Although there’s more to the islands of Tanzania than just Zanzibar, Zanzibar enchants and fascinates with its oriental mystique and forgotten exoticism -- the very name evokes the Spice Islands and the dhow trade, sultans and palaces built of limestone and coral against the palm trees and the crashing surf.
Zanzibar’s coastline offers some of the best beaches in the world, but sand and surf vary depending on what side of the island you’re on. On the east coast, waves break over coral reefs and sand bars offshore, and low tide reveals small pools of starfish, small minnows, and anemones. Up north, ocean swimming is much less susceptible to the tides, and smooth beaches and white sand make for dazzling days in the sun.
Portuguese invasion and control of the Swahili Coast in the late 16th century ended the golden age of the archipelago, although the Omani Arabs returned to power less than a century later. The port city of Stone Town dominates the west coast, and although the beaches of Mangapwani, where slave caves are visible at low tide and nearby Bububu are less than half an hour’s drive away, a night or two spent on the east or north cost is well worth the extra hour it takes to drive there. That said, the Chole Island Marine Park just off Stone Town – and nearby Prison, Grave, and Snake Islands – make a refreshing day-trip and a good break from exploring the winding passageways of the old city.
On the south coast of Zanzibar lies the Menai Bay Conservation Area, a sea turtle protection area for the endangered species that come to breed on the island. Roads to the southeast coast take visitors through the Jozani Forest, home to Zanzibar’s rare Red Colobus monkeys and a number of other primate and small antelope species.
Today, many of the winding streets and high town houses of old Stone Town remain unchanged and you can walk between the sultan’s palace, the House of Wonders, the Portuguese fort and gardens, the merchants’ houses, and the Turkish baths of the old city. Day-long spice tours to working plantations offer visitors the chance to observe the cultivation of cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices that have made the island famous.
Western lowland gorillas are endangered, but they remain far more common than their relatives, the mountain gorillas. They live in heavy rain forests, and it is difficult for scientists to accurately estimate how many survive in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A new tally of lowland gorillas has found massive and surprising numbers of these African primates alive and well in the Republic of Congo, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists announced.
The new census puts the number of western lowland gorillas (called great apes, along with chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans) within two adjacent areas in the northern part of the Congo at 125,000 individuals, including infant gorillas.
Previous estimates from the 1980s placed the entire population of western lowland gorillas, which live in seven Central African nations, at fewer than 100,000 individuals. Since then, scientists thought the number would've at least halved due to hunting and disease but last year’s census was a surprise to many.
Western lowland gorillas tend to be a bit smaller than their mountain cousins. They also have shorter hair and longer arms.
Western lowland gorillas are one of four recognized gorilla sub-species, along with mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas and Cross River gorillas. While the eastern lowland gorilla is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the others are labeled "critically endangered," which means the group faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Gorillas can climb trees, but are usually found on the ground in communities of up to 30 individuals. These troops are organized according to fascinating social structures. Troops are led by one dominant, older adult male, often called a silverback because of the swath of silver hair that adorns his otherwise dark fur. Troops also include several other young males, some females, and their offspring.
The leader organizes troop activities like eating, nesting in leaves, and moving about the group's three-quarter- to 16-square-mile (2- to 40-square-kilometer) home range.
Those who challenge this alpha male are apt to be cowed by impressive shows of physical power. He may stand upright, throw things, make aggressive charges, and pound his huge chest while barking out powerful hoots or unleashing a frightening roar. Despite these displays and the animals' obvious physical power, gorillas are generally calm and non-aggressive unless they are disturbed.
Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Unlike their powerful parents, newborns are tiny—weighing four pounds (two kilograms)—and able only to cling to their mothers' fur. These infants ride on their mothers' backs from the age of four months through the first two or three years of their lives.
Young gorillas, from three to six years old, remind human observers of children. Much of their day is spent in play, climbing trees, chasing one another, and swinging from branches.
In captivity, gorillas have displayed significant intelligence and have even learned simple human sign language.
In the wild, these primates are under siege. Forest loss is a twofold threat; it destroys gorilla habitat and brings hungry people who hunt gorillas for bush meat. Farming, grazing, and expanding human settlements are also shrinking the lowland gorilla's space.
The Bat-eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis)withthe name Otocyon which is derived from the Greek words "oto" for ear and "cyon" for dog is a canid of the African savanna, named for its large ears. The ears of bat-eared foxes can grow up to 5.3 inches long and have an average weight of about 2.2-4.5 kg.
The teeth of the Bat-eared Fox are much smaller than teeth of other canid species. This is an adaptation to its insectivorous diet, insects making up as much as 80% of its food intake.Bat-eared foxes use these specialized ears to locate termites, dung beetles, rodents, birds ,eggs and sometimes fruits and other insects, which make up most of their diet. Bat-eared foxes can hear larvae chewing their way out of an underground dung beetle ball. They can also detect the sound of harvesting termites chewing on short grasses. Surviving on an all-insect diet required several adaptations in the bat-eared fox. In addition to their large and powerful ears, bat-eared foxes have specialized extra teeth for chewing up insects, and their lower jawbone is designed to open and close rapidly.
The body of the bat-eared fox is ashy gray in color with black limbs and tail. The backs of its enormous ears are also black, and it has a raccoon-like white facemask. The underside of its neck and belly are paler than the rest of its body.
Bat-eared Foxes are mostly nocturnal animals that live in small groups consisting of mated pairs and their young. The pairs live in dens and typically raise two to five pups together. Mated pairs are very social and are monogamous, Bat-eared foxes mate for life, and sometimes two females will mate with one male and share a communal den. The father is very invested in the rearing of young, and he spends a great deal of time baby-sitting. While the father is watching the cubs, the mother is free to forage for food, including insects, which are a steady food source. Though they are low in nutrition and cannot be regurgitated for the young, they allow the mother to take in the necessary amount of food needed to produce milk for the cubs.
Bat-eared foxes are hunted by several different mammal species, including cheetahs, jackals, spotted hyenas, rock pythons, African wild dogs, and leopards. Their large, bushy tails work as a rudder when fleeing from predators in a zig-zag pattern. They are fast and good at dodging, but their best chance at escaping predation is by fleeing to their underground dens, which have several entrances and multiple chambers connected by tunnels. A bat-eared fox family may have several dens throughout their home range.
Bat-eared foxes are also preyed upon by raptors and must keep a watchful eye while foraging. Most of their foraging is done alone at night. While looking for food, these foxes walk slowly and quietly with their noses to the ground and their ears cocked forward, listening for insects.
Look for them when outdoor, usually in the morning hours, they can be seen warming up in the morning sun, before getting into their dens when it gets hot.
The spotted Hyena (crocuta crocuta) of Africa has been known to be a greedy scavenger who largely feeds on left-overs from kills of other predators, mostly depicted as cowards and poor hunters.
You must have heard of this common myth which says that ‘if you are taller than the hyena it will not attack you but if you are shorter it will attack you’, which many of us have believed without even seeing a Hyena itself.
The real truth is that, these strong jawed creatures have crudely proved in many occasions to be aggressive and intelligent hunters. The spotted hyenas of Lake Nakuru have proved this point beyond any shadow of doubt, they hunt flamingos.
A kenya safari to Lake Nakuru will take one to the Commorant lakeshore for a stopover that presents a panoramic splendor of water fowls, the flamingos, pelicans, gulls and a host of other birds. One is most likely to spot the hyenas outside their den basking in the sun or wallowing in muddy pools with their young ones.
Adult hyenas hunt solitarily, mostly between dusk to dawn. When approaching flamingos the hyena lowers its head to a reasonable distance, dashes and grips the flamingo as they scamper for safety.It has become apparent that this new delicacy is increasingly being preferred by hyenas in Lake Nakuru. In most places, hyenas, like other carnivores adapt to feeding what is available to them in that particular reserve/park.
The state at which the lure for this strange action has been observed is just unique. In the past few years you would rarely spot hyena's along the shores, especially the Cormorant shores, but today, you can easily find them in big numbers lying sluggishly on the beach as they await for any opportunity to pounce.
Seeing is believing or so they say, a visit is inevitable for who knows how long this spectacle will last before the hyenas switch to a different delicacy that will send them deep into the forest and make them hard to see.
Many people are scared of snakes and to many, a snake is a snake, all are dangerous and deserve death. However, most snake species are completely harmless! In fact, about 80% of all snakes’ species in the world are non-venomous and perform important ecological functions as controllers of rodent- pest populations. Thus knowing how to identify snakes is a vital part of our lives and conservation education
The wilds of Africa are often associated with snakes and rightly so, but, unfortunately, usually for the wrong reasons. Africa is well known amongst herpetologists and snake lovers for the interesting variety of species of which some are unfortunately highly priced in the pet trade.
Although many of the African snakes’ species are completely harmless to humans, this region also hold some of the worlds most deadly snakes. The Black and Green Mamba, Puff Adder, Cobra, Boomsland, and Saw-scaled Vipers are some of the worlds most deadly snakes and deserve a great deal of respect.
In east Africa, there are close to 200 species of snakes. Of these 200, 47 are considered dangerous to humans, 45 are venomous and two are large constrictors (two species of pythons very similar in appearance).Of the 47 dangerous species mentioned, 18 species are known to have killed people.
Kenya is home to several of the most dangerous species for example, the Puff Adder (Bitis arietans), Black-necked Spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) and Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis). However, Kenya is also home to many harmless species that feed on rats and mice that consume maize, millet and rice, the stable diet of the people of Kenya.
The simplest way of describing snakes is whether a snake is Harmless, Mildly Venomous or Dangerous. Some snakes have no venom and are completely harmless like the Brown House Snake. Others like large pythons may be non-venomous but are still considered dangerous.
Sand snakes (genus Psammphis) are considered mildly venomous. This means that the venom is strong enough to subdue or kill its prey, like a small lizard, but not strong enough to kill an adult human. However, one should still be careful around these fast moving serpents. Young children or adults that have allergic reactions could suffer severe symptoms from the bite of a sand snake!
In general, African is home to an abundance of different snake species. From its deserts to savannahs, the African landscape is home to an enormous variety of extremely beautiful and potentially dangerous snakes. Below are some of the most popular snake classification;
Colubridae / Colubrids – A Colubrid is a snake that is a member of the Colubridae family. It is a broad classification of snakes that includes well over half of all snake species on earth. While most colubrids are non-venomous (or have venom that isn't known to be harmful to humans) and are normally harmless, a few groups, such as genus Boiga, Coluber and Rhabdophis, can produce medically significant bites. In addition, the Boomslang and African Twig Snake have both caused human fatalities.The venom-injecting fangs associated with venomous colubrids are almost always in the back of the mouth, compared to vipers and elapids. In North America, all snake species in the colubridae family are generally harmless to humans. Please note: This list does not currently include sub-species.
Elapidae/ Elapids (Venomous) – The cobra family is thought to have evolved from Colubrid snakes and many appear very similar in appearance with long, slender bodies and large scales (plates) on the head. They differ in having more advanced venom delivery systems than the venomous Colubrids. Elapids have fangs that are "effectively tubular" in that the fangs contain grooves that are enclosed by an infolding of the edges. The fangs are in the front of the mouth rather than the rear as is seen in venomous Colubrids. The Elapidae contains some of the world's most dangerous snakes including cobras (Naja), mambas (Dendroaspis) and sea snakes (Hydophinae and Laticaudinae). Elapids are found worldwide and in Ausralia is the predominant family. In North America, three species of elapids are found, two species of coral snakes and one sea snake. The coral snakes are relatively small snakes that spend most of their time underground. Their primary food is other snakes. Despite their small size and small fangs, their venom is extremely toxic.
Viperidae / Vipers (Venomous) – The vipers are generally considered to be the most advanced family of snakes since they possess a very sophisticated venom delivery system. Large tubular fangs are placed in the front of the mouth and they are hinged, allowing them to be folded back when not in use. Their heads are covered with numerous small scales and their eyes have vertically eliptical pupils.
What to do when you meet a snake?
First of all, except for the slow-snakes like puff adders, you will generally see a snake swiftly pass by you, not even enough time to take a photo. That being a general rule, always leave snakes alone, don’t touch them unless you are a professional snake handler. Like all wildlife, they deserve their respect and distance from our interference. Except for cases where human-pet life is in danger, leave them alone, unless it is absolutely necessary to have them moved.
The Black Rhinois listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and is also listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In 1987, Lake Nakuru was set up as the first Black Rhino sanctuary in Kenya.
The park has been used as a successful breeding habitat and the surplus species reintroduced in the former natural ranges and to stock other sanctuaries. It is recommended that the population is maintained at optimum level where density shall not limit reproduction due to sparse distribution nor, shall it inhibit breeding due to congestion or food shortage.
Lake Nakuru Black Rhino ear notching exercise / fitting of transmitters and translocation to Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) was successfully undertaken from 12th-19th October 2010.A total of 10 male black rhinos were translocated to IPZ Park and 1 of the rhinos named Nganga was very hostile such that upon release in its new home it knocked the bumper of a KWS vehicle nearby causing a serious damage to the vehicle.
The exercise was also in line with realizing the objective of the Black Rhino Management Strategy (2007-2010) of having at least 60% of all the Black Rhino’s ear notched to enable positive identification. After this exercise 72% of the Black Rhinos in Lake Nakuru national park are now ear notched and this is expected to improve individual identification and sightings. There is need to further conduct another ear notching exercise within the next 2 years to enhance monitoring.
The activity was sponsored by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and participants were drawn from KWS Airwing, Vet/Capture Units, Rhino Programme, Species Conservation and Management, Central Rift Conservation Area; Assistant Director, Lake Nakuru National Park Management, WWF and Maasai Mara National Reserve Staff also participated in the exercise.
According to Ben Okita Head of National Rhino Program, the expensive exercise was a big success to the general conservation of black rhinos which are endemic in Kenya.
The coast of Tanzania is perhaps most famous for the Zanzibar Archipelago, a cluster of islands that saw the growth and survival of Swahili civilization and trade until the mid-twentieth century. Throughout the Swahili Coast, diving, swimming, and snorkeling offer superb vistas of thriving coral and marine life. Whether you’re content to stay on the mainland coast, or want to venture off into the atolls and islands of the Indian Ocean, the Tanzanian coast is a place of untouched beauty and enchantment.
Pemba Island
In Pemba, villages steeped in culture and tradition preserves the Swahili way of life, almost oblivious to the world around them. Traditionally part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, Pemba is fast becoming a unique destination in its own right. For centuries, Pemba’s clove plantations and spice fields provided the Omani sultanate in Zanzibar with money for trade and military dominance over the surrounding areas.
To this day, the island is still a major spice producer in the archipelago. Visitors flock to Pemba’s shores, dotted with desert islands and throngs of coconut palms, for some of the best diving in the Indian Ocean. The Pemba Channel drops off steeply just off the west coast and the diverse species of marine life and coral are truly exceptional. Because tourism is still in its early stages, a trip to Pemba’s unspoiled shores and pristine waters is an adventure of a lifetime.
Rubondo Island
Rubondo Island national park is on the southwest shores of Lake Victoria. The park includes Rubondo Island and several other smaller islands. A diverse collection of butterflies and bird life can be seen from the lake shore.
The different habitats on Rubondo Island include open woodland, dense forest, swamp and savanna. This variety provides for an array of wildlife. Many of the animals found in Rubondo Island National Park were relocated here in the 1970’s because the Island was considered a safe haven from poaching.
Hiking, bird watching, wildlife viewing or relaxing on quiet beaches are some of activities to enjoy in Rubonda Island National Park.
Mafia Island
On the islands of Mafia, old trading towns line the walkway to abandoned ports and the gentle sea. For centuries, the island was a trading stop for Shirazi merchants travelling up towards Persia and under the rule of the Omani sultanate in Zanzibar, vast coconut and cashew plantations flourished.
Today, all that remain of the island’s prestigious past are the coral ruins on Chole Mjini, the small island just off Hore from Mafia where the Arab landowners lived a sumptuous life removed from their plantations and slaves.
Mafia Island is a popular destination for visitors to relax after their safari and the island’s relaxed and secluded beaches offer privacy and comfort for discerning travelers. Mafia’s incredible and unspoilt dive sites have remained a well-kept secret of diving aficionados and beach recluses for years, but now the island is fast becoming a preferred destination.
These days, Mafia’s remote location means it receives only the most selective visitors, but things are changing. The recent gazetting of Mafia Island Marine Park – the largest protected area in the Indian Ocean – to include surrounding villages in its conservation efforts means that the millions of fish and coral species that thrive in the warm waters of Mafia’s beaches will survive for decades to come.
There are other Islands in Tanzania that are equally enchanting and we will endevour to bring you the best selections of inland water mass islands.
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