Welcome To Tanzania: PUNGUME ISLAND- UNGUJA

TESTIMONY

JOSE ORDONEz-FROM CANADA

MY time in Tanzania was incredible. I spent two and a half months in Arusha.

AS I was taking the bus from Nairobi to Arusha, two giraffes ran in front of the bus while the driver was honking and speeding up. This couldn't have been a more perfect introduction.

THE purpose of my trip was to do an internship.

I must say that I was dazzled at the beauty of the scenery and the diversity in Tanzania. Landscapes change completely within kilometres.

I had the chance to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on a six-day hiking journey. It was a challenging experience on one night only when hiking up to the summit and going past 5000m. We went progressively from a dense rainforest to tundra and rocky landscapes in four days, saw unique plant species and enjoyed beautiful sunsets/sunrises while stretching after/before the hike.

I could have never imagined that seeing thousands of wildebeest spread across the savanna with zebras, lions, hippos, ostriches, gazelles and monkeys could be so exciting. The landscapes were absolutely stunning and the fact of being so close to the animals was a unique experience.

I also went for a week to Zanzibar and spent a couple of days in Stonetown and in the south of the Island. The architecture of Stonetown is of colonial Portuguese style mixed with the reminiscence of the Omani sultan times. The social make-up of the city is extremely interesting as it is a very diverse place with a mix of cultures, heritage, history making it a very unique place.

IN the south of the island I went swimming with dolphins and enjoyed two days in a water-front villa with spectacular views of the ocean.

ONE of my last trips was to Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania. While it certainly took a long time to drive there, the environment was completely different from Arusha. It's located in a very dry and hot area in which I enjoyed intense orange/red sunsets.

WHILE in Arusha, I was invited to a traditional Tanzanian wedding, which turned out to be a lot of fun and included excellent dancing. A Tanzanian friend of mine and I also crashed a wedding which was a lot of fun and which let us enjoy excellent food.

I have no doubt that I would love to go back again and see more of the country and the culture.

It is a unique place with millions of things to offer.

Welcome To Tanzania

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PUNGUME ISLAND- UNGUJA

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