Northern Tanzania: Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar

by Philip Briggs

Overview

This thoroughly updated new edition of Bradt's Northern Tanzania Safari Guide remains the only full-length guidebook focussed exclusively on the northern part of the country and Zanzibar. Tailored closely to the requirements of anyone going on a safari to northern Tanzania, followed by a few days on Zanzibar, it provides far more detailed coverage of the local safari circuit and other main attractions than other guides. As such, it offers complete and detailed lodge listings and also goes into greater detail about wildlife and where to see it. It is also the only guide to include detailed information on the many new private concessions that have opened up.

Northern Tanzania is dominated by Africa's finest safari circuit. Centred on the legendary Serengeti National Park and its world-famous wildebeest migration, this circuit also incorporates the Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara and Tarangire national parks. Geographically it is one of the most varied regions in Africa, with a palm-fringed Indian Ocean coastline complemented by the scenic wonders of the Great Rift Valley, Africa's largest lake, and several impressive volcanically formed mountains, most notably snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa and a popular goal for hikers. Lesser-known gems include the prehistoric rock art at Kondoa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the forested Arusha National Park and Amani Nature Reserve, and the spectacular Ol Doinyo Lengai - Africa's most active volcano. Tanzania is home to more than 100 ethnic groups, from the Arab-influenced Swahili of the coast to the traditionalist Maasai pastoralists and Hadza hunter-gatherers of the Rift Valley, yet it takes pride in a long history of post-independence tolerance, stability and safety. Northern Tanzania offers spectacular game-viewing all year round, and supports some of the world's largest surviving populations of lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest and gazelle. Serviced by a well-developed safari industry, the superlative reserves of northern Tanzania are complemented by a stopover on the legendary Spice Island of Zanzibar. With its atmospheric old town, idyllic beaches and offshore reefs teeming with marine life, it is every bit as evocative as its name.

Bradt's Northern Tanzania is written by Philip Briggs, the world's leading writer of guidebooks to Africa, and Chris McIntyre, CEO of specialist Africa tour operator Expert Africa. The guide reflects the growing trend away from large lodges towards small exclusive eco-friendly camps in remote parts of the Serengeti and other major reserves and this edition is more critically selective than previous editions, detailing the best on offer in all price brackets. Also new for this edition is a 48-page colour field guide, detailing all species a visitor can expect to find on a safari in the northern circuit, making this guide the most authoritative source available. Northern Tanzania is an essential travel companion for both first-time visitors and seasoned safari-goers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784775018
Publisher:	Bradt Travel Guides Ltd
Publication date:	06/28/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Philip Briggs has been exploring the highways, byways and backwaters of Africa since 1986, when he spent several months backpacking on a shoestring from Nairobi to Cape Town, and first visited Tanzania, bussing from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam then catching the Tazara Railway to Zambia. He has returned to Tanzania numerous times, among other things to research and author the first Bradt Guide to Tanzania in 1992/3, as well as all seven subsequent editions. Tanzania aside, he has visited more than two dozen African countries in total and written about most of them for specialist travel and wildlife magazines BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa and Wanderlust. He still spends at least four months on the road every year, usually accompanied by his wife, the travel photographer Ariadne Van Zandbergen, and spends his rest of the time battering away at a keyboard in the sleepy South African coastal village of Wilderness.

Chris McIntyre went to Africa in 1987, after reading Physics at Queen's College, Oxford. He taught with VSO in Zimbabwe for almost three years and travelled extensively, before writing his first guidebook in 1990. He has since written Bradt guides to Namibia, Botswana and Zambia, and co-authored (with his wife, Susan) the last four editions of Bradt's Zanzibar guide - the latest of which is being thoroughly revised at the same time as this book. Chris now runs specialist tour operator Expert Africa, where he leads a team of dedicated Africa addicts who provide impartial advice and organise great safaris to Africa, including Tanzania. He can be contacted on [e-mail].

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction

PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION

Chapter 1 Background Information

Geography, Climate 4, Habitats and vegetation, History, Government and politics, Economy, People, Language, Religion

Chapter 2 Tanzania Wildlife Guide

Mammals, Reptiles, Birds

Chapter 3 Practical Information 71

When to visit, Highlights, Itinerary planning, Tourist information, Tour operators, Red tape, Getting there and away, Safety, What to take, Money and banking, Getting around, Accommodation, Eating and drinking, Public holidays, Shopping, Media and communications, Cultural etiquette

Chapter 4 Health

Preparations7, Common medical problems, Unusual medical problems, Other safety concerns

PART TWO THE GUIDE

Chapter 5 Arusha and Around

History, Getting there and away, Orientation, Getting around, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Entertainment and nightlife, Shopping, Other practicalities, Tourist information, Safari operators, What to see and do

Chapter 6 Arusha National Park and the Moshi Highway

The Moshi Highway, Arusha National Park, West Kilimanjaro

Chapter 7 Moshi and the Kilimanjaro Foothills

History, Getting there and away, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Nightlife, Shopping, Other practicalities, Tourist information and tour operators, Around Moshi

Chapter 8 Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

Geology, History, Vegetation and biology, Climbing Kilimanjaro

Chapter 9 Usambara and the Northeast

Lake Jipe, Mkomazi National Park, Lushoto and the Western Usambara, Amani Nature Reserve and the Eastern Usambara

Chapter 10 Tarangire and the Central Rift Valley

Tarangire National Park, Babati, Mount Hanang, Kondoa Rock Art Sites, Dodoma

Chapter 11 Lake Manyara and the Northern Rift Valley

Lake Manyara National Park, Lake Eyasi and the Yaeda Valley, North of Manyara

Chapter 12 Ngorongoro and the Crater Highlands

Karatu and surrounds, Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Chapter 13 Serengeti National Park

History, Flora, Fauna, Fees and further information, Ndutu and the southeastern plains, Seronera and the south-central plains, The Western Corridor, Lobo, Loliondo and the north-central Serengeti, The Mara River and the far northwest

Chapter 14 Rubondo Island National Park

Geography and vegetation, Wildlife, Getting there and away, Where to stay and eat, What to see and do

Chapter 15 Zanzibar

History, Getting there and away, Getting around, Zanzibar Town, Around Zanzibar Town, Islands close to Zanzibar Town, Northern Zanzibar, The east coast, The west coast, Pemba Island

Appendix 1 Language

Appendix 2 Glossary

Appendix 3 Endemic and Near-Endemic Birds of Tanzania

Appendix 4 Further Information

Index