Jumbo, Tanzania!

From the earliest years, any person is attracted by the African continent with its fabulousness and attracts with those images that were created in cartoons. Ancient tribes, mysterious and mysterious deserts, unexplored river valleys, exotic animals that captivate the imagination of the most avid travelers. What is worth only the cartoon "The Lion King", watching which not only children, but also adults are fascinated by the incredible beauty of nature. And this is just a drawn cartoon, as many people think, graphics and other modern technologies for creating an extraordinary visual picture, but there are still such real places on our planet, even, one might say, continents, as if from a picture! This time we are going on a trip to Tanzania, which consists of unreal beauties from national parks to crazy sunsets.  

Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa. Its name was coined in 1964 by President Julius Nyerere: after the unification of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, he took the first syllable from each of the "union republics". If the name of Tanzania is artificial, then the beauty and riches are the most natural.

Nature and climate

From the west, Tanzania is washed by the fresh waters of the deepest lake in Africa, and from the east by the salty waves of the ocean. Between them lie more than 900,000 km2 of plains, forests and mountains of various heights. The north is occupied by volcanic highlands with a dry and relatively cool climate (no more than +27 ° C on the hottest days). The south is hotter, and the coast and islands are saturated with moisture brought from the ocean.  

The first rainy season in northern Tanzania begins in mid-March and lasts until the end of May. Clear weather sets in, which lasts until the end of September. The hottest months - October, November and December - are the second rainy season. In the south, one big "wet" season lasts from early December to late April, and in the west it rains mainly from October to May. The best season in Tanzania are the months from July to October, as well as January and February. On the inhabited coast, forests have long given way to plantations of spices and other useful plants. Another thing is the central regions and the shores of Lake Tanganyika, covered with a continuous jungle carpet. This is the domain of primates and birds, while huge herds of antelope, buffalo, giraffes, zebras and elephants still graze in the northern savannas. The reefs of the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar are considered the most popular diving sites on the entire continent. More than 100 peoples and tribes live in the country, however, in comparison with its neighbors, it has more succeeded in creating a national community and a single culture. Tanzania is famous for its original musical traditions, which combine local motives and European notes brought by the masters of Christian religious music. may be the work of a Tanzanian artist.

Kitchen

The inhabitants of mainland Tanzania value simplicity and satiety, so there is always food rich in carbohydrates on the table - cornmeal ugali, regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, or cassava. The natives of the coast and the islands prefer rice to all this, which is boiled with spices or with the addition of legumes - peas or lentils. The starchy base of the meal is complemented by meat, fish, fried bananas, pumpkin or stewed spinach. Meat (usually goat meat and poultry) is cooked without fuss - grilled or boiled, serving the broth as a first course. Flour in Tanzania is available in the form of flatbreads (chapati), stuffed patties (sambusa) and sweet muffins (mandazi).  

The cuisine of the islands and the coast is the kingdom of curries, that is, dishes that came from India. Products for them are crushed, and then stewed with spices. The main difference from Indian cooking is that the Swahili cooks use pepper without fanaticism.

Society

Tanzania remains rural: nothing warms the soul of a Tanzanian like shamba. This word, familiar to readers of Hemingway's hunting notes, means both a large plantation and a patch of land owned by a poor peasant. Where there is a village, there is a community with its mutual assistance, so there is nothing surprising in the fact that it was in Tanzania in the 60s. "African socialism" was born.  

The first thing that catches your eye when communicating with the natives of Tanzania is their courtesy. 

The words "Jumbo!" ("Hello!") and "Caribou!" (“Welcome!”) is pronounced here in such a way that it is impossible to resist.  

There is less sincerity in the inhabitants of Zanzibar: they are too spoiled by the flow of tourists. Another distinguishing feature of the Tanzanians is impenetrable calm. Their favorite expression is “Field-field!”, recalling the Roman classics, it can be translated as “Hurry up slowly!”.

Olduvai Gorge

Olduvai Gorge is the same place where the fossils of the Nutcracker Man, or Australopithecus boisei, a 1.8 million-year-old humanoid creature, were found, so this place is a must-see for anyone interested in archeology or anthropology. It is a 40-kilometer crevasse running along the Serengeti plains 20 km west of the Ngorongoro Crater, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The depth of the gorge is about 100 m, and the area is 250 km2.

Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti National Park was established in 1951 as a nature reserve covering a vast area in Northern Tanzania (14,763 km2).
Serengeti means "Endless Plains" in the Maasai language. This is a very accurate description, since the park is the largest in Tanzania, it is located on a plateau, at an altitude of 914-1829 m above sea level. Roughly comparable in size to Northern Ireland and considered one of the largest game reserves in the world, the Serengeti is famous for being home to 35 types of mammals, including lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, hippos, buffaloes, rhinos, baboons and antelopes, and There are also over 500 species of birds. Many of these animals are found nowhere else in the world.

The annual 800 km migration of ungulates and zebras in search of food and water during the dry season in May is one of the attractions of the park. The spectacle of animals rushing across the plains is impossible to forget. Elton John's song "Circle of Life" is about this, so be sure to download it to your player when you go to the Serengeti. In March, antelopes and zebras take off and wander west, fording the Grumati River. In May-June, the herds change direction and rush to the north, feeding on the grown greens. By August, herbivores occupy the Kenyan Masai Mara reserve, and in October they go back to the Serengeti, but only by other paths that lie east of the summer ones. In February, the Serengeti turns into a huge maternity hospital: every day thousands of calves, foals and other animals are born here.  

In addition to communicating with the wildlife through a classic jeep safari, visitors to the Tanzanian national park can enjoy the exotic landscapes of the African savannas and plains, rivers and lakes. Watch beautiful sunsets and visit the rocks containing Masai rock art.  

It is also the only park in Tanzania where you can fly in a hot air balloon, if you don't, you will regret it for the rest of your life.

Zanzibar

Zanzibar is a coral island, perhaps once part of the African continent, a true pearl in the azure waters of the Indian Ocean. 

The island attracts tourists with coconut palms swaying in the tropical wind, picturesque hills covered in places with primeval forest, and wonderful white sand beaches. Another magnet for visitors is the abundance of coral reefs surrounding the island. This is a real fairy tale for divers!

Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is located in the northeastern part of Tanzania, in the national park of the same name. 

This is the highest peak in Africa, which is actually a dormant volcano. There are three cones here - Kibo, Mavensi and Shira, Kibo is the highest and youngest peak, Mavensi is the oldest cone, its height is 5891.8 meters. Despite the fact that Mount Kilimanjaro is only three degrees from the equator, due to its height, the Kibo crater is covered with snow all year round. The name comes from the Swahili language and supposedly means "mountain that sparkles".  

You won't be able to overcome Kilimanjaro lightly.
This mountain holds the world record for the number of high-altitude climatic zones that change as you climb. Accordingly, all the conquerors of Kilimanjaro are champions in the number and variety of equipment. All this, except for the stretched on your freezing body, it is better to entrust the porters. If you feel that the climb is too tough for you, it doesn’t matter either. You can limit yourself to a photo session in the style of Hemingway: you, the savannah and the mountain in the background. It is possible to climb Kilimanjaro from Kenya, since the mountain is located on the border of Tanzania and Kenya.

But by agreement between these countries, ascents are allowed only from Tanzania. On the Kenyan side, the necessary infrastructure is lacking and there are police posts to prevent unauthorized ascents.

Lake Manyara

Lake Manyara is a national park and tropical oasis located in the Rift Valley and is a great place to visit when visiting the Ngorongoro Crater or the Serengeti. 

At Lake Manyara, you can observe the 350 species of birds that nest here, as well as a variety of mammals, including gazelles, buffalo, leopards, rhinos, wildebeest, hyenas, hippos and the famous tree-climbing lions.
Nearby is a colorful village where you can buy local goods such as kanga - traditional sarongs worn by Swahili women, Maasai tribal brass bracelets and jewelry, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

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