Tanzania

Tanzania is a stronghold of Swahili culture in East Africa: Swahili grew from the interweaving of Bantu and Arabic, and a street-corner "Jambo" (hello) quickly closes the distance between people. In Zanzibar's Stone Town, carved wooden doors in Arab, Persian, Indian and European styles layer upon one another, and the scents of cloves and cinnamon drift from the spice farms into the markets. Tanzanians are gentle by temperament and believe in the philosophy of "pole pole" (slowly, slowly); the Maasai, wrapped in red checked cloth and performing their leaping welcome dance, are the most striking cultural symbol of the northern plains. The port of Dar es Salaam opens onto the whole Indian Ocean world. People on the coast and in Zanzibar mostly follow Islam, while the interior is mainly Christian and traditional faiths.

Tanzania's dry and rainy seasons are clearly divided. The long dry season (June–October) is the best window for game viewing in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, as the Great Migration herds move north in June–July and are active around the Mara River (connected with the Kenyan stretch). The short dry season (January–February) is calving season in the southern Serengeti, when hundreds of thousands of calves are born and predators gather. In the long rains (March–May) some camps close and the roads turn muddy, but prices are low and visitors few; in the short rains (November–December) the plains turn green again. Zanzibar can be visited all year, driest from June to October; Mount Kilimanjaro is best climbed in January–February and June–October. In the rainy season the plains are in flower and migratory birds flock in — a hidden high season for birdwatchers.

Tanzania is a core region of human origins: the early human fossils unearthed in Olduvai Gorge have earned it the name "Cradle of Humankind". The Swahili coast was once a link in the Indian Ocean trade network, and the coral-stone ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani witnessed the flourishing trade in spices, gold and ivory. Tanganyika became independent in 1961 and united with Zanzibar in 1964 to form the country; founding president Nyerere promoted Ujamaa ("familyhood" socialism) and universal Swahili-language education, shaping an ethnic integration and social stability that are rare in East Africa. More than 130 tribes coexist with little conflict, and this "Tanzanian gentleness" is the key to understanding its culture.

The Serengeti migration, the Swahili coast, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar

The Serengeti Great Migration, the Ngorongoro Crater, climbing Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar's Stone Town, a northern-circuit safari journey

• Tanzania tourism board
• Wikipedia: Tanzania