7 things you must do in Tanzania

Tanzania is home to two of the most iconic safari destinations in Africa – the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The vast plains of the Serengeti are home to the Great Migration, an annual event that sees massive herds of ungulate follow the rains to greenier and tastier pastures. The Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest inactive and unfilled volcanic caldera, is home to a huge variety of wildlife. Whatever kind of safari you’re after, you’ll find it here.

Game drive in Ngorongoro Crater (Shutterstock.com)

While most safari-goers flock to Tanzania’s northern parks, don’t forget the country’s south. It’s home to one of the largest reserves in the world ­– Selous Game Reserve, nearly four times the size of Serengeti National Park –and it’s even wilder.

Then there’s newly-minted Wami-Mbiki Wildlife Management Area – a great place to get close to elephants, giraffes, hartebeest and zebra. In Tanzania, you’re spoilt for choice.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that Mount Kilimanjaro is an easy climb. And compared to Everest, it is. But the climb up Kibo – the snow-topped crater that is the highest point of Kilimanjaro – is steep and bitterly cold. It’s worth it. The view from the top is spectacular and the sense of achievement you’ll feel is unparalleled. But make not mistake, you are testing yourself against all that nature can throw at you.

The top of Mount Kilimanjaro (Shutterstock.com)

Careful planning is essential. Pick the right route for you. Choose the right guide. And get yourself into shape. The risk of altitude sickness can be lessened by taking an extra day to do the climb, but lack of fitness is not so easily overcome.

While there are plenty of hardships to endure – and even some danger to avoid – there’s also an enormous amount of pleasure to derive from climbing Africa’s highest mountain. Concentrating on the positives will not only make the trek more enjoyable, it will also help to spur you on to the summit.

They call it ‘great’ for a reason: some two million ungulates – over a million wildebeest, plus zebra, gazelles and eland – rumble across the sweeping savannah of Tanzania’s Serengeti. It’s one of nature’s greatest spectacles and a highlight of any visit to Tanzania.

Wildebeest jumping into the Mara River (Shutterstock.com)

There isn’t just one Great Migration experience; depending on where you are at any given time, you might see massed herds in the south, the action-packed river crossings, or the rumbling exodus to the north.

Head to southern parts to see the huge herds gathering from April to May, to the Grumeti River from May to July for the crossing, or to the northern zones July-September to see the herds spread across the plains or over into Kenya.