Overview: The largest country in East Africa, Tanzania boasts the highest
mountain on the continent, the exotic spice islands of historical
Zanzibar, and the famous Serengeti National Park whose seemingly
endless plains stage one of the greatest spectacles of animal
behaviour, the annual migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra
followed by their predators. The Great Rift Valley gives rise to
the unique geological formations found in the magnificent
Ngorongoro Crater and Mt Kilimanjaro. It is also home to the
world's largest game reserve, the Selous, covering an area larger
than Switzerland. Tanzania is richly endowed with many animal and
bird species and offers some of the finest game viewing on the
continent. Dar-es-Salaam is the largest city, a hustling, bustling
and surprisingly scenic tropical seaport that is a common starting
point for trips into the country. A dusty safari into the vast
wilderness is superbly complemented by time spent on the refreshing
Zanzibar islands, with white palm-fringed beaches, beautiful coral
gardens, and historic Stone Town - an exotic reminder of its days
as a major spice and slave trade centre. Tanzania is home to hundreds of different ethnic groups and
cultures, from the red-clad herders of the Masai tribes on the
Serengeti plains to the modestly veiled women of Zanzibar's Islamic
Stone Town. The warmth and smiling faces of its friendly people
will touch the heart of every traveller.
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