Stone Town is the capital of Zanzibar and it's a great place to learn about the daily life of the locals in the cities. The buildings in the center of Stone Town have slight Arabic feel and you can see that some day, this was one the wealthiest places in Tanzania. Now, however, most of... Continue Reading →
Lake Manyara National Park is the least visited and smallest of the game parks near Serengeti – other two being Ngorongoro and Tarangire. Just like the other parks, also Lake Manyara has its own unique nature and animals. One of the unique aspects of the park becomes clear very soon after entering the park: the... Continue Reading →
Our stay in Zanzibar included couple of highlights in terms of food and drinks – some because of the views, some for the food, and some for both. Nungwi In Nungwi the thing you want to look for is great views. We had that at couple of places which I can highly recommend: Rooftop bar... Continue Reading →
Roughly hundred years ago Seychelles gave two giant tortoise as a gift to Zanzibar, and at some point the tortoise were moved to the Prison island to keep them safe. Today, there are a total of 160 tortoise, oldest of which is 197 years, and biggest of which weights a whopping 370kg. Prison island is... Continue Reading →
Are you like me and have hard time staying put even for a day? Given my need to explore, regardless of having arrived to the hotel around 4am, we chose to go for a half day hike to a waterfall at Mount Meru on the first day of our holiday. We had booked the hike... Continue Reading →
Ok. I’ve been to many hotels, and the Escarpment Luxury Lodge definitely goes to top 5. Let’s start with the environment of the lodge. Stunning: it’s located on the edge of the Great Rift Valley Escarpment which is some 600m high and has a beautiful view over Lake Manyara. And you can experience both amazing... Continue Reading →
There are so many reasons to visit Zanzibar, below just my top 5. Stunning beaches For me, the top reason to visit Zanzibar is its beaches: it has some of the most amazing beaches in the world with very fine white sand and incredibly turquoise water. My favourite is the beach in Paje which continues... Continue Reading →
This was my second trip to Tanzania, but this time my role was a bit different: I was taking 9 of my friends and their 4 kids (ages 7-12) there. Our trip took place almost exactly 20 years after we first met when studying at the Helsinki University of Technology. At the end of our... Continue Reading →
As I'm getting excited about my upcoming safari I wanted to share my tips on what to pack on a safari based on what I've learned on my previous safari's in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. About packing in general My next safari will be to Tanzania, and there one key thing to note is... Continue Reading →
As my next safari in Tanzania is approaching I though it would be a good time to summarize the things I think anyone planning a safari in Africa should be aware of. I went on my first safari already in 2000 in Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru in Kenya, and since have visited also Kruger... Continue Reading →
You can easily cover the highlights of Tanzania in little over a week. In our case that meant splitting our time between the amazing beaches of Zanzibar and the safaris in the Arusha/Kilimanjaro region. For those interested in climbing, there's also Mt. Kilimanjaro and slightly smaller Mt. Meru. But. Even if we covered the highlight... Continue Reading →
After 3 nights in a tent we were definitely ready for some luxury! And this was whats we got for the two last night of our trip at the wonderful Karama Lodge. Our days went fast by relaxing by the pool and admiring wine and views on the deck of our private wooden cabin.
From Ngorongoro, our journey continued further towards Serengeti. Before being separated into two separate parts, Ngorongoro used to be part of the Serengeti.Nature in Serengeti is very different from Tarangire and Ngorongoro: there are large plains of grass of varying heights, all appealing to slightly different species of animals. In the midst of Serengeti's lush grasses... Continue Reading →
Our next accommodation was a camp ground on the edge of the crater.One of the most memorable moment of our trip happened here: I was just saying goodbye to our travel companions who were already heading back to Arusha when I suddenly noticed that an elephant was entering the camp !!!! What on earth! Soon... Continue Reading →
Ngorongoro crater was the unique highlight of our safari. The crater was formed long time ago from the explosion of a volcano, forming a 19km wide crater with 600m high edges. IT is the biggest non active crater in the world and home for thousands of animals who migrate in and out of the crater.The... Continue Reading →
Masai are the native people of the region living both in Kenya and northern Tanzania. On our way to our first safari accommodation we stopped at one of the Masai villages where we were welcomed with traditional songs and dances, and were able to follow and participate their traditional jumping competition. We also visited the... Continue Reading →
To go on a safari, you must always book a tour with a local tour operator. Most safaris in Tanzania start from Arusha, but there are couple of other places where you can do a safari as well, such as Selous.The Arusha region has 4 main national parks: Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and of course... Continue Reading →
Jozani is a small national park some 15km from Paje. IT offers a good introduction in to the local vegetation as well as a possibility to encounter the red colobus monkeys which are a highly endangered spieces living only at this national park.The entrance fee to the park is 8USD including a guide which will... Continue Reading →
After our snorkelling near Matemwe we headed towards Nungwi village on the northern tip of Zanzibar. Our first stop in Nungwi was the kanssa Mnarani Turtles Conservation where you get to swim with the large turtles rescued from fishermen's nets (entry fee 10USD).This place proved to be one of the highlights of our trip to Zanzibar!... Continue Reading →
According to most travel guides, the best place for snorkling in Zanzibar is Mnemba island some 5km from the northeast coast of Zanzibar. The closest village there is Matemwe where you can hire small boats with captains to be taken to the reefs near the island (50USD per small boat). Of course you can also... Continue Reading →
Travel the World with Taru 