Tanzania is an accomplished destination, with its classic Northern Circuit, the dramatic Ngorongoro Crater – home to around 30,000 animals including the Big Five – the vast Serengeti with its world-renowned Great Wildebeest Migration, and the exceptionally pretty parks of Lake Manyara and Tarangire.
The lesser-known Southern Circuit encompasses wildlife-rich Selous, Africa’s largest game reserve, and Ruaha, Tanzania’s largest national park – home to lions, elephants and rare packs of wild dog. In the west, Mahale Mountains and Gombe Stream National Parks offer superb chimpanzee tracking. Along the eastern coast are the fabulous white-sand beaches and islands of the Indian Ocean, particularly Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia Islands, full of Swahili culture.
My finest memory of Tanzania is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. It’s a challenging hike with a gruelling last push in desperately thin air, but reaching the 6000-metre summit and witnessing the sun rise over Africa was a spine-tingling, unforgettable experience.
The highest freestanding mountain in the world, Kilimanjaro is also the highest mountain on the African continent at 5896m. Its snow-capped summit rises high above the dusty African plains; huge permanent glaciers flow down from the summit, spectacular views and beautiful ice formations are the reward for pushing your limits.
