With Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, fewer tourists than Kenya and dreamy Zanzibar close at hand, Tanzania really does knock the socks off most safari destinations. After an adrenaline-packed week stalking wildebeest, lions, elephants and gazelles or intrepidly inching your way to the summit of Kilimanjaro, you can recharge your batteries and your tan on Zanzibar's tropical sands, go swimming with dolphins and sip cocktails in the shade.
Tanzania is the biggest country in east Africa, with some of the world's largest game reserves including Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, a spectacular haven for thousands of pink flamingos.
The human population on the mainland includes more than 120 tribes, most of which have migrated from other parts of Africa, including the Masai who inhabit the north-eastern section of the country. Tanzania evolved as a country in its present form in 1964, with the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, saturated with political and tribal tensions, and straining at the seams after the arrival of thousands of Rwandan refugees fleeing the genocide in the 1990s, many of whom still remain. In August 1998, the US embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi were bombed by terrorists, killing more than 250 people and injuring thousands.
Best sites
· Tanzania Tourist Board. The official view.
· Weather Underground. Local weather reports.
· Birdwatching in Tanzania. Find out why the country is famous for its feathered friends.
· Foreign Office travel advice
If you only do three things
Witness the annual stampede of the wildebeest across the Serengeti. Enjoy the view from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Try counting the flamingos in the Ngorongoro crater.
News and current affairs
Tanzanian online publications from the world news guide.
Language
Swahili and English are the official languages.
Climate
Coastal areas are hot and humid while the central plateau is dry and arid, but in general expect tropical weather. The main rainy season lasts from March to June, but in the cooler north-west highlands it rains from November to December, and February to May.
Health
You should take precautions against yellow fever, cholera, typhoid, polio and malaria, but check with your doctor for the latest medical advice before leaving.
Food
It is not really what you come to Tanzania for, so do not expect a gourmet feast. The most common dish served in bars and restaurants is nyama choma, a kind of barbecued meat. The coast and Zanzibar are the best places to sample local Swahili dishes, especially seafood, washed down with a Safari lager or, for the brave, a shot of Konyagi, the potent local white rum.
Currency
£1 buys around 2,500 Tanzanian Shillings (TSh).
Events
April: By far the most spectacular event is the beginning of the annual migration of the wildebeest in the Serengeti, a dramatic stampede of millions of animals including zebras, antelopes, gazelles and lions, all chasing green pastures.
May 25: Moulid (Birth of the Prophet)
Nov/Dec: Eid al-Fitr, the celebration of the end of Ramadan, when men in Makunduchi, Zanzibar, flail each other with banana branches before embarking upon energetic singing, dancing and feasting.
Dec 9: Tanzanian Independence Day
What to buy
The markets are the best place to pick up presents and souvenirs. A good buy are the large salad bowls carved from a single piece of teak, but you will also find the usual African drums, carved chess sets and jewellery.
Embassies and visas
UK:Tanzania High Commission, 3 Stratford Place, London WIC 1AS (020 7499 8951 / 7491 3600)
Tanzania: British High Commission, Umoja House Garden Avenue, PO Box 9200, Dar es Salaam (+255 22 211 0101)
Time zone
GMT +3
Getting there
Airlines that fly to Dar es Salaam International airport include British Airways, Gulf Air, Swissair, KLM, Emirates, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airways and Air India. The flight time from London is approximately 11 hours. There are also plenty of cheap, reliable flights between Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, and Zanzibar and Mombasa.
There are good overland routes via Kenya and Zambia and less good roads connecting Rwanda and Mozambique. Local bus travel can be a gruelling experience, so if you are travelling with a group independently, consider hiring a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
You can travel by train to and from Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Congo - but be warned, they are usually heaving.
Related literature
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Stephen Carmichael
Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Dale Zimmerman
North of South: an African Journey, Shiva Naipaul. An entertaining account of journeys to Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.
Flame Trees of Thika, Elspeth Huxley. Describes the white settler experience.
