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An afternoon on the Serengeti Tanzania Travel Fast Facts Getting there: regular flights from major cities to international airports in Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro What to see: Lake Victoria, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti Plains, Mafia Island, Zanzibar, Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, Lake Manyara Currencies: Tanzanian shilling Official language(s): Swahili, English

As the popular African destination of many people's dreams, Tanzania instantly captures the imagination. It is Africa at its most wild and free.

That's not to say that the country lacks creature comforts - far from it.

Count on Tanzania to put out the welcome mat with accommodations ranging from luxury hotels and resorts, to safari campers and solar-powered tent lodges from which to view the Africa of legend.

The one concern upon arrival in Tanzania is...where to begin:

Close to 1 million visitor arrive in the country each year, a majority of which touch down at the international airport in the fomer capital, Dar es Salaam. From there, it is easy to book passage to Tanzania's unforgettable natural wonders.

The largest country in East Africa, Tanzania encompasses within its borders some of the most famous of the continent's most varied and breathtaking attractions including Lake Victoria, Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti plains.

With a coast line on the Indian Ocean, the country also features some of most beautiful and pristine beaches in the world for diving, snorkleing, or swimming with dolphins.

White sand beaches of Zanzibar.

More must-sees off the Tanzanian coast include the sun-drenched white sand beaches of Zanzibar, or the exotic "Spice Islands" of Unguja and Pemba,

Don't forget world class deep-sea fishing at Mafia Island.

As they say in Swahili, Karibu sana.

Welcome to Tanzania ...

DID YOU KNOW? Tanzania Travel Fun Facts

Victoria Falls

• David Livingstone was a Scottish explorer and one of the first outside Tanzania to see Victoria Falls, which he promptly named after Britain’s queen.

• Beef and pork are rare and expensive in Tanzania, but try the local dishes available at hotels and restaurants including crocodile, filet of antelope, and fried warthog!

• Tanzania is noted for exquisite African blackwood or mbingo carvings. Other souvenirs to bring home from Tanzania include Maasai tribe fabrics and blankets, local tribal wood carvings, paintings, and pottery sold at street stalls and craft markets.

• The chimpanzees at Gombe National Park were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall, who in 1960 began her behavioural research program that now stands as the planet's longest-running study of chimpanzees in the wild.

• Even though the waters of Lake Natron are alkaline and highly corrosive it still manages to boast the largest flamingo breeding ground  in East Africa.

• Zanzibar's Chumbe Island is home to the coconut crab, the largest crab on earth, known for climbing coconut trees and cracking coconuts with its powerful foot-long claws.

More about Tanzania travel & tourism around the Web:

Tanzania Tourism - The official site complete with guides to top attractions, itinerary planner, guides to game reserves and national parks, best diving & snorkeling sites on the Swahili coast, historical and cultural background, practical travel advice, maps & photos, plus a comprehensive list of all tourism businesses approved and licensed by the Tanzania Tourist Board.

Tanzania travel guide - Hit the ground running with this nitty-gritty Wikitravel guide to the country with information on what to see and do, how to negotiate roads and traffic, local customs & social etiquette, safety advice and insider tips on foods to eat and markets to shop.

Tanzania Travel Information - Lonely Planet guide featuring the best that Tanzania has to offer with advice on what to see and do, getting around, maps & photos, and special focus on Dar es Salaam, Serengeti National Park, Mt Kilimanjaro National Park plus recommended game reserves and conservation areas.

Tanzania, Africa - Travel Guide & Tourist Information - From The Africa Guide, with recommended tour companies offering safaris & mountain climbing expeditions plus an extensive directory of hotels and travel packages, maps, photos, practical travel tips, related links.

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