Tanzania Tourist Information and Tourism

(Tanzania, TZ, East Africa)

For so many, Tanzania is everything that they imagine Africa to be. With world-famous parks, endless opportunities to observe wildlife and iconic sights such as Mount Kilimanjaro and the breathtaking scenery of the Serengeti National Park, visitors will certainly take back lifelong memories.

Whilst Dodoma may be the relatively new capital, it is the former capital of Dar es Salaam where the tourism scene is most well developed. In Dar es Salaam's Mchafukoge district, the Tanzania Tourist Board Information Centre on Samora Avenue is worth looking out for and has free maps, useful brochures and travel advice. There are also a number of travel companies and safari operators based in this busy city, including reliable agencies at both the Movenpick Royal Palm Hotel on Upanga Street and the Holiday Inn on Garden Avenue.

Tanzania Tourist Information and Tourism: Top Sights

Whether you are looking for a wilderness adventure away from the crowds, a safari to watch elephants, lions and rhinos, or a beach holiday, Tanzania certainly provides plenty of choice. Fronting the Indian Ocean, many of the most popular beaches are conveniently based around Dar es Salaam, such as Coco Beach at Oyster Bay. The main islands of Zanzibar - Unguja and Pemba, are also home to some of Tanzania's most alluring beaches, with this coastline also being famed for its superb scuba diving and snorkelling. More information about Tanzania Beaches.

The national parks are the principal reason why so many tourists come to Tanzania and although the Serengeti Plains may well beckon, so too will the national parks of Arusha, Gombe Stream, Lake Manyara, Mount Kilimanjaro and Ruaha. At the Mahale Mountains National Park you can get up close to chimpanzees, and in the Selous Game Reserve, the native African creatures often spotted roaming the savannah and alongside the Rufiji River include antelope, elephants, kudus and colobus monkeys. Trips to Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria provide yet another way to experience nature in Africa and here you can take a cruise, swim, snorkel, dive and even fish. More information about Tanzania National Parks.

For sightseeing in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam is the place to hang out and a few days spent exploring this energetic city will reveal tourism gems such as the historic White Fathers' Mission House and Old Boma building. Located on Sokoine Drive and next to the waterfront, St. Joseph's Cathedral may now be sandwiched in between modern buildings, but its spire still towers high above the surrounding cityscape. For a leisurely family day out in the city, you can choose between the Botanical Gardens and Dar es Salaam Zoo. Those in Arusha may like to take time out to pay a visit to the Meserani Snake Park. More information about Tanzania Tourist Attractions.

The most obvious and photographed of Tanzania's landmarks tend to be clustered around Dar es Salaam and here you can tour sights such as the Askari Monument, the Azania Lutheran Church, the Old State House and the Uhuru Torch at the Mnazi Mmoja Park. If you are more interested in natural phenomenon, then the giant Ngorongoro Crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is sure to please, offering the chance to see zebras, rhinos, wildebeest and lions living in a unique enclosure shaped by past volcanic activity some three million years ago. Mount Kilimanjaro is certainly not the only eye-catching mountain in Tanzania, with the somewhat shorter Mount Meru measuring in as the second-highest of the country. Other landmarks of note include the Kalambo Falls and the still-active Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano, as well as the archaeological Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings and the Isimila Stone Age Site. More information about Tanzania Landmarks and Monuments.

As the busiest, largest and still the most important city in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam is understandably the place to come for culture and related tourist attractions. The National Museum and House of Culture has welcomed visitors since it first opened in 1940 and boasts exhibitions of fossils excavated from the Olduvai Gorge. Also in the city is the open-air Village Museum, where authentic rural-life exhibits, artefacts and information about age-old traditions are displayed for all to enjoy. Butiama, Mwanza and Arusha all also have a museum or two, the latter of which being known for its offerings dedicated to natural history, the Arusha Declaration and Tanzanite - a blue / purple mineral stone discoverd locally. More information about Tanzania Museums.

You could easily spend an entire month on holiday in Tanzania and still leave with attractions left unvisited. However, if you are here as part of an African experience, then you may have left time for excursions into one or more of the adjoining countries. To the north, Kenya is certainly one to add to any list and its capital of Nairobi is easy to reach. Head southwards and you will soon discover Mozambique, where the beaches of Bazaruto and Quirimbas really are some of Africa's finest. Also to the south is Malawi, and to the south-west, Zambia, while to the west is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to the north-west, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. More information about Tanzania Attractions Nearby.

More Tanzania Information / Fast Facts and Orientation

• Country: Africa (east)
• Location: next to the Indian Ocean
• Status: African country
• Capital city: Dodoma
• Largest city: Dar es Salaam
• Area: approximately 364,870 square miles / 945,000 square kilometres
• Population: approximately 44 million
• Language: Swahili and English
• Currency: Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)
• Time zone: East Africa Time - EAT (UTC + 3)
• Country dialling code: +255
• Religion: Christians 65 percent and Muslims 30 percent
• Average daily Tanzania January temperature: 26°C / 79°F
• Average daily Tanzania July temperature: 26°C / 79°F