The House of Art offers the possibility of seeing and buying Tanzanian art. The workshop, which originally began as a project to activate disabled and unemployed people, is today selling tie-and-dye fabrics, baskets and wood carvings by the dozen
Situated close to the Village Museum is the Mwenge market, where unique ivory sculptures designed and made by the Makonde people, a community which is characterized by their wood carvings, are exhibited and sold.
The open-air museum, which is situated 14 kilometers outside of Dar es Salaam, consists of 14 huts in full size, which have each been built and decorated in the way that different Tanzanian tribes would have done it. The Village Museum is open from 9:30 to 18:00.
The most obvious attraction are the many animals who are walking about in the park. Ngorongoro has the highest density of predators in East Africa with 400 hyenas and 100 lions. As a special treat for the lucky few, there is a possibility of catching a glimpse of the black-maned lion.
The Olduvai Ravine, which is about 50 kilometers long, is placed between the Ngorongoro crater and Serengeti. The ravine is the location where the oldest traces of human life has been found. This is where Mary Leaky, in 1976, found a footprint set in volcanic ashes that turned out to be 3,6 million years old.
The closer you get to Gombe Stream National Park, which faces the Tanganyika Lake in western Tanzania, the more fascinated you become with its beauty. The park is the smallest of its kind in Africa, but has, none the less, an inexhaustible variation of plants and animals. This was where Jane Goodall studied the chimpanzee and therefore they have become accustomed to humans.
Lake Victoria is in western Kenya. The lake, which covers an area of 70,000 km2 and is no more than 100 meters deep, is a spectacular natural phenomenon. The only possibility to sail the lake is to take a boat from Kisumu to more southern towns in Kenya. Even though the shores of Lake Victoria are in both Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya it is not possible to sail between the countries.
The enormous amount of Baobab trees is the first thing visitors see when they come into Tarangire National Park, which covers an area of 2600 km2. The mildly undulating steppe is marked by these majestic trees, which make the grazing animals underneath the tree crowns look like miniature elephants, zebras and wildebeests.
Divers' paradise, Mafia, is in spite of the name a friendly an relaxed place with about 40,000 inhabitants. The island covers an area of 394 km2 and is as such the biggest island in a small group and is probably the closest you will get to the idea of a tropical paradise in the Indian Ocean.
Off the coast of Tanga, not far from Zanzibar, is the small, sleepy island of Pemba. The place has not really been discovered by tourist yet despite of its many qualities. The best fish of Eastern Africa can be caught here and it is possible to dive in some of the most magnificent coral reefs in the world, among other things. The island also has an atmospheric capital, Chake-Chake.
On the island of Kisiwani, two kilometers off the coast, there is an old, historical ruined town from the 15th century. One of the most important ports of East Africa called Kilwa Kisiwani, in which trade with gold, silver, pearls and perfume was conducted, was placed here. The remains of the town, which, by the way, is on the UNESCO list of preservation-worthy culture, can be seen today.
Some of the world's most fascinating cave paintings are situated close to Dodoma, 180 kilometers from Arusha. They can be seen in Great Rift Valley and are splendid examples of how the art of the stone age looked in Africa.
Some of the oldest proof of human life can be seen in the National Museum in Dar es Salaam. There are, among other things, impressive archeological exhibitions of finds from the Olduvai clan and Laetoli. Fossils, which are around two million years old, can also be seen, among these are Zinjanthropus (Nutcracker Man).
Tanga, which is situated just south of the Kenyan border, is following Dar es Salaam as the second most important port in Tanzania. The drowsy town with the dusty streets is renown for its unsurpassed beaches and pulsating nightlife, which turns the city on after sunset. Not far from the town are the Amboni grottos, which are the most extensive lime stone grottos in all of East Africa.
This reserve is the ultimate encounter with nature, if wild animals and unexplored areas are what you are looking for. Selous Game Reserve, which covers an area of 54,600 km2, is the second largest game preserve in the world. More than 350 different kinds of birds live here and there are more than 2000 different kinds of plants. The reserve is divided by the mysterious Rufiji river, which is one of the rivers in Africa to contain the most water.
Kilimanjaro has, as already mentioned, three peaks, which can all be ascended. The two peaks that are most to the west, Shira and Mawenzi, are, however, only recommended to experienced mountain climbers. Several travel agents arrange hikes to the peak of Kibo. On these trips it is the more mild Marangu route that is used.
Bagamoyo was the center of slave trade on the coast during the 19th century. Many famous explorers passed through the city, among these were Burton, Speke, Grant, Stanley and Livingstone. Today Bagamoyo is an important cultural center with the art school as its center of rotation.
The great white building with towers and peaks were built at the end of the 1890's for a member of the sultan's family. Originally it was called Palace of the Sultans, and it also served as official residence of the Sultan of Zanzibar from 1911. The palace was closed to the public in many years after 1964, but it was re-opened as a museum in 1994.
The biggest attraction of Zanzibar is the old Arab quarter, Stonetown. This town within the town has a net of unpredictable winding streets and narrow alleys. On top the quarter is filled with busy people out shopping, who bustles about and visits the different stalls and workshops in an attempt to make the catch of the day. Stonetown is most definitely and adventure for all the senses.
The Old Dispensary, which is today functioning as a cultural center, is in the old quarter. The grand four-storey building, which was founded in 1885, is decorated with bright colors and carved balconies.