Mwanza, Tanzania is Home to Mt. Kilamanjaro
Centuries ago the Sultan of Zanzibar traveled across the regions of inner Africa and discovered gold, ivory and slaves. This was an epic journey that became known as “safari” an Arabic word, meaning journey. Although, ultimately the word safari encompasses a greater meaning for this type of journey, which is filled with mystery, discovery, awe and wonder.
Tanzania is one of those regions in the world that a true safari can be experienced with and educated guide and see some of the most spectacular natural places on the planet. Tanznia has some of the most magnificent wildernesses known throughout the world. Nowadays, visitors can take safaris by way of vehicle, walking or on horseback.
An important piece of information to know about the country of Tanzania, is that it’s one of the most conservation conscious areas of the world. The Tanzanian government and its citizens view their country’s spectacular and varied wildlife populations as national treasures. For tourists traveling to Tanzania’s coast there are spectacular beaches and offshore islands to explore and romp around. They are easily accessed from the safari regions and allow you the time and space to relax after the excitement of the Tanzanian bush.
Tanzania has a punctual and reliable network of internal airlines that you can board and travel across the country quite easily. Tourists can charter their own private aircraft for an aerial view of Tanzania’s large animal habitats and beautiful beach resorts. If you would rather travel by land, then you’ll be happy to know that most of the roads to most of the safari destinations are paved and easily driven by an all terrain vehicle.
Tanzania is also the home to Mt. Kilimanjaro. This is truly one of the most unique mountains in the world. It is actually an enormous, solitary volcano, but despite its size it is extremely accessible. It has a long, slow incline to its peak and most people in reasonably good shape can accomplish reaching the top and even children as young as 10 are permitted to scale the mountain. However, bear in mind that the climb will take you several days. Even those who are in good shape make the ascent within a few days. There are several lodges and rest areas along the way. There are many tourists who come to Tanzania mainly for the Mt. Kilimanjaro experience.
Mwanza is one of Tanzania’s most beautiful and well known cities. It is the second largest populated city and the economic center of the region. Mwanza is located in the far northern part of Tanzania near Lake Victoria. Geographically, Mwanza lies quite close to the Equator yet because of its location, on the southern shore of Lake Victoria, its position ensures a fresh breeze, low humidity and temperate conditions throughout the year.
There are many hotels and lodges in Mwanza and throughout Tanzania that cater to every budget. There are highend, exclusive properties to rent, as well as, eco-lodges and newly renovated plantation houses available for a special experience. There are even campsites near all the national parks. You can hop on and be part of one of the many mobile safari units so you’ll have a chance to see a little bit of everything. If you choose to stay near the coast, then you will find rustic beach hideaways and luxury hotels to choose from. Many of them are right on the sandy beaches with coral reefs in warm ocean water full of diverse marine life.
Tanzania is filled with lake and mountains. The city of Mwanza looks onto a lake and includes sites of the Bismarck Rock, which is a collection of massive granite rocks. Mwanza is very much like the Grand Central Station of this region. It boasts several bus routes and ferries at their busy port. You can travel to neighboring Kenya, Ukerewe Island, Bukoba, Uganda, Rwanda and many other surrounding areas.
Mwanza is arguably the fastest growing city in Tanzania. It is demonstrating tremendous growth in their financial, industrial and local business investment areas. Today however, the economy of the city and the region is still dominated by small farms, agriculture and fishing companies who employ about 85 percent of the area’s population. The fisheries business in particular is the leader in terms of foreign exchange earning power and contribution to the local economy.
There are several large commercial fishing companies using modern fishing gear and vessels who are taking advantage of the Mwanza Gulf aquatic life. Agriculture is another huge contributor to the areas economy with corn and sweet potatoes being staples. There are even some mining companies who have recently formed and doing business in the area. One final note, the world famous Serengeti National Park is only a 2½ hour drive away from Mwanza.
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