
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Saintpaulia in Udzungwa

Saintpaulia in Udzungwa

Ingvar

Udzungwa National Park, unlike most other national parks in Tanzania, is a high forest area and a place for walking. It is situated along the major fault line delimiting the eastern side of the Southern Highlands. The predominantly westerly winds here have to rise to higher and cooler levels with frequent rains as the result. The vegetation is therefore different from the usual woodlands; it consists of high and dense forest. It is very unusual in Africa to have continuous forest as here, from as low altitudes as about 200 m a.s.l. up to more than 2,000 m. with a gradual change of tree species composition.

The Udzungwa forest is part of the so called Eastern Arc, which extends from the Southern Highlands through the Uluguru and Usambara mountains (see Lushoto) nothwards to Pare. The forests in the Eastern Arc are known for their very high biodiversity. The Usambara violet (Saintpaulia) has one of its most southwesterly occurrences in Udzungwa. Three monkeys, Sanje crested mangabey, the Matundu galago and the Iringa red colobus, are found only in Udzungwa. Visitors in the park are likely to see at least the red colobus.

Walking is permitted along prepared trails. A guide is compulsory and obtained at the park gate near Mang’ula. Fees are paid at the same place. The short Prince Bernhard trail is 1 km of easy walking to a waterfall. A longer trail leads up to Sanje Falls where there are three consecutive waterfalls. Below the upper two swiming is possible – and higly recommendable – in the stream, except after heavy rains when water level can be high. There are also longer trails including camping. Note that slopes are steep and that the trails can be slippery and exhausting.

:::::Zanzibar Travel Guide
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Shehe Bungalows at Jambiani village Zanzibar

Shehe Bungalows at Jambiani village Zanzibar

Zanzibar is called the "The Island of Sensations" and deserves this name. It has a fascinating history. But don’t expect it to be locked in the past. Stone Town still retains some of the charm it had in the days when it was a flourishing seaport (it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site).The city offers a blend of Portuguese East Indian Persian and Omani Arab architecture. Highlights in Stone Town include the sultan’s palace the old Arab fort and the old slave quarters.

The island has some great beaches. The best are found near Matemwe and Nungwi, there are great snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities. Other interesting activities include touring the spice and coconut plantations.

On the east coast be sure to visit the Persian Kidichi Baths.

Another excursion can be made to Mangapwani. This is a large underground cave where slaves were kept. Other sights include the ruined fort at Marahubi and the sailboats in the harbor.

_______Museums
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The slave museum of Zanzibar, where the slave trade was done for the east african region. Here stands a church as of now, but the prisons etc. still showcase a horrifying past.

_________Matemwe Travel Guide
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photo_3

Hilda Osinga
Good place to spend some time on the beach.
In addition to this Saadani is the closest wildlife reserve to both Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Whilst game is not as numerous as in Selous or Serengeti, game drives are surprisingly productive – but what makes Saadani special is the variety of safari options available combined with the ever present Indian Ocean. This is truly where the bush meets the beach.

The newly opened A Tent with a View Safari Lodge, located on the shoreline close to the heart of Saadani NP, has managed to mould the perfect harmony of beach and bush experience. Offering a boat safari on the Wami river, game drives to different areas of the park including an early morning specialised elephant watching safari, and a variety of walks from the lodge, time at the lodge seems to miraculously disappear.

It is impossible to identify the exact factor which brings together all elements essential to creating an unforgettable experience. Often called the ‘it’ factor everyone may have different views on what ‘it’ exactly is – one woman’s Peter Beardsley is another’s Brad Pitt. However the sense of peace which envelops the environment at ATWV Safari Lodge must surely come close to offering all things to all men. The luxury tented bandas perched on stilts overlooking the sea are nestled in a coconut plantation, and each is individually sytled on a Saadani theme making imaginative use of natural resources. Large balconies equipped with hammocks give an elevated view of vervet monkeys and baboons playing on the beach or a myriad of birdlife roaming the shoreline. Dhows sail past your peripheral view as they have for centuries. The ever present and gentle breeze blowing along the coast is surely playing a role in lulling the visitor into a state of total relaxation. So here lies the dilemma – should I just laze around, perhaps swim in the clear waters and be pampered by the attentive but unpretentious staff at the lodge, or should I be out on safari?

The obvious answer is to combine both and make the best of both worlds. With early morning, late afternoon and even full day safari options you are left with the flexibility to plan how you spend your time. Available complementary to guests are several guided nature walks from the lodge, a canoe is available for birdwatching safaris on the nearby Mafui river and there is even the option of guided night walks around the lodge environs. If you have never seen an elephant shrew I can assue you it is every bit as bizarre as it sounds.

A few days spent in Saadani N.P. leaves the visitor completely refreshed. This is a truly unique environment and the wistful glances back as you leave the coconut palms behind on the way to the airstrip are a sure sign that this is a place that has found ‘it’. The lack of any other tourists in the park means unrestricted game viewing and combined with the deserted beach Saadani offers a feeling of priviledge that you can experience such a delicate balance of nature all to yourself. Perhaps soon the winds of change will start to blow along the shores of Tanzania and the current trickle of tourists may develop into a flood.


:::::::::Stone Town Travel Guide
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Kayaking around stonetown

Kayaking around stonetown

Hollis
Stone Town is the most interesting place on Zanzibar. It features once-grand palaces and public buildings dating back to the sultanate period of the early nineteenth century, now -- sadly -- rather run-down and ill-repaired. Its narrow lanes are lined with curio shops and tourist handicrafts, although magnificent carved wooden doorways dotted everywhere indicate that the old crafts are still understood and practiced. Stone Town has that characteristic feel to it that probably made you want to visit Zanzibar in the first place.