Serengeti is easily Tanzania’s most famous national park, and also the largest. At 14,763 square kilometres, this protected area borders Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Park. Its far-reaching plains of endless grass, tinged with the twisted shadows of acacia trees, have made it the quintessential image of a wild and untarnished Africa. Prides of lions can be easily seen in the game park along with herds of, elephants and other species such as giraffes, gazelles, monkeys and eland, which graze across the plains in awe-inspiring numbers.
But it is the annual wildebeest migration through the Serengeti and the Masai Mara which gives Tanzania an extra dimension. More than a million animals, the largest species being the wildebeest, make the seasonal journey to fresh pasture to the north, then the south, after the biannual rains. The sound of their thundering hooves, raising massive clouds of thick red dust, has become one of the legends of the Serengeti plains. The entire ecosystem thrives from the annual migration, from the lions and birds of prey. Apart from the traditional vehicle bound safaris, hot-air ballooning over the Serengeti plains have become a safari ‘must do’ for travel enthusiasts. The flights depart at dawn and fly over the plains for the spectacular viewing of herds of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle and giraffe.
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Full name: United Republic of Tanzania
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Population: 38.4 million (UN, 2005)
· Capital: Dodoma
· Area: 945,087 sq km (364,900 sq miles)
· Major languages: English, Swahili
· Major religions: Christianity, Islam
· Life expectancy: 46 years (men), 46 years (women) (UN)
· Monetary unit: 1 Tanzanian shilling = 100 cents
· Main exports: Sisal, cloves, coffee, cotton, cashew nuts, minerals, tobacco
· GNI per capita: US $340 (World Bank, 2006)
· Internet domain: .tz
· International dialling code: +255
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