Tanzania is home to some of the most incredible tribal diversity in Africa. The country includes all of the major ethnic and linguistic groups on the continent an amazingly varied population to inhabit a single country.

Home to approximately 120 tribal groups, most of these comprise small communities that are gradually being assimilated into the larger population due to changes in land use and the economic draw of city life. Tribal diversity is prized and far from being a source of division, Tanzanians place a high value on their countries multicultural heritage. Over the past few years, cultural tourism has become an increasing attraction for visitors from around the world and visits to tribal villages are often a highlight of safari itineraries.

The Masaai are perhaps the most well known of Tanzanias tribes and inhabit the northern regions of the country. Pastoralists who fiercely guard their culture and traditions, Masaai tribal life revolves around protecting and caring for their herds of cattle and finding ample grazing land in their region. The tribes live in circular enclosures called manyatas, where small mud huts surround a secure open circle where their cattle and other herd animals sleep protected during the night. Woven thorn bushes form a thick fence around the enclosure to protect the herds from attacks by lions and other predators. Because good grazing land fluctuates according to the seasons and yearly rains, Masaai settlements are temporary and easily relocated to where grazing and water access is best. Tribal tradition separates men and women into different age groups: the youngest herd sheep and goats while the young male warriors, or moranas, job is to protect and care for their familys cattle. Male elders hold a position of respect in Masaai society and once a warrior becomes an elder, he may marry to begin a family of his own.

Tanzanias Northern Circuit is renowned for some of the finest wildlife viewing throughout Africa and safaris here are memorably rewarding. With the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and extensive parks and game reserves adjoining, this region has a natural abundance of wildlife, and protects the annual migration of millions of animals across these northern reaches.

A Northern Tanzania safari provides some of the most exciting and varied wildlife viewing in Africa. How to do it depends on your personal preferences, this vast area may be explored by 4×4 or as a flying circuit, staying in elegant, stylish private camping concessions, mobile camping or permanent tented camps, or otherwise opting for lodge based accommodation.

At Tanzania Odyssey we specialise in arranging personalised Land Rover safaris through all of the regions of Northern Tanzania, in which you experience these stunning landscapes up close and personal, in the comfort of a private vehicle, with your own highly experienced and informative driver guide. We strongly recommend that you take a private driving safari in the north, even if there are just two of you.

Kenya wildlife is found in the most natural parks you will find in Africa. The Kenya wildlife is mostly found within the boundaries of national parks and reserves. These are wilderness araeas that have been set aside for the purposes of wildlife conservation. Each of these kenya national animal parks has its own characteristic and kenya travellers are better off sampling each and every park on its own.

The parks range from the snow –capped mountains to the low savannah grasslands; from the scenic knuckle shaped ranges of the aberdares national park to the rough arid national parks of samburu, shaba and buffalo springs;from the undulating picturesque landscape of the rift valley to the central green and lush central kenya highlands;from the white powdery sandy beaches with turquoise colored water to the inland blue-green crater lakes.

The kenya tour wildlife found in these parks is equally diverse as the vegetation and landscape in these Africa kenya national parks. The Kenya mountain parks host a unique array of wildlife including the rare giant forest hog, the extremely rare, shy and endangered bongo, the magnificent and rare black coated mountain leopard, the african lynx, the smaller mountain elephant,the african lion, duikers among many others.

Kenya north parks are famous for their rather different animals some of which are among the most endangered and rare species including the rothschild giraffe, the beisa oryx and the kenya grevy’s zebra. Other animals in north kenya tour parks include the african lion animal, the cheetah animal, leopard, elephants, buffalo, gerenuk, water bucks, common zebra, coke’s hertebeest, birds among others.

Masai Mara Migration Tour In Kenya Africa

This article would not be complete if mention was not made of most popular Kenya national park. The Masai mara Kenya is by far the best national park/reserve. Forming only a smaller section of the vast Serengeti plains in tanzania, the masai mara is by far the most famous Kenyan national park. The kenya masai mara is located in the southern kenya tourism circuit right in the midst of the kenya masai warrior country.

The vast savannah landscape with unending vistas of grass velds supports the highest numbers of wildlife in kenya. The panoramic and usually breathtaking golden plains are home to Kenya’s most wide variety of plains game, predators, amphibians and reptiles. One of the masai mara wildlife best advantage is the ease at which seeing the wildlife affords. It matters little the gate that you access the masai mara national reserve through. The mara wildlife starts right at the entrance all the way to your lodge.

I must say the number of african lions you see will leave you satiated and full of glee. It is only in the masai mara that a herd of elephants will graze 1 foot away from your tour van window, a pride of lion will lie beside your vehicle for that welcome shade and a female cheetah will mount on your car’s bonnet or roof for the vantage view of prey or even better an african lion’s kill of a zebra happening right next to your vehicle. The perfect kenya animal tour climax and Kenya photographic tour closure.

By far, the most spectacular of all masai mara kenya tour attractions remains the mammoth wildebeest migration through plains and rivers in the masai mara. Driven by the sheer will to get to fresher grass fields and the annual difference of rains cycle in the masai mara and the serengeti plains, the wildebeest cover over 1000km of wilderness in a non-defined circle to reach the fresh grass. The masai mara wildebeest migrate accompanied by an army of zebras and other plains game. The kenya migration tour in masai mara is such a huge phenomenon that satellites in space pick it up as a real time moving mass of black shade on the screen.

The wildebeest migration tour in masai mara involves over 1.5 million gnus accompanied by atleast a quarter of a million zebras. Since food is moving, the predators, including the awesome african lion accompany the blue wildebeest across valleys, velds and rivers as they eat the weak and lost in the africa’s grandest wildlife march. Nothing is as breathtaking as observing the wildbeest rivercrossings in the masai mara. Accumilating in their thousands on the first masai mara river bank, hesitant of taking the first leap, the front line are eventually forced by the pushing rear mass of thousands of wildebeest into the river.

That first leap into the nile crocodile infested river prompts the trepidation-filled 5 feet leaps of the gnu into the river, desparate to overcome the treacherous mara river crossing to the promised land. The sheer numbers of the fearfull, leaping and kicking wildebeest catches the crocodile by surprise forcing them to give way from the stampede and guaranteed death from trampling.

The carnage of the river crossing, even without the help from crocodiles in the masai mara river result mainly from the stampede drowning and breaking the spines of others already in the river. This keeps the crocs happy for the next month or two. I gues they must be impatiently watching their calendars by now for the next annual wildbeest migration in the masai mara. So intense is the moment of a masai mara wildebeest river crossing that the splash into the water sounds like a thousand raging waterfalls. You really don’t want to miss a wildebeest masai mara river crossing !

Arranging for your kenya africa animal tour is easy with an experienced tour operator in kenya. Most of the bookings for the masai mara have to be done a year to six months in advance as the masai mara lodges tend to fill up 3 full months to the Africa Kenya migration season. So have your kenya animal tour bookings dne in advance.

Doing Your Kenya Tour Research on the Internet

Well not everyone who comes to kenya goes for the wildebeest migration tour. In most cases travellers to kenya will be driven by a variety of motivations and in need to see a diverse array of attractions. As mentioned ealier, there are a plethora of Kenya africa attractions to keep you busy for a month or more, pocket size allowing.

The most challenging job is in finding a suitable safari ltd website in kenya that offers the exact match to what you are looking for in a kenyan tour. The trick lies in knowing exactly the kind of kenya tour you are interested in and then searching the same for a variety of results. Below I have included the possible kenya tour areas of interest that will make your online research easier as can be. Remember that disgretion on the information and the type of tour outfitter you choose is the most important step in planning your african animal tour.

Chiprat asked:

My wife and I would like to take a vacation / safari in Africa, what country’s, are the best and safest to explore, durring what months.
We are mostly concerned about war torn or unstable regions, kidnappings and asaults, high crime citys and countrys to avoid.
I have noticed the airfare from North America is quite costley do you have any tip’s for saving on airfare?

An African safari is the most exciting adventurous destination for all wanderers. Africa, the land of mystery, has a lot to offer for tourists who come from different parts of the world. However, it is quite useful to take care of certain precautions for maintaining your safety and security while taking the pleasure of Kenya holidays. One of the most important things while visiting a foreign country is to avoid walking to the bushes alone. Always seek guidance of a local person to explore the country on foot. Not to forget, stay away from animals as they can be excited by any of your act and cause a dangerous act. Therefore, it is advised to maintain some distance while feeding the animals.

Besides, above mentioned casual precautions, it is important to take care of other important precautions that can help you to enjoy the best time in the African land. A traveler must keep a close eye on his or her holiday insurance, medical preparations, food & drinks, and money to avoid any unpleasant circumstances. In this article, we’ll talk about these points in brief:

Kenya Holiday Insurance

A traveler must ensure a good quality medical insurance before visiting any African safari. Holiday insurance also includes coverage for baggage loss, third party liability, cancellation and curtailment, etc.

Money Tips

In Kenya, travelers’ cheques and major credit cards are readily accepted. A traveler is suggested to carry a small amount of cash otherwise he or she can be a target for thieves.

One should always change currency through the authorized dealers and banks.

Security Measures

One should keep a track of his or her passport number, airline tickets and travelers’ cheques while visiting any African country. Make sure, you keep these original documents in a safe place, separately from the usual luggage bag.

Medical Precautions

African countries are prone to various kinds of diseases and infections. That is why, it is better to go through a thorough medical check-up of your body. Consult a good doctor and take adequate antibiotics. You can keep good quality of mosquito repellent to avoid mosquito bites.

Food & Drink in Kenya

Try to use mineral or bottled water while on a trip to Africa. In hard & soft drinks, you can get a wide range of local beers, as well as imported wines, beers. Choose your drink carefully to remain healthy.

Kenya holidays can be a blessing for any wildlife lover and explorer. However, a bit of precaution can enhance your happiness further.

By: Synapse India

About the Author:

Posted by http://www.traveltheworld360.com

New Zealand travel can be an exciting thing for so many reasons because this country has so much beauty and so many different things to offer visitors. There are multiple ways to approach your New Zealand travel, but guided tours are always a good way to experience the wonder of the country. New Zealand has a lot of history and culture, so it is nice to be able to explore with the natives and really learn about what makes their home so special and unique. Some of the best things about New Zealand is its incredibly unique wildlife that inhabits all of the land. Some of the animals that have inhabited New Zealand at one point or another are unusual reptiles, hundreds of different exotic birds, a wide array of bats, tropical frogs and the ever famous geckos. Many of these animals and reptiles have become extinct over the years, but there is still one very important animal that you must experience at some point during your New Zealand travel.

The most famous resident in all of New Zealand is the Kiwi bird. Kiwi birds are indigenous to this area, but are quickly becoming an extinct species. This makes it even more important that you be sure to see this incredible species of bird while in New Zealand. The Kiwi bird is unable to defend itself against other predators, so this has made it very difficult to keep them from becoming extinct. There are three different types of the Kiwi bird and each one is distinguishable by its coloring and the curve of its bill. Natives to New Zealand are very attached to the Kiwi bird and it has become the official bird of the country as well as an important icon of the entire nation.

There are three major types of the Kiwi bird: the Great Spotted Kiwi, the Little Spotted Kiwi and the Okarto Brown Kiwi. The Great Spotted Kiwi is sometimes referred to as the Roroa species and is the largest of all the Kiwi birds. The Little Spotted Kiwi is extremely small and is unable to defend itself against any type of predator that may come their way. The Okarto Brown Kiwi is also known as the Rowi; they are very small and only take up a very small area on the South Island of New Zealand. The wildlife in New Zealand is unlike anything else you have experienced and it is definitely something that should be included in your New Zealand travel.