Tanzania never dissapoints. How could it? with a trek to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro is the pinnacle of outdoor adventure, in more ways than one. There's some great floating to be had in hot-air balloons over the Serengeti. And swimming with dolphins is all the rage on the island of Zanzibar. Snorkelling and scuba diving is equally popular around the world-class coral reefs off nearby Pemba and Mafia islands with hundreds of fish species and glittering beaches.

Tanzania Attractions
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's premier city. The 'Haven of Peace' started life as a fishing village in the mid-19th century when the Sultan of Zanzibar got the urge to turn a creek (now a harbour) into a safe port and trading centre. Now it's a teeming metropolis of 1.5 million people where Arab dhows mingle with huge ocean-going vessels. Like most African cities, there are substantial contrasts between the various parts of the city. But while the busy central streets around the colourful Kariakoo Market and clock tower are a world away from the tree-lined boulevards of the government quarters to the north, there's no evidence of slums. The place is warm and salty with a heady cultural mix and none of the underlying aggro of Nairobi.

Dar's National Museum is next to the Botanical Gardens in the city centre. It features important archeological collections, especially the fossil discoveries of Zinjanthropus (Nutcracker Man), and the sordid history of the Zanzibar slave trade. About 10km (6mi) from the city centre, the Village Museum is also worth a look. It's a living, breathing village of authentic dwellings from various parts of Tanzania. Traditional dances are performed here on the weekend. Oyster Bay, a beautiful (for now) stretch of tropical coastline, is the city's nearest beach.

Serengeti National Park
Serengeti, which sprawls across 14,763 sq km (5757 sq mi), is Tanzania's most famous game park. Here you can get a glimpse of what much of East Africa must have looked like in the days before the 'great White hunters'. The mindless slaughter of the plains animals began in the late-19th century, but more recently, trophy hunters and poachers in search of ivory have added to the sickening toll. On the seemingly endless and almost treeless Serengeti plains are literally millions of hoofed animals. They're constantly on the move in search of grassland and are watched and preyed upon by a varied parade of predators. It's one of the most incredible sights you will ever encounter and the numbers involved are simply mind-boggling. The wildebeest has a starring role in the amazing annual migration. Serengeti is also famous for its lion, cheetah and giraffe populations. Don't forget to bring your binoculars.

Zanzibar
Low in political coups and high in bliss-charged activities, the Zanzibar Archipelago is a mere hop, skip and a jump from the Tanzanian mainland. Its heady lure has tempted travellers, traders, slave-traders and colonists for centuries, and the archipelago continues to reflect this tumultuous past.

Zanzibar Island (known locally as Unguja) gets most of the headlines, but the archipelago also consists of lush Pemba to the north and numerous smaller islands and islets poised in luxuriously turquoise seas. There are countless unexplored pockets and loads of opportunities for flat-out hedonism.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The views from the 600m (1968ft) Ngorongoro Crater rim are spectacular but the real treasure lies on its 20km (12.4mi)-wide floor. It's been compared to Noah's Ark and the Garden of Eden - but has the added advantage of actually existing. Noah might be a bit a disappointed by dwindling animal numbers these days, but he'd have no trouble finding lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and many of the plains herbivores such as wildebeest, Thomson's gazelle, zebra and reedbuck, as well as thousands of flamingo wading in the shallows of Lake Magadi, the soda lake on the floor of the crater. Local Masai tribespeople have grazing rights here, and you may well come across them tending their cattle. You can reach the crater by private bus from Arusha (on the main highway) at least as far as Karatu, but it may be difficult to find anything going beyond there. There are also plenty of trucks as far as Karatu.

Mt Kilimanjaro National Park
An almost perfectly shaped volcano rising sheer from Tanzania's far northeast plains, Mt Kilimanjaro is one of Africa's most magnificent sights. Snowcapped and not yet extinct, at 5895m (19,335ft) it's the highest peak on the continent. From cultivated farmlands on the lower levels, the mountain rises through lush rainforest to alpine meadow and finally across a barren lunar landscape to the twin summits. The rainforest is home to animals including elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard and monkey. You may also stumble across herds of eland on the saddle between the summits of Mawenzi and Kibo. It's a travellers's dream to scale the summit, watch dawn break and gaze out over a truly great expanse of bushland - but scaling a 5895m (19,335ft) monolith is no Sunday school picnic. There is a wide range of organized treks along the Marangu trail. For the main trekking route, there are heaps of minibuses every day between Moshi (on the main highway) and the starting point of Marangu.

Selous Game Reserve
At 54,600 sq km (21,294 sq mi), this huge, rarely visited slab of wilderness is said to be the world's largest game reserve. Largely untouched by people, estimates suggest it contains the world's largest concentration of elephant, buffalo, crocodile, hippo and hunting dog, as well as plenty of lion, rhino and antelope and thousands of dazzling bird species. One of the reserve's main features is the huge Rufiji River. In the northern end of the reserve is the lodge area of Stiegler's Gorge, which is spanned by a cable car. The most convenient way to get to Selous is to fly direct from Dar es Salaam. By land, there are no buses and hitching is virtually impossible - but the TAZARA line train goes as far as Fuga, on the edge of the reserve.