Sights and Activities
Below are the places we saw and activities completed while visiting Tanzania:
Mbeya
This was our first introduction into Tanzania and it did not disappoint. The city is surrounded by lush, green, mountainous landscapes. We briefly enjoyed the scenery and then moved on to our next destination.
Dar Es Salaam
National Museum of Tanzania: the museum’s most popular attraction is a copy of the fossil discovery of zinjanthropus (nutcracker man) from the Oldupai Gorge near Serengeti National Park. The fossil is believed to be a skull of a distance human relative that dates back over one million years. The museum also featured exhibits on evolution, life before Europeans, an art gallery, a car gallery, a biology exhibit, and an ethnography exhibit.
Movie Theater: we took a nice break from sightseeing to go to the movies!! We watched the Oscar nominated, “12 Years a Slave.” The movie was a very powerful experience, especially being in Africa and so close to Zanzibar, where many slaves were transported to.
Nungwi, Zanzibar
We spent days relaxing on the beautiful beaches of this village located in the northern part of the island. We also did a number of other activities, such as snorkeling in Mnemba Island, scuba diving, and experiencing the local life. Be sure to read more about our time on the island in our article.
Stone Town, Zanzibar
Beit el-Sahel (Palace Museum): the palace served as the sultan’s residence until 1964, when the dynasty was overthrown. It is now a museum devoted to the life of the Zanzibar sultans, their wives, and princesses.
Forodhani Gardens: by day this area is a nice relaxing location to view the ocean and Zanzibar’s port, but by night it comes alive with many food vendors that sell local specialties from grilled octopus, Zanzibari pizza, sugar cane juice with ginger and lemon, and much more!!
Traditional Taarab Concert: we attended a traditional music concert that unfortunately, or fortunate for us, we were the only guests, so it turned out to be a private concert. Taarab music has many world influences, but particularly Arabic.
Anglican Cathedral & Old Slave Market: the cathedral, constructed in the 1870’s, was built at the site of the slave market one year after it closed. The slave market was the last of its kind and even after its closing an underground black market continued. We were able to see the claustrophobic slave chambers, where the slaves were kept before going on the market. Be sure to read our article to learn more about our experience.
Hamamni Persian Baths: although no longer used, these were the first public baths in Zanzibar.
St Joseph’s Cathedral: walked around this Roman Catholic cathedral.
Many Mosques: the island has predominantly Muslim population, therefore, mosques are abundant in the town. We were able to see many of them from the exterior, including Malindi Minaret Mosque, which is the oldest, Aga Khan Mosque, and Ijumaa Mosque.
Old Fort: originally built around the 1700’s on the site of a Portuguese chapel by Omani Arabs as a defense against the Portuguese, it is now used as an open-air theatre for music and dance performances.
Beit el-Ajaib (House of Wonders), Museum of Zanzibar History: the museum is home to exhibits on the dhow, a traditional boat, culture of the Indian Ocean and on Swahili civilization. The museum has a display of an mtepe, a traditional Swahili boat made without nails, the planks held together with only coconut fibers and wooden pegs.
Entenga
We spent over a week WWOOFing in this peaceful village in the Pare Mountains. We were very delighted to spend time with Serafin and his family, our hosts, and learn more about their culture. We performed various tasks and learned to cook traditional foods. You could read more about our time with the Mngulu family in this article.
Moshi
This relatively peaceful city sits on the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and is the center of one of Tanzania’s major coffee-growing regions. We spent most of our time waiting and glimpsing to see the tallest African mountain. We were eventually able to get a quick peek at it, but most of the time it was hidden behind a wall of clouds.
Komboa Association: during our stay in Moshi we had the opportunity to sleep in one of the rooms in this association. Serafin, our WWOOFing host in Entenga, introduced us to his eldest son, Ghynwine, whoo started the association. The association provides classes and seminars to at risk youth to help them obtain life skills. We had the honor to help Ghynwine in creating a Facebook Fan page to try to obtain more publicity. We hope to keep in touch and see the progress of this great mission.
Arusha
We did not spend too much time in this city due to the many annoying “fly-catchers” that try to lure you into a safari. We did eventually book a safari and then headed out of the city.
Tanzania Safari
We spent three days enjoying the beautiful landscapes and animals of the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Our days consisted of searching for animals during our game drives and camping in the open sites amongst the wild animals. It was interesting to learn and see the Maasai tribe and their livestock living amongst these wild animals. We were also able to view many animals in their natural environment, such as lions, leopard, hippopotamuses, giraffes, elephants, and so much more. Make sure to read our article to learn more about our adventure and see pictures.
Mwanza
Tanzania’s second-largest city sits on Lake Victoria’s shores and surrounded by hills of enormous boulders. The city itself has many temples and mosques, a large open air market, and is free of the annoyances that other large cities such as Dar Es Salaam and Arusha contain. We spent our time enjoying good company and admiring the gorgeous lake views surrounded by rocky shores.
Bukoba
This town was our final stop in Tanzania before making our way into Uganda. It served as a relaxing way to end our visit and spend the final days on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa.
