Expansive and beautiful, Tanzania lies just south of the equator.
Its island dotted eastern border is the Indian Ocean. To the north
are Kenya and Uganda. To the west, Lakes Victoria & Tanganyika. To the south, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. It encompasses 386,000 Square
miles, an area roughly equal to Texas and New Mexico combined.

From sea level to the top of 19,340 foot Mt. Kilimanjaro (highest
in Africa), Tanzania offers an unusually diverse topography. The
Maasai Steppe, rising to about 4500 feet in elevation, is a flat,
semi-arid area from which large volcanoes rise - Kilimanjaro, Meru
and the Ngorongoro Highlands.

In 1890, the country called Tanganyika became a protectorate of
German East Africa. It remained under German rule until after
World War I, when the country landed under British rule until its
independence in 1961. Three years later, Tanganyika and Zanzibar
merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania. To this day,
Tanzania remains one of the most stable countries in Africa.

Populated by more than 100 tribes, the best known in northern
Tanzania are the industrious Wachagga, who cultivate coffee and
banana farms on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the Maasai,
who herd cattle through large areas of the northern steppe country.

Tanzania has set aside about 25 percent of its land for wildlife and
forest reserves, one of the highest percentages in the world. These
National Parks contain close to 100 different species of animals and
over 1,000 species birds have been recorded. About 2 percent of
Tanzania's gross national product is spent on wildlife conservation.

National Parks

In each park, Firelight Safaris has selected one or more prime campsites
based upon scenery, privacy and proximity to a lake or river. Large and
picturesque acacia or sausage trees provide a cooling canopy of shade
from the midday sun.

Ngorongoro Crater

It has been called one of the "eight" wonders of the world. A collapsed
volcano, the crater is 2300 feet deep, 12 miles across and has a total area
of 102 square miles and is the largest intact Caldera in the world. Teeming
with elephant, buffalo, hyena, black-maned lion, cheetah, and plains game,
it is one of the few areas left in Africa where black rhino can be seen.

Olduvai Gorge

The site is known as the "Birthplace of Man" and is also the location of
celebrated archeologist digs of Dr. Richard Leakey. There are guided tours of
the site and also a museum.

Serengeti National Park

In Swahili, "Serengeti" means "extended place" and its vistas truly are
limitless. With a spectacular concentration of animals, about two million
zebra, wildebeest and gazelles embark on an annual migration across
this vast region. This march attracts any number of predators such as
lion, hyena, jackal and cheetah. The acacia trees dotting the landscape
provide natural look-outs for leopard who pass the day lazily surveying
the open grass land. The Serengeti covers 5600 square miles and is the
largest national park in Tanzania. The Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation area together comprise of an ecosystem equal to the state of Massachusetts.

Tarangire National Park

A wild, unspoiled area of approximately 1000 square miles, Tarangire is
known for its Buffalo, Elephant, Oryx, Eland, Hartebeest and Giraffe. Most of
the game is concentrated along the Tarangire River, the only water in the area.
The terrain of Tarangire consists of rolling hills covered with acacia and Baobab trees, which are estimated to be 1,000 years old, and savanna with thorn thickets.

Katavi National Park

Located in the south-west of Tanzania, Katavi is an unspoiled Park of approx
2200 Sq Miles, and is a 2 - hour Charter flight from Arusha. As a result of the Park's remoteness, Katavi only handled 58 visitors for the whole of 1997. In the Park, one has the feeling of being alone in a wilderness paradise as there are no lodges, no mini-buses and very few tracks.
Large herds of Buffalo roam around the two lakes, full of water birds and three rivers that meander through the park. In the rivers, hippopotami and crocodiles abound.
In great numbers, Elephants, Eland, Zebra, Topi can be seen, as well as the shy and rare Greater Kudu, Roan and Sable Antelope and bush pigs.
With these large concentrations of game one cannot forget the Lion, Leopard, and Hyena. As well as game viewing from an open vehicle (close to nature) we offer walking safaris and game blinds set up at water holes as well the experience of sleeping for a couple of nights in a bush camp, an interesting walk from our main camp.

Mahale mountains National Park

Situated in south-western Tanzania, Mahale Mountains is famous for it's Chimpanzees and numerous other primates. The park borders Lake Tanganyika and is 90 miles south of Kigoma and a two and a half hour Charter flight from Arusha. The park's airstrip lies approx one hour's boat-ride from Mahale Mountains Tented Camp.
A luxury tented camp sits on a crescent beach, with an Ottoman style dining tent that commands the shore. The mountains rise up behind to a height of 8000 ft. lush with semi-tropical forest.
There are approximately 1000 wild chimpanzee in the Park of which about 80 have been habituated to humans by a Japanese research group who have been in the park for 30 years.
Within a couple of hours of leaving the camp, you can be sitting among the chimps as they groom, wrestle and forage their way across the forest floor.
The crystal clear waters of the lake are inhabited by over 200 species of tropical fish, found only in Lake Tanganyika. Sun-worshipping, swimming, fishing and snorkeling, add to your experience.