TANZANIA: Ol Doinyo Lengai The Mountain Of God

Ol Doinyo Lengai, Mountain of God in the Maasai language, is an active volcano located in the Gregory Rift, south of Lake Natron within the Arusha Region of Tanzania.

Part of the volcanic system of the East African Rift, it uniquely produces natrocarbonatite lava.

The 1960 eruption of Ol Doinyo Lengai led to geological investigations that finally confirmed the view that carbonatite rock is derived from magma.

There is only one volcano in the world which is erupting carbonatite lava: Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania.

This is not just another dry fact for nerdy scientists: this volcano is very unusual place without analogues in the world.

The volcano is some 370 thousand years old and is the youngest volcano in this part of the East African Rift.

Ol Doinyo Lengai is unique among active volcanoes in that it produces natrocarbonatite lava, a unique occurrence of volcanic carbonatite. A few older extinct carbonatite volcanoes are located nearby, including Homa Mountain.

Whereas most lavas are rich in silicate minerals, the lava of Ol Doinyo Lengai is a carbonatite. It is rich in the rare sodium and potassium carbonates, nyerereite and gregoryite.

Due to this unusual composition, the lava erupts at relatively low temperatures of approximately 510 °C (950 °F).

This temperature is so low that the molten lava appears black in sunlight, rather than having the red glow common to most lavas. It is also much more fluid than silicate lavas, often less viscous than water.

The sodium and potassium carbonate minerals of the lavas erupted at Ol Doinyo Lengai are unstable at the Earth's surface and susceptible to rapid weathering, quickly turning from black to grey in colour.

The resulting volcanic landscape is different from any other in the world.

The carbonatite ash spread over the surrounding grasslands leads to a uniquely succulent, enriched pasture.

This makes the area a vital stage on the annual wildebeest beast migration, where it becomes the nursery for the birth of several thousand calves.

Of course, local people noticed this giant volcano which is rising tall above the dry plains south from Lake Natron.

In East African Rift are located many magnificent volcanoes, not too far are the magnificent Mount Meru and Ngorongoro Crater.

But this volcano was very special to Maasai people - it was a sacred place named Mountain of God or Ol Doinoy Lengai.

This part of Africa was one of the last places reached by white people, first European visitors to Ol Doinyo Lengai were German explorers in the late 19th century.

This volcano is very active, every few years here takes place an eruption.

One of these eruptions in 1960 attracted the attention of Canadian geologist John Barry Dawson who was mapping this part of Tanzania.

He and Ray Pickering descended in the crater of volcano, this was the first known descent in the crater in October 1960 and immediately noticed that this volcano is very unusual.

Soon after, in 1962 there was published his research and the first and only active carbonatite volcano on Earth was discovered.

Since then Ol Doinyo Lengai has been a playground for geologists exploring this unique natural wonder. Dawson himself continued the research until his decease in 2013.

Today volcano is rather popular tourist attraction. Fittest visitors are ascending the mountain under the heat of the equatorial Sun and try to get closer to live volcanic activity.

This is dangerous - this weird volcano is even less predictable than others and threats are looming in seemingly calm places.

Nearly all volcanoes on Earth are spewing lavas which consist of silicate minerals. Only some have been erupting lava which per more than 50% consists of carbonate minerals - carbonatite lavas.

There are known some 20 locations of former carbonatite volcanoes but Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only one which is active now.

Mountain of God is erupting not just carbonatite lava, it is producing very specific, rare kind of it: natrocarbonatite lava.

It consists of carbonate minerals - the very rare nyerereite (Na2Ca(CO3)2) and gregoryite (Na2,K2,Ca)CO3.

This material needs considerably lower temperature for melting - this lava is flowing already at 500 - 600 °C temperature and in the daylight this lava is not even glowing - it is just a flow of pitch black stream.

In the night lava glows in orange color. Usual lavas have a temperature os some 1100 °C.

Carbonatite lava is also quite fluid in comparison to common silicate lavas, it is the most fluid lava in the world flowing almost like a water often faster than a person can run.

Flow of this lava looks like dark oil or brown, muddy foam.

As the lava hardens, it is pitch black, with glistering crystals in it. But it is not for long: these carbonatite lavas are quickly weathering. In a few hours time the stone turns white due to the moisture.

If the weather is dry, lava turns white in a few days time. If the rain is raining lava becomes white immediately.

This is caused by a chemical reaction similar to a reaction of burnt lime. Due to this both nyerereite and gregoryite are very rare minerals which even in geological collections should be kept in argon atmosphere.

Over the time the white lava turns into brown powder. After few months lava is soft, one sinks in it when walking.

The landscape of Ol Doinyo Lengai is unique, without analogues in the world.

Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only active volcano in Tanzania. It is very active and is erupting lava and ash every few years.

Sometimes, when the content of silicates in lava increases, eruptions of volcano become explosive, sometimes starting with impressive lava fountains such eruption took place in 2007 - 2008.

Before these eruptions there happened many earthquakes, even lions left the area and it was also decided to evacuate also people and their cattle in safe distance from the volcano.

During the eruptions in the crater often form hornitos, smaller hills and even towers, which emit the carbonatite lava. Lava sometimes forms short-lived lava lakes.

Since 1983 the lava has gradually filled the crater and now it is filled with carbonatites and it seems that this is endangering the stability of crater rims.

As the carbonatite lava spread over the surrounding plains, it has changed the soil. These grasslands are rich with succulents and serve as pasture for numerous wildebeest calves.

The record of eruptions on the mountain dates to 1883. Flows were recorded between 1904 and 1910 and between 1913 and 1915.

1917 - A major eruption in June 1917 deposited volcanic ash up to 48 kilometres (30 mi) away.

1926 - An eruption took place for several months in 1926.

1940 - An eruption between July and December 1940 deposited ash as far as Loliondo, 100 kilometres (62 mi) away.

1950s - Several minor eruptions of lava were observed in 1954, 1955, and 1958.

1960s - Minor eruptions of lava were observed in the early 1960s.

A major eruption occurred on 14 August 1966. Geologists J. B. Dawson and G. C. Clark visited the crater a week later and reported seeing a thick column of black ash that rose for approximately three thousand feet above the volcano and drifted away northwards towards Lake Natron.

When they climbed the cone-shaped vent, they reported seeing a continuous discharge of gas and whitish-grey ash and dust from the centre of the pit.

2007 - Volcanic activity in the mountain caused daily earth tremors in Kenya and Tanzania from 12 July 2007 until 18 July 2007 at 8.30pm in Nairobi. The strongest tremor measured 6.0 on the Richter scale.

Geologists suspected that the sudden increase of tremors was indicative of the movement of magma through the Ol Doinyo Lengai.

The volcano erupted on 4 September 2007, sending a plume of ash and steam at least 18 kilometres (11 mi) downwind and covering the north and west flanks in fresh lava flows.

2008 - The 2007 eruption continued intermittently into 2008. At the end of February it was reported to be gathering strength, with a major outburst taking place on 5 March.

Periods of inactivity were followed by eruptions on 8 and 17 April. Eruptive activity continued until late August 2008.

A visit to the summit in September 2008 discovered that lava emission had resumed from two vents in the floor of the new crater. Visits to the crater in March/April 2009 showed that this activity appeared to have ceased.

2010 - In October 2010, two separate lava flows and a small lava lake were photographed in an overflight.

2013 - The volcano resumed natrocarbonatite lava flow which started to fill the large crater from the 2007-2008 eruption.

As of July 2013, there was a large active hornito on the western edge of the crater floor. During June, residents near the volcano reported several earthquakes.

The new crater is inaccessible and climbers have only occasionally glimpsed into it.


Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Arusha Hotel Taken Over By Marriot International Hotels

Marriot International has acquired Arusha Hotel, the oldest tourist establishment in northern Tanzania.

The hotel chain said the 106-room Arusha Hotel will be operated under the Four Points name by Sheraton management.

A growing middle class and demand for travel and high quality lodging has given us a significant opportunity to enhance our footprint and play our part in supporting emerging markets across the continent, Marriot International Hotels president Alex Kyriakidis said.

The acquisition is part of Marriot’s goal to own 200 hotels comprising more than 37,000 rooms by 2022. The group seeks to generate a $8.5 billion capital investment and create 50,000 direct and indirect jobs through this development process, Mr Kyriakidis’s statement added.

Marriot’s expansion is a boost to the Tanzania government’s drive to attract more investors and other service providers.

Tanzania reportedly attracts 1.2 million tourists every year. About 80 per cent of them, nearly 900,000 end up in the Northern Circuit, the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Already, the government is drafting a new tourism policy targeting the development of new tourist attractions, hotels and other investments in the sector.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has held several meetings with tourist stakeholders from the Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar, seeking to draft a new policy to replace the Tourism Policy of 1999.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Aloyce Nzuki, said the new policy will consider diverse attractions and services including conference tourism, historical and cultural heritage sites, eco-tourism and beach.

The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators chairman Wilbard Chambullo said that the policy would bring together private sector players to work with the government in developing tourism.

A tourism and hotel consultant in Arusha, Leopold Kabendera, said global marketers and hotel chains patronise Tanzania, mostly from the US, South Africa and Europe.

We are looking for a better policy that would create public and private partnerships in tourism. This would attract more investors to inject capital through hotels and other business services,” he said.

Marriott International a global Hotel chain has announced that it will open a hotel in Zanzibar to tap into the isle’s tourism business.

The planned $330 million hotel will be part of the Amber Resort complex, and the largest accommodation facility occupying 1,750 hectares of Indian Ocean coastline in the northeast of the island.

It is expected to be operational in four years.

Marriot Middle East and Africa president Alex Kyriakidis said the hotel design will combine modern architecture and a touch of Zanzibar culture to bring a unique feeling of Tanzanian hospitality.

This development will be a catalyst for premium tourism to Zanzibar and Tanzania in general, and will also feature East Africa’s first signature golf course, he said.

The Zanzibar Amber Resort, a mixed-use project, will offer a retail souk, a tropical aqua park, a marina, an equestrian centre and international polo club, Mr Kyriakidis added.

Anantara Hotels and Resorts, another leading hotel chain, has also announced the development of Anantara Zanzibar Resort, expected to open in three years, featuring 100 guestrooms.

Minor Hotels chain CEO Dillip Rajakarier said the new accommodation and tourist service facility will be their first property in the region.

The development of Anantara Zanzibar Resort marks a key strategic move that provides synergy and diversifies Minor Hotels’ well-established presence in East Africa, complementing the Elewana collection of luxury safari camps, lodges and beach resorts in Tanzania and Kenya, Mr Rajakarier said.

Verde Hotels from South Africa is a new entrant in Zanzibar, developing and managing the Mtoni Marine Hotel.

The company has entered into a joint venture with Bakhresa Group, a local Tanzanian company.

The Cape Town-based hotel group will run the 142 room facility.

Bakhresa Group chairman Said Bakhresa said they will run Mtoni Hotel under the name Hotel Verde Zanzibar.

Verde Hotels director Samantha Annandale said they chose Zanzibar for its strong position in regional tourism.

Meanwhile, reluctance by local hotel developers to work with international brands has left the Africa with a huge deficit of branded hotel rooms, limiting the continents ability to tap into the global hospitality trade.

Experts say that indigenous developers often find the additional cost of bringing their properties to the standards demanded by international chains a major barrier.

The growth of local markets that are not keen on international brands is another incentive to stay local, they add.

According to results of research unveiled by the W Hospitality Group at the African Hotel Investment Forum in Kigali this past week, despite having some of the highest investment rates on the continent, East and West Africa are the regions most affected by a deficit in branded hotel rooms.

The research shows that nine countries in Africa do not have a single branded hotel, eight have only one, while almost half the continent (25 countries) have two or fewer brands present.

Only ten countries have 10 or more brands present, while just 28 countries (53 per cent) have branded hotels located outside the national capital or in the main commercial city.

Experts have attributed this status quo to the fact that local hotel developers have been slow at working with international hotel brands hence settling for their local hotel brands which are largely operating without branded rooms.

A large number of local property developers in many African countries are reluctant to work with international brands, hence operating hotels with unbranded hotel rooms.

It’s easier to get these brands if the hotel is an international brand said Karl de Lacy, the International Development Director for Best Western hotels and resorts.

Cost has been a big factor, the additional investments required to upgrade a property to fit a global brand has also been an issue with local developers, he said.

When asked to explain form an industry perspective how branded hotel rooms can be low at the time the continent is registering a commendable value in hotel investments, he said the biggest opportunity in Africa is now in mid-scale hotels because of the mass market the segment has.

Experts have observed that in Africa local developers don’t care much about branded rooms provided they have local customers coming to the hotels, that many of these clients are also not keen to look room brands

The biggest opportunity is in mid-scale, the international brands cater for a certain level of customers, but the more local hotel owners understand the opportunities they have if they work with international brands the better, said De Lacy.

On investments he said the growth in property has been commendable but many have not transitioned into operating as international brands which explains why many operate with un-branded hotel rooms.

We want hoteliers to be successful, a happy hotelier is one that is engaged with a brand, he noted.

Hotel industry analysts have said that this shortfall in supply shows that there are still huge opportunities to develop hotels in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa currently has 301 hotel projects in the pipeline, accounting for 57,011 rooms, or 11.0percent of the continents existing room supply.

Demand has been growing in many markets and that with careful planning, and good advice there can be an opportunity to generate substantial returns on investment in the hotel industry.

The majority of upcoming new supply this year are in sub-Saharan Africa, with 59 per cent of rooms in the development pipeline, North Africa is the largest single region with 41 per cent followed by West Africa 33 per cent and East Africa 11 per cent.

Nigeria has up to 6,100 branded bedrooms across 41 hotels, with 21 brands and 14 hotel companies represented in 9 cities and 61 more hotel projects and more branded bedrooms 10,313 in the pipeline, however a country with a population of almost 192 million, a lot needs to be done.

Despite having a number of big properties, Uganda has less than five hotels managed by international brands.

Disagreement between developers and international brands has seen two international brands – Carlson Rezidor and the Hilton, eschew the management of Uganda’s grandest property, the 296 room Pearl of Africa than opened doors this month under the One & Only brand.

Simba Corporation, a family-owned Kenyan firm with interests in automotive and hospitality sectors, has expanded its hotel portfolio after signing an agreement to buy a 35 per cent stake in Hemingways Holdings Ltd.

Simba Corp said Monday the deal, whose value remains undisclosed, would enable it strengthen its position in the hotel industry, while Hemingways said the proceeds of the share sale would be used to finance its growth and expansion programmes.

The auto dealer, Simba, made its first foray into hospitality sector in 2010 aiming to provide luxury hotels for travellers. It currently owns Acacia Premier hotel in Kisumu and holds significant stakes in Olare Mara Kempinski (Masai Mara) and Villa Rosa Kempinski (Nairobi).

Through our partnership with Hemingways we intend to continue to build on this strategy. This investment is therefore aligned to Simba’s goal of creating a substantial hospitality business platform with the intention to expand national and within the region said Adil Popat, Simba Corp’s chief executive.

The acquisition comes barely a month after Mr Popat announced a freeze of plans to set up a chain of mid-priced hotels across Kenya, citing a glut in the market.

It also comes at a time when a wave of mergers and acquisitions are sweeping across the Kenyan investment landscape.

Last week, regional oil marketer Hass Petroleum sold a 40 per cent stake to Gulf’s Oman Trading International in search for capital to strengthen its operations.

The Kenyan-based Hass is facing stiff competition in its oil business, controlling a paltry 1.9 per cent the market share in the fuel sales.

Global oil marketer Shell is also gearing up to sell its 20 per cent stake in Vivo Energy for $250 million to Vitol subject to regulatory approvals.

After the transaction, Vitol would control a 60 per cent majority stake in Vivo, while private equity fund Helios Investment Partners retains 40 per cent.

Vitol and Helios jointly operate 1,600 stations across 16 African countries through Vivo Energy.



Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: flydubai To Commence Flights To Kilimanjaro From October 29th 2017

Dubai-based flydubai will start flights to Kilimanjaro from 29 October with six flights a week, three of which are via a stop in the capital, Dar es Salaam.

The relaunched service to the carrier’s third point in Tanzania, along with Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, will see flydubai’s network in Africa expand to 12 destinations.

Flydubai began operations to Tanzania in 2014. The carrier will also increase direct flights to Zanzibar from three to eight flights a week.

Commenting on the launch of flights, flydubai chief executive officer Ghaith Al Ghaith said in a statement: "With the addition of the service to Kilimanjaro and more direct flights to Zanzibar, flydubai will operate 14 flights a week, marking a 133% increase in capacity to the market compared to the previous year."

Kilimanjaro International Airport is located between the regions of Kilimanjaro and Arusha in Northern Tanzania.

The airport is the major gateway to the Kilimanjaro region, a main international tourism destination that includes Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti National Park.

Flydubai has seen a 3.5% increase in passengers numbers travelling between the UAE and Africa in 2016 compared to 2015, according to a company statement.

The airline has built up a wide network in Africa with flights to Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Asmara, Djibouti, Entebbe, Hargeisa, Juba, Khartoum, and Port Sudan, as well as Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar.

The 12 points will be served with more than 80 weekly flights for the summer period.

TANZANIA: Passenger Demand Attracts Increase In flydubai’s Frequency To Tanzania

flydubai has seen a 3.5% increase in passengers numbers travelling between the UAE and Africa in 2016 compared to 2015, a positive record for this emerging market.

Kilimanjaro becomes 3rd point in Tanzania and the 12th point on the flydubai African network
The new service increases the total number of flights to Tanzania to 14 flights a week
Direct flights to Zanzibar to more than double from 29 October 2017
Dubai-based flydubai announced the start of flights to Kilimanjaro from 29 October. The relaunched service to the carrier’s third point in Tanzania, along with Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, will see flydubai’s network in Africa expand to 12 destinations.

flydubai began operations to Tanzania in 2014 and has seen a steady growth in passenger numbers. Kilimanjaro will be served with six flights a week three of which are via a stop in the capital, Dar es Salaam. In addition, the carrier will increase direct flights to Zanzibar from three to eight flights a week.

Commenting on the launch of flights, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said: “With the addition of the service to Kilimanjaro and more direct flights to Zanzibar, flydubai will operate 14 flights a week, marking a 133% increase in capacity to the market compared to the previous year.

This is a healthy indication of the rising popularity of Tanzania as a preferred tourist destination and we are happy to be connecting the market to Dubai.”

Kilimanjaro International Airport is located between the regions of Kilimanjaro and Arusha in Northern Tanzania. The airport is the major gateway to the Kilimanjaro region, a main international tourism destination that includes Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park.

Only a few international carriers operate to Kilimanjaro and flydubai will be the first airline to provide direct air links from the UAE.

“We are committed to opening up underserved markets and flydubai’s service to Kilimanjaro will introduce more options for travel with a Business and Economy Class service, together with added cargo capacity available through our Cargo Division. We expect to see healthy flows of trade and tourism on this route from the GCC and Eastern Europe via our hub in Dubai,” said Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President Commercial (GCC, Subcontinent and Africa).

flydubai has seen a 3.5% increase in passengers numbers travelling between the UAE and Africa in 2016 compared to 2015, a positive record for this emerging market.

flydubai has built up a comprehensive network in Africa with flights to Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Asmara, Djibouti, Entebbe, Hargeisa, Juba, Khartoum and Port Sudan, as well as Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. The 12 points will be served with more than 80 weekly flights for the summer period.

About flydubai:
flyDubai strives to remove barriers to travel and enhance connectivity between different cultures across its ever-expanding network. Since launching its operations in 2009, flydubai has:
• Created a network of 94 destinations in 44 countries.
• Operates a single fleet type of 58 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft and will take delivery of more than 100 aircraft by the end of 2023.
• Opened up 63 new routes that did not previously have direct air links to Dubai or were not served by a UAE national carrier from Dubai.
In addition, flydubai’s agility and flexibility as a young airline has enhanced Dubai’s economic development, in line with the Government of Dubai’s vision, by creating trade and tourism flows in previously underserved markets.

TANZANIA: New Promotional Films By Tanzania Tourist Board

In its endeavor to promote Tanzania as unique destination, Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) has launched two new short films of Mafia Island and Zanzibar together with the TTB official magazine Tan Travel in an event of seeing off Tanzanian participants expected to take part in a leading tourism show in the world Internationale Tourismus Borse (ITB) schedule to take place in Berlin Germany from March 8th – 12th this year.

The films whose length is 3 minutes each have been produced by TTB in collaboration with Javed Jafferji of Zanzibar for the purpose of promoting tourist attractions found in Mafia and Zanzibar Islands as well as the nature beauty of the Islands.

Speaking during the event took place recently at coffee lodge in Arusha, the Managing Director of Tanzania Tourist Board discloses that twelve such short films will be produced covering different tourist attractions tourist cities in the country and including National Parks and Ngorongoro Crater.

“This is just a beginning, we are planning to produce twelve short films for the purpose of promoting destination Tanzania domestically and internationally” discloses Devota. She further said that the film will be aired in local and international TV Stations.

As for the TanTravel which is an official TTB publication the Managing Director noted that the magazine is now back after leasing for two years for viewing exercise and that it will be available during TTB show in Berlin – German early next month.

On this side the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Tanzania H. E. Egon Konchanke said that the Government and people of German are very happy with participation of Tanzanians in the ITB as it has always been very effective.

In this year edition of ITB Tanzania will be represented by more than 60 private and public Institutions.

TANZANIA: Air Tanzania , Tanzania Tourist Board In Deal To Promote Tourism

Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) and Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) has signed an agreement aimed at promoting tourism in the country.

The event was held in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday. After the signing ceremony, TTB Chairman Justice (rtd) Thomas Mihayo and ATCL Board Chairman, Eng Emmanuel Korosso, said the agreement will boost the sector growth and its contributions to the economy.

“One of the important factors in boosting the tourism sector is airline services. If you have done research, you will agree with me that countries with strong and stable airline services attract more tourists,” Korosso said.

According to the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) monthly economic review for October this year, travel receipts grew by 12.8 per cent to 2,267.4 million US dollars following an increase in the number of tourist arrivals.
The government recently vowed to purchase two new passenger planes to boost the tourism industry.

Increased air access, with many carriers now flying direct to Tanzania, new luxury hotels on the Mainland and Zanzibar, improved infrastructure and tarmac roads on safari circuits are also major factors contributing to tourism’s success story. TTB Chairman Judge Mihayo said air transport and tourism depend on each other in revenue generation.

“Among many areas we agreed to work together is having a seminar to ATCL workers and pilots about tourism attractions in the country,” he said.

He said that ATCL is determined to promote domestic tourism destinations and make the country hub where tourists will visit Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater to mention a few.

TANZANIA: Precision Air In Promotion To Attract Passengers

Precision Air, one of Tanzania's leading commercial airlines and the only one quoted on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, has launched a consumer promotion to award their passengers ahead of the upcoming the holiday season.

There will be a total of 100 tickets for grabs during promotion period and there will be 10 weekly draws conducted over the coming two months.Each of the 10 lucky winners will get return tickets to any destination within the airline’s network which includes a range of domestic destinations but also the Comoros and Nairobi.

Explaining about the promotion, the Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager Ms. Azda Nkullo said that every passenger flying with Precision Air has an equal chance of winning a free ticket.

'We are celebrating 23 years of service and in doing so we are going to give out 100 free tickets to our esteemed customers as our expression gratitude for their support throughout the years that we have been in operation'.

Ms. Nkullo explained further that to participate, one needs to purchase a Precision Air ticket to any of its destinations, fill in the coupon at check-in counter and drop it in the lucky-dip box at the boarding gate.

'We are going to run a draw every Monday and announce our weekly ten winners for 10 weeks consecutively. We want our customers to take advantage of this promotion in preparation for the coming holiday afterall its is the season to be gifting' she added.

Corporate Affairs Manager Mr. Hillary Mremi then said passengers can easily participate in the Fly and Win promotion by taking advantage of the online promotion fares (Shavu La Dotcom) for travels between Dar – Arusha, Dar- Kilimanjaro, Musoma –Mwanza and Mwanza – Bukoba with the price starting from only Tsh.80,000/-.

He also added that all the online booking and online payments to any of Precision Air destination will enjoy a further 10% discount.

Precision Air with this initiative is clearly reacting to the revival of main rival Air Tanzania which has started to relaunch operations on a number of domestic routes after receiving two brand new Bombardier Q400NG aircraft and with competition heating up on the Tanzanian domestic market it will be the most innovative, most affordable and most on time airline which will see the most passengers board their flights.

Precision Air was established in 1993 as a private charter air transport company operating a five-seater piper Aztec aircraft. Its initial line of business mainly focused on providing connections for tourists visiting the rich natural attractions of Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro Crater in northern Tanzania, the Zanzibar Island in the Indian Ocean and other parts of the country from Arusha town as its base.

With 23 years in service, Precision Air has grown and become a reputable airline in East Africa region and Africa at large, operating to 11 domestic destinations and two (2) regional ones, connecting passengers to many more destinations within Africa and abroad.

TANZANIA: Why Visit Tanzania

The following are some of the reasons in brief:

• Magnificent Wildlife – Tanzania is the best country in the world in terms of high quality Game, numbers and variety.

• Wonderful scenic beauty ranging from the Great Rift Valley to the seemingly endless plains of the Serengeti.

• The biggest unbroken crater in the world – Ngorongoro Crater.

• The tallest free-standing mountain in the world – Mt. Kilimanjaro .

• The Biggest fresh-water lake in Africa and the third biggest in the world. It is also the source of River Nile – Lake Victoria .

• The longest and deepest Lake in the world – Lake Tanganyika

• The biggest Game Reserve in the world – Selous Game Reserve.

• Rich culture including some of the proudest people in Africa – Maasai. Hunter-gatherers near Lake Eyasi and the countless farming communities.

• A haven for Bird watchers with over 500 different species. Terrestrial, flying and migrant birds are in abundance. Some migrate from as far as Europe to Tanzania during different seasons.

• Wilderness Trekking through areas of amazing natural beauty accompanied by local guides lasting between 1 to 7 days.

• Mountain climbing to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro .

• Sun-bathing on the white beaches of the Spice Island of Zanzibar.

• Aquatic activities including snorkeling and diving in some of the most beautiful diving sites in the world off the coast of Zanzibar , Mafia & Pemba Islands .

• Tanzania is a Peaceful country admired by everyone for its moderate policies and a stable form of governance.

• Humble smiling people always happy to welcome visitors.

• Easily accessed by various International Airlines. These airlines are:

Kenya Airways – Daily Flights,
KLM- Daily Flights,
British Airways – 4 times a week,
Ethiopian Airlines – Daily Flights, etc

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a unitary republic composed of 30 regions and bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country’s eastern border lie on the Indian Ocean.

The Capital City is Dodoma and the major commercial centre is the harbour city of Dar es Salaam.

The name Tanzania is a combination of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The two states united in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania.

With 49.3 million people – according to a 2013 census – Tanzania has the 26th largest population in the world and was last year the country with the eight fastest population growth in the world. Like many other African countries, Tanzania has a large diversity of cultures and almost 100 tribes, including the colourful Maasai peoples. There are more than 158 local languages with Swahili the national language but English the official language of education, administration and business.

Tanzania takes conservation of its wildlife extremely seriously and boasts the largest concentration of wildlife animals per square kilometre, with more than 4 million wild animals representing 430 species and subspecies.

CURRENCY

The Tanzanian Shilling (currency code TZS) stands at around 2190 to the US dollar.

THE BREW

Tanzania ranks 6th in Africa for beer consumption. While 90% of the consumption is home made or bought from the informal sector, the commercial market leader is Kilimanjaro Premium Lager from Tanzania Breweries.

Tanzania has its very own ‘7 Natural Wonders’. They are:

Mount Kilimanjaro – The tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. Mount Kilimanjaro is 19,340 feet (5,895 m) high at Uhuru Peak, only one of Kilimanjaro’s seven peaks.

Selous Game Reserve – This is the largest game reserve in the world and extends across Tanzania’s borders. The reserve expands 21,100 square miles (54,600 sq km). With no permanent human residents, it is one of the most natural places on Earth.

Ngorongoro Crater – This is the world’s largest unbroken caldera. Referred to as “Africa’s Garden of Eden,” the crater is home to over 30,000 animals including elephants, lions, cheetahs, wildebeests, buffaloes, and rare black rhinos.

Gombe Stream National Park – This is the smallest of Tanzania’s national parks but one of the most famous because of the chimpanzee conservation work done by the late Jane Goodall. The park covers only 20 square miles (52 sq km).

Ruaha National Park – This is the largest national park within Tanzania’s borders. The park extends across 5,000 square miles (13,000 sq km) and sits in the heart of Tanzania. It is famous for the large 10,000 plus herd of roaming elephants and over 430 species of birds.

Kitulo National Park – This park is unique because of the flora. It covers 159 square miles (413, sq km) and is known as the the “Serengeti of Flowers.”

The Serengeti migration – This is the longest and largest overland migration of animals in the world. The Serengeti plains account for over 18,641 square miles and the migration itself see animals ravel 500 miles on the path from Tanzania to the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya.

TANZANIA: 52 Million US Residents On Three-hour NgorongoroTour On TV

MORE than 52 million residents in the United States were on Tuesday night taken through a three-hour tour of Tanzania’s most popular tourist hotspot, the Ngorongoro Crater, straight from Arusha to America through ABC television via the world’s first ever live broadcast from the African wilderness.

The feat was made possible through five Tanzanian Goodwill Ambassadors based in Texas, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, the United States and the Tanzanian Embassy in the United States in Washington DC.

Tanzania’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mr Tuvako Manongi, also played an important role in making the live broadcast from Ngorongoro to the US possible.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, East Africa, Regional and International Cooperation Spokesperson Mindi Kasiga said such live coverage to promote the country’s tourism destinations was costly, but thanks to ABC, it footed the bill.

“This means Tanzania has saved over 250 million US dollars, which is the cost for the three-hour live broadcasting. The figure translates into nearly 600bn/-,” she pointed out.

ABC Television, through its popular “Good Morning America” (GMA), took an audience of more than 50 million viewers onto a live immersive 360-degree virtual reality tour of one of the most breathtaking natural wonders in Africa, the wildlife filled Caldera of Ngorongoro, in Arusha Region.

The television’s anchor, Ms Amy Robach, brought what was described as the “technology of tomorrow’’ to the Ngorongoro Crater, which some call Tanzania’s ‘Garden of Eden,’ a caldera in which there is the world’s greatest concentration of large mammals, “including over 30,000 ungulates and carnivores’’.

GMA broadcast exotic animals live in their natural habitat in a way never seen before, using drone-mounted cameras and IM360’s 360-degree virtual reality camera.

Through portable gear and bush pitched studio, the world managed to experience some of nature’s wildest, most dangerous predators up close -- from elephants to hippos, lions to wildebeests and ostriches to gazelles.

For three hours from 3pm local time, the coverage was on air and being watched by six million residents of New York City where ABC broadcasts from as well as other 50 million viewers across the United States.

For the first time on network television, the 360-degree virtual reality camera allowed people across the ocean to explore the landscapes, in reality.

In the US, the ABC’s IM360 camera was live from 7 to 9 a.m. ET. The Conservator at Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), Dr Freddy Manongi, said taking virtual tour of the crater to over 50 million Americans at a go had elevated further the status of the already popular destination, which attracts over 600,000 visitors every year.

TANZANIA: Protection Of Natural Resources To Guarantee Jobs

Protection of natural resources is one sector which can guarantee the youth ample employment opportunities, the board chairman for Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority Honorable Pius Msekwa stated here.

Honorable Msekwa was speaking at the Mbulu-Mbulu ward's training base for the forest and wildlife rangers working with NCAA, during the occasion in which a total of 145 such wardens were graduating from special training over the weekend, in Karatu. "Wildlife and other forms of natural resources are the main source of the country's revenue, the base for the tourism industry as well as national's responsibility in protecting the world's natural heritage on behalf of the whole earth," said Honorable Msekwa, adding that protection of such resources was not something to be taken lightly. "And there is no limit on how much we should spend in ensuring that these important heritages are well taken care of," said Honorable Msekwa adding that with shortage of manpower to undertake the tasks, the youth population in the country should be trained to take up such jobs.

The special training of rangers as well as other tourism personnel from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority was being undertaken by Commander Venance Bruno Tossi who heads the special unit to stop indiscriminate killing of wildlife, illegal export of live animals and other vices targeting the country's natural resources.

"We have already conducted these training series at Selous Game reserve, Serengeti National Park and now we are at the climax of training for the 145 personnel at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority" stated Commander Tossi. He said the training included how to combat poachers, following their trail, proper command of various firearms, investigations skills and how to involve the local community in dealing with crime cases within protected areas. The Acting Chief Conservator for NCAA Mr Shaddy Kyambile said the training started on the 10th of February 2012 involving soldiers from nine zones of Olbalbal, Naiyobi, Endulen, Kakesio, Nainokanoka, Lake Eyasi, Ngorongoro Crater, Olmoti Crater and the Northern Highland Forest reserve of Karatu.

"The training also involved female officers who normally work as foreign permit inspectors at the various Tourist Hotels located within the park as well as police officers serving at the Ngorongoro post," said Mr Kyambile. The Public relations Officer at the NCAA Mr Nickson Nyange said the 145 trained officers accounted for 82 per cent of the total army base at the park and that the remaining 18 per cent were to be trained later.

TANZANIA: Visit Ngorongoro Crater

LOCATED IN NORTHERN TANZANIA, 80 mi (129 km) west of the city of Arusha is the Ngorongoro Crater.
This crater is a caldera formed by the collapse of a large volcano in the Great RIFT VALLEY.
It is considered to be the largest subsidence crater in the world with a width of over 12.5 mi (20 km).
It is the fifthlargest caldera in the world, and of these, it is the largest inactive, unbroken, unflooded caldera in the world.
The rim varies between 7,480 ft (2,280 m) and 8,005 ft (2,440 m) in elevation, and the floor of the crater has an average depth of 2,000 ft (610 m) below the rim.

The floor area of the crater covers 100 square mi (260 square km).
The crater hosts several thousand tourists per year but has no actual human inhabitants at this time.

No one seems to know the origin of the name Ngorongoro though the Maasia, a nomadic people living in the area, say it means "the great or big hole." Besides the size of the crater itself, the crater floor has some unique features such as the Ngoitokitok springs that are a year-round hippo bath, two patches of woodland-the Lerai forest and the Laiyanai forest- the Munge River, several fresh and brackish ponds, and just west of the center of the crater, Lake Magadi.

This lake is 20 mi (32 km) long and 2 mi (3.2 km) wide and exists thanks to the volcanic springs that feed it.
These volcanic springs produce a large amount of carbonate of soda, creating a crust on the lake that is dredged and processed into soda ash to be used in glassmaking.

Mainly though the crater floor is a wide grassy savanna.
Ngorongoro is located at the center of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, making up 3 percent of the area covered by the park.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was established as a World Heritage site in 1979.

The park is home to approximately 25,000 large mammals, including gazelles, buffaloes, wildebeests, elands, elephants, and the black rhinos.
It is also has the densest populations of predators out of any of the African parks, made up of lions, leopards, hyenas, and jackals.
Lake Magadi and Munge River attract large numbers of greater and lesser flamingos, pelicans, ostriches, grebes, storks, cranes, and more.

The first conservator of Ngorongoro, Henry Fosbrooke, considered the Ngorongoro Crater to be the eighth wonder of the world, and many tourists, after visiting, would agree with him.

The Ngorongoro Crater is a breath taking beautiful setting and the best place in Tanzania to see the Big Five animals. It is` one of the world’s most astonishing and renowned natural wonders.

Any trip to Northern Tanzania has to include the Ngorongoro Crater: it is one of the most beautiful natural wildlife safari sites in the world and an exceptional place to interact with people from the Masaai tribe.

The Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding highlands together form one of Africa’s most beautiful regions. Volcanic craters form stunning backdrops to some of the most fertile and richest grazing grounds in Africa. The most famous such crater is without question the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and home to the highest density of big game in Africa, including all the big five and plenty of predators. The Ngorongoro is justifiably one of the continent’s most famous safari destinations.

Game Viewing

Big5The Ngorongoro is the best place in Tanzania to see THE BIG FIVE. A healthy population of black rhino and some of the largest tusker elephants left in Africa today are the prize spots, but the Crater is also home to strong populations of lion, leopard and hyena along with good herds of wildebeest, buffalo and zebra. Other game in the Ngorongoro includes serval cat, cheetah, jackal, Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle, flamingo and bat eared foxes along with approximately 400 species of bird.

Activities
Activities inside the Ngorongoro Crater itself are limited to game driving only. There are also picnic spots in the park. A full range of activities is however on offer in the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including walking, trekking, excursions to Olduvai Gorge and visiting the Masai and other tribes around the crater.

When to go
Since the game stays in the crater all year round, there is really no good or bad time to visit. However given that the crater floor does get busy with vehicles, it can be more pleasant to visit during low season. Higher water levels in Lake Magadi (in the center of the Crater) also result in higher concentrations of flamingoes. Whenever you travel to Ngorongoro, you will be guaranteed excellent game viewing

TANZANIA: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Less Tourists Coming In

The Tanzania’s leading tourist destination Ngorongoro Conservation Area has experienced a sharp drop of tourist vehicles getting into the Ngorongoro Crater, senior official of the wildlife sanctuary has said.

Adam Akyoo, Public Relations Manager of Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), said that the situation has been caused by the outbreak of Ebola disease in western African countries and a series of terrorist attacks in neighboring Kenya.

"We are highly affected with those two factors," he said, adding that before, an average of 300 tourist vehicles used to get into the Ngorongoro Crater per day, but now only an average of 20 vehicles were registered per day.

"This is a very serious situation in this country’s leading tourist attraction," he said.

Akyoo said NCAA was working on establishing other alternative measures including erecting a storey building in Arusha city center, which will be used for economic investment.

"We are expecting to spend about 250 million U.S. dollars for the completion of the proposed storey building in Arusha," he said.

"The idea is to make revenue of the NCAA remain intact at the time when doldrums like this happens."

Ngorongoro MP Saning’o Ole Telele suggested the need for the NCAA to embark in a serious campaign to promote domestic tourism.

"What we are seeing now is a wake-up call.

"Let’s start encouraging our people to inculcate a culture of visiting our tourist destinations.

"Though they’ll be paying a little money, but that will make us continue with our wildlife conservation efforts, " the MP said.

Catherine Mbena, communication manager at the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa), admitted that the country’s tourism industry was passing through a very difficult time.

"The current trend hadn’t happened before," she said.

For the past two years, the Tanzania’s wildlife fully-packed caldera recorded nearly 700,000 tourists annually which is high compared to other parks.

However, the recent trend sends a shockwave to the country’s tourism industry, which ranks top in contributing to GDP.

The situation also ruins country’s endeavors of increasing number of foreign tourist arrivals to more than 2.5 million by 2017.

TANZANIA: Would You Like Your Safari Guide To Double As Your Tour Driver? Welcome To Tanzania

THE trouble with Tanzania’s tourism industry is that it is 80 per cent based on wildlife gazing game drives in the parks.

Even activities such as Mountain Climbing in this case scaling Kilimanjaro are usually treated as additional attraction after satisfactory trips to the Serengeti National Park or into the Ngorongoro Crater; “Next time we may return to climb Africa’s highest peak,” tourists are often quoted when bidding their guides, hosts or travel agents farewell at airports, shortly before departure.

Tanzania, of late, has been trying, with little success, to venture into other alternative attractions including cultural tourism based on the country’s 120 different ethnic communities, historical excursions (Bagamoyo, Kilwa and Zanzibar stone town) as well as beach safaris (Dar-es-Salaam, Zanzibar and Pemba).

Despite the attempts, Tourism sector keeps rolling back into ‘wildlife focused adventures’ usually pivoted up in the Northern circuit which boasts the magnificent Serengeti, spellbinding Ngorongoro, Tarangire as well as Lake Manyara (throw in Mount Kilimanjaro bonus for maximum effect).

Most wildlife Safaris are done in vehicles, precisely the all-terrain mechanical monsters, which means Japan’s leading automobile manufacturer, Toyota, through its Land-Cruiser marque is capitalizing heavily on the industry by selling fleets of Four-Wheel-Drive trucks to Tanzanian tour operators.

It has become an unwritten mandatory for all tour operators in Tanzania to deploy Four-Wheel Drive vehicles into the world on that many of the tracks criss-crossing the local game parks are unpaved, thus requiring more torque traction when the surfaces get either muddy or dusty.

The management of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for instance, decided to make it a rule that no car will be allowed to venture into the crater unless it has the Four-Wheel Drivetrain for the required pull while ascending the steep walls of the caldera.

In short, driving a tour vehicle in Tanzania is one of the most challenging survival tasks in the country. Manoeuvring a heavy, elongated Land-Cruisers, Land-Rovers or Nissan-Safaris, along non-existent roads sometimes in claustrophobic fog and pounding rains is nothing short of driving a battle tank in war zone.

In fact, tour drivers have even renamed their working vehicles ‘War Buses,’ reflecting how daunting the job can be. Yet, as it turns out, these people are supposed to undertake the tough driving duty while at the same time playing safari guides to their tourist passengers.

So far, the drivers feel the arrangement is not fair to them. Fighting with both hands to keep the trucks on tracks while at the same time attempting to lift one arm pointing to an animal, tree or bird for the tourists to see, is hard enough and trying to shout so that the ones seated at back can hear is another herculean task.

It is also unfair to tourists on that they get half the value of their journeys, which entails sight-seeing as well as full length explanation about the fauna and flora along the safari, but the driver will be too busy wrestling with the wheel in front or not having loud enough voice to reach those seated in the rear.

When asked about this arrangement in which a driver also gets to serve as tour guide, the Vice-Chairman of the Tanzania Tour Guides Association (TTGA), Mr Halifa Msangi, was on view that this was ‘very wrong.’

“Not only that, serving two purposes is a heavy burden to drivers, but as it seems, tour operators only pay them for the driving task not for guiding,” he said adding that, even tourists will never get the value for their money in this way.

But when one is in dire need for a job, the last thing he will ever attempt to do is ask to be paid twice for the two tasks; in fact, investigations conducted around Arusha City, revealed that, there are some tour drivers (guides) who after being out of work for years, are even prepared to work for free, knowing tourists will eventually ‘tip’ them handsomely.

Mr Sirili Akko is the executive for Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) who pointed out that the situation is the same worldwide; “Even in developed countries, like UK, the London City Tour bus driver also serves as guide.

“Tour operators in Tanzania only need to introduce tiny loudspeakers in their vehicle set-ups so that the driver many not strain to speak and visitors, regardless of their positions in the car, can still hear what is going on,” stated Mr Akko.

But as far as he is concerned, the arrangement on how an expedition is to be conducted, remains the mutual agreement between company owners and their respective drivers (guides).

There are over 5,000 tour companies operating in Tanzania, the majority are based in either Arusha or Kilimanjaro regions, making up the Northern Tourism Circuit which essentially gets over 80 per cent of the total tourists arrivals.

TANZANIA: Tanzania Awarded With USD 100 Million By Friedkin Conservation Fund To Boost Tourism Sector

Friedkin Conservation Fund (FCF), a US based nonprofit corporation established for the purpose of conserving Tanzania’s protected wildlife areas, has recently awarded Tanzania with a USD 100 million investment aimed at improving its tourism sector.

The investment is meant to support job creation, wildlife conservation, rural growth and innovation in Tanzania’s Western Tourism Circuit which brings to the country the least quantity of tourist due to access constraints.

The proceed was catalogued as a strategic investment by the National Investment Steering Committee (NISC) which was formed by the Tanzanian Government to improve local business environment and that so far has approved 41 strategic investment projects.

According to Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), this strategic investment is product of the international campaign developed by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and launched by Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete in October, 2015.

The strategic investment together with the work of the NISC chaired by Prime Minister Mizengo Peter Pinda will soon bring more investments to Tanzania’s tourism sector, explained TIC Executive Director Juliet Kairuki.

FCF was established for the purpose of conserving more than 6.1 million acres of Tanzania’s protected wildlife areas. FCF also sponsors innovative community development projects and manages a Geographic Information System (GIS) for mapping and research to compliment the anti-poaching initiative.

The Tanzainan tourism sector is a notable source of income for the country with a constantly growing international tourist arrivals which in average currently stays 10 days in the country and spend a total of USD 1,691 per visitor, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

According to Bank of Tanzania’s latest statistics, tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner outperforming the gold industry and which in January, 2015 attracted USD 2.04 billion up from USD 1.90 billion in January, 2014.

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TANZANIA: Asilia To Open The Highlands, Ngorongoro

Asilia Africa is delighted to announce that their newest property, The Highlands, will open in Ngorongoro in March 2016.

The Highlands redefines the Ngorongoro experience. Set high on the slopes of Olmoti volcano, with sweeping views all the way to the Serengeti, you can be at the famous Ngorongoro Crater floor at dawn but still far from any other camp.

The eight luxurious tented suites offer king size beds with large windows so you can feel immersed in the endless views from the comfort of your bed. Wood burning stoves will keep your domed suite warm throughout the night.

The main area has been designed with the classic camp fire experience in mind; even when it is too cold to go outside, sit around a roaring fire at the inside fireplace, the perfect place to unwind at the end of an adventurous day exploring.


From your stylish base at The Highlands you can enjoy the iconic Ngorongoro Crater safari. Ngorongoro is the largest un flooded and unbroken caldera in the world and home to the highest density of lion anywhere in Africa, as well as the other members of the Big 5. From camp you can explore the wild highlands which surround the camp – home to leopard, buffalo and elephant and the Maasai people whose pastoral way of life has remained unchanged for centuries.