Tourists continue to flood into northern Tanzania despite rains
Posted by Henry at
11:53 am, April 16th 2008.
With the rainy season now well under way in northern Tanzania
it's good to see that a flood of another sort is engulfing the region's international
airport. Kilimanjaro International has reported no let-up in the number of tourists
using the airport, despite the weather conditions not being condusive to either going
on safari in the Serengeti or Ngorongoro nor climbing Kilimanjaro.
Trekking operators
usually use the 'long-rains' period between April and June as a time to regroup,
fix their equipment and sort out their operations before the next tourist high season
begins. Though it is possible to climb Kilimanjaro at this time - and many do - it
is not the best time of year to do so. The rains mean that visibility is fairly low
and the chances of getting rained upon are high. Similarly, going on safari at this
time is not so rewarding with many roads through the national parks impassable and
visibility low. Furthermore, many creatures have no need to visit watering holes
at this time - for this is one time when the water comes to them!
Nevertheless, visitor
figures remain high - with local operators suggesting that the reason for this is
the improved road surfaces in the national parks, which allow visitors to go on safari
despite the monsoon showers. The problems in Kenya may also have had a positive effect
on the figures, as tourists looking to go on safari this year opt for Tanzania rather
than its unsettled neighbour.
Tanzania's Northern Circuit - the tourist route that
encompasses Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, as well as smaller parks such
as Lake Manyara - is by some distance the most popular part of the country. Of the
523,966 visitors who came to Tanzania in 2006, for example, some 80% of them visit
the Northern Circuit. Of these, some 350,000 visit the Ngorongoro Crater, 250,000
or go on safari in the Serengeti, and 40,000-plus climb Kilimanjaro. This compares
to around 115,000 who visit Zanzibar annually.
