Geography
Tanzania is arguably Africa's most important adventure tourism destination, offering a range of holiday options, including challenging trekking and mountaineering as well as exciting wildlife safaris on foot. The immense variety of the scenery is one of the main attractions of this part of the world. With its equatorial location, Tanzania can boast beautifully spectacular landscapes, ranging from picture book deserted beaches on the Indian Ocean (as well as the romantic spice island of Zanzibar), across the broad East African Plains, to the highest snow capped peak on the continent, Mount Kilimanjaro at
5894 metres (19332ft.). The most important part of the country for national parks and for wildlife viewing is the Rift Valley Highlands, close to the northern border with Kenya. This area exhibits an interesting mix of landscape, with rolling grassland, impressive volcanic peaks and craters, cut by the prominent escarpments of the rift valleys. Wildlife abounds throughout the area, with opportunities to spot many of the most important African big game species. This part of Tanzania is also an important homeland for the Masai and one of the few areas where these charismatic people continue to pursue their nomadic cattle-rearing way of life.

Tourism has been important to this part of Africa for decades. At first, this tourism was built up around the demand for big game hunting and wildlife viewing (safaris) and this led to the establishment of several impressive national parks and game reserves, which still exist and which still provide the opportunity to get close to the major African wildlife species. More recently, large beach complexes have spread along the Indian Ocean coastline to cater for sun-seekers, whilst in the mountain areas there has also been an increase in the numbers of foreign visitors. A number of trekking and climbing routes have been established on Kilimanjaro, in particular, and this is supported by the setting up of a network of huts, along with a growing infrastructure of experienced guides, cooks and porters. With a long history of catering for tourists, Tanzania is well-prepared to look after the needs of Western visitors and the overall attitude of the local people is very friendly. Flying in to Kilimanjaro Airport in the north of the country, the gateway to the most important wildlife reserves and to Kilimanjaro is the pleasant town of Arusha. Here, you will find good hotels and all the amenities that you would expect to find in any Western city.

Time Zone
The time in Tanzania is GMT + 3 hours.

Climate
The principal seasonal factors governing expeditions to East Africa are the rains. There are two rainy seasons - the “Long Rains” from mid March to June, and the “Short Rains” from mid November to mid-December. We naturally avoid these months of unpredictable weather, since access to the mountain areas can become impossible at these times. The maximum daytime temperatures that we will encounter in Arusha will be around 25 to 28 degrees centigrade (77º – 82º F), dropping to 15 degrees centigrade (59º F) t night. Once we set off on trek, the temperatures will vary greatly depending on the altitude, with daytime temperatures at 3000 metres (10000ft.) aound 15 degrees centigrade (59º F). Higher up (above 4000 metres (13000ft.)) the temperatures will be no more than 10 degrees centigrade (50º F) during the day, although in the heat of the sun it will feel warmer than this. At night-time, the temperatures at our highest camps will fall well below freezing. Naturally, we have chosen departure dates which correspond with the best times to visit the mountains and plains of Tanzania.

On our Kilimanjaro trips, we can expect to encounter a range of weather conditions, from hot sun to bitter mountain winds and possibly including tropical rains and blizzard conditions. It is important to note that, even though this is equatorial Africa, it can be very cold at the altitudes that we will be reaching.

Rough guide to temperatures June to September

Currency
The unit of currency in Tanzania is the Tanzanian shilling. As of February 2006, the exchange rates are:

£ 1 = TZS 2079
$ 1 = TZS 1192
€ 1 = TZS 1419

Your money should be carried in the form of travellers cheques (preferably American Express), with a little cash set aside for incidental expenses on departure and return. Keep a note of your travellers cheque serial numbers in a safe place. Credit cards can be used to purchase goods and pay for hotels and meals in some places. Though regulations may vary from time to time, there is no restriction on the amount of hard currency you can bring into Tanzania.

Visas
All nationalities need to obtain a visa for entry into Tanzania. Rates vary depending on your nationality. Full details of current rates and the visa application process will be provided when we confirm your booking on a KE trip. Plenty of time should be allowed to obtain your Tanzanian Visa if you are intending to apply for it by post. Applications usually take two to three weeks to process. Another option is to hand in your passport and visa application to the Tanzania High Commission, which can be processed overnight for you to collect next day.

Vaccinations
You should attend your own GP and dentist for a check-up. A rough guide for an immunisation programme is as follows: (We must stress that this is only a basic guide - and you MUST abide by the advice of your local GP).

(a) Yellow Fever. Everyone must be vaccinated against Yellow Fever. This is a requirement for Tanzania. You must also make sure that you carry with you a certificate of vaccination against Yellow Fever, since you may be asked to produce this when entering or departing from Tanzania.
(b) Polio. Normally you will just need a booster.
(c) Tetanus.
(d) Typhoid. A full course requires 2 injections separated by an interval of 4-6 weeks.
(e) Hepatitis (A) and (B).
(f) Anti-malarial prophylaxis: Please refer to your GP (or to one of the agencies listed below) for the most up to date information about anti-malarial medication for the areas that you will be visiting.
(g) Rabies pre-exposure vaccination. Please refer to your GP (or to one of the agencies listed below) for advice on whether you need rabies pre-exposure vaccination. This vaccination does not eliminate the need for urgent evacuation to a suitable medical facility for additional treatment, in the unlikely case of your being bitten. However, it does simplify that additional treatment and also prolongs the period that you can safely delay before receiving post-exposure treatment.

Given enough notice, your GP will be able to administer all the above.

Additional Sources of Information

Books
Trekking Guide to East Africa - David Else 1993 Lonely Planet (Revised edition due 1998).
Guide to Mt Kenya & Kilimanjaro - Mountain Club of Kenya.
East Africa - Travel Survival Kit - Geoff Crowther Lonely Planet 1991.
Backpackers Africa 4th Edition - Hilary Bradt 1993.
East Africa Handbook - Michael Hodd - Footprint Handbooks 1996.
Kilimanjaro – Reader.
Snowcaps on the Equator - Iain Allan and Clive Ward.

Maps
The Ordnance Survey (UK). World Map Series. Kilimanjaro (1.100,000).
Andrew Wielochowski. Kilimanjaro Map and Guide. Includes an excellent map at 1:50,000 scale. This is produced by West Col in the UK.

Our trip dossiers/itineraries give details of books and maps that are specific to a particular trip. Click here for details of book and map retailers.

Web
Lonely PLanet - www.lonelyplanet.com
Rough Guides - www.roughguides.com