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Zanzibari Islands

ITguru — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:59:42 CST

Red Colobus Monkey, endemic to Zanzibar

Information on Zanzibar

Zanzibar is an island with a very peaceful atmosphere and has a rich history. It is famous for its fruits, spices, tours, and most of all, its beaches. You can get a henna tattoo and it's cool to watch how the local people draw designs.

Places to stay

Stone Town
Clove Hotel, is reasonably priced and comfortable rooms

Dhow Palace Hotel

Al-Johari Hotel - nice boutique hotel with 15 rooms. Food is not great but it's right near Amore Mio so you can get good food and gelato there!

Restaurants in Stone Town:
Amore Mio: very good restaurant with great gelato.

North
Armani Bungalows, simple rooms with basic facilities, close to the sea and many restaurants to choose from.

Ras Nungwi, a wide range of rooms at different prices and great beaches. For more information click here

Paradise Hotel: A rustic but pleasant hotel in Nungwi. Little bungalows on the beach. Run by nice Japanese lady. Restaurant serves appetizing Japanese cuisine. Get a chance to experience real Japanese Culture.

South
Makunduchi is a place in the southern part of Zanzibar. The place is called "La Madrugada." The owner is a spanish man called Mr. Juan Morral. It has clean spacious rooms with mosquito nets and A/C. There are 2 swimming pools and it is located on the beach. The price for the hotel is $119.00 for adults and $60.00 for a child for 2 nights. The food is excellent, with fresh beef and local fruits and vegetables. They can arrange transport to and from airport and they can organize dolphin tours, snorkelling and spice tours, all at good prices. It is $20 per person for the dolphin tour, for example.

E-mail: contanct@lamadrugada-resort.com. Website: www.lamadrugada.com. Phone: +255 (0) 773 223 735 OR +255 (0) 788 754 516.

West
Kendwa beach has very little difference in tidal changes with crystal clear water, It's a little busy but otherwise it's a stunning place, the resorts around Kendwa Beach are reasonably priced, from US$40 to US$80 for a double room per night, this includes breakfast.

For information on the Duniani Lodge, click here

Sunset Bungalows is reasonably priced with bungalows near the beach. They also have other accommodations further up a long flight of stairs so be sure to ask for the beach bandas. The email is: sunsetbungalows@hotmail.com. Reviews on tripadvisor are mixed but no one has complained from the IST community.

http://www.tanzania-adventure.com/sunset-beach-zanzibar.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g482884-d629134-Reviews-Sunset_Bungalows- Zanzibar_Zanzibar_Archipelago.html

White Sands hotel in Zanzibar, Has staff that speak english and german and has lots of facilities. For more information click here

East
Sunrise hotel is quite small. The service is slow, but the food is very good! For more information click here

Shooting Star Hotel: wonderful pool, very nice rooms.For more information click here

Paje Beach Resort, run by a Scandinavian couple who have been there for a long time and know alot about Zanzibar.
http://www.ndame.info/eng/aboutnewndame.htm

Jambiani:
Jambiani offers a few bandas on a tranquil beach, a diving resort, village tours and a sea weed farming tour. You can also rent bikes to ride to one of the several caves around Zanzibar that were once used for the slave trade. A good place to stay is the Visitor's Inn, it's a two star hotel with basic facilities: a fridge, air conditioned rooms, television and a fair restaurant. However, be aware that the tides are big in this area so that the beach becomes unswimmable while the tide is out. It's also a good idea to bring beach shoes because there are a lot of sea urchins, especially visible at low tide.

Kite Surfing:
It is one of the most exciting water sports there is. You can try this sport at a place called Paradise. There is shallow water, big beaches, good equipment and experienced instructors. Courses are available to beginners. All materials are included (kite, board and harness). You must bring: rashgaurd or t-shirt, sunscreen and watershoes. You can access this from Paje, Matembwe & Kiwengwa, on the East Coast.

CHECK AND BOOK IN ADVANCE: kitecentrezanzibar@gmail.com Website: www.kitecentrezanzibar.com
or, CALL: +255 (0) 773 114 976 OR +255 (0) 777 209 576

Mafia Island:

Butiama Beach Resort-

This resort is an excellent value for the money. Owned by former managers of other Mafia island hotels this property has the best of all the others rolled into one. Maura and her husband Moez are friendly and helpful and the staff was excellent. The bungalows are large and very private. There is a beach for swimming and if you are lucky you can see the whale sharks with just a few minute boat ride. The food was excellent, electricity 100 percent of the time, well maintained property.

You can go to Mafia Island to swim with whale sharks, which is amazing and highly recommended. Unfortunately we cannot recommend the place that we stayed- Ras Mbisi Lodge. We paid $140/person/night (on par with Ras Kutani) PLUS a $50/person supplement for staying over New Years and we got about $15 worth of service, which was pretty horrendous and really brought down the quality of the trip. There are other places to stay on Mafia for less money that are better established and have better reputations.

Recommended Tour Guide: POPO MORIJO

Popo is with the RENT A CAR company, and is recommended highly by the IST Faculty. You can reach him by email or phone.

EMAIL: popomorijo@hotmail.com
TEL: 0025 - 777 - 417300
- 0025 - 713 - 336458

Sunset Dance

Camping Around Tanzania

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:06:13 CDT

This page is for those people who like to camp and/or want to avoid high lodge prices. Recommended campgrounds are:

Zebra and Pangani Campsites - great place to stop by the river to break up the drive between Dar and Arusha/the northern circuit if you don't want to get all the way to Arusha in one day. Approximately 5-6 hours of driving from Dar. There is a local caretaker who speaks basic English.

Riverside campsite -http://www.riverside-campsite.com/ This is a great place to stop and camp on your way south to Ruaha, Mufindi or even Malawi/Zambia. Approximately 7 hours from Dar.

Lake Chala (10 km east of Moshi) - a beautiful campsite next to a lake with hot water morning and night, clean kitchen, bar with well stocked and cold drinks and a few day walks. Manager, Rob direct at : E-mail. lakechala@gmail.com Mobile: +255 – (0)786 – 111177
They also have a facebook site.

Tona Lodge-http://tonalodge.org/- in the southern Pare mountains.The Lodge is sandwiched between the Chome/Shengena forest reserve on the mountain top and Mkomazi National Parkon theSavannahplains.Kwizu forest reserve is located on the Western side of TONA Lodge.The long term intentions of the management of TONA Lodge is to make it an eco -tourism and cultural tourism model. Management is using this sustainable lodge as a catalyst and incentive in preserving the natural and cultural environment, encouraging a move to sustainable cultural tourism where local community receive long term benefits.

Kisima Ngeda-http://kisimangeda.com/index.html - a beautiful lodge whichis located on the north-eastern shores of Lake Eyasi at an altitude of 3,400 feet (1,040 m). Lake Eyasi, a seasonal, alkaline lake, drains the Ngorongoro volcano’s southwestern flank. You can camp on the grounds of the lodge in a very nice camping ground and use the lodges swimming pool at no extra charge. Here you canspend a day with the waHadzabe, hunter-gatherers that speak the language of the first human inhabitants of the continent. THis trip is for theadventurous!

Mikumi and other southern parks

isttravel — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:34:20 CDT

Mikumi National Park:

Mikumi National Park is one of the closest parks to Dar Es Salaam; only a four hour drive away. However close it may be though, in size it is not that small. It is a very good park to visit for the weekend,and it is excellent if it is your first safari. There are a wide variety of animals to see, and your chances of finding and seeing a lion are exremely high. It has good dirt roads and an excellent map to keep track of where you are while inside the park. The entrance fee is cheaper than most. The park is a very nice place to stay for one or two nights, and the animals are everywhere. There are an abundance of elephants, giraffe's, zebra's, and gazelle's (etc.)

There are currently three lodges within and surrounding the park:

1. Vuma Hills is one of them, owned by the Fox's, which lays outside of the park about fifteen minutes from the gate entrance into the park. There is a fifteen minute drive up the hill off the main highway to reach this cozy and rather luxurious lodge. This is a great place, with beautiful tented rooms, and really nice views surrounding it. The food is delicious on most days, and the facilities are rather excellent. There is even a small pool, usually in working condition. The staff is very nice and treats you really well. Vuma Hills is a great and welcoming place to go to, so don't miss it (unless you've done many real safari's before)!

http://www.africanmeccasafaris.com/tanzania/safaris/lodges/vumahillstentedcamp.asp

http://www.tanzaniasafaris.info/Mikumi/mikumi2sites.htm

Apart from the large tents, the food cooked by the hotel chefs is natural and fresh from the Tanzanian highland farms.

For a meals made by the hotel chefs there is: a full english/continental breakfast, fresh fruit, tea and coffee. The Lunch menu consists of; a variety of salads, meat dishes and a desert recipe of your choice. For the dinner menu; there are 2 main courses followed by a scrumptious desert and coffee or tea.

2. Mikumi Genesis Motel is the other place you can stay around the park. It is located maybe 15 minutes by car from the park. People running the motel are really kind and helpful. You can rent a driver and a jeep for the park.

http://www.genesismotel.com/

3. Mikumi Wildlife Lodge which is right by the entrance gate. That’s the other place to stay – nice waterhole where lots of animals come to drink, good food and bandas.

The best travel service to get you transportation and good lodging in Mikumi is Safari Makers Company ltd. They may be a bit expensive, but it's definitely worth it.

http://www.safarimakers.com/index2.htm

Other Southern parks:

Ruaha:

Ruaha national park is 600 kilometers from Dar es Salaam, the largest national park in the whole of Africa and covers an area over 22,000 sq. kilometers. In the park you there is a variety of climate zones,like in some areas of the park it is very dry, hot, wet, and cold. All of this different climate is split among the vast landscape. Not only that, but Ruaha has a very important river, the Great Ruaha River that supplies Tanzania with electricity and water. Furhtermore, there are a number of endangered species such as the Ruaha Red-Billed Hornbill, the African wild dog, Grant's Gazelle and Striped Hyena.

Places to stay at Ruaha:

1. "River Lodge" is really beautiful because the dining area is up by the river surrounded by gorgeous vegetation which is very serene. Moreover in the lodge you don't really have to look for animals a lot because they come to you which is great. For more info visit: http://www.tanzaniasafaris.info/Ruaha/intro.htm

2. "Mwagusi" is another park which that is recommended to go to.

3. Another great place to stay is Tandala Safari Lodge. It is located just outside the park (about 10 min.), but the tented bandas are great and several are located right around a water hole (Try Tents 9, 10 or 11). When we went in September it had been dry and there were so many animals coming to the water hole (including lion, greater kudu and hyena, among the many!) that we didn't need to move from our very comfortable verandah in order to watch all of the wildlife very close up. The food was plentiful and quite good and the price is very affordable. Be sure and tell them you are IST teachers. The drive from Dar can be done in a day (9.5 hours), but is best done if broken up with a night in Mikumi village which seems to be halfway. The last part of the drive into the camp is 1.5 hours on a dirt and very bumpy road, but the rest of the drive was easy.

Selous:

1.The Selous is a very good park. You can stay in a quite cheap hotel called Mbega Camp, situated just outside the park.

http://www.selous-mbega-camp.com/

2. Walking Safari" is incredibly exciting because you see so many animals. The best time to go to Selous in from July to October. In Selous you go walking in the park for 5 days and camp.

3. Selous safari camp - it is wonderful! Expensive, but worth it for a real treat.

http://www.selous.com/

http://www.tanzaniaodyssey.com/lodges_info/selous-safari-camp.htm

Udzungwa:

Uszungwa has the richest forest bird habitat in tanzania. Several endemics have just recently been found there such as a new species of francolin and the Rufus-winged sun bird. It is best to visit during the dry season which is occurs between June to October. It is NOT recommended to go during the rainy season which is between March and May.

There are no lodges or hotels in the park. However, near the Udzungwa National Park is a lovely place to stay called Hondo Hondo. They have ensuite tented rooms, a campsite, budget bandas, and traditional mud huts! They can also provide camping equipment if you don't want to carry all of the equipment. The staff are reported to be incredibly friendly and helpful. Their website is http://www.udzungwaforestcamp.com/

Suggested Itineraries

isttravel — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:22:33 CDT

This is a page where people can post suggested itineraries for the school holidays, what to see in what order, etc.

Example:

October break itinerary: drive up to Lushoto, spend 2 nights there, continue to the Marangu Hotel, near Kilimanjaro, then go to Ndarakwai, and then Tarangire. Or do Tarangire first, and then Ndarakwai or one of the camping sites listed near Moshi.

Ngorongoro Crater

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:22:02 CDT

Ngorongoro Crater is said to be the largest crater in the world which is about 250 square kilometers. It is situated east of Serengeti close to Arusha and Kilimanjaro. This crater has been a World Heritage Site since 1979. This wonderful place is considered by some as "The Garden of Eden" or one of the 7 Wonders of the World. It is occupied by thousands of animals including lions, zebras, flamingos and thomson's gazelle. The landscape is amazing with flat grass plains, and many little water holes. The view from the Crater's edge is spectacular and it is a lovely place to go to. It is definitely a must see for any tourist in Tanzania!

Grrr.. He's laughing at us...

Places to stay:

-The lodges around the crater rim are usually expensive, but there is a cheaper alternative. The Rhino Lodge, which is just behind the crater rim, has an office which is located in the Slipway in Dar. http://www.ngorongoro.cc/

-Gibbs farm: Great view of the valley; 40 minutes drive from the crater; expensive but great fresh food. Click here to visit their website.

- The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is very expensive but it has excellent service. It is good for special occasions when you are willing to spend a lot of money. Click here to visit their website.

- The Serena lodge is a good hotel to stay for a short time. click here to visit their website

- Ndutu Lodge is right on Serengeti boundary. You can see Cheetahs from here. (Here is their website - http://www.ndutu.com/index.html)

- Karatu is an area with a number of places. Unfortunately is an hour and a half from the crater floor.

- Near Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater is the T'loma Lodge. It has 20 spacious suite cottages built in the style of an old colonial farm and is surrounded by lovely gardens. The food is good and fresh. The cookies offered upon arrival are great! One could definitely spend more than one night here! http://www.tanganyikawildernesscamps.com/camps/tlomalodge/

- Ngorongoro Farm House has lovely rooms/bungalows decorated very nicely. It is located about five kilometers from the Ngorongoro Lolduare gate. There was an outdoor fire before dinner and some local people came and played music. To read more: http://www.africapoint.com/hotels/hotel-Ngorongoro-Farm-House.html#ixzz0fRkMBaeh

- Map of the area found at: http://www.ewpnet.com/lodgemap.htm

More info:

If you're driving your own vehicle, be warned that the normal exit road from the crater is quite hilly and partly flooded in some places, with sharp bends. Just make sure you have good brakes, and everything will be fine. Also, it's recommended that you drive a car that has 4 wheel drive if you're bringing your own vehicle. This also applies to parks other than Ngorongoro. There's a gentler route to the exit, but it's a longer route from the far corner of the crater.

For more information on Ngorongoro crater, go to:

http://ngorongorocrater.com/Attractions/ngorongoro.php

Lake Eyasi:

Visit Lake Nyasi and the Wahadzabe, an ancient, nomadic tribe of bushmen who are one of the last click-speaking hunter-gatherer tribes. We stayed at Kisima Ngeda tented camp and used the campsite for only 10USD per person per night and were able to pay for meals at the lodge if needed and use the swimming pool for free!!!!http://www.kisimangeda.comAbout 4 1/2 hours driving time from Arusha, the camp is 2 hours away from the Ngorongoro Crater and about a half day’s drive to the Serengeti.

Kilimanjaro area (Arusha/Moshi, etc.)

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:18:50 CDT

Interesting facts about Kilimanjaro:

Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa. It is the world's fifth highest mountain and the world's highest free standing mountain. It is one of the world's highest volcanoes. For more Information visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilimanjaro

Kiliweb.com is a website that provides good background information on the area.

Hotels in the Kili/Moshi/Arusha Area:

West Kilimanjaro area: Ndarakwai Ranch is a private reserve with lovely en suite tents where, because it's a private reserve, one can go on walks and night drives. The food is, honestly, the best we've had in Tanzania and the management really pays attention to the little details to make your stay as pleasant as possible. While it's not a place to go for huge numbers of game, they do have a large resident herd of eland, as well as other antelope and elephants. They have 12 spacious tents and the "bush showers" (in your bathroom but with water they bring heated at just the right temperature!) are exhilerating! Rates are Tanzanian-reasonable for the type of tents you get - really top notch. A very relaxing place - we've been twice now!

For more information, email: info@ndarakwai.com; telephone: (255) 27-250-2713; cell phone: (255) 0754-333 550.

The Marangu Hotel is another good place to stay in the area. It used to be a coffee plantation and now plans hikes up and down Kilimanjaro. The staff and managers are very friendly; the managers really respect their employees and the hotel has lots of history to it. For people who don't wish to spend a lot of money and want to stay in a beautiful area with lots of wonderful flora the 'Marangu' Hotel is an ideal place.

Moshi:

Bristol Cottages: This lodge is in the center of Moshi and is recommended by a few IST teachers. Go to this link for more information. The email is: briscot@kilinet.co.tz

Kindoroko Hotel: Also has an affiliated tour company. Good place to start trips from. Click here for more information on the hotel and tour company.

For some more information on hotels in Moshi, click here.

Camping around Moshi:

Lake Chala (10 km east of Moshi) - a beautiful campsite next to a lake with hot water morning and night, clean kitchen, bar with well stocked and cold drinks and a few day walks. Manager, Rob direct at : E-mail. lakechala@gmail.com Mobile: +255 – (0)786 – 111177
They also have a facebook site

Restaurants in Moshi:

Indotaliano is a good restaurant located behind Kindoroko Hotel.
El Rancho- excellent Indian cuisine - a 5,000 tsh ride by taxi from town.

For more information on restaurants in Moshi, click here.

Arusha:

The Impala hotel is also a very good place to stay (http://www.impalahotel.com/)

Out Back Hotel is in Arusha, which is pretty good

Twenty minutes from Arusha, in between Mts. Kilimanjaro and Meru, is the Rivertrees Country Inn. Rooms are very nice, there is a pool and overall, it's a very relaxing atmosphere. http://www.rivertrees.com/index.htm. E-Mail: info@rivertrees.com

Restaurants in Arusha:

A good restaurant to visit would be the Everest Inn: it serves chinese cuisine.

Tips and other recommendations for living in Dar/Tanzania

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:32:54 CST

Travel Agencies:

Rickshaw travel agency- Click here for more information

Afriroots travel agency- Click here for more information
Recomendation: "Back roads of Dar, bike tour with Afri-roots" is a great way of exploring Dar. This tour allows you to see the real way of life of the average Tanzanian and to hear their stories." The bike tour is recommended for people new to Dar. The bicycles are provided and it is very affordable.

Highly recommended travel agency for trips to northern Tanzania:

Matembezi www.matembezi.co.tz; E-mail: matembezi@habari.co.tz; Office no. +255-732972329 (Working hours only)
They have excellent guides and are not hesitant about driving that extra kilometer to see game. They say that other tour operators give their drivers a limit of how many kilometers to drive in a day while Matembezi drivers do not have a limit at all. Goodluck and Raymond come highly recommended as drivers/guides.

Recommended Dentist: Dr. Nazira Mostafova is a verychild friendly dentist but also good for adults. She originally worked at the Trauma Center but then set up her own practice. Her number is 0762-612-712 and her clinic is very conveniently located on Toure Drive, just beyond Sea Cliff toward Coco Beach. There's a sign for the clinic and it's behind the Princess Apartments.

Nearby Countries

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:02:16 CST

Rwanda
If you would like to visit Rwanda, a good, but not cheap, travel company that can arrange your trip, driver, permits, etc. is called ‘Bizidanny Tours and Safaris’. Their website is www.bizidanny.com and the owner is called Danny Bizimana, hence the slightly strange company name!! I loved Kigali, the genocide museum is extremely well done, though harrowing, and the gorillas are amazing of course. Better than Uganda for gorillas I reckon, as you can also trek up to see Diana Fossey’s house and grave as well as the graves of Digit and other gorillas referenced in the film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.

Ethiopia
We did the northern historical circuit in a 12-day trip. We visited Addis, Bahar Dar, Gonder, the Simien Mountains, Aksum (Axum) and Lalibela, staying usually 2 nights in each location. We flew between all cities except for Bahar Dar and Gonder which is a nice, interesting 3 hour drive. We also drove into the Simien Mountains from Gonder. We had an amazing time - the culture/s were fascinating, the people beautiful and helpful and although we went in June, which is their winter, we weren't too badly affected by rains or cold weather. At the time we went (June 2010), Ethiopian Airlines was having a promotion whereby if you flew into Ethiopia on Ethiopian Air, the internal flights were heavily discounted. We paid around $250/pp for the 4 flights we took whereas the normal price is about $600. I don't know if this offer was only temporary or if it's a permanent standing discount.

We stayed in the following places:

Addis: Z-Guest House. It's a convenient location to the university museums and the Piazza area but less convenient to Bole Road which is where most of the restaurants are. The family that runs the Guest House lives there as well and are helpful with directions. Breakfast is included as is the initial pick up from the airport. The website is: http://www.zguesthouse.com/ and the physical address is: Arada Sub-City, Kebele 11/12, #355, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Phone Numbers: +251-911-123903 / +251-911-676117; Email Address: stay@zguesthouse.com. Prices were in the $70 range which is not what is listed on their website, but what can you do...While in Addis you should definitely eat at Castelli's Restaurant! Overall, the non-Ethiopian food was mediocre throughout Ethiopia and we found Castelli's (Italian food) to be a nice change.

Bahar Dar: We stayed in the Tana Hotel, which is right on Lake Tana. This is a government-run hotel and was fine but a little dated. Food was mediocre. Their website is http://www.ghionhotel.com.et/tana.htm but they never answered my emails and in the end, I made the reservation through an online service - the Ethiopia Hotel Guide - http://www.ethiopiahotelguide.com/. They were very helpful in that although this hotel was not bookable by them, they still contacted the hotel anyway and made the reservation for me. We were there in low season so I think we paid about $38/night for a single, $50 for a double! Although all the guidebooks say that the Blue Nile Falls are not that impressive, we were told that the hydroelectric plant was recently closed and so there was a lot of water cascading down the falls! We also took the boat across instead of walking all the way which enables you to get much closer to the falls.

Gonder and Simien Mountains: Right across from the castles of Gonder is a small, new guesthouse run by some lovely people who have started a tour company called Explore Abyssinia. It's called the Lodge du Chateau (http://www.lodgeduchateau.com/) - rooms are small but there's a lovely small garden, and nice rooftop balcony for breakfast. Explore Abyssinia also organizes tours into the Simien Mountains. We did one night of camping there but it is a long drive into the mountains for only one night so it's probably better to stay there for two nights. There's also a lodge in the Simien Mountain Park which is more expensive but Explore Abyssinia can reserve rooms there as well. Lodge du Chateau rates were between $36 and 50, depending on the type of room. For five people, for one night of camping, we paid $750 and this included all food (delicious actually!) and transport, park fees, etc. Tips for the park-mandated guides and company provided guide and cook were not included.

Aksum (Axum): We stayed in the Yeha Hotel (http://www.ghionhotel.com.et/yeha.htm), another government-run hotel, with rooms that were fine but a bit "tired." Great location right across from the stellae, mediocre food and very reasonable rates (again, though, we were there in the off-season).

Lalibela: We splurged and stayed in the Tukul Village (http://www.tukulvillage.com/) - lovely rooms in round structures inspired by the traditional tukuls of Ethiopia. Food was not great but the only good place we found to eat in Lalibela was the Seven Olives Hotel/Restaurant, which is highly recommended for its food and location!

Southern Africa
A recommended website for back packers looking for a guide to accommodation and adventure in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia is http://www.coastingafrica.com .

Serengeti

isttravel — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:48:26 CST

Serengeti is one of the world's largest national parks with gorgeous views and a good diversity of animals. However, with the amazing views and animals also comes a very, very expensive park entrance fee, where you have to pay for both the vehicle and the number of passengers. But rest assured, you are bound to see things you have never seen before. It is a great place to go! Camping and driving in Serengeti is very adventurous and a must try for first timers.

Time you should consider going:

April- June is the best time to go because of the migration of animals

Places to stay in Southwestern Serengeti:

Serena Safari Lodge -http://www.serenahotels.com/tanzania/serengeti/home.asp

This lodge has 66 rooms. The Hotel decribes itself,"Each room is accommodated in a stone-built, traditionally-thatched 'Rondavel', featuring natural stone bathrooms, wildwood balconies, rope-lashed staircases, leopard-print drapes and intricately carved furniture, the overall effect of which is a unique blend of authentic ethnicity and world-class elegance." They also have a handicapped room for anyone. There are lunches, brunches and breakfast in the bush and in the wilderness so you can really feel the wild side. There is a selection of different music so you can really learn the culture.

Places to stay in Central Serengeti:

Central Serengeti is quite expensive

In the Serengeti, there are quite a few lodges including the "Lobo Wildlife Lodge." For more information, please visit this website: http://www.hotelsandlodges-tanzania.com/english-index.htm. This lodge has an excellent view of surrounding African plains because it lies at the top of a hill. However, in facilities it seems to lack a bit of class. The bedrooms are rather basic with simple beds and bathrooms, but the food is pretty good. However, overall it s a nice place to stay for one or two nights. There is also a pool located at the top of the hill, but with the chilly weather, it may be too cold to take a dip.

Another lodge much like the "Lobo Wildlife Lodge" is the "Seronera Wildlife Lodge" with decent rooms and good food. The lodge has a little style and is surrounded by many big boulders and rocks where many monkeys and hyrax live. The hotel is welcoming and after a long drive you are happy to be there.

For more information go to:

http://www.africanmeccasafaris.com/tanzania/safaris/lodges/seronerawildlifelodgeserengeti.asp

Sopa Lodge has nice food and good facilities a great view and a nice place to relax after a long ride. Go to thewebsite below for more information on this lodge: http://www.sopalodges.com/serengeti/home.html

Just outside the boundaries of the park is the Ikoma Bush Camp. It's 31 en-suite tents - not so luxurious but certainly fine. Meals are ok, not great, and are buffet style. It can actually get quite crowded in the dining room during meals. Because the camp is not in the park, they can offer night drives. They were very accommodating when things weren't working in the tents. http://www.moivaro.com/pages/ikoma_bush_camp/lodge.htm. A pdf on the camp can be found at: http://www.moivaro.com/downloads/Ikoma%20Tented%20Camp%20info%20sheet.pdf

For a good map of the area, you can go to this website: http://www.ewpnet.com/lodgemap.htm

Tarangire & Lake Manyara

isttravel — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:15:27 CST

Tarangire National Park:

You can see this park in two days but staying longer is advisable for a better experience. It is a rather large park. The best time to visit Tarangire is in October because that's before the rainy season and the heat from summer has not started quite yet. November to Easter time is NOT a good time to visit any wildlife park in Tanzania because of heavy rainfalls which wash out all the roads and paths for you and your car.

Tarangire National Park is very different from all the other parks. To begin, the landscape and environment are unlike the rest because there are more trees, and hills. However, be assured that Tarangire has just as much to offer as any other park. It is famous for its hundreds of enormous elephants roaming the land. They are an amazing sight. And there are spectacular views from the tops of the hills. In addition there are a variety of different animals such as antelopes, dikers, gazelles, zebras,lions, leopards and many more interesting species.

Places to Stay:

Tarangire has many lodges within it.

Sopa Lodge:http://www.sopalodges.com/tarangire/home.html

Tarangire Safari Lodge:http://www.tarangiresafarilodge.com/ There are nice bunglows that can accomodate families and their tents overlook the Tarangire River.

Kirurumu:http://www.kirurumu.net/camps%20and%20lodges/kirurumu%20tented%20lodge.htm

Boundary Hill Lodge: http://www.tarangireconservation.com/boundary.htm. This is one of the newest lodges in Tanzania. It's also a community friendly lodge, because the nearby gains a large share of the profit that the lodge makes. This lodge was very nice to stay in because it was secluded and there was only one other family staying there. The place is quiet with nice rooms that resemble houses, and cute honeymoon suites. The only drawback of such a private place is the drive to get there. There are 47 km to drive from the main road. It is NOT a drive you want to do at night.

However, the stay is enjoyable and easily accesses the park. (Note that the price can be raised rather high during specific times of the year.) There are many animals, and quite a few leopards, though hard to see many times. "The Boundary Hill Lodge" is great and very enclosed, but there is nothing better then the feeling of looking around you and seeing only animals and pure wildlife! There is a very large population of elephants.

If you want to camp, Zion Campsite (about 5 km from the main entrance gate to the park) charges 8,000 to 10,000 Tshillings per person.

click here for hotels in Tarangire

Lake Manyara

Places to stay:

Lake Manyara is a beautiful tourist destination. It is advised that one should not visit it right after the rainy seasons i.e. June to August .

-Lake Manyara lodge has a good price if you are going with your whole family. The service is very slow, however. But the people are quite kind. http://www.serenahotels.com/tanzania/lakemanyara/home.asp

-E'unoto Lodge: Visit this link for details-http://www.maasaivillage.com/

-There is a very good hotel near Manyara called Twiga Guesthouse. It is mainly for low budget people. (http://www.ewpnet.com/twiga.htm - Website for Twiga Guesthouse.)

- Jambo Guesthouse has rooms as well as the opportunity to camp ($7 per person). Food choices are rather limited, but there is a very nice pool that would certainly be popular with children.

- Near Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater is the T'loma Lodge. It has 20 spacious suite cottages built in the style of an old colonial farm and is surrounded by lovely gardens. The food is good and fresh. The cookies offered upon arrival are great! One could definitely spend more than one night here! http://www.tanganyikawildernesscamps.com/camps/tlomalodge/

Visti this site good map of the area:http://www.ewpnet.com/lodgemap.htm

Eastern Tanzania

isttravel — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:21:55 CST

South Beach:
Lovely south beach homes available for rent on South Beach (south of Amani Beach.) Great view of the ocean and about a 6 minute walk down the hill to the ocean itself. Monkeys in the trees around the house and awesome stars at night. It is self catering and they have all cooking materials you need besides the food. There are two houses and they go for $120 a night weekday and $160 a night weekend. Best of all entirely eco-friendly. Solar powered, totally off the grid. We take our dog and enjoy the long walks on the beach, awesome waves for surfing and boogie boarding, the monkeys, the view, cool breezes and the amazing design and finish of the place. Check out the website http://www.siriyetu.com/Home/Home.html for more details.

Kim’s Beach is located about 25 mins from the ferry, very easy to find. Clearly signposted literally 1km after the tar finishes. It is a great place to go for the day or to camp overnight. You have to be self sufficient in terms of food and water, but there are beach bandas to escape the sun or to pitch your tent in. It’s a great escape from Dar for the night or a couple of days – and is very reasonable. Day fees are 3000 TS and to camp is 6000 TS per person per night. You should watch your belongings carefully though as there have been reported robberies.

Bagamoyo:
Bagomoyo is another good place to go on the coast. It has a rich history. Kilwa is one of the many historical sites to see in Bagomoyo. It's an amazing UN Heritage site.

Places to stay:

There are many resorts in Bagamoyo such as:

The Paradise Hotel: food is good but the service is mediocre. However, it had a fire last year, so check to see if it's again operational. http://paradiseresort.net/

The Livingstone Hotel in Bagamoyo has a lovely pool and spacious rooms.

The Millennium Resort has a swimming pool and the food is ok. Click here for more information click here

Just north of Dar:

The Meditteraneo is a great restaurant with a beautiful view. Unfortunately, it's rather pricey. For more information, visit: http://www.mediterraneotanzania.com/tanzania-hotels-dar-es-salaam-mediterraneo-home.html

Usambara Mountains/Lushoto area:

Soni: Maweni Farms is situated in the Usumbara mountains. Tucked away near Soni Village approximately 15KM from Mombo town (between Segera and Moshi approx 5 -6 hours from Dar). It is a comfortable farm house which has 3 large family rooms with bathrooms. There are also 5 tents with ensuite situated away from the main house. It is a relaxing place to stay and is a good place to explore other areas. Lushoto town is a 20 minute drive and Irente farm and viewpoint just under an hour. We stayed with full board and had great home cooked food. My two children loved the gardens, the climbing and the short walks. It is not a place to go to if you want complete isolation as it can get busy, and there is very little of the natural environment remaining this side of the mountains as it has been heavily farmed. It was great to escape the heat of Dar and it gets quite chilly. The website has their prices – we paid $130 a night full board for two children and 2 adults – I thought it was good value for what we got. Email contact: maweni@gmail.com or info@maweni.com
http://www.maweni.com/lodge. Telephone: Diana (Dar es Salaam) 0756 774 035 | Subi (asst manager) 0784 307 841 | Msheba (manager) 0787 279 371 | Land line 027 26 404 27.

Irente Farm/Mkuyu Lodge has a nice little campsite and also rooms available. They have a larger room where you can self cater which is a good option to take family/friends when they visit. Also fresh rye bread, jams and cheese are made there. The website for more information is: http://elct-ned.org/index.php/en/projects/19-irente-biodiversity-reserve/2118-mkuyu-lodge

Mtae is a little rustic village 3 hours drive from Lushoto. It has an amazing view to the Pare mountains/Kenyan border/out to east Tanzanian coast. 1 or 2 nights to stay here max. Best to stay at the church with basic rooms and food available.

Around Dar es Salaam

isttravel — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:45:39 CST

This section will tell you more about the restaurants and activities you can do in Dar es Salaam.

Click here for more information about Dar, including movie listings.

Dar es Salaam is a fun and entertaining place to relax over a holiday and enjoy a pleasurable and quiet stay. It is the commercial capital of Tanzania and the place where tourists start their trips into other ares off the coast or on the mainland.

For information on these recommended places to stay, visit these websites:

Swiss Garden Hotel: http://www.swisshostel.net/information.htm
CEFA: http://www.world66.com/africa/tanzania/daressalaam/accommodation/cefa_hostel
QBar: http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/Dar-es-Salaam-Q-Bar-Guest-House-P1000593214.html
Transit Motels (near the Airport) Transit Motels

Places to go:

1. The yacht club (in Masaki area)

2. New world cinema (Bollywood and kids' movies)

3. Century Cinemax (International hollywood movies)

4. Kim’s Beach – South Beach: Kim’s beach is located about 25 mins from the ferry, very easy to find. Clearly signposted literally 1km after the tar finishes. It is a great place to go for the day or to camp overnight. You have to be self sufficient in terms of food and water, but there are beach bandas to escape the sun or to pitch your tent in. It’s a great escape from Dar for the night or a couple of days – and is very reasonable. Day fees are 3000 TS and to camp is 6000 TS per person per night.

5. Novel idea bookstore at Shoppers' Plaza (good cafe nearby as well)

6. Beach just north of Dar es Salaam: The Meditteraneo is a great restaurant with a beautiful view. Unfortunately, it's rather pricy.
For more information click here

Things to do:

1.Bowling at Sea Cliff Village

2.You can do sailing courses at the Yacht Club

3.You can watch movies at Century Cinemax at Milimani

4. You can shop at Millimani

5. You can go go-carting in Whitesands in Wet and Wild (Fun!)

6. You can make ceramic objects at Seamic

7. Go cycling round Dar with Afri-Roots, a highly-recommended tour companies that specializes in showing visitors that less-seen parts of Dar and Tanzania. They organize day-long bike and walking tours as well as other longer tours around the country.

8. Go to 'Water World' or "Wet and Wild' water parks (Though they are run kind of run down and not all the slides work in proper condition)

9. Take diving lessons from Yacht Club.

10. Hire a boat from Slipway and visit the Island, Bongoyo.

11. Hire a yacht/sail boat from Yachtclub and visit Bongoyo.

12. Go horse riding at Kipepeo/ South side.

13. Go to the gym at the Colloseum to train, swim or stay in the sauna.

14. Visit the Village Museum.

15. Visit the Nyumba ya Sanaa (art museum). Follow this link for more information: http://www.roughguides.com/website/travel/destination/content/default.aspx?titleid=93&xid=idh559190360_0108

16. Visit the Mwenge market.

Restaurants to eat at:

1. South beach/Kigamboni

2. Spurs at sea cliff

3. Buffet lunch in the Movenpick Hotel around town

4. Buffet dinner at Mayfair plaza in Mikocheni A

5. Pronto pizza at Sea Cliff

6. Checkers - Right in the centre of town

7. Mediterrenian (far but really good Italian food)

8. Janz in Mikocheni

9. Marry Brown in Masaki

10. Addis in Dar (Ethiopian restaurant)

11. Hot box (good burgers)

12. Karambezi restaurant near Sea Cliff

13. Calabash Cafe near Sea Cliff

IST Travel Wiki Home

isttravel — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:41:01 CST

Welcome to the IST Travel Wiki!!!

Welcome to the IST-TRAVEL Wiki! This site is being created as a Community and Service Activity at the International School of Tanganyika, located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We hope that it will be a useful tool for the IST community at large - students, teachers and parents - as you discover the wonders of travel in Tanzania and neighboring countries! Please feel free to add to the site when you find great new places to stay (or places you would not recommend), places to visit and routes to take. Karibu sana!

Disclaimer: This is a student-created wiki created for the informal usage of the IST faculty and parent community. IST takes no responsibility for the content therein.

All photo credits in the images folder and on the pages go to Mr. Peter Stanley and Caroline Hoekman.

Some words of advice from different teachers at IST:

1. Do NOT anger an elephant.

2. Remember, when you are in the jungle you are in the animal's territory. You must respect that.

3. Take an extra battery for your camera. You never know when you might need it.

4. Do NOT litter in the wild unless you like paying fines and spending time in prison.

5. Do NOT feed the monkeys or keep food in your tent/room.

6. Lastly, respect park rules as they are for your own safety and the safety of other animals and people.

Tourist locations

Serengeti

Ngorongoro Crater
Tarangire & Lake Manyara
Kilimanjaro area (Arusha/Moshi, etc.)

Mikumi and Other Southern Parks

Zanzibari Islands
Eastern Tanzania

Other Areas
Around Dar es Salaam
Nearby countries
Tips and other recommendations for living in Dar

General accommodation in Tanzania

http://www.virtualtourist.com/hotels/Africa/Tanzania/Dar_es_Salaam-2242435/Hotels_and_Accommodations-Dar_es_Salaam-TG-C-1.html

Other info about Tanzanian national parks

http://www.tanzaniaparks.com

Other Areas

isttravel — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:04:47 CDT

Mufindi:

Mufindi is one of the loveliest and most beautiful places in Tanzania! It is a recommendation to all who have to time to visit. Not too far from Iringa in the South, lies "Mufindi Highland Fishing Lodge; Fox's of Africa," a Fox's Camp in the middle of hundreds of tea plantations. The tea plantations are full of different shades of green, and are absolutely stunning.

The lodge, though very secluded, has many different activities for you to do including: horse back riding in the hills, mountain biking, fly fishing, tennis, croquet, walks and canoeing on the little lake, bird-watching, and scenic drives. The food is great and the staff, including the married couple that runs the place, are extremely kind and nice. The rooms are little cabins with plain facilities,and the central house has a pool table with TV. (The prices are in the medium range.)

If you're the type of person looking for a relaxing and nice place to stay a few days, and you love the outdoors, Mufindi is the place for you! Click here for more information

Amani:

It is great walking through tea plantations

Pangani:

Peponi Beach Resort (where the Grade 8's stay for ESP) is a relaxed and comfortable beachside retreat. Also a very nice place to go with your families. We camped and the food at the restaurant is great. Bandas are available. A nice swimming pool for kids and the beach is OK. You can also take a Dhow, go snorkelling and swimming in the sea. It is up for sale (owners retiring) so things may change with new owners. There are a number of places to stay on the southern side of the Pangani River after you cross the river on the ferry.

Usumbara Mountains:
Maweni Farms: Tucked away near Soni village approximately 15KM from Mombo town (between Segera and Moshi approx 5 -6 hours from Dar), Maweni Farms is a comfortable farm house which has 3 large family rooms with bathrooms. There are also 5 tents with ensuite situated away from the main house. It is a relaxing place to stay and is a good place to explore other areas. Lushoto town is a 20 minute drive and Irente farm and viewpoint just under an hour. We stayed with full board and had great home cooked food. My two children loved the gardens, the climbing and the short walks. It is not a place to go to if you want complete isolation as it can get busy , and this side of the mountains there is very little of the natural environment remaining as it has been heavily farmed. It was a great to escape the heat of Dar and it gets quite chilly. Anyway I would recommend it – you can check out the website for prices – we paid $130 a night full board for two children and 2 adults – I thought it was good value for what we got.

Contact information:
Email:maweni@gmail.com and info@maweni.com. Telephone: Diana (Dar es Salaam) 0756 774 035 | Subi (asst manager) 0784 307 841 | Msheba (manager) 0787 279 371 | Land line 027 26 404 27
Chimpanzee Sighting at Mahale:
A teacher writes that to see chimps, Mahale is much better than Gombe. However, it is much more difficult and expensive to go there. We found it difficult/impossible to schedule the Tanapa (national park bandas) which is the cheap option rather than a luxury tented camp. What we did was go through Afriroots, a low budget, backpacker type operation. Tende Kai did all of the arrangements for us and it was great…especially his food. Tende’s number is: 0787 459 887. October break is a great time to go to Mahale. Afriroots also does other excursions, including a bicycle trip through the neighborhoods of Dar. It is great for new teachers to experience Dar in this way. Afriroots provides the bicycles and it is very affordable.

Lake Manyara

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:58:45 CDT

Places to stay

Lake Manyara is a beautiful tourist destination. It is advised that one should not visit it right after the rainy seasons i.e. June to August.

-Lake Manyara lodge has a good price if you are going with your whole family. The service is very slow, however. But the people are quite kind.

-Mru Mbua Village

-E'unoto Lodge: built like a Masaai village (it runs by Masaai's); quite expensive but it is a really nice place: it worth the money. www.masaaivillage.com
-There is a very good hotel near Manyara called Twiga Guesthouse. It is mainly for low budget people. (http://www.ewpnet.com/twiga.htm - Website for Twiga Guesthouse.)

- Jambo Guesthouse has rooms as well as the opportunity to camp ($7 per person). Food choices are rather limited, but there is a very nice pool that would certainly be popular with children.