What Makes Tanzania so Special

Unique and the well worn-out phrase 'off the beaten track' have become not only mildly annoying but I think we have become immune to there supposed power to seduce and romance us into booking almost any vacation you may read about. It seems as if every destination is unique and off the beaten track. So what makes Tanzania so special, what is so different and intriguing to entice the traveler to choose Tanzania above another African destination?.It has the obvious lure of the Serengeti plains, Ngorongoro Crater, Kilimanjaro the list could go on. Tanzania has some stunning parks some of which are undiscovered by tourism and every bit as exciting as the Serengeti or the Selous. Tanzania looks after its parks, unlike some of the neighboring countries.

Numbers of lodges and rooms in the parks are strictly regulated. Many have raised their voices to complain and criticize the recent hike in the park fees for the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater; this is not greed by the Tanzanian Government but an attempt to control the ever increasing number of tourists. We will see further initiatives to attempt to entice the tourist to the superb lesser visited parks in the south of the country. Such huge numbers of visitors in the north are not sustainable and the impact on the fragile eco-system must come first.Cultural tourism is encouraged and developed quite rigorously.

This is to encourage responsible tourism and ensure the people who live in Tanzania benefit from the tourism industry. Tanzanians are friendly and welcoming personified; they truly enjoy to receive visitors into there homes and country. Tanzania is peaceful and simply the safest place to visit in Africa.There are the lakes in the west with the chimpanzees, the spiced islands of the Zanzibar archipelago for the best diving in the world, Saadani a place where the bush meets the sea and it is possible to see elephants enjoying the surf.

Kilimanjaro where the dusty plains of Africa ascend ever upwards through tropical rainforest to near artic conditions at the summit; each area of Tanzania offering a contrast, offering something special.Ngorongoro Crater is a perfect unbroken caldera, 18km across, this is one of the wonders of the world. This area is one of the few places in Africa where humans live in harmony with tourism and here we witness African culture and ecotourism smoothly nurtured into the environment.The Usambara Mountains where the African violet was discovered, this area is a great addition to your safari and there are no park fees to pay.

These African mountains are very special mountains, often that tired cliché is used comparing them to Switzerland. These mountains are defiantly African mountains, not European but African.Tanzania is a place to come for the prefect safari and African experience. It is a place to which you could easily loose your heart.

co.uk ? responsible tourism can change lives.

By: Ian Williamson