There can be no better place to view wildlife in their natural habitat than East Africa which consists of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Although there are othe great wildlife destinations to the south the likes of Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia East Africa is where the culture of wildlife safaris was born and one of these countries in Tanzania.

Situated just south of the equator, Tanzania lies between the area of the great lakes; Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi with the Indian Ocean to the east. It has land borders with Kenya and Uganda to the north, Mozambique and Malawi to the south, Zambia to the southwest and Zaire, Burundi and Rwanda to the west.

The country offers iconic safari destinations such as the legendary Serengeti Plains, the geological marvel that is in the form of the Ngorongoro Crater and magnificent Mount Kilimanjaro the highest free standing mountain in the world. On top of all this, it hosts the greatest show on earth – the annual Wildebeest Migration – ensuring a perfect African Safari Holiday.

Tanzanians as a people are very friendly to foreigners and amongst themselves. Politeness, respect and modesty also highly valued in the society, so it would be very helpful to learn some Swahili greetings before visiting and take the time to greet people before you ask them for directions.

People and culture aside, its been said that if there’s a place where wildlife thrives and roams freely in what can be regarded as one of the few remaining true wilderness then it has got to be Tanzania.

Just an hour’s drive from Arusha town is Arusha National Park a gem of a nature reserve. Inspite of its proximity to the safari capital of Tanzania, the park is actually the least frequented by visitors of the northern Tanzania parks, making it a treat for nature lovers who are interested in more than just seeing the Big Five.

Just like any wildlife destination in Africa the park has its best times to visit and this is during the dry season from July-November, or after the short rains from December-March. The best months to climb mount Meru are June-February, with the best views of Africa’s higest mountain Mount Kilimanjaro seen from December-February.

Although not so popular with tourists west of the country lies a park by the name Gombe Stream National Park. The park was established in 1968 as is the smallest of Tanzania’s national park with only 20 square miles of forest running along the hills of the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika.

Gombe Stream National Park is famous as the site of Jane Goodall’s investigation into chimpanzee behaviour,which to some has blurred the line separating human from nonhuman animals. Jane Goodall’s research is the world’s longest-running study of a wild animal population Yes 50 Years of Chimp Research.

It offers one a great place to see chimps up close and personal as many of the family groups are habituated to human beings. Perhaps with only one exception being Mahale Mountains National Park, no other park in Africa can offer such a magnificent experience with chimpanzees.

One of the most instantly recognizable landmarks on the continent is mount Kilimanjaro. Its distinctive silhouette and snow-capped peak form one of the most breathtaking sights on the continent. This mount stands free. Yes! Kilimanjaro is effectively the world’s largest single mountain, a freestanding entity that towera an incredibly5km above the surrounding plains.

The park that gets its name from the mountain takes in the area above the 8,850 feet, or 2,700 meters, on the mountain including the moorland and highland zones, Shira Plateau, Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. In addition, the Park has six corridors or rights of way through the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve.

Officially opened in 1977. Mount. Kilimanjaro National Park is situated in North Tanzania between Moshi River and the Kenyan Border park of Amboseli.

The park has an amazing quality of wildlife and flora in this region and a trek to Mount Kilimanjaro is simply breath taking.

Inside the park, a number of mammal species have been recorded. Some of them are lions, Zebra, elephants, several species of rodents, grey duiker and eland, bushbuck, red duiker, the endangered Abbott’s and buffalo.

Author Bio: Jerry Wanga is the editor of http://www.naadytravel.com an online website on Kenya Safari Africa which also covers Tanzania safari holidays as well as masai mara tours. You can view more info on the website.

Category: Travel
Keywords: africa travel, travel, tours, vacation, holidays