Travel stories

The realization: I’m in Tanzania!!

What was the moment you thought: “Wow, I’ll never forget this”?

The enormous bustle of the big city of Arusha, entering Tarangire National Park, and then that immense silence, the vastness, immediately seeing the first giraffes. The realization: I’m in Tanzania/Africa!

What surprised or touched you about Tanzania? Perhaps something you hadn’t anticipated?

On such a well-prepared trip, we didn’t delve into what to expect beyond the parks and nature. We did, however, explore what we wanted to do and see. On the first day, we took a city tour of Arusha, and that was quite a culture shock. The crowds, the dust, the bad roads, the local market, the tourism, and the movement of Tanzanians were a complete surprise.
The roads in the parks are also bad, but the beauty you see makes up for everything.

How did you experience meeting the people and the culture?
Tanzanians are a busy bunch, always on the go. The people we met were more than friendly. They are very helpful and do everything for you. Our guide was great, knew what we wanted, took lots of photos, and waited patiently in the right spots. He also helped us find the best photo opportunities. And we got them! We had good conversations, and he taught us a lot. We also really appreciated that everything happened on time.

What would you recommend future travelers absolutely not to miss?
It’s your own choice what you want to see and do, but we did Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater en Serengeti South and North. But I wouldn’t have missed any of it. The distinct differences in flora and fauna make visiting all these parks particularly interesting.

What will you take with you from this trip, in your head, heart, and/or travel bag?
We took everything we saw with us. The beautiful (arid) nature, the animals in their native habitat, the experience of how humans and animals live in such a completely different culture than ours. -The circle of life.-