Zanzibar, Tanzania - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Place: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Weather: Partly cloudy, 79/90F.

Route: From Dar es Salaam 92 km north on ferry.

Population: 1,503,569

Significance: The stone town of Zanzibar was at its height in the 19th century. It was a major trading town - mostly with Arabia due to prevailing trade winds.  Zanzibar was also the main port for trading of slaves on the east coast of Africa.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

Rooftop view of Zanzibar (from whc.unesco.org)

Many merchant houses have these ornately decorated doors with copper spikes (from whc.unesco.org)

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

 Place: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Weather: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, 80/91F.

Route: From Kondoa Rock-Art sites 632 ESE on B129 and A7.

Population: 6,400,000

Places to visit: Village Museum, National Museum, Dar es Salaam Zoo, St. Joseph's Cathedral of Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam, Pugu Hills Forest Reserve, Dar es Salaam War Cemetery, Askari Monument, Botanical Gardens.

Images:

The harbor of Dar es Salaam (from swedishnomad.com)

Coco Beach (from theculturetrip.com)

Kondoa Rock-Art Sites, Tanzania - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Kondoa Rock-Art Sites, Tanzania

Weather: Mostly cloudy skies, 64/90F.

Route: From Serengeti National Park 469 km south on B144 and A104.

Significance: These caves were first inhabited 40,000 years ago. There are red-ochre figures of people and animals. Many of the sites are still seen as sacred to the people who live in the surrounding area.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Elongated human figures (from whc.unesco.org)

A mixture of shapes and animal figures (from whc.unesco.org)

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Weather: Mostly cloudy, 67/89F.

Route: From Kilimanjaro National Park 510 km WNW on B144.

Significance: The savannah of the Serengeti is what we think about when we think about African wildlife. It's the place where the gazelle and the cheetah engage in their daily battle for survival. If the world of "The Lion King" exists anywhere, it is here.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

A cheetah waits in the grass (from whc.unesco.org)

Gazelles graze nervously (from whc.unesc.org)

Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania

Weather: Partly cloudy skies, 64/84F (at base of mountain)

Route: From Mombasa 523 km west on A109 and A23.

Significance: The highest elevation in Africa, at 19,341 ft, it is always covered in snow. The surrounding mountain forest is inhabited by many endangered species.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Images:

The massive mountain above the savannah (from whc.unesco.org)

The mountain forest (from whc.unesco.org)

Mombasa, Kenya

 Place: Mombasa, Kenya

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 79/89F.

Route: From Nairobi 484 km SE on Mombasa Road.

Population: 1,208,322

Places to visit: Haller Park, Fort Jesus Museum, Mombasa Marine National Park, Nguuni Nature Sanctuary, Jumba la Mtwana, Shree Cutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple, Rabai Museum, Mombasa Memorial Cathedral, Jain Temple.

Images:

The tusks that welcome visitors to Mombasa (from theculturetrip.com)

Fort Jesus, a World Heritage Site, built by the Portuguese in 16th century (from blog.cloudfare.com)

Nairobi, Kenya

 Place: Nairobi, Kenya

Weather: Mostly cloudy skies, 56/79F.

Route: From Lake Bogoria 247 km SSE on A104.

Population: 4,397,073

Places to visit: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi National Park, Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi Arboretum, Nairobi Railway Museum, African Heritage House, National Archives, Nairobi Gallery, Jamia Mosque.

Images:

The skyline of Nairobi (from micato.com)

The Nairobi Arboretum (from livinginnairobi.com)