Moshi Royal Adventures

23/06/2015

Please Inbox Us If You Are Interested In Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

-Mount Kilimanjaro was officially declared as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Africa In February 11, 2013 in Arusha, Tanzania.
-Being The Highest Mountain In The Entire Continent Of Africa And The Highest Freestanding On Earth, Mount Kilimanjaro Is Undoubtedly One Of The WORLD's GREATEST OUTDOOR CHALLENGE, It Is The Highest Trekkable Mountain In The World And Has The Only Snowfields In The Equator.

23/04/2015

TANZANIA

28/05/2014

MOUNT KILIMANJARO Contacts: +255717452790

Did you know?
Mount Kilimanjaro is not only the highest mountain in Africa reaching 5895m, but it's the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.
There are seven different Peaks with Uhuru Peak being the highest and Kibo Peak features a 1.5 mile wider crater.

One of the 7 natural wonders of Africa, Kilimanjaro. The name itself is a mystery wreathed in clouds. It might mean Mountain of Light, Mountain of Greatness or Mountain of Caravans. Or it might not. The local people, the Wachagga, don't even have a name for the whole massif, only Kipoo (now known as Kibo) for the familiar snowy peak that stands imperious, overseer of the continent, the summit of Africa.

Kilimanjaro, by any name, is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. When you see it, you understand why. Not only is this the highest peak on the African continent; it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland – elevation around 900 metres – to an imperious 5,895 metres (19,336 feet).

Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible high summits, a beacon for visitors from around the world. Most climbers reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination. And those who reach Uhuru Point, the actual summit, or Gillman's Point on the lip of the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates.
And their memories.

But there is so much more to Kili than her summit. The ascent of the slopes is a virtual climatic world tour, from the tropics to the Arctic.
Even before you cross the national park boundary (at the 2,700m contour), the cultivated footslopes give way to lush montane forest, inhabited by elusive elephant, leopard, buffalo, the endangered Abbot’s duiker, and other small antelope and primates. Higher still lies the moorland zone, where a cover of giant heather is studded with otherworldly giant lobelias.

Above 4,000m, a surreal alpine desert supports little life other than a few hardy mosses and lichen. Then, finally, the last vestigial vegetation gives way to a winter wonderland of ice and snow – and the magnificent beauty of the roof of the continent.

28/05/2014

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Did you know?
Serengeti migration pans 18,641.1 square miles (30,000 sq km)
It is the longest and largest overland migration in the world.
It is the world heritage site and has been recently proclaimed as the 7th world wide wonder.

A million wildebeest... each one driven by the same ancient rhythm, fulfilling its instinctive role in the inescapable cycle of life: a frenzied three-week bout of territorial conquests and mating; survival of the fittest as 40km (25 mile) long columns plunge through crocodile-infested waters on the annual exodus north; replenishing the species in a brief population explosion that produces more than 8,000 calves daily before the 1,000 km (600 mile) pilgrimage begins again.

Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, also a world heritage site and recently proclaimed a 7th world wide wonder, the Serengeti is famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers arguably the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle.

The spectacle of predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest park. Golden-maned lion prides feast on the abundance of plain grazers. Solitary leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the Seronera River, while a high density of cheetahs prowls the southeastern plains. Almost uniquely, all three African jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous aardwolf to the beautiful serval cat.

But there is more to Serengeti than large mammals. Gaudy agama lizards and rock hyraxes scuffle around the surfaces of the park’s isolated granite koppies. A full 100 varieties of dung beetle have been recorded, as have 500-plus bird species, ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird of the open grassland, to the black eagles that soar effortlessly above the Lobo Hills.
As enduring as the game-viewing is the liberating sense of space that characterises the Serengeti Plains, stretching across sunburnt savannah to a shimmering golden horizon at the end of the earth. Yet, after the rains, this golden expanse of grass is transformed into an endless green carpet flecked with wildflowers. And there are also wooded hills and towering termite mounds, rivers lined with fig trees and acacia woodland stained orange by dust.

Popular the Serengeti might be, but it remains so vast that you may be the only human audience when a pride of lions masterminds a siege, focussed unswervingly on its next meal.

About Serengeti
Size: 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles).
Location: 335km (208 miles) from Arusha, stretching north to Kenya and bordering Lake Victoria to the west.

Getting there
Scheduled and charter flights from Arusha, Lake Manyara and Mwanza.
Drive from Arusha, Lake Manyara, Tarangire or Ngorongoro Crater.

What to do
Hot air balloon safaris, walking safari, picnicking, game drives, bush lunch/dinner can be arranged with hotels/tour operators. Maasai rock paintings and musical rocks.

Visit neighbouring Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano and Lake Natron's flamingos.

When to go
To follow the wildebeest migration, December-July. To see predators, June-October.

Accommodation
Four lodges, six luxury tented camps and camp sites scattered through the park; one new lodge will be opened next season (Bilila Lodge); one luxury camp, a lodge and two tented camps just outside.

More info on accomodation

NOTE
The route and timing of the wildebeest migration is unpredictable. Allow at least three days to be assured of seeing them on your visit - longer if you want to see the main predators as well.

28/05/2014

NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA

Did you know?
Ngorongoro crater is the largest unbroken volcanic caldera in the world. It is referred to as "Africa's Garden of Eden".
The crater is 12 miles (19 km) across and covers 102 square miles (264 sq km).
It rises above 2,000 feet above the caldera floor.
It's home for over 30,000 animals including the rare black rhino.

As recently officially declared by UNESCO as among the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and being selected among the 7 natural wonders of Africa also:-

The Ngorongoro Crater is East Africa’s ultimate ’Big Five’ destination. Heavy-tusked elephant bulls haunt its groves and swamps, while a precious herd of black rhino is regularly seen in more open terrain, and dense populations of lion, leopard and other predators gorge on abundant herds of buffalo and other grazers. The relatively high traffic density within the crater is a downer for some, but the wildlife is exceptionally habituated as a result, allowing for a rare opportunity to observe unselfconscious animal behaviour at close range.

Even without the wildlife, this crater at the heart of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) would rank among Africa’s most compelling scenic attractions. The relic of an extinct volcano which once stood taller than Kilimanjaro does today, this is the world’s largest intact caldera, and the view from the forested rim, across 260km2 of enclosed savannah, defies superlatives.

VEGETATION AND HABITATS

Like the Serengeti, much of the crater floor consists of dusty cropped plains. Landmarks within the crater include Lerai fever-tree forest, the shallow, saline Lake Magadi, and the freshwater Gorigor Swamp.
Reaching an altitude of 2,417m, the crater rim supports Afro-montane forest similar to that found on Kilimanjaro.
The rest of the NCA can be split into two broad eco-zones. The well-watered, grassy Ngorongoro Highlands rise to 3,600m in the east, while the low-lying western plains around Olduvai Gorge are an ecological extension of southern Serengeti.

WILDLIFE

The crater floor supports Africa’s densest lion and spotted hyena populations. Cheetah, once uncommon, are now resident, but leopard are more common on the forested rim.
This is an excellent place to see black rhino – although the population numbers fewer than 20, they often graze openly throughout the day.
Giraffe and impala are absent from the crater floor, but the forests and marshes form something of a retirement home for male elephants, and there’s no better place to see serious tuskers!
Lake Magadi often supports large numbers of flamingo (preyed on diurnally by hyenas) while Gorigor Swamp is popular with hippos and scavenging kites – the latter will readily swoop down to sn**ch a sandwich out of an unsuspecting picnicker’s hand!
Ostrich, kori bustard and crowned crane are among the more conspicuous ground birds, while raptors include the handsome auger buzzard, foppish long-crested eagle, and Egyptian vulture.

ACTIVITIES

The main activity is game drives in the crater. Visits are limited to a half-day only, so it’s worth heading down with a packed breakfast before the masses descend.
Maasai-led walks on the crater rim come with a fair chance of seeing large mammals and plenty of birds.
Unlike Ngorongoro Crater, the remote Olmoti and Empakaai Craters in the north of the NCA are visited by few tourists and their scenic environs can be explored on foot with a guide.
Olduvai Gorge, en route to the Serengeti, is where the Leakeys unearthed several important fossils; today it houses a worthwhile museum and a picnic site teeming with birdlife.

GETTING THERE

The crater can be visited at any time, since most of the wildlife is resident.
Most people visit Ngorongoro as part of a longer 4x4 Serengeti safari out of Arusha, but the new surfaced road to the entrance gate means it could be done as day trip with an early start.
A possibility for budget travellers would be to bus to nearby Karatu, which has plenty of cheap accommodation, and visit the carter as a day trip from there.

WHERE TO STAY

It is forbidden to stay overnight in the crater, but four upmarket lodges on the forested rim offer superb views over the floor.
Cheaper options include a chilly public campsite on the crater rim, and various local guesthouses in Karatu on the road back towards Arusha.

NEARBY PLACES OF INTEREST

Easily visited as a day or overnight trip from Karatu, Lake Eyasi, evocatively barren with its Rift Valley setting, is home to the Hadzabe, sole remaining practitioners of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle that predominated in Tanzania until 2000 years ago.

Checklist of conspicuous and noteworthy mammals: lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, golden jackal, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, banded mongoose, blue wildebeest, Coke’s hartebeest, topi, Defassa waterbuck, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, eland, bushbuck, African elephant, African buffalo, black rhinoceros, common zebra, hippo, warthog, Maasai giraffe, olive baboon, vervet monkey, tree hyrax.

28/05/2014

OLDUVAI GORGE (THE CRADLE OF MANKIND)

Lois and Mary Leakey brought Olduvai (now Oldupai) Gorge to world's attention with their early hominid discoveries during the 1930's. Oldupai Gorge, located in the Ngorongoro Conservation area in northern Tanzania, is 30 miles long and 295 feet deep. It's got nothing on the Grand Canyon, but this gorge holds a treasure chest of fossils spanning over 5 million years. Major fossil findings include Austrolopithecus Zinjanthropus (Boisei), Austrolopithecus Afarensis (like Lucy), and Homo Habilis (tool guy/handyman). The "Laetoli footprints" were perfectly preserved in a rock bed 30 miles from Oldupai. They distinctly show two upright bi-pedal hominids, out for a stroll more than 3.5 million years ago.

The "Cradle of Mankind" is not that impressive to look at, and the museum founded in 1970 by Mary Leakey is a modest affair. But it all comes to life with a little narration from the soft spoken local guides who are trained archaeologists. You can clearly see how the rock strata has formed over the past 5 million years and why this site is so special. For an extra fee, you can clamber down and take a closer look. Two camps on the rim of the gorge are still in use by researchers from American and Spanish universities. Paleoanthropologists still spend several months a year excavating with the help of local Maasai.

INSIDE THE MUSEUM
Several slightly dark rooms, some designed by the Getty Museum, contain fossil casts of early hominids, tools, artifacts and fossils of various animals that roamed this area millions of years ago. A fascinating display board of old photos show the Leakeys at work, at camp and at play. The "Laetoli Room" has the cast of the famous footprints. I studied Anthropology, so I was nerding out at this point.

GETTING THERE
Oldupai lies en route between the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. Most visitors are on safari and have a driver/guide with them. There's only one road and a basic sign pointing to the Oldupai site, about 5 km's off the main road.

FACILITIES AND SHOPS
Basic bathrooms are available and lots of trinkets sold by local Maasai. There are no fossils or early tools for sale if you are looking to buy some but there are some interesting books. For snacks and drinks you'll have to continue on to the gates of the Serengeti National Park, about an hour or two away, depending on the state of the road and how fast you drive. (5 photos)

28/05/2014

28/05/2014

TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

The fierce sun sucks the moisture from the landscape, baking the earth a dusty red, the withered grass as brittle as straw. The Tarangire River has shrivelled to a shadow of its wet season self. But it is choked with wildlife. Thirsty nomads have wandered hundreds of parched kilometres knowing that here, always, there is water.

Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It's the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem - a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed.

During the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000 sq km (12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains and the river calls once more. But Tarangire's mobs of elephant are easily encountered, wet or dry.
The swamps, tinged green year round, are the focus for 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.

On drier ground you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys.

More ardent bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird, and the somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.

Disused termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to themselves by their loud, clockwork-like duetting.

Tarangire's pythons climb trees, as do its lions and leopards, lounging in the branches where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises the twitch of a tail.

About Tarangire National Park
Size: 2850 sq km (1,096 sq miles).
Location: 118 km (75 miles) southwest of Arusha.

Getting there
Easy drive from Arusha or Lake Manyara following a surfaced road to within 7km (four miles) of the main entrance gate; can continue on to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
Charter flights from Arusha and the Serengeti.

What to do
Guided walking safaris.
Day trips to Maasai and Barabaig villages, as well as to the hundreds of ancient rock paintings in the vicinity of Kolo on the Dodoma Road.

When to go
Year round but dry season (June - September) for sheer numbers of animals.

Accommodation
Two lodges, one tented lodge, two luxury tented camps inside the park, another half-dozen exclusive lodges and tented camps immediately outside its borders.
Several camp sites in and around the park.

28/05/2014

LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

Stretching for 50km along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.

The compact game-viewing circuit through Manyara offers a virtual microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience.

From the entrance gate, the road winds through an expanse of lush jungle-like groundwater forest where hundred-strong baboon troops lounge nonchalantly along the roadside, blue monkeys scamper nimbly between the ancient mahogany trees, dainty bushbuck tread warily through the shadows, and outsized forest hornbills honk cacophonously in the high canopy.

Contrasting with the intimacy of the forest is the grassy floodplain and its expansive views eastward, across the alkaline lake, to the jagged blue volcanic peaks that rise from the endless Maasai Steppes. Large buffalo, wildebeest and zebra herds congregate on these grassy plains, as do giraffes – some so dark in coloration that they appear to be black from a distance.

Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favoured haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants. Squadrons of banded mongoose dart between the acacias, while the diminutive Kirk’s dik-dik forages in their shade. Pairs of klipspringer are often seen silhouetted on the rocks above a field of searing hot springs that steams and bubbles adjacent to the lakeshore in the far south of the park.

Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large waterbirds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.

About Lake Manyara National Park
Size: 330 sq km (127 sq miles), of which up to 200 sq km (77 sq miles) is lake when water levels are high.
Location: In northern Tanzania. The entrance gate lies 1.5 hours (126km/80 miles) west of Arusha along a newly surfaced road, close to the ethnically diverse market town of Mto wa Mbu.

Getting there
By road, charter or scheduled flight from Arusha, en route to Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

What to do
Game drives, night game drives, canoeing when the water levels is sufficiently high.
Cultural tours, picnicking, bush lunch/dinner, mountain bike tours, abseiling and forest walks on the escarpment outside the park.

When to go
Dry season (July-October) for large mammals;
Wet season (November-June) for bird watching, the waterfalls and canoeing.

Accommodation
One luxury treehouse-style camp, public bandas and campsites inside the park.
One luxury tented camp and three lodges perched on the Rift Wall outside the park overlooking the lake.
Several guesthouses and campsites in nearby Mto wa Mbu.

28/05/2014

MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK

Mikumi National Park is located in the north of the Selous Game Reserve in Morogoro region. It is bordered by Uluguru Mountains in the North and Rubeho Mountains to the south-east. The main feature in the park is Mkata River Flood Plain. The park was extended to border with Selous in 1975 . It was gazetted in 1964 during the construction of Morogoro- Iringa highway. The park shares the eco-system with the Selous Game Reserve, and Kilombero Game Controlled Area.

With 3,230 square kilometers coverage Mikumi National Park is well-known park in Tanzania. The park is well-known for its population of elephants, giraffes buffaloes, zebras, elands, greater Kudu, wildebeest, roan and sable antelope. Predators include tree-climbing lions (which are in large number), leopards, wild hunting dogs and black-backed jackal.

More than 400 species of birds have been recorded here including Eurasian migrants such as red billed oxpecker, marabou stork and lilac breasted roller, which stays between October and April. There are more interesting bird species in the Miombo woodland, for example, Shelley's double collared sunbird, pale billed hornbill and violet-crested Turaco as well as violet-backed starling
The surrounding mountain and hills brings compelling natural beauty with addition to superb light, make it a wonderful venue for wildlife photographers.

It is common to see elephants, lions and sometimes giraffes on/along the Tanzania-Zambia highway, especially in the evening or night. Nowadays leopards are commonly seen
Birding in Mkata Flooding Plain
Mkata flood plain is the main feature in the Mikumi national park. The plain is dominated by ridges and separated by narrow depressions of black cotton soil. The northern portion of the plain remains swampy all year round providing a favorite mud grounds for buffaloes and number of birds species, such as ground hornbills..

The northern portion of the plain remains swampy all year round providing a favorite mud grounds for buffaloes and number of birds species, such as ground hornbills. The southern depressions form water courses which flow to Mkata River and supporting large population of wildlife including buffalo, wild dog, eland, elephant, giraffe, hartebeest, zebra, leopard, lion, impala, sable antelope, warthog, waterbuck, wildebeest, and greater kudu. Yellow baboons, impala and reedbuck are commonly seen at Kisingura area along the Mkata River.

Kikoboga is famous for the concentration of elephants especially December and January. Other animals which reside in this flood plain are Liechtenstein's hartebeest and eland; packs of wild dogs are seen here more regularly.
Chamgore, the center point for animals on the Mkata River. There are two water holes (one is the hippo pool) where many animals gather for water drinking, especially during dry season. The famous here are saddle-bill storks, hammer kops, and malachite kingfisher, others including crocodile, monitor lizard, and large pythons.

When to Visit Mikumi National Park

Game Drive in Mikumi National Park takes place throughout the year. Well maintained roads all over the park allow game viewing even during the rain.
Facts: The Mikumi-Selous ecosystem is a vast and continuous protected area of immense conservation importance. Mikumi National Park has a single dry season (June-November) and a single wet season (December-May) and does not, as is often stated, experience two rainy seasons.

28/05/2014

MAFIA ISLAND

Mafia Island is the largest of a small archipelago of islands and atolls and is truly a paradise in the Indian Ocean. It is the southern most of three islands (Pemba & Zanzibar) located off the coast of Tanzania. 25kms from the mainland and 130kms from Dar es Salaam, it is reachable by light aircraft in 35 minutes or 45 minutes from Zanzibar and the Selous Game Reserve.

The resident population of 46,000 are mainly fishermen or smallholder farmers that grow coconut, paw-paw, rice and cassava. The islanders are friendly and welcoming and the atmosphere relaxed and laid-back.
The dominant religion is moderate Islam and both christians and muslims live in peace and harmony. The air and sea temperatures remain warm all year round with the rainy season between April to June.

Today Mafia is known as a beautiful Indian Ocean tropical resort that is famous for deep sea fishing and scuba diving. Aquatic life is abundant and the coral gardens are pristine due to the protection of the Mafia Island Marine Park. The park is located between the Rufiji River delta to the west and the open Indian Ocean to the east. The dual influences of the river and the sea have combined to create a rich and exceptional biodiversity with unique landscapes under the sea and on dry land. It is a unique and perfect destination as part of a safari package or simply a place to unwind and get away from the daily, modern and busy world.

HISTORY

Mafia Island's history goes back to the 8th century. The island once played a major role in ancient trade between the people of the Far East and East Africa. It was a regular stop for Arab boats. On the tiny island of Chole Mjini, just offshore in Chole Bay, once stood a settlement that constituted one of the most important towns controlling trade from the silver mines of Eastern Zimbabwe, which reached the town via the old ports of Kilwa and Michangani.

In the mid-1820s, the town of Kua on Juani Island was attacked by Sakalava cannibals arriving from Madagascar with 80 canoes, who ate many of the locals and took the rest into slavery.[citation needed]

Under a treaty of 1890, Germany took control of Mafia and constructed the buildings still evident on Chole. Germany paid Sultan Sayyid Ali bin Said al-Said of Oman M 4 million for both the island and part of the mainland coast. In January 1915, Mafia was taken by British troops as a base for the air and sea assault on the light cruiser Königsberg.

The name "Mafia" derives from the Arabic morfiyeh, meaning "group" or "archipelago", or from the Swahili mahali pa afya, meaning "a healthy dwelling-place".

In 1995 Mafia Island had financial help from the WWF to make a natural marine wildlife centre. The organization continued to provide support to the Island under Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa (RUMAKI) seascape project to improve socio-economic well-being of the communities through the sustainable, participatory and equitable utilization and protection of their natural resources. Under the current EU-WWF Fisheries Co-management Project, the organization aims at building effective long-term fisheries co-management through establishment of 10 Beach Management Units and to continue supporting Village Community Banks (VICOBA) in the Island to generate optimal, sustainable and equaitable livelihood benefits, and which provide a source of lesson-learning for other costal communities.The WWF Mafia office is under three technical staff - Paul Kugopya (Mafia Fisheries Co-management Officer), Marko Gideon (EU-WWF Fisheries Co-management Project Communication/Awareness Officer) and Renatus Rwamugira (Project Accountant for Mafia).

Tanzania's first multi-user marine park at Mafia Island was established following management recommendations and data from surveys conducted by the Society for Environmental Exploration.

28/05/2014

PEMBA ISLAND

Pemba Island lies about 80km to the northeast of Zanzibar Island (Unguja), which is about a 30-minute flight away from Stone Town airport. Although broadly comparable in size to Zanzibar, Pemba is much less developed. Pot-holed roads lead through villages where women in bright kangas sit and chat, ox-drawn carts are stacked high with fruit, and the air is filled with the smell of spices.

Pemba is very fertile, and always seems greener and more arable than Zanzibar Island. It also produces far more cloves than Zanzibar - and its economy is still far more dependent on agriculture than Zanzibar, and far less dependent on tourism.

Pemba is one of the most densely populated areas of Tanzania, with most of the people living in fairly traditionally-designed square houses, built using mud walls around a wooden frame and with roofs of thatch or corrugated iron. Pemba's main town, and the island's administrative capital, is Chake Chake - and that's where the island's airport is.

Pemba's inhabitants are predominantly Muslim. It has a culture that is even more traditional than Zanzibar, and the island gets far less visitors - and hence sees less of the outside world. Thus expect to see Pemba's women wearing the veil, and few villagers who speak anything other than Swahili.

28/05/2014

SELOUS GAME RESERVE

Outstanding Universal Value

Declared by UNESCO in 1982 as among the World's Heritage Sites, Selous Game Reserve, covering 50,000 square kilometres, is amongst the largest protected areas in Africa and is relatively undisturbed by human impact. The property harbours one of the most significant concentrations of elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetah, giraffe, hippopotamus and crocodile, amongst many other species. The reserve also has an exceptionally high variety of habitats including Miombo woodlands, open grasslands, riverine forests and swamps, making it a valuable laboratory for on-going ecological and biological processes.

Criterion (ix): The Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest remaining wilderness areas in Africa, with relatively undisturbed ecological and biological processes, including a diverse range of wildlife with significant predator/prey relationships. The property contains a great diversity of vegetation types, including rocky acacia-clad hills, gallery and ground water forests, swamps and lowland rain forest. The dominant vegetation of the reserve is deciduous Miombo woodlands and the property constitutes a globally important example of this vegetation type. Because of this fire-climax vegetation, soils are subject to erosion when there are heavy rains. The result is a network of normally dry rivers of sand that become raging torrents during the rains; these sand rivers are one of the most unique features of the Selous landscape. Large parts of the wooded grasslands of the northern Selous are seasonally flooded by the rising water of the Rufiji River, creating a very dynamic ecosystem.

Criterion (x): The reserve has a higher density and diversity of species than any other Miombo woodland area: more than 2,100 plants have been recorded and more are thought to exist in the remote forests in the south. Similarly, the property protects an impressive large mammal fauna; it contains globally significant populations of African elephant (Loxodontha africana) (106,300), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) (2,135) and wild hunting dog (Lycaon pictus). It also includes one of the world's largest known populations of hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (18,200) and buffalo (Syncerus caffer) (204,015). There are also important populations of ungulates including sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) (7000), Lichtenstein's hartebeest (Alcelaphus lichtensteinii) (52,150), greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), eland (Taurotragus oryx) and Nyassa wildebeest (Connochaetes albojubatus) (80,815). In addition, there is also a large number of Nile crocodile (Crocodilus niloticus) and 350 species of birds, including the endemic Udzungwa forest partridge (Xenoperdix udzungwensis) and the rufous winged sunbird (Nectarinia rufipennis). Because of this high density and diversity of species, the Selous Game Reserve is a natural habitat of outstanding importance for in-situ conservation of biological diversity.

Integrity

With its vast size (5,120,000 ha), the Selous Game Reserve retains relatively undisturbed on-going ecological and biological processes which sustain a wide variety of species and habitats. The integrity of the property is further enhanced by the fact that the Reserve is embedded within a larger 90,000 km2 Selous Ecosystem, which includes national parks, forest reserves and community managed wildlife areas. In addition the Selous Game Reserve is functionally linked with the 42,000 km2 Niassa Game Reserve in Mozambique, and this is another important factor that ensures its integrity. With no permanent habitation inside its boundaries, human disturbance is low.

Protection and management requirements

The Selous Game Reserve has appropriate legal protection and a management plan has been developed. It is managed as a game reserve, with a small area (8%) in the north dedicated to photographic tourism while most of the property is managed as a hunting reserve. As long as quota are established and controlled in a scientific manner, the level of off-take should not impact wildlife populations and, in fact, should generate substantial income which needs to be made available for the management of the reserve in order for the system to be sustainable. A detailed tourism strategy for the reserve needs to be developed, in line with the framework and principles outlined in the management plan. The income generated by those activities needs to be made available for the management of the reserve in order for the system to be sustainable. The large size of the reserve presents important management challenges in terms of the levels of staffing and budget required. Key management issues that need to be addressed are: control of poaching, in particular of elephants and black rhinoceros; ensuring sufficient benefits for the local communities through the wildlife management areas and the improved management of hunting and photographic tourism. Enhanced surveillance and ecological monitoring systems are required to provide a better scientific/technical basis for management of the property's natural resources, as well as to better understand the impacts/benefits of consumptive and non-consumptive tourism. The most significant threats are related to exploration and extraction of minerals, oil and gas, and large infrastructure plans; environmental impact assessments need to be conducted for all development activities in the vicinity of the property that are likely to have an impact of the property's Outstanding Universal Value. To ensure long term integrity of the property it is important to ensure its management as part of a wider Selous ecosystem and to take the necessary measures to maintain the functional link to Niassa Game Reserve in Mozambique.

Long Description

The Selous Game Reserve is an ecosystem (7,400,000 ha) and includes Mikumi National Park and Kilombero Game Controlled Area. A large area of the reserve is drained by the Rufiji River and tributaries that include the Luwegu, Kilombero, Great Ruaha, Luhombero and Mbarangardu. The Rufiji is formed by the Luwegu and Kilombero which join at Shughuli Falls. Soils are relatively poor and infertile.

While there are many habitat types, the deciduous miombo woodland is dominant, providing the world's best example of this vegetation type; as this is thought to be maintained by fire it may be the result of human activities in the past.

The reserve has a higher density and species diversity than any other miombo woodland area, despite long winter drought and poor soils, owing to its size, the diversity of its habitats, the availability of food and water and the lack of settlements. Animal populations in the surrounding areas are often as high, especially in the dry season and contain many of the same species. Some 400 species of animal are known and in 1986 approximately 750,000 large animals of 57 species were recorded. The greatest concentrations are in the north and north-east, also in the inner south. In 1994, in the reserve and surrounding buffer area, there were 52,000 of the endangered African elephant, 50% of the country's total, which is growing again after years of decline due to ivory poaching: 109,000 in 1980 had dwindled to 31,000 by 1989. Within the reserve they totalled 31,735 in 1994 and are found throughout the area. The critically endangered black rhinoceros, which numbered 3,000 in 1981, are now estimated as between 100 and 400 in several small scattered populations.

Several animal populations are large (the figures are quoted from a 1994 aerial survey by TWCM): buffalo (138,000), blue and nyasa or white-bearded wildebeest (46,500), impala (29,500), Burchell's zebra (21,500), Lichtenstein's hartebeest (20,000), kongoni (11,700) and common waterbuck (10,000). Grassland species north of the Rufiji include giraffe (2,200), blue wildebeest, buffalo, impala, eland, reedbuck, warthog, lion (vulnerable at 3,000-4,000) and an occasional cheetah, also vulnerable. Hippopotamus (27,000) and crocodile are abundant. Greater kudu, sable antelope (1,600), with eland, impala, nyasa wildebeest and hartebeest are typical of the miombo woodland. Other relatively widespread mammals include yellow baboon, leopard, spotted hyena, the largest population of the wild dog in Africa (endangered: approximately 1,300). There are also sidestriped jackal, puku, klipspringer, and red and blue duikers. Rarer species include Sanje crested mangabey, Uhehe red colobus (vulnerable), black and white colobus monkey, topi and Sharpe's greysbok.

The birdlife is rich: 350 species of bird have been recorded including knob-billed duck, southern ground hornbill and bateleur eagle, Stierling's woodpecker, white-headed lapwing, the endemic Udzungwa forest partridge (classed as vulnerable) and the rufous-winged sunbird (also vulnerable). The adjacent Mikumi lowlands and mountains and Kilombero wetlands and the nearby Udzungwa Mountains are rich in vulnerable bird species which, like the Kilombero weaver, might stray into the reserve. The globally threatened wattled crane, corncrake and lesser kestrel also occur. Reptiles and amphibians are numerous but little studied.

The area is so large that it can absorb all but the most severe pressures on its resources. There are plans to harness the flood waters of the Rufiji River, with a dam to be constructed at Stieqler's Gorge; but this would affect only relatively small part of the reserve and should not be a matter of Selous concern unless the reservoir draws in large numbers of settlers. Because of difficulties of transportation, the interior of Selous is seldom patrolled, so the estimated numbers of species may be far in excess of the current true situation if poaching has been as serious a problem as elsewhere in East Africa. Much of the infrastructure of the site (roads, guardposts, water systems, etc.) has deteriorated in recent years due to lack of sufficient funding.
Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC

Historical Description

Part of the area was gazetted in 1905 the German colonial administration and four reserves were established in the region by 1912 (total 2S0,000ha). These were combined to form Selou: Game Reserve in 1922, named after captain Frederic Courtney Selous. Further boundary revisions were made afterindependenceto include elephanmigration routes. Accepted as a World Heritage site in December 1982. Designated as a National Project.

Source: Advisory Body Evaluation

Species

The species listed below represent a small sample of iconic and/or IUCN Red Listed animals and plants found in the property. Clicking on the number in brackets next to the species will reveal other World Heritage Properties in which a species has been identified. These species are identified in an effort to better communicate the biological diversity contained within World Heritage properties inscribed under criteria ix and/or x.

Acinonyx jubatus / cheetah
Aepyceros melampus / impala
Alcelaphus buselaphus / hartebeest
Bucorvus cafer / southern ground-hornbill
Canis adustus / side-striped jackal
Cercocebus sanjei / sanje mangabey
Connochaetes taurinus / common wildebeest
Crocodylus niloticus / Nile crocodile
Dendropicos stierlingi / Stierling's woodpecker
Diceros bicornis / black rhinoceros (2)
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Equus quagga / common zebra (2)
Falco naumanni / lesser kestrel (4)
Giraffa camelopardalis / giraffe
Grus carunculatus / wattled crane
Hippopotamus amphibius / hippopotamus (2)
Hippotragus niger / sable antelope
Kobus ellipsiprymnus / waterbuck
Kobus vardoni / puku
Loxodonta africana / African elephant (7)
Lycaon pictus / african wild dog (3)
Nectarinia rufipennis / rufous-winged sunbird
Oreotragus oreotragus / klipspringer
Panthera leo / lion (5)
Panthera pardus / leopard (15)
Papio cynocephalus / yellow baboon
Ploceus burnieri / kilombero weaver
Procolobus gordonorum / uhehe red colobus
Taurotragus oryx / eland
Terathopius ecaudatus / bateleur (2)
Tragelaphus strepsiceros / greater kudu
Xenoperdix udzungwensis / udzungwa forest partridge