Welcome to Tanzania, the next stop on our Travel adventure! This country is truly a place of unique beauty, from the waters of Zanzibar to Mount Kilimanjaro, and the great Serengeti National Park, you’ll never be without a great view. Tanzania is another country you might not think of when planning your next vacation, but let me tell you why it should be.

Story

In high school, I had the great honor of participating in a volunteer trip that lasted three weeks in Tanzania. While there I was lucky enough to see the real Tanzania, not the dressed-up, touristy side that most travelers would see. We taught English in their schools, (which I am terribly unqualified to do) met local families, danced with a Maasai tribe, and did much more. I have countless stories I could tell of this country but today I’ll leave you with one. But I do strongly encourage you to research the Maasai tribe, they have some very interesting traditions, and if you ever visit them, you might just be lucky enough to watch their sacrifice of a goat.

Anyways onto the story. I arrived into the Arusha region of Tanzania in the middle of July, which is winter for them. I was one member of a group of about fifteen, I don’t remember the exact number but there was a decent amount of us all teenagers except for the counselors, obviously. There wasn’t much time wasted before we jumped right in with our planned service. If I remember right we were taken down to the school on the first day. Since it was winter it wasn’t too hot, it was around seventy degrees Fahrenheit the whole time. But this story comes from our first walk to the local elementary school.

It was about midday when gathered near the gates of the compound. Barbed wire was coiled around the entire perimeter. Our armed guard was gone for the day. He only came at night as far as I knew. But that’s okay, the group leader was an ex-spy who hunted poachers. Many of us were still groggy from being awakened by the Muslim morning prayer just hours ago. The heavy gates swung open and we stepped out onto the dirt road. Old motorcycles took the place of most taxis, they were better able to handle the poor driving conditions anyway. As we walked, we passed by houses propped up on tires, and rusted sheet metal shacks. Down a side street, there was a line of people waiting by the city’s only clean water supply, a broken pipe in the ground. I had never seen anything quite like it. We had suddenly found ourselves witnessing the kind of poverty you only ever hear about but rarely actually see. But as we were walking I began to notice something different happening. We stepped off the street and instead began cutting through people’s backyards and nobody yelled at us. Instead, they would all gather in their doorways just smile and wave, some would even offer us food. Whenever we passed a house with little kids all of the kids would come pouring out. They would swarm us, just laughing and playing, they’d ask for piggy-back rides, and just want to hold our hands and walk with us. They would walk with us for miles before running back to their parents. I can still remember just how contagious their smiles were. You cannot have a bad day when those kids. At the time I couldn’t help but wonder how people with so little could be so happy. To those kids, just walking with a stranger seemed like the greatest gift in the world.

Why you should visit Tanzania.

Tanzania is a beautiful country with a strong history and welcoming people. Fun fact the official language of Tanzania, Swahili, is used a lot in the movie, The Lion King. In fact, most of the character names are just the Swahili word for those animals, and ‘Hakuna Matata,’ does actually mean ‘No worries,’ or more accurately ‘No trouble,’ but that’s not as catchy.

Now when most people think of trips to African countries they think of Safari adventures. Tanzania is one of the last countries where you can see the African Big 5, (Lions, Leopards, Rhino, Buffalo, and Elephant) If you are lucky enough to see a Rhino you should buy a lottery ticket as they are extremely rare. Most are kept in heavily protected and secret areas, at least according to my group’s Safari guide.

But Safari’s aren’t the only thing to do here. You can also visit the tallest mountain in Africa, Mount. Kilimanjaro. It was once a volcano, but you don’t have to worry about that. It went extinct a long time ago. There are also a number of hikes you can do along the mountain’s foothills if you’re not up for the climb.

Or maybe you don’t want to explore the wilderness on your vacation and you’re looking for Luxury. Then Zanzibar is the place for you. Here you can sleep in a floating bungalow, and go swimming with dolphins. You can also visit Cheetah Rock and pet a cheetah.

Or maybe you want to experience the Maasai tribe and learn about their Nomadic history. You can visit their villages and see their lifestyle. You can also learn about their traditions. You can also learn a traditional dance of theirs, but be warned, it will be a lot of jumping.

In Conclusion

Tanzania is a beautiful country with countless adventures to offer. If you find yourself wanting to go here be aware you’ll need to acquire a Visa. And when of Safar be sure to not step on any bushes, or stand to close to the termite mounds. Snakes like to hide in them, and a Black Mamba does not have a forgiving bite.