On Safari in Southern Tanzania - Discover the Mnazi Bay Marine Park

By Sam Njihia

Tanzania's south coast is an ideal Africa holiday destination, more so for travelers seeking to avoid the often crowded national parks and game reserves in the country's north. The idyllic beaches around the Swahili town of Mtwara, plus the Mnazi Bay Marine Park are just some of the beach destinations that rival similar vacation spots in northern Tanzania.

If you are an adventure travel enthusiast, you can have lots of fun in Southern Tanzania. The experience of traveling in the African country without the usual tourist crowds is in itself very rewarding. You get to explore such sites as unspoilt beaches on the Indian ocean coast, a number of swahili ruins, among other attractions.

Mtwara is the gateway into Southern Tanzania for tourism and business alike. Access to and from Dar es Salaam is easy with frequent and regular flights and sailings. Mtwara is a laid back town and is spread out over a large area. The town is close to the Mnazi Bay Marine Park where it is possible to experience some of the most isolated dive sites on the coast. The town makes an excellent stop-over for trips to the Marine Park.

Some time in the past, Mnazi bay was the take-off port for sea travel to Mozambique, by dhow. Today however, the main attraction is the white sand beaches, and the coral reefs which provide very memorable snorkeling experience. Visitors can explore the coral reefs even when the tide is low.

There is a profuse bird life in the Mnazi Bay Marine park, with waders being the most abundant. Common bird species found here include the Zanzibar black-bellied glossy-starling, the brown-headed parrot, the mangrove kingfisher, the crab clover, and the greater sand-clover.

Mnazi bay marine park has earned an international recognition because of its biodiversity. There are many varieties of mangroves found here, plsu sea grass beds and coral reefs, all of which are an important source of livelihood for the communities residing nearby.

The Rawira peninsula lies on the seaward side of Mnazi bay at the south, while on the north are several small islands. The Tanzania government has plans to open up the area more for tourism, considering that it is ideally situated as a place for resting and unwinding after a Tanzania safari in the southern safari circuit. Since the neighboring communities actively participate in managing the park, they stand to benefit even more from tourism in the park.

International gateway to Southern Tanzania is the city of Dar es Salaam. Known as Haven of Peace by its aficionados, Dar es Salaam can be reached through regional hubs at Nairobi and Johannesburg and to a lesser extent Addis Ababa. Dar es Salaam airport is also accessed from other Tanzania airports that serve domestic as well as international flights. These include Kilimanjaro International Airport and Dodoma airport among many others. There is a ferry service between Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salaam.

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