Put on your hiking shoes and set off on the climb of your life! The trek up to the highest point in Africa - to the lofty peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro - should take you between 5 and 6 days. As you work your way up to 19,341 feet, you'll need all the help you can get. Carry the right gear and you'll be fine!

Planning your trek

If you haven't scaled any peaks before this, it may be a good idea to get some practice before you arrive.

Employ the services of a local guide and a porter - you will need them even if you're an expert. Carry along warm protective clothing, gloves and a hat to keep your hands and head warm, plus some hardy trekking shoes (preferably boots). You can hire basic supplies, winter sleeping bags, spare gear and guides at the entrance to the park.

If you'd prefer to join an organized trek with support, gear and food all included, contact local hotels in the region that organize these for you. Ensure you make reservations well before you arrive.

With a stunning, blue coastline dotted with spectacular beaches and great views, Tanzania has plenty to offer the beach bum and the water sports aficionado. Along its 800 kilometre long coastal belt are gems like Mjimwena, Mbwa Maji and Kunduchi, all just a stone's throw from Dar es Salaam.

Try out scuba diving or go snorkelling off the mainland in Zanzibar and Mafia. Seasoned divers have discovered the treasures that lie beneath the clear blue waters. The Chloe Bay in Mafia is a marine park and protected as a natural heritage site. Here you can explore the reef that forms a continuous band along the entire island. Zanzibar too has its own reefs worth exploring. After all the energy you use up on diving, the quiet, hidden beaches are a great getaway.

Anglers can try their luck at Mafia or Zanzibar.  Located a short flight from Dar es Salaam, the islands have some great fishing to offer between September and March. You can rent tackle and hire power boats to take you out to sea.

If you'd rather just admire the marine life from a distance, then head out on a dolphin safari to watch some of the most fascinating creatures on earth in their natural habitat. Another way to explore the seas is to take a trip on a traditional dhow.

Take time off from your sightseeing to go on a traditional safari into the game reserves and national parks of Tanzania.

With over 33,660 sq kilometre of parkland and the Ngorongoro conservation site you can get up close and personal with the wildlife of the region. An added bonus is the opportunity to see how the Masai tribals live and observe them at work with their livestock.

You can choose from among 10 reserves (which are approved by the government for safaris) and 40 more locations called ‘controlled areas' where game hunting is legal, albeit with a quota system to control numbers.

Get in touch with tour operators to sign on for a custom itinerary for a safari by one of many modes - foot, vehicle, horseback and even by balloon!

Serengeti National Park: Be enthralled by the magnificent wildebeests as they make their way across the vast plains of the park on their migration each year. Around 2 million of these animals and their predators roam the lands spanning 14,700 plus sq kilometres that lead up to the border with Kenya. One of Africa's most spellbinding regions, the park offers the opportunity for travellers to come face to face with a variety of animals like the zebra, wildebeest, cheetah, gazelle, and lion. With over 35 kinds of animals and thriving birdlife, visitors will see the most if they arrive between November and May when the herds begin their migration.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area: Towering over the vast Serengeti plains is the protected region called the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This region is flanked by the flamingo breeding area of Lake Natron to the northeast, Lake Manyara to the east and Lake Enaysi to the south. The active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai (it means Mountain of God) lies within this area and sits on a tenth of the protected region. What remains the most famous site on the lands though is the great crater of Ngorongoro.

This 2000 feet deep and 20 kilometre wide crater spans a whopping 311 sq kilometres and is the site of a collapsed volcano. It is here that you will find nearly every kind of mammal peculiar to Africa's plains, all except the giraffe, topi and impala that is. Birds like the east African flamingos come here, drawn by the soda levels in Lake Magadi. The conservation area is especially famous for the presence of the black rhino - a creature that is on the endangered species list. The region also has the highest population density of Africa's predatory animals.

Lake Manyara National Park: The Great Rift Valley region creates a stunning setting with grassy plains, forests, the Soda Lake and swamps completing the picture. With lions that climb trees, mighty African elephants,  buffaloes, rhinos, baboons, giraffes, impalas, zebras, leopards, bushbucks, waterbucks, reedbucks, vervet and blue monkeys, and birds like the flamingos, this region is a nature lover's paradise.

Arusha National Park: Situated inside the Ngurdoto crater of an extinct volcano (for about a quarter million years), this park is the place to come to see warthogs, buffalos, elephants, rhinos and giraffes.

Mikumi National Park: The Mikumi National Park is an ideal hunting ground for safari enthusiasts. There's an abundance of lions, hippos, zebras, leopards, wildebeests, cheetahs, giraffes, warthogs and impalas all year round, especially between December and March. All 1300 sq kilometres of this parkland are good spotting grounds, but it is the Hippo pool at Kikaboga that takes centre stage.

Tarangire National Park: If you take a short drive from Arusha (130 km) and go off the Great Cape-Cairo road for about 8 kilometres you will arrive at an easily accessible wildlife park that rivals the Serengeti in its abundance of game.

Ruaha National Park: This is the second biggest Tanzanian park and home to the largest sanctuary for elephants in the world. Accessible all year round, but best visited between July and November, Ruaha gives travellers the chance to take in the spectacular views of the Ruaha Gorge and also offers plenty of antelope sightings. To get here, you'll need to drive about 118 kilometres through the Southern Highlands from Iringa (well connected by air and bus with Dar es Salaam).

Selous Game Reserve: This reserve is bigger than Switzerland and spans a whopping one sixth of the land area of Tanzania. It is here that you will be able to watch lions stalk their prey, elephants travel in large herds and lots of other big game. This one-of-a-kind wildlife reserve has been marked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1982). Due to flooding, you cannot visit when it is raining, and so it is closed between March and May.

Gombe National Park: Located along the banks of the famous Lake Tanganyika, Gombe is a delight for all ages. With about 200 chimpanzees living here in their natural habitat, you will see nature at its best. This unique park is also famous for being home to Jane Goodall's historic ethology studies on chimpanzee behaviour - you'll get to see how she spent 37 years of her life unravelling mysteries of some of the most interesting animals on the planet.

Other national parks: Other parks that are worth a visit if you have the time are the ones at Udzungura Mountains, Mahale Mountains, Rubondo and Katavi. Those interested in marine life will be interested to see Latham Island Reserve, Tanga Coral Gardens, Rufigi Delta and Kilwa Reserve.

Tanga is Tanzania's second port that lies close to the border with Kenya. This sleepy town is replete with colonial style architecture and Arab style houses - reminders of the crucial location of the region along the old Indian Ocean trading route.

Dodoma, the oft ignored capital city of the country is located along the eastern tip of the highlands in the south. This agricultural heartland is also the heart of Tanzania's wine country.

In the north is Musoma, a town that lies by the banks of Lake Victoria. The Mwalimu Julius K Nyerere Museum traces the nationalist and independence movements as well as the early days of Tanzanian history. There are also several exhibits belonging to Tanzania's first president. There is even a translated copy of Plato's ‘Republic' written by the President himself. Visitors and locals throng the area on market day, which is an event not to be missed. Cartloads of fresh produce trundle into town from regions around and as the women lay out the fresh avocados, mangoes, bananas and vegetables, it is hard not to be fascinated. The waterfront springs to life every day, so be sure to head out for a stroll.

On the south-eastern coast leading up to Mozambique is Mtwara, a place famous for its murals depicting scenes from the Bible. These works of art were created by priests from Germany at St Paul's Church.