A short history and geography lesson is probably useful at this time. The Republic of Tanzania, formerly known as Tanganyika, together with Kenya and Uganda, formed what historically had been known as the East African Community. Tanganyika obtained independence from Great Britain on December 9, 1961, although it continued as a British protectorate until December 1963. On October 20, 1964, Zanzibar joined with Tanganyika to form Tanzania. Julius Nyerere, who had been elected the Republic’s first president, declared a one-party state in 1965 and embarked upon a policy of African socialism. At its zenith, the policy resulted in the creation of more than 8,000 villages by the mid-1970s.

The East African Community soon unraveled as their respective leaders pursued different social systems. In 1977, the Tanzania-Kenya border was closed. Tanzania also engaged in a brief war with Idi Amin’s Ugandan regime. However, tensions among the countries soon eased and the Tanzania-Kenya border was reopened in 1983. Nyerere stepped down in 1985 and was replaced by Ali Hassan Mwinyi as President of Tanzania. The one-party system was expanded in 1985 to accommodate multiple political parties.

Tanzania consists of more than 120 tribes. The majority of the Republic’s people are of the Bantu family. Numerous languages are spoken, the most common being Swahili or Kiswahili, which is the official language of Tanzania and is also spoken in most of East Africa. Most Tanzanians live in rural areas and mainly in villages, although in recent years major cities have been growing. Most of the Bantu are subsistence farmers while the Masai, a non Bantu people who live in northern Tanzania, were semi nomadic herders of cattle. Even this has changed recently as the government has encouraged the Masai to forego their nomadic ways. The country’s economy is based largely upon agriculture, although tourism is a growing segment.

The mainland of Tanzania consists of three primary regions: a long, narrow coastal plain; a low eastern plateau; and a high central plateau which is broken by the Great Rift Valley. Volcanic highlands dominate the north before giving way to the central plateau. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak at 19,565 feet, is on the border between Tanzania and Kenya in the north. The Republic is also bordered by Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Congo, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. The Indian Ocean borders the east coast. Game reserves and National Parks cover over 95,000 square miles (250,000 square kilometers) of the country, or approximately 15% of its land mass. At my last count there were twelve National Parks, twenty-two game reserves and one conservation area in the country. The Republic is situated just south of the equator, tending to make the temperatures hot, although this is tempered in the north and central parts of the country to some extent by the elevation. The coastal area of Tanzania has a tropical climate, with high temperatures and humidity and considerable rainfall, while the central plateau is hot and dry with limited rainfall. Heavy rains usually occur between March and May, and lighter rains fall in late October and November.

Our photo safaris have taken us through six National Parks, one conservation area and one game reserve in Tanzania: Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, the Selous Game Reserve, Mikumi National Park, Ruaha National Park and Arusha National Park (see the map below). The best time for game viewing is usually the non rainy season which, in northern Tanzania, is normally July through September and December through March and in southern Tanzania usually is June through November (although there are probably exceptions at any particular Park). The Republic boasts 35 species of antelope (including 1½ million wildebeest, which represents approximately 80% of this species in Africa), elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, numerous predators and a myriad of other animals. Our trips brought us close to many of these animals, making for wonderful experiences.