Football, the king of sports
As elsewhere in Africa, soccer is the national sport, and Tanzanians are all too fond of it. As soon as they leave school, youngsters rush to pick up a ball they've sometimes cobbled together themselves from paper and tape. Although the national team, the Taifas Stars (Stars of the Nation), is not exactly a great team, systematically failing to qualify for the World Cup, Tanzanians never miss the matches of the prestigious English Premier League, which is packed with African football stars. They watch the games from every bar in the country. Tanzania was present at the CAN in 2019, something that hadn't happened since 1980. The Taifas Stars also managed to secure their ticket for CAN 2023. Of course, Tanzania has its own league, the Ligi Kuu Bara, which qualifies several teams for the continental Champions League.
In terms of activities, the safari of course
This is no understatement. It's hard to find a comparison in terms of wildlife, particularly large mammals, in any other country in Southern or East Africa. In these safari areas, seeing lions is a matter of luck. Here, the famous Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti plain guarantee visitors the chance to observe whole groups of lions sleeping peacefully or roaming with their families, cheetahs hunting with their cubs, leopards asleep in the trees or looking after their babies in isolated rocks, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest during migration, antelope galore, elephants en masse in Tarangire.. The list goes on. You can observe the Big Five, the circle of animals most respected by the hunters of yesteryear because they were the hardest to kill: lion, leopard (the most difficult of all to observe), buffalo, elephant and rhinoceros. If you meet these five on your safari, you'll have a great time!
Treks and mountaineering
The mythical Kili, as it's known here, also known as the "Roof of Africa" (5,895 m), can be seen from dozens of kilometers away. It lies at the intersection of the eastern branch of the Rift and the fracture zone that connects it to the western branch of the Rift. From southern Kenya to northern Tanzania, you can see its flat, snow-capped summit. It's best seen from Moshi, when visibility is good. Kilimanjaro takes a week to climb. You'll take one of the seven routes proposed by the guides from Moshi, with nights of rest on the way up and on the way back.
But there's more to Tanzania than Kilimanjaro! The country boasts a number of impressive peaks and mountain ranges classified as national parks. While Kili boasts Africa's highest peak (Uhuru Peak, at 5,895 m), as well as the third highest (Mawenzi Peak) at 5,148 m, in between lies Mount Kenya, just across the border at 5,199 m, which has lost almost all of its eternal snow. At 4,566 m, Mount Meru, which overlooks Arusha, sometimes covered in snow, is the3rd highest mountain in Tanzania. It offers magnificent views over the plain and its large neighbor, Kili. Snow sometimes falls on the summit, especially on cold nights in March-April. The sacred mountain of the Maasai people, Meru was formerly known as Socialist Peak. Its ascent is shorter than Kilimanjaro's (3 days on average), and much less expensive. On the other hand, it takes less time to get used to the altitude, and the slope is more difficult. The Ushambara mountains, between Kilimanjaro and the coast (Tanga), rise to 2,230 meters, and the Udzungwa mountains, classified as a national park, between Iringa and Mikumi in the south, rise to 2,576 meters. There are also the Mahale Mountains, a national park with a height of 2,373 metres overlooking Lake Tanganyika, where chimpanzees can be spotted.
The Zanzibar archipelago, an aquatic paradise
Underwater diving. Tanzania is a popular destination for diving, with exceptional underwater density and visibility. Night diving is also possible. The waters of the three large islands, Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia, easily stand comparison with those of the Maldives; when the water is murky, you can see for 20 meters. Now's the time to make the most of it, before the crowds of other global destinations arrive. If you'd like to go beyond the simple snorkeling that almost all beach hotels offer for a few thousand TSH, we highly recommend taking a look at the coral reef with tanks. Here you'll find drop-offs several dozen meters deep, incredible varieties of coral with passes and canyons, all kinds of anemones and sponges (some of which, in goblets, are 1.5 m high), sea turtles, hundreds of species of fish of all kinds, and even pelagic species. In the Zanzibar archipelago, this reef is often very close to the shore; on the mainland coast, it's an average of one to a few miles away.
Big-game fishing. With its coral reefs, deep waters, straits, numerous islands, ocean currents and estuaries, the Tanzanian coast offers exceptional fishing opportunities, some of which have yet to be exploited. For €1,250 to €2,300 per week on site, or from US$200 for half a day and US$300 for a day, you can take advantage of the immense resources of rockfish, tuna, sharks... On the mainland, in the hinterland, anglers can head for Lake Victoria to catch the invasive Nile perch.
Water sports. On the mainland coast and especially in the Zanzibar archipelago, all kinds of water sports are possible. Scuba diving and deep-sea fishing, but also kitesurfing, windsurfing, catamaran sailing, stand-up paddling and all motorized sports (jet-skiing, water-skiing, wakeboarding, parasailing, banana boat and other towed buoys, etc.).
