RUAHA NATIONAL PARK

Ruaha National Park is the second largest national park in Tanzania

The name of the park is derived from the Great  Ruaha River, which flows along its south-eastern margin and is the focus for game-viewing. The park can be reached by car via Iringa and there is an airstrip at Msembe, park headquarters.

 Its lifeblood is the Great Ruaha River, which courses along the eastern boundary in a flooded torrent during the height of the rains, but dwindling thereafter to a scattering of precious pools surrounded by a blinding sweep of sand and rock.

A fine network of game-viewing roads follows the Great Ruaha and its seasonal tributaries, where , during the dry season, impala, waterbuck and other antelopes risk their life for a sip of life-sustaining water. And the risk is considerable: not only from the prides of 20-plus lion that lord over the savannah, but also from the cheetahs that stalk the open grassland and the leopards that lurk in tangled riverine thickets. This impressive array of large predators is boosted by both striped and spotted hyena, as well as several conspicuous packs of the highly endangered African wild dog.

Ruaha's unusually high diversity of antelope is a function of its location, which is transitional to the acacia savannah of East Africa and the miombo woodland belt of Southern Africa. Grant's gazelle and lesser kudu occur here at the very south of their range, alongside the miombo-associated sable and roan antelope, and one of East Africas largest populations of greater kudu, the park emblem, distinguished by the male's magnificent corkscrew horns.

A similar duality is noted in the checklist of 450 birds: the likes of crested barbet, an attractive yellow-and-black bird whose persistent trilling is a characteristic sound of the southern bush, occur in Ruaha alongside central Tanzanian endemics such as the yellow-collared lovebird and ashy starling.

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MAFIA ISLAND, TANZANIA

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PRISON ISLAND ZANZIBAR

Katavi National Park

Isolated, untrammelled and seldom visited, Katavi is a true wilderness, providing the few intrepid souls who make it there with a thrilling taste of Africa as it must have been a century ago.

Tanzania's third largest national park, it lies in the remote southwest of the country, within a truncated arm of the Rift Valley that terminates in the shallow, brooding expanse of Lake Rukwa.

The bulk of Katavi supports a hypnotically featureless cover of tangled brachystegia woodland, home to substantial but elusive populations of the localised eland, sable and roan antelopes. But the main focus for game viewing within the park is the Katuma River and associated floodplains such as the seasonal Lakes Katavi and Chada. During the rainy season, these lush, marshy lakes are a haven for myriad waterbirds, and they also support Tanzania’s densest concentrations of hippo and crocodile. CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Gombe Stream National Park

An excited whoop erupts from deep in the forest, boosted immediately by a dozen other voices, rising in volume and tempo and pitch to a frenzied shrieking crescendo. It is the famous ‘pant-hoot’ call: a bonding ritual that allows the participants to identify each other through their individual vocal stylisations. To the human listener, walking through the ancient forests of Gombe Stream, this spine-chilling outburst is also an indicator of imminent visual contact with man’s closest genetic relative: the chimpanzee.

Gombe is the smallest of Tanzania's national parks: a fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat straddling the steep slopes and river valleys that hem in the sandy northern shore of Lake Tanganyika. Its chimpanzees – habituated to human visitors – were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall, who in 1960 founded a behavioural research program that now stands as the longest-running study of its kind in the world. The matriarch Fifi, the last surviving member of the original community, only three-years old when Goodall first set foot in Gombe, is still regularly seen by visitors. CLICK HERE FOR MORE

UNDERWATER MAFIA  ISLAND, TANZANIA

 LION IN THE SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

OUR NATIONAL ANIMAL

SAMAKI WA KUPAKIH

Samaki Wa Kupaki (marinated fish with vegetable sauce)

For the fish: 
1 whole fish, about 8 inches long, such as changu, sea bass or red or white snapper
3 small limes, washed 

2 cloves garlic, peeled 
½ teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon cumin 
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Chopped greens and slices of tomatoes, green peppers and onions for garnish
Cook's notes: Changu is a fish common to Tanzanian waters, and white snapper comes from southern Asia. 
Prepare the fish: Make three slits on both sides of fish and place in baking dish. Roll limes under palm of your hand on hard surface to release juices. Cut limes in half and squeeze over fish. Grate garlic over fish. Sprinkle salt over fish and into slits. Press garlic and lime pulp into the slits. Sprinkle cumin over fish, and press into the slits. Press juice into fish with the back of a spoon. Add black pepper to marinade and press into fish.
Let fish marinate about 15 to 30 minutes, turning fish once or twice. Pour off the marinade into a separate bowl, to add to vegetable sauce.
Cook the fish: Put fish on rack over a drip pan in hot oven set on broil, and grill about 20 minutes until exterior is crisp and flesh is flaky.
Place on a platter big enough to hold fish and vegetable sauce.
For the vegetable sauce: 
Makes 1½ to 2 quarts, depending on vegetable sizes
3 baby eggplants, washed and peeled
8 small plum tomatoes, washed and peeled
1 green pepper, washed, cut in half with seeds removed
1 medium onion, peeled
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional salt to taste 
1 small lime, washed 
1½ cups coconut milk, fresh or canned (if canned, stir before pouring)
Prepare the sauce: Thickly slice eggplants, tomatoes and green pepper and put in large pot. Thinly slice onions and add to pot.
Add water and 1 teaspoon salt to pot and place over medium heat. Stir in reserved fish marinade. Squeeze juice of the lime into the sauce.
Continue to cook and stir, until vegetables soften, mashing as you stir. Add coconut milk, little by little, while stirring constantly. Add additional salt as needed. If sauce looks pink instead of orange-red, add more tomatoes.
Stirring constantly, bring sauce to a full boil and remove from heat. Spoon over grilled fish.
Presentation: Cover fish with slices of tomatoes, chopped greens, sliced green pepper and sliced onion. Serve hot.

 BLESSED LAND OF THE SERENGETI

zanzibaris strolling at the beach

Cheetah hunting.
The cheetah achieves by far the fastest land speed of any living animal—between 112 and 120 km/h.

Grr...He is so shy, he loves hiding under the shades of the trees most of the time. This loner is the most ferocious Big cat, some would think that the lion wins that title but in this case size does not matter . Best place to spot these beauties is in central Serengeti, in the seronera valley.

SELOUS ''THE LARGEST GAME RESERVE IN AFRICA''

The Selous Game Reserve, covering 50,000 square kilometres, is amongst the largest protected areas in Africa and is relatively undisturbed by human impact. The property harbours one of the most significant concentrations of elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetah, giraffe, hippopotamus and crocodile, amongst many other species. The reserve also has an exceptionally high variety of habitats including Miombo woodlands, open grasslands, riverine forests and swamps, making it a valuable laboratory for on-going ecological and biological processes. click here for more

SERENGETI SOPA LODGE

Bush Dinner at Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Pool View at Serengeti Sopa Lodge

The Lodge

Nestled in the acacia woodland on the edge of the escarpment overlooking the plains of the south-western Serengeti National Park, 

one of the most famous parks in the world, and host to the largest and most spectacular annual migration of the wildebeest.

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MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK

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 Mafia Island is a great destination for the adventurous traveller who is interested in active holiday fishing, snorkeling and diving.  In the pools left by the receding tide you will find live cowries and other shells, small moray eels and juvenile fish, as well as a myriad of starfish.

It has many untouched pristine beaches with white sand and turquoise waters, a perfect destination for relaxation.

Bird-watching

Bird watching in Mafia adds a very interesting dimension to a Tanzania wildlife safari, as the visitor will see many species of shorebird, including migrants such as the Crab Plover, and other species found in coastal thickets and mangroves that cannot be observed in the main land National Parks and Reserves.

Mafia -Lodges Kinasi Lodge Kinasi Lodge is Mafia's most well-established and the best accommodation in Mafia. The lodge has attractive rooms, a spa, good dive centre and the added bonus of Mafia's only swimming pool. The diversity of activities and adventures to be had from here make Kinasi worthy of a very good rating.

Others include Butiama beach ldoge, didimiza guest house and Lua Cheia Beach.

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RAS MBISI LODGE, MAFIA ISLAND TANZANIA

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Kuku Paka (Kuku wa kupaka) (Chicken Coconut Curry) - Recipe
This simple dish, sometimes called kuku na nazi, is a fabulous coconut curry from the East African coast. It is a perfect illustration of how African, Arab and Indian influences m

eld in the coastal region.

4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Chicken, cut into pieces -- 3 pounds
Onion, chopped -- 1
Hot chile peppers, chopped -- 2 or 3
Ginger, peeled and chopped -- 2 tablespoons
Garlic, chopped -- 2 tablespoons
Oil or ghee -- 1/4 cup
Curry powder -- 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds -- 2 teaspoons
Chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce -- 2 cups
Coconut milk -- 2 cups, or 1 (15-ounce) can
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Cilantro, chopped -- 1/2 cup
Method
1. Add the onion, chiles, ginger and garlic to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add a little water if necessary.
2. Heat the oil or ghee in a large pot or wok over medium flame. Add the onion puree, curry powder and cumin and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cooked down.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the chicken, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Add more water as needed.
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve with with rice or chapatti.
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Chicken, cut into pieces -- 3 pounds
Onion, chopped -- 1
Hot chile peppers, chopped -- 2 or 3
Ginger, peeled and chopped -- 2 tablespoons
Garlic, chopped -- 2 tablespoons
Oil or ghee -- 1/4 cup
Curry powder -- 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds -- 2 teaspoons
Chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce -- 2 cups
Coconut milk -- 2 cups, or 1 (15-ounce) can
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Cilantro, chopped -- 1/2 cup
Method
1. Add the onion, chiles, ginger and garlic to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add a little water if necessary.
2. Heat the oil or ghee in a large pot or wok over medium flame. Add the onion puree, curry powder and cumin and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cooked down.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the chicken, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Add more water as needed.
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve with with rice or chapatti.

VITUMBUA

Ingredients

2 cups finely ground rice flour

2 tblspn plain white flour

2 tblspn fresh grated coconut (available frozen in most Asian stores)

1 400 gm tin coconut milk

½ cup hot water

1 tspn dry yeast

½ cup sugsr

½ teaspoon roughly ground cardamom seeds

oil

Method

1. Mix rice flour, grated coconut, and the coconut milk and hot water to form a thick paste. The temperature should be equivalent to body temperature.
2. Add the sugar, cardamom and yeast and mix well.
3. Cover and leave over night
4. Next day mix thouroughly
5. Instead of using the vitumbua karai, I used an appam pan which I have previously used to make ponganalu.
6. Heat the appam pan, plan a drop of oil in each pan, pour in the batter so that the pan is ¾ full.. Cook for 2-3 minutes, and flip the vitumbua, this is quite tricky, but gets easier with practice.
7. Cook the other side and repeat until all the batter is finished

BUTIAMA BEACH RESORT IS A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN ON EARTH FOUND ON MAFIA ISLAND, TANZANIA

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  Paje beach is a beautiful beach in the south east coast of zanzibar.

Paje By Night Hotels & Bungalows 


Paje by Night was the very first resort to be built in Paje. Since then other small hotels have come up in the nearby nevertheless the area continue to offer long stretches of beach,dotted by palm trees and a lush tropical vegetation, where it is still possible to take beautiful undisturbed walks. This is certainly one of the most authentic places of the island and not affected by mass tourism, although no longer isolated as it was ten years ago.

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Paje Beaches

NGORONGORO CRATER

The Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding highlands are one of Africa's most beautiful regions. Volcanic craters form stunning backdrops to some of the richest grazing grounds in Africa. The most famous is without question the Ngorongoro Crater, the worlds largest intact volcanic caldera; home to the highest density of big game in Africa. With 600 metre high walls and a rich volcanic floor that plays host to the big five, Ngorongoro is one of the continent's most famous safari destinations. A trip to Northern Tanzania has to include Ngorongoro, it is an exceptional place to interact with the Maasai and is one of the most beautiful natural wildlife sites in the world. 

   SERONERA LODGE, SERENGETI CLICK FOR MORE

SERENGETI

SERENGETI is a MAASAI word which means ENDLESS PLAINS

As well as the migration of wildebeest, the park is well known for its healthy stock of other resident wildlife, particularly the "Big Five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters:

• Lion: the Serengeti is believed to hold the largest population of lions in Africa due in part to the abundance of prey species. Currently there are more than 3000 lions living in this ecosystem.
• African Leopard: these reclusive predators are commonly seen in the Seronera region but are present throughout the national park with the current population at around 1000.
• African Elephant: the herds are recovering from population lows in the 1980s caused by poaching, and are largely located in the northern regions of the park
• Black Rhinoceros: mainly found around the kopjes in the centre of the park, very few individuals remain due to rampant poaching. Individuals from the Masai Mara Reserve cross the park border and enter Serengeti from the northern section at times.
• African Buffalo: still abundant and present in healthy numbers, but numbers have been somewhat reduced due to disease

The park also supports many further species, including cheetah, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, topi, eland, waterbuck, hyena, baboon, impala, African wild dog and giraffe. The park also boasts about 500 bird species, including ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, crowned crane, marabou stork, martial eagle, lovebirds and many species of vultures. CLICK HERE FOR MORE
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Mnemba Island Lodge

Mnemba Island Lodge is is a heavenly small islang known as one of the most romantic ocean destinations in the world, offering a privacy  exclusivity unparalleled on the African coastline. Hand-woven from traditional Zanzibarian palm-matting, each of the 10 bandas have a spacious veranda and are hidden in the shade of a tropical beach forest, fringed by the pristine beaches that halo the Island. A palm-covered walkway leads to an en suite bathroom with shower and basin. Zanzibar is famous for its intricate, detailed woodcarvings and the scrolled headboards adorning the beds are created by some of the Island’s most skilled artisans. 

Thatched dining and sitting/bar areas have beautiful open views of the beach and spectacular coral reefs beyond. Baskets of fresh fruit, fish, lobsters, crabs and prawns are sailed into Mnemba daily on traditional ngalawa outriggers, and prepared as exotic delicacies. Lunch is usually served on large wooden carved Zanzibar platters heaped with delicious mezze. Romantic candle-lit dinners are enjoyed on the beach with the waves gently lapping at your feet. Private beach dinners are often enjoyed by honeymooners.

check out : http://www.mnemba-island.com/

    Ras Nungwi Beach Resort, Zanzibar.