Elephant in Tanzania — photo by Yvonne Frei

Travel · Tanzania

Unforgettable Tanzania.

Many people barely know where this so deeply African country lies. Keywords like Serengeti, Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar still have an irresistible pull. But beyond the polished attractions, Tanzania offers so much more.

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Although Tanzania is an expensive holiday country, thousands of tourists travel to the highlights in droves every year. They drive jeeps through the national parks, climb Mount Kilimanjaro and finally relax on the dream beaches of the coastal region. But Tanzania offers much more — off the polished attractions, you experience the real Africa.

8 tips for what you can experience here

1. Ol Doinyo Lengai

Climb Ol Doinyo Lengai, the last active volcano in the East African Rift Valley. „Engai" is the Maasai word for god, „Ol Doinyo" means mountain. The almost 2900 m high „mountain of god", rising out of the savannah, lies at the foot of Lake Natron in a unique landscape. Even if you don't want to (or can't) climb the volcano, the journey to this area is worth it.

2. Ruaha National Park in the south

Visit a national park in the south — for example, the quiet Ruaha NP. We were able to watch a lion hunt in total solitude here. In the north, whenever a cat is spotted, 10–15 vehicles crowd around the animal. In the insider safari scene Ruaha has become one of Tanzania's most popular parks.

3. Utengule Coffee Lodge

Visit the coffee farm Utengule Coffee Lodge— a hotel with a huge coffee plantation. The lodge is quiet and beautifully located for a few days of relaxing. There are wonderful hikes in the area. In summer, during harvest, things get busy on the farm and you can watch coffee processing.

4. Camping on Darakuta Farm

Experience the night with all its sounds up close. You can hike, watch birds or find and identify the many butterflies. You can generally move around the farm on your own, since apart from snakes there are no dangerous animals. Reservations via darakuta.co.tz or darakutawp.org.

5. Beaches on the Indian Ocean

Enjoy a few days on the Indian Ocean. There are many dream beaches straight out of a picture book. Pangani, a little off the main tourist trail, is ideal.

6. Zanzibar & Stone Town

As touristy as the island is — I love it, because it is populated by a people with a thousand roots. The „Zanzibaris", a mix of Indians, Bantu ethnic groups, Persians and Arabs, shape the alleys of the old town Stone Town. Once you set foot in the „stone city", you're quickly captured by the magical aura the old trading houses and residences radiate. A symbiosis of beauty and decay, oriental scents and stench, wealth and poverty.