What better way to end a safari than with a tropical island holiday? A short hop away from Dar es Salaam is the Zanzibar Archipelago, which comprises some 60 islands. The best known of these is Unguja, more commonly called Zanzibar. Other islands include Pemba and Mafia Islands. Zanzibar is by far the most commercialized of the islands, but it’s well worth a visit. The old city or Stone Town is the heart of Zanzibar, and it’s recommended to spend at least one night here enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. The buildings and markets and tall doors are reminders of the time when the Sultan of Oman ruled this area. The least developed parts of Zanzibar are the east and northwestern coastline, and visitors can expect spectacular beaches. For the most part, they have been fished out, but there is still excellent snorkelling particularly at Mnemba Atoll and other reserves where sound conservation policies are in place. Here you can expect large schools of dolphins, migrating hump-backed whales and turtles that lay their eggs on the beaches.

This is an extraordinary place to visit – it is a startling location with towering mountains, which loom 2500 metres above the clear, fresh waters of Lake Tanganyika. White beaches fringe the shore making the experience akin to a tropical beach holiday. Lake Tanganyika is rich in life with more than 260 species of endemic cichlids, and the snorkelling in the clear, blue, alkaline-rich waters is spectacular. The mountains are best known for their chimps – there are more than 1000 here, including a habituated family of some 56. Visitors can track and observe them through a permit system that allows them to be seen for an hour a day. It is easiest to see them during the months from August to October when conditions are dry and the chimps are found on the lower slopes. Birding is also excellent; it’s a meeting place of species from East and West Africa. This park is extremely remote in the southern part of Tanzania (more than 60 kilometres from the nearest road) and although there are two scheduled flights per week, it is an extremely expensive destination. Mahale combines well with a trip to Katavi, offering the most exclusive wildlife experiences in Tanzania with only a hundred or so visitors each year.

This large volcanic caldera is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the most popular destinations in Tanzania. It has a circumference of some 16 to 19 kilometres and a rim rising 400 to 600 metres high, creating an amazing amphitheatre for photography. It’s cold up on the crater rim, with thick forests bejewelled with old man’s beard and lichen. Down on the crater floor, elephants, black rhino, cheetah, lion, herds of giraffe, and flamingo filled lakes are among the many amazing attractions for photographers. As a result of its small size and the fact that it’s so easy to find game, the Ngorongoro Crater’s wilderness atmosphere has been seriously affected. The access into the crater is strictly controlled between dawn and dusk, and it’s best to stay at a lodge on the rim to ensure that you get to spend the most time possible in the park.

The Serengeti is located in northern Tanzania and extends northwards from Ngorongoro towards southern Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The region hosts the largest terrestrial mammal migration, although it’s a wonderful place to visit throughout the year, and is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Serengeti is mostly flat with some gently rolling grasslands, interspersed with the occasional rock outcrops, or kopjes. The southeastern area, in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, is extremely fertile and these are the so-called short grass plains. Much of the region is grass covered (which is the engine for the migration) interspersed with acacias. It is spectacular with the wide skies for which Africa has become synonymous.