A Time for Relaxation and Exploration
Tanzania offers a vast array of beaches along the mainland and several larger Islands. Being by the equator one gets some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world with rich and diverse reef systems. The coast is full of swahili Arab culture that is still rich and vibrant with a lot of history one can learn about. Below are descriptions of some of Tanzania's best beach destinations.
Pembe Abwe and Ushongo Beaches
Pembe Abwe and Ushongo beaches are off the beaten track. You will often have the beach to yourselves apart from a few fishermen. These beaches are located south of a small town Pangani in Tanzania's mainland. There are close by reefs that one can swim to from shore and a marine reserve which has some of Tanzania's best snorkeling and diving. The reserve Maziwe is a sand island surrounded by a complex reef system offering views of an array of colorful fish and a healthy turtle population. One can also visit Sadani National park which is located just an hour south. One can fly here or drive with a stop in the Usambara mountains which offer great hiking and good birding.
Mafia and Chole Island
Mafia Island boasts Tanzania's largest marine park which has some of the largest protected coral gardens in East Africa. The snorkeling and diving is phenomenal. One can swim with juvenile whale sharks that feed on the plankton around Mafia between September to March. These are the world's largest fish that are very docile allowing humans to safely swim and observe in the water. The best window for viewing whale sharks is between October to February. We recommend staying at Chole Mjini which is a lodge where one sleeps in a baobab tree house overlooking the chole bay.
Zanzibar Island
Zanzibar is by far the most frequented of Tanzania's Islands for many reasons. Hosting an international airport makes it more accessible and affordable to get too. Zanzibar is a large island with lots of secluded beaches offering a huge price range of hotels and lodges. This is an Island with alot of human history and culture, archeological findings suggest that the first hominids lived on the Island 20,000 ya. During the 9th century Zanzibar was an important trading hub run by Swahili merchants that traded with Persian, Indian and Arab traders. With so many cultures having inhabited the Island and many continue to do so until today the culture and Architecture of Stone town is fascinating to experience. Due to higher numbers of tourists you also have more operators offering water sports ranging from kite boarding to scuba diving.
Pemba Island
Pemba literally translates as the "Green Island" in Arabic due to the Omani traders that inhabited the Island as early as the 13th Century and still make up a large population of the Island. Due to the rifting the Island is actually part of the Usambara mountain massif and therefore hilly in comparison to other neighboring Islands such as Zanzibar that were built up by generations of reefs. The Island has very low numbers of tourists due to less flights frequenting the Island. Some of the reefs offer incredible snorkeling and diving especially with Pelagic fish passing through. Their are also endemic birds such as the Pemba scops owl and the Pemba green pigeon. The Pemba flying fox a bat with an incredible wingspan of up to 1.6 meters can only be seen on Pemba. There is a range of lodges but the most tend to be higher end. One can even spend the night in an underwater room at the Manta resort, as seen on the last slide.
41 Years of Dorobo Safaris: Connecting People, Wildlife, and Education in the Heart of Tanzania's Natural Wonders
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