Tanzania's Guide

GEOGRAPHY
Tanzania is in East Africa, just south of the equator. It shares borders with Uganda and Kenya to the north, Mozambique and Malawi to the south, Zambia to the south-west and DRC, Burundi and Rwanda to the west. The coast is on the Indian Ocean.

Most of the country lies at an altitude of about 1000 metres. Kilimanjaro (5,896m) in the north is the highest mountain in Africa.

The major lakes are Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi, Natron, Eyasi and Manyara.
The three major rivers are the Nile, the Zaire and the Zambezi.

CLIMATE
There are three main climatic areas in Tanzania; the coastal area, with a tropical climate with temperatures around 26, moderate rainfalls and high humidity; the central plateau, hot and dry and the highland areas, with a temperate climate.
The two rainy seasons are from April to mid-June (big rainy season) and November to December (small rainy season).

ATTRACTIONS
Lake Manyara national park, 2 hours drive from Arusha, is famous for Tree climbing Lions among many species of mammals and birds, like Baboons, Buffalo, Zebra, Hippos, giraffe; Wildebeest, and over 350 species of bird, storks and flamingoes.

Mt. Kilimanjaro national park, a dormant volcano, is the highest mountain in Africa (5,895 metres). It can climbed any time of the year, however the best time is during the two dry seasons.

Ngorongoro Crater is regarded as a natural wonder of the world and has been declared a World Heritage Site. It is the largest intact crater in the world and is contains one of the largest concentrations of animals in Africa including almost all game species found in East Africa.

The Selous Game Reserve, approximate 8 hours drive south of Dar-es-Salaam, is the largest reserve in Africa and one of the largest protected wildlife areas in the world. It has the world's largest number of big game, more than 120,000 elephants, 160,000 buffaloes and about 2,000 rhinoceros, and Africa's greatest concentration of hippopotamus, crocodile and wild dog.

Serengeti is the country's most popular and famous park. Most of the game species in Africa can be found here, but it is most famous for its vast herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope and the annual migration, which takes place heading north to south October November and back south to north between the months of April and June.

Tarangire national park is a quiet and less-visited park in the North circuit, with a particularly high concentration of wildlife, especially elephants, mainly congregating along the Tarangire River. Over 300 birds are recorded.

PEOPLE

99% African (over 100 tribes, mostly of Bantu-speaking), 1% Asian, European and Arabic
45% Christian (mostly inland), 40% Muslim (mostly on the coast), 15% indigenous beliefs.

VISAS
All visitors wishing to enter United Republic of Tanzania need a visa to enter the country. Generally this can be obtained directly at customs when entering.
Your passport must be valid for at leave six months.

MONEY
Official Currency: Tanzania Shilling=100 cents

TIME
Tanzania is three hours ahead of GMT (+3GTM). Daylight saving not in use.
Banking hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30am-3pm Sat: 8:30am-1pm
Shopping: Mon-Sat: 8:30am-noon and 2pm-6pm

ELECTRICAL POWER
Electric power is 220-230V. The Plug types used are the British plug and the South African plug.