Tanzania
Tanzania is home to rich, abundant wildlife which will amaze you at every step of the journey. A place of truly breath-taking landscapes, Tanzania is blessed with epic mountains, savannahs, waterfalls and lakes. On safari you’ll get to see the greatest animals walking the earth. As well as the wildlife, over 120 tribes create diverse cultures, making for a fascinating and vibrant experience. Green Light Ventures is leading the way in sustainable travel, meaning your trip will be good for communities and the planet.
Beautiful Tanzania
Written by Founder of GLV, Dominic Parker
The Country
It’s hard for me to write about Tanzania without being extremely biased. It has been a lifelong passion of mine and second home for many years. Once one experiences its true beauty, it is difficult to forget and leave the county behind. For those seeking to enrich themselves in culture or lose themselves in the vast wilderness, explore breath-taking scenery, then this could be the place for you. For those wanting to capture an endless diversity of wildlife or simply embark on an adventure that you will never forget, then Tanzania is a country that can offer all that and more.
Statistics prove that this country is really special. To mention a few would include that Tanzania is home to the largest mountain in Africa (also the largest free standing mountain in the world), the largest volcanic caldera in the world, and deepest and largest lakes on the continent (I could go on).
Leaving to one side Kilimanjaro, the wildlife is the other big Tanzanian boast. With more animals per square kilometre than any other country in the world, spotting game will be a certainty. It’s not just how many animals you’ll see but the large diversity of mammals, birds and reptiles. By the early afternoon of a game drive, believe me, you will be driving right pass the zebra, elephants and impala in the search for the more unusual creatures which Tanzania has to offer, such as the bat eared fox or serval. Hopefully, by then, you would have had a good view as well as seeing the majority of the Big Five.
Customs
With all the natural beauty one can think of, it was actually the people that first made me fall in love with the country. You will come to know warm hearted and welcoming people, as well as the word Karibu (you’re welcome) very well by the end of you stay. The people have a relaxed and peaceful pace to life, not worrying about problems that may face them day in and day out. This is most likely why the well know phrase “Hakuna Matata”, meaning ‘no worries’, has come out of East Africa. It’s hard to visit this wonderful nation and not return home taking a part of that with you and hence wonder why your neighbours feel the need to hectically rush around, rudely not taking the time to greet one another.
Culture
With over 130 tribes occupying the country, there is endless diversity of culture to enrich your stay. The tribe that has always stood out the most to me and will probably for you because of the colourful red robes, is the Maasai Tribe. I spent two years living with these wonderful people in the heart of the Maasai bush. I learnt a lot about how they live simply and sustainably off the land, with minimum interference with nature. They are semi nomadic moving once every 8 to 10 years. They only live off their cattle and do not hunt or feed on wild animals. They do not take more than they need and when they move they allow the habitat to return to its natural state. The Maasai have many fascinating traditions in which we hope you will enjoy sharing in.
Language
It is well worth learning some Maasai greetings but Kiswahili is the language to learn as it is the country’s first language. I have found it the most interesting language I have ever come across as it is comprised of Bantu, Arabic, Aramaic, Portuguese, Persian, German and English. In fact we commonly use a few Kiswahili words in the English language, for example Safari, which means journey.
Maisha ni safari! – Life is a journey!
At GLV we hope to take you on a journey through Tanzania, one that will explore its country, get immersed in its culture and embrace its customs. At GLV we call our journeys ‘expeditions’, meaning journey with a purpose. Our purpose for your journey is that you’ll love it and be inspired by it as much as we are.
