Mzanzitravel Magazine - Issue 9

Explore Africa
Stone Town, Zanzibar - Koverninska Olga / shutterstock.com
the Portuguese and reached its climax with the Arab
Omani sultanate before Britain outlawed the trade in
1873. The site of the old slave market can be visited
where the Anglican Cathedral now stands, and there
is a monument to the slaves that were once so cruelly
dispatched around the world from here.
For a shopping and browsing experience second to
none, visit the Darajani Market located near the slave
market. Looking, feeling, sounding and smelling every
bit the bustling Arab bazaar that it is, you will find
everything from spices, to pots and pans, clothing,
meat, and many other items here.
Billed as the world’s oldest still existing Swahili city,
many of the historical landmarks in Stone Town
have been fully restored, with some now serving as
museums which are open to the public. Other places
of interest are the Old Dispensary with its carved
wooden balconies, the former home of the sultans
known as Beit el-Sahel or the People’s Palace, the
Hamamni Persian Baths built in 1888, and the oldest
structure in Stone Town, the Old Fort. Zanzibar can
be reached by air, landing at the Abeid Amani Karume
International Airport, and by ferry from Dar es Salaam.
Within the Zanzibar archipelago, Pemba Island is the
northernmost island. Some of the best diving waters
anywhere along the African coast are to be found
here, with excellent crystal-clear visibility revealing
the fascinating underwater life. Less populous or
visited by tourists, the atmosphere here is more laid
back than on Zanzibar. A leftover from the days of the
Portuguese is the traditional bullfighting that can still
be watched here.
Mafia Island too is a popular choice with snorkelers
and scuba divers from around the world. The best
months for diving are October to March but the best
weather is from May to October. There are some truly
magnificent coral reefs and a huge variety of fish to
seen here in what is a protected marine reserve. In
addition Mafia is also a popular base for deep-sea
fishing that includes tuna, marlin, sailfish and other
big-game fish.
The national parks
It is hardly possible to single out any of the many
national parks in Tanzania. Each is unique and has
so much to offer, from day drives to tented safaris
and luxury lodges, with more and a greater variety
of wildlife than most other African countries. Larger
wildlife here include the Big Five (lions, leopards,
black and white rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape
buffalo) cheetahs, wildebeest, giraffes, zebra, hippos
and a large variety of antelopes. Tanzania’s most wellknown
wildlife attractions are located in the northern
part of the country. However, as mentioned, other
parts of the country, particularly the south, also have
magnificent national parks and game reserves.
The Serengeti National Park is Tanzania’s largest,
best-known and most-visited park. It consists mainly
of a vast plain dotted with sparsely spread trees,
with well over a million animals searching for fresh
grazing fields. The best months for wildlife viewing
are between December and June. The best time for
viewing the annual mass animal migration, depends
entirely on the rainfall. Throughout the year the
wildebeest and other animals follow a set pattern.
After the November rains, in late November and
December, the wildebeest herds start arriving on
the plains of the Serengeti, where they stay through
January, February and March, with most wildebeest
calves born around February. They then start to
gradually spread west across the plains. At around
April they start their great trek north, and by May all of
the wildebeest seem to be moving north as they seek
fresh grazing and water. Around June the wildebeest
migration is often temporarily halted on the south side
of the Grumeti River. The animals congregate here
and build up into a dense mass of animals before
crossing the river en masse.
The migration now continues northwards during July
and August, often spreading out across a broad front
into September, where the Mara Mara River, flowing
from Kenya’s adjacent Maasai Mara Game Reserve,
again brings them to a stop. Before long the large
herds start plunging through the river into Kenya in
what is the most spectacular part of the migration. By
October they are headed south again, where after the
entire migration starts over again.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, located between
the Serengeti and Lake Manyara, is home to the
famous volcanic Ngorongoro Crater and another one
of Tanzania’s more popular wildlife viewing areas.
A permanent supply of water in the crater draws
many kinds of animals that stay in the area rather
than migrating. It is primarily large game and the
many bird species that draw visitors here. Another
nearby attraction is the Olduvai Gorge, an important
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