Zanzibar is one of my all-time favorite places in Africa. With its idyllic powdery white beaches and colorful reefs, the rich history of UNESCO Heritage site Stone Town and its fascinating fusion of cultures, the museum devoted to rock icon Freddie Mercury, who was born here, it’s spice plantations, friendly people and more, there’s a lot to see and do here and something for everyone. This post covers the top things to do in Zanzibar, my favorite tropical paradise. On my first visit, I was only here for a few days as part of an amazing 6 week camping tour with Intrepid from Cape Town to Nairobi. I fell in…

Although the Serengeti is usually the primary safari destination in Tanzania, visiting Ngorongoro Crater is a highlight and I recommend adding a day to visit. This crater, with its 1,300’-2,000’ (400-600 m) walls, means the animals are mostly captive inside. And as it’s small, you can usually see the Big Five in a relatively short time. In fact, the game density here is the highest in Africa, so there are generally animals everywhere you look. In addition, footprints from our earliest ancestors have been found fossilized here, making it even more awe inspiring. This, in addition to the fact that the Maasai use the Crater today, continuing their traditional semi-nomadic…

One of the top hiking areas in Tanzania, other than world-famous, multi-day, Kilimanjaro, is the Usambara Mountains. These gentle hikes are more of a cultural experience as you pass through villages of happy, engaging Tanzanians. They’re located in Lushoto, which is about halfway between Dar es Salaam and Arusha, so also a perfect stop if traveling between the two. Hiking To Irente Pointe In The Usambara Mountains The easiest, and most popular, is a two hour hike from Lushoto to Irente Point, almost 5,000’ (1,500 m) above sea level, providing a stunning panoramic view of the Maasai Steppe. It’s really more of a walk to the viewpoint, mostly following dirt…

Camping In The Serengeti As part of a 49 day overland camping trip in Africa, we spent a few nights camping in the Serengeti. Not those fancy glamping tents, but simple green, two-person tents that we tore down and set up almost daily, by ourselves. The facilities in the Serengeti camping area are basic, but it’s a great way to see Serengeti National Park inexpensively. It’s also part of the adventure as there are no fences and animals can roam freely, like the two lioness that visited our camp one evening. It was also a learning experience as our guides, born and raised in Kenya and Tanzania, shared stories about…

Serengeti National Park is home to the world’s largest unaltered animal migration, one of the greatest spectacles of the animal kingdom. Over 2 million animals are part of what’s known as the great migration, following the rain for fresh grasses, while risking their lives amongst the many predators eagerly watching them. This post covers the highlights of the park, as well as logistics, what to expect at different times of the year, getting here, and lodging options. The Serengeti Serengeti National Park is huge at over 5,700 miles² (14,700 km²). This is larger than the state of Connecticut! One of its biggest attractions is the great migration, consisting of over…