Tanzania Pictures No. 29: Bongoyo Island, Dar es Salaam & More

Tanzania Pictures No. 29: Bongoyo Island, Dar es Salaam

I was looking through old pictures when I came across this one of Bongoyo Island.

Bongoyo Island is one of the four islands of the Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve System and is the most frequently visited of the four.

Bongoyo is located only 2.5 km north of Dar es Salaam and is an easy short boat ride away.

Go to bit.ly/Bongoyo to find out more about Bongoyo Island.

Tanzania City Pictures/Tanzania Pictures of City No. 28: Aerial View of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

If I could be any place I have Lived
It would be back in dear Dar-es-Salaam
This is where I left my heart moons ago
a simple yet enthralling and lovely place

Everything one needs on the doorstep
Exotic fruits filling the various trees
Gay birds of multi colour singing so sweetly
The sparkling ocean just a hundred yards away

– excerpt from “Places” by Shadow Hamilton

Tanzania Pictures No. 27: Rhapsody’s Dar es Salaam

Whenever I dine at Rhapsody’s in Dar es Salaam, this is how I begin my meal:

Deep-fried Camembert served with pear and a cranberry sauce.

How could you possibly go wrong?

Pure deliciousness!

Go to bit.ly/RhapsodysDar to find out more about Rhapsody’s restaurant in Dar es Salaam.

Tanzania Pictures No. 26: A Thai Restaurant at The Slipway, Dar es Salaam

The Slipway in Dar es Salaam is not to be left behind by all that’s new in Dar.

It too has decided to reinvent itself.

Along with the great expansion of what I think is The Slipway Hotel (I have not explored it all yet), the new Slipway also features this remake of Thai Kani, a popular Dar es Salaam Thai restaurant.

Go to bit.ly/ThaiKani to see what people are saying about the new Thai Kani @ The Slipway.

Tanzania Pictures Nos. 25 & 24: More Pictures of Protea Hotel Dar es Salaam Amani Beach

A sunny Sunday at Protea Hotel Dar es Salaam Amani Beach in Kutani, Kigamboni.

Go to bit.ly/AmaniBeach to book your stay at this heavenly resort on the Indian Ocean.

What I would do to be here today.

Protea Hotel Dar es Salaam Amani Beach.

Go to bit.ly/AmaniBeach to book your stay at this amazing resort on one of Dar es Salaam’s southernmost beaches.

Tanzania Pictures No. 23: Walking on Amani Beach, Dar es Salaam

Earth meets the ocean meets the sky.

Walking on the beach at Protea Hotel Dar as Salaam Amani Beach.

Go to bit.ly/AmaniBeach to find out more about what there is to see, do, and experience at this beautiful beach on Dar es Salaam’s southern coast.

Tanzania Pictures No. 22: A Sundowner at The Slipway, Dar es Salaam

Sundowners at The Slipway (Hotel Slipway ) in Dar es Salaam with @RacinesCreations.

It’s been great getting to know you! 🙂

Read Flights to Tanzania for more photos taken at sunset at The Slipway.

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere coincides with peak travel season in Tanzania.

This “summer”—I put that in quotes because it wasn’t actually summer in Tanzania but rather some of our cooler months—I did my fair share of traveling and exploration because my brother was visiting from the U.S., and I wanted to show him all the best that the country had to offer.

Cheap flights to Dar es Salaam can allow you to visit other parts of Tanzania such as Zanzibar

We discovered some beautiful places in Dar es Salaam where I live—you will see many pictures of the Protea Hotel Dar es Salaam Amani Beach in this post—but we also took a 3-week road trip that took us through 16 of Tanzania’s regions (more than half the regions in the country).

Now that was really something!

Of course, I took lots of pictures and shared many of those pictures on Instagram over the past few months.

Today, I’d like to share the best of those with you.

I hope you like them.

Enjoy!

Let’s begin with a video…

Tanzania Pictures No. 21: A Cheetah Outside the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

A few minutes after exiting the Serengeti National Park on our way to Bunda, we came upon this cheetah that seemed to be tracking something, so we stopped and watched.

Zanzibar Pictures No. 20: Dhow Racing in Zanzibar

Getting ready to race dhows, Bluebay Beach Resort & Spa, Zanzibar

Tanzania Pictures No. 19: Wildebeest in the Ngorongoro Crater

Cheap flights to Dar es Salaam can be the first step to getting to the Ngorongoro Crater

I saw loads and loads of wildebeest in the Ngorongoro Crater this time, more than I remember seeing the last time I was there.

Wildebeest are affectionately called “zero brain” by the guides of the Ngorongoro/Serengeti ecosystem because of their super-short memories and attention spans.

Tanzania Pictures No. 18: Morning in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Cheap flights to Dar es Salaam can be the first step to connecting to the Ngorongoro Crater

When you look out of your car window and see clouds at eye level.

Oh, the magic of Ngorongoro!

Tanzania Photos No. 17: Wild Fruit at the Supermarket

Cheap flights to Dar es Salaam will allow you to enjoy simple pleasures such as fresh gooseberries.

Where I am from, we call these amatuntuna or entuntuna. In English they are known as Cape gooseberries, golden berries, or physalis.

I remember plucking these straight from a vine outside my grandmother’s home when I was a child and the delight of finding a perfectly ripe one is a pleasure common to many children in East African rural areas.

Did your heart skip a beat when you saw this picture? If so, what are these called where you are from? (I am totally delighted when I come across them in a supermarket aisle.)

From the comments:

In America, they are called golden berries.
In Dholuo, they are called nyatonglo.
They are called gooseberries in Canada.
They are called mbunue in the Bukusu dialect of Luhya.

Tanzania Images Nos. 16 & 15: Touring the Serengeti’s Western Corridor

Cheap flights to Dar es Salaam will take you closer to seeing animals in the wild like this pair of lions in the Serengeti's Western Corridor

When you look out of your car window and see a couple of “cats” lying under a tree.

Everyday things in the Serengeti‘s Western Corridor.

Go to bit.ly/SerengetiNP to find out more about what there is to see, do, and experience in the awesome Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

Cheap flights to Dar es Salaam are a first step to witnessing animals in the wild just like these hippos in the Serengeti's Western Corridor

Hippos…lots and lots of hippos whiling away in the Serengeti‘s Western Corridor.

Did you know that after elephants and rhinos, hippos are the third-largest type of land mammal?

Pictures of Tanzania Nos. 14 – 12: Sunsets & More Sunsets

Cheap flights to Dar es Salaam can be the first step to visiting the Serengeti National Park

After a day spent driving through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, seeing Olduvai/Oldupai Gorge for the first time, driving through the Serengeti National Park with awesome animal sightings at Seronera, it was time for the day to end.

The sun put on a show for us just as we were leaving the Serengeti National Park, and in this light we saw some of the best game viewing of the day: a cheetah by the road side (no. 21 on this list), lions hiding in the brush, a herd of buffalo blocking the road so we were not sure how we would get to our hotel for the night.

It was stunning!

Go to bit.ly/SerengetiNP to find out more about what there is to see, do, and experience in the awesome Serengeti.

What do you do when it’s a public holiday in Tanzania?

You go enjoy beautiful sunsets like this one near lagoons of the Indian Ocean.

Celebrating Nane Nane at Bomani Beach Bungalows, Bagamoyo.

Today on the blog, I’ve got an Instagram recap for you.

In this post I share some of the most liked photos of my Instagram gallery in the last couple of months.

To check it out, simply go to Onomo Hotel Durban & Fantastic Places to Stay Across 6 Other Locales I hope you like them! 🙂

Tanzania Photo Album Pic No. 11: The Kigongo-Busisi Ferry Outside Mwanza, Tanzania

MV Sengerema valiantly ferrying people & traffic across Lake Victoria at the Kigongo-Busisi ferry crossing in Northern Tanzania, about 7.5 km outside Tanzania’s second largest city Mwanza.

Images of Tanzania Nos. 10 & 9: Northwestern Tanzania

In the small town of Bunda, about a 20-minute drive from the Ndabaka gate of the Serengeti, lies a mountain called Balili.

At the very top of the mountain, after a drive you are certain will kill you (but won’t), lies Balili Mountain Resort (BMR).

On top of offering STUNNING views, BMR also has great hospitality.

Every night that my travel companions and I stayed there, the staff built us a bonfire and the manager and his assistant regaled us with great campfire stories.

I had passed by Balili Mountain Resort several years ago on a tour organized by Mwanza– and Mara Tourism, and I promised myself I’d go back one day.

Staying there was every bit as enchanting and charming as I expected it would be.

Fotos Tanzania No. 8: The Ngorongoro Crater in All Its Glory

Overview of Ngorongoro Crater No Reference

The Ngorongoro Crater in all its splendour as seen from the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. #NoFilter

No. 7: A Charming B&B in Bukoba, Tanzania

It is so strange to go “home” and not stay with family. Well, the last time I was in Bukoba I had little choice: my parents’ home was under renovation, my aunt and uncle were out of town so a guesthouse was the easiest solution.

This little cozy guest house, Balamaga Bed & Breakfast, on Kashura Hill in Bukoba DID THE TRICK!

Super cosy, amazing gardens, attentive staff, great views of Lake Victoria…truth be told, it made my stay in Bukoba one of the most relaxing I have ever experienced.

If you ever happen to be in Bukoba, Tanzania, I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Book your stay there at bit.ly/Balamaga. Don’t worry, you can thank me later!

No. 6: Sunset in Bagamoyo, Tanzania

Fishing boats at sunset, Bomani Beach Bungalows, Bagamoyo.

No. 5: Lunching at the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Lunch with a view. Lunching at the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. (And yes, best believe I took that seat right there at the window! ?)

Nos. 4 & 3: Wildlife in the Ngorongoro & Serengeti

Zebra in the wild, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

During my last trip in the wild, I learned that lions go on honeymoon. Yep, I didn’t believe it at first but, apparently, when lions mate, a couple goes off on their own for about a week and mate about 20 to 40 times a day. Want more gory details?

During copulation (sex), the lioness will growl viciously while the male bites her at the neck! By doing this he forces her to submit and to block her from lashing out at him when he extracts.

A lion’s penis is barbed with ‘small hooks’ that will cause a lot of pain for the female upon extraction.

Apparently this helps to induce ovulation. T.M.I.!

All I can say is that this couple looks like quite the happy pair! 😁

No. 2: Beautiful Skies

There is nothing quite like being on holiday to put a deep smile on your heart.

Soaking in the beautiful environment at Mount Meru Hotel in Arusha.

Go to bit.ly/MountMeruH to find out more about what there is to see, do, and experience at Arusha’s lovely Mount Meru Hotel.

No. 1: The Queen of the Jungle

As we drove through the Serengeti, on our way to Seronera where we would pick up our guide, we came across this lioness sitting on a granite outcrop (known as a kopje).

She seemed to be intently focused on something off in the distance.

We wondered: what was she doing all alone?

Then…we circled the outcrop and found 8 other lionesses hidden in the crevices of the kopje.

It looked like a setup.

As we drove on and came across herds of antelope just about where the lioness’s line of sight was, we realized…it probably was.

Poor, poor antelopes! 😌 #NoFilter

So there you’ve got it, guys and gals.

This is a little of what I was up to this “summer”.

I hope these pictures and video give you a few ideas of where to go and what to do in your upcoming travels.

Share Your Thoughts!

If any of these pictures meant anything particular to you, let me know by leaving me a comment below.

Until the next time,
Biche

Ramada Hotel Dar es Salaam Images

P.S. Will you be travelling to Tanzania soon? If so, you can get travel guides for Tanzania here.

P.P.S. Do you have a product, service, establishment or event that you would like to tell the world about? If so, go here to find out how I can help you do that.

P.P.P.S. Last postscript, I promise…If you enjoyed this post and would like to subscribe to my blog to get cool East Africa-related info delivered directly to your inbox, you can do that here. Also, it would mean the world to me if you would share this post with your friends and followers on social media. Last but not least, feel free to use any of these pictures on your own site, please just remember to link back here. Thanks! 🙂

Photo Credits: Booking.com, Kayak, ResortsAndLodges.com

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