Essential Destinations We believe that tourism is the answer to conservation of natural resources, historical sites and beauty. We believe that human beings can become better people by experiencing their roots, knowing the world as it has always been, before them and how it has changed through them in historical times. Tourism can raise the funds to allow countries like Tanzania to keep more then 30% of its territory protected, rather than consume it through crazy development. In the bush we believe in small, light footed and well spread apart operations. This way further protection can be guaranteed to the ecosystems without interference with the natural orders. We take you to the most spectacular and interesting sites in Tanzania. Our mission is to show you those places you should not miss. Because of their astonishing beauty, wild natural essence, and it is testimony of our ancient steps of mankind. We have created or chosen eco-friendly properties or camps in Tanzania’s most beautiful sites. They are designed to have a minimum impact on the environment, while supporting conservation and helping to sustain local communities. Who we are Essential Destinations was created by a team of ecologists and biologists with the belief that the best way to keep Tanzania’s wilderness truly wild is to champion respectful and sustainable eco-tourism. We are proud to support the restoration of historical sites as well as a number of elephant and lion research projects. SELOUS GAMERivers, RESERVE lakes and bush experience. The size of Switzerland, Selous Game Reserve is an immense area of protected wilderness that has remained untouched for millions of years. The Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected wet wilderness area in Africa, covering a total area of 54,600 km2 (21,081 sq. miles), almost 6% of Tanzania’s land surface. The Selous is four times the size of the Serengeti. A large area of the reserve is drained by the Rufiji River There are over 2,000 species of plants, over 430 species of birds, and 60 species of mammals. In 1982 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the diversity of its wildlife and undisturbed nature. It’s a unique environment rich in water, channels and lakes. Abundant of wildlife and little visited by tourist, compared to northern parks. You can enjoy a variety of activities thanks to the lakes and the Rufiji river. The Selous is also the biggest stronghold for wild dogs in Africa and surely one of the places where you would have more chances to spot them! Experience adventure! Keep it natural! LAKE Feel the thrills of having an elephant eating Doum palm seeds right outside your tent. Hear the sound of its rumbling stomach and see how tender a mother is to her calf. We have so much to learn from our animal friends, teachings that can help us to create a better world. MANZE We keep everything as it was before we arrived and this is why animals use the camp as much as our guests. Experience this magical, romantic camp on the shore of the Lake Manze with stunning lake views from your own verandah. Experience the sunrise on a walking safari. Enjoy a delicious picnic bush breakfast or lunch during your game drive as you spot lions and wild dogs. Take a fishing trip on the lake. Get close and personal with hippos and crocodiles and thousands of exotic birds on a sunset boat safari. Delight in a sumptuous candlelight dinner on the lakeshore to the symphony of the surroundings. You’ll never want to leave! RUAHA NATIONAL PARKRemote and wild. Ruaha National Park. Prolific game, extraordinary birdlife and diverse vegetation meet against a dramatic topographical backdrop: endless rolling hills, vast open plains, secret groves of ancient baobabs and, along the park’s southern border, the Great Ruaha River. These diverse areas of the park support 1650 plant species currently recorded in the park so far. In drastic contrast, Selous Game Reserve has about 830 species recorded and the northeast Serengeti only 410. Large populations of all the great predators are present in the park. Lions; leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and wild dogs are all sighted. Large mammals that roam the park include the largest population of elephants in Tanzania, with estimated numbers as of 2013 standing at over 20,000 individuals. Species commonly sighted in the park include buffalos, zebras, impalas, giraffes, elands, greater and lesser kudu and warthogs, all thriving along the Great Ruaha River. Such an ample vegetational diversity creates an extremely abundant bird life, with representation of both eastern and western species. Current records estimate that 573 species live in the park so far, but more are constantly being recorded. Think wild! MDONYA We want you to THINK WILD! Ruaha national park is the biggest and wildest national park in Tanzania. And we want you to get lost in it! We want you to feel the real wilderness, far from everybody else, with only wild animals as our OLD companions. Nothing can make you understand you are an animal yourself more then the roar of a lion next to your ear! When we understand we are animals ourselves we shall surely become aware of the RIVER importance of their protection and conservation. In a way, a stay at Mdonya Old River Camp, is a journey to meet our very ancient roots. A time we were actually part of the bush ourselves, in harmony and equal to all other creatures. You will fly to the heart of Tanzania, in the center of the country, to a plateau located a thousand mtrs high at the footstep of the Rift valley. That is where the Mdonya Old River is. Even though we are animals, we do like to have all our comforts, but be extremely light footed. FANJOVE PRIVATE ISLANDOnly you! What if we told you: Take off your shoes and learn to live off your own wit and skills! Ah, we would be joking, but here you could learn how life would be without shoes! Oh, so comfortable! The sun, the crystal blue water, fishes and birds and a whole island to yourself, what else do we need in life? And here your contribution has allowed us to keep a fantastic 11 km of intact coral reef. Thousands of migrant birds that rest and feed, green turtles that lay their eggs, hundreds of dolphins that roam the seas as well as humpback whales that pass through in their migrations have given the community an alternative to consumptive utilization of the resources. Nobody lives on Fanjove, except you and our dedicated staff, as we have rented the whole island from the near-by village of Songosongo and also contribut 3% of our income to the social development of the community. We are proud of our achievement and we want to keep doing better and better and keep the island natural so that we can all learn what life is all about! You will fly to Songosongo island, and you will be able to explore the community life of the fishermen from a time “Long Ago”, and then you have a short boat ride to Fanjove Private Island, accompanied by a pod of Bottle Nosed dolphins, if you are lucky. NGORONGORO CRATERYour ancient home. Ngorongoro is a majestic volcanic area from where we all originated. For over two million years we started to walk on these planes. You cannot mistake the feeling of knowing your “Ancient Home”. Created by a huge volcano caldera of over 250 sqkm , this astonishing environment with its fertile ashes allow the highest concentration of mammals in the world. Breathtakingly beautiful, prepare for sensory overload as you spot black rhino in the most magnificent setting imaginable. It is also an example of how wildlife and people can live together. You can admire the beauty of the Masaai culture while wathing zebra and cows grazing together led by a small Masaai child or a young Morhan warrior. It is where we were all born. Get to know yourself! We have turned the house of the first conservator of the Ngorongoro into a tourist hotel. You can feel the atmosphere he felt. Get to know the current inhabitant of the area, the proud Masaai, and wild animals friends roaming through the hotel premises, with which the Masaai have shared such land for hundreds of years. The Rhino Lodge has 24 rooms overlooking the lush forest and the Oldeani peak and is the perfect location to unwind as you watch bushbacks and buffalo grazing from your verandah. Share our eco lodge with the wild animals who roam freely on the grounds. Spend your days in the crater and enjoy a picnic bush lunch. The Ngorongoro is also home to the proud Masaai tribe. See how they continue to live in harmony with wildlife and the natural environment as they have done for hundreds of years. Experience their world first hand as they tend their herds. Visit a Masaai village. Relax in front of a roaring lodge fire in the evening as you enjoy an apertif and savour a delicious dinner. Enjoy getting lost in the ZANZIBARsmall narrow alleys of Stone Town and discovering its ancient beauty. The word Zanzibar signifies a place of tranquility and natural beauty. It is an exotic island with a rich culture and a unique history. The islands of Zanzibar (or Unguja) and Pemba along with the surrounding islets together form Zanzibar. Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa. With its architecture dating back to the 19th century, Zanzibar is a mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian and European origins.