Tanzania is a land with wide open spaces, shimmering lakes of the Rift Valley, Kilimanjaro's snow-capped peaks, mysterious spice scented islands with exotic beaches and some of the largest and most unspoilt wilderness areas in the world.
Tanzania is undoubtedly the world's ultimate safari destination and the very word 'safari' originated here for it is Kiswahili for journey. Nowhere else can you experience the journey of millions of animals migrating across the endless plains of the Serengeti!
Journey, too, through time and cultures from the Olduvai Gorge, site of our earliest human ancestors, to the stately Maasai warrior, clad in red, striding purposefully across the northern plains. Tanzania tantalizes your senses and reawakens your spirit of discovery.
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain and the highest free-standing mountain in the world remained relatively unknown to the outside world until 1848. Snowcapped and shrouded by clouds, the local Chagga people called it 'Kilema Kyaro' meaning 'that which cannot be conquered' or 'that which makes a journey impossible.' Today, it is the dream of every adventurer to conquer its summit and stand on the "roof of Africa."
The mountain consists of three volcanoes: Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo. Shira became extinct and collapsed leaving a series of rocky ridges on the Shira plateau. Mawenzi is dormant and its jagged peaks require a technical climb. Uhuru Peak, (19,340 ft.) is Kibo's highest peak but one is considered to have "conquered" the mountain by reaching Gillman's Point at 18,635 ft.
There are seven main routes to the top. Regardless of the route taken, the vistas are magnificent and the flora and fauna of the different life zones are fascinating. Rain forests give way to moorlands and alpine meadows until these; too, give way to an alpine desert where lichens cling tenuously to rocks. The landscape, though desolate, is hauntingly beautiful as you walk among the clouds.