Tanzania

The greater part of Tanzania consists of an immense plateau varying in altitude. In the north are the volcanic peaks of Kilimanjaro (5 895 m or 19 340 ft) and Meru (4 566 m or 14 979 ft), and the Crater Highlands, with the famous game-filled Ngorongoro Conservation Area; the archaeological site, Olduvai Gorge, where Leaky discovered the “Nutcracker Man” (Australopithecus boisei, who lived 1.75 million years ago, is also situated in this huge area.)

The Animals: The country has many national parks and reserves and is unsurpassed in the number and variety of its wildlife: elephant, giraffe, zebra, rhinoceros, buffalo, together with lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, and other carnivores; numerous varieties of antelope, including impala, gazelle, and wildebeest; snakes, lizards, chameleons, crocodiles, and other reptiles; and more than 1 000 varieties of birds, including game birds. Gombe Stream National Park is famous because of Dr Jane Goodall’s work among the chimpanzees.

The single largest elephant population in the world is to be found in the Selous Game Reserve – an area larger than Switzerland. The Serengeti National Park is the most important reservation for plains game in Africa.

The breathtaking annual migration of more than 1.5 million wildebeest, accompanied by thousands of zebras and gazelles, is triggered by the rains. Lion and leopard can be spotted easily in the Serengeti’s Seronera Valley.