Monday, November 5, 2012

`Tanzania is most favourite tourist destination in Africa`

Geoffrey Tengeneza
The Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) in collaboration with Egyptian and French tour operators—Siag Travel of Egypt and Team Koro Aquittaine, have organised the ‘Cairo to Dar es Salaam,’ adventure trips that will be taking place every year from January 2013.

TTB Public Relations Officer Geoffrey Tengeneza said here at the weekend that the opening of the Northern parts of Africa to Tanzania will help bring new types of tourists especially from North Africa, Middle-East and South of Europe.

Tengeneza revealed that by driving across Africa may create another form of leisure touring which is free from air travel inconveniences because just as the dubbed ‘Egypt Gateway to Africa,’ recently proved, people can simply use their own cars for such expeditions.

“You have an excellent ambassador in Cairo, very cooperative and is selling Tanzania extremely well,” said Siag who is the Chairman and founder of the Cairo-based, Siag Travel of Egypt.

“Unlike what is being speculated across the world, we have encountered no problems in all the countries that our expedition went through, which means it is possible to drive across the continent safely and sound,” said the French speaking Andre Koro, through an interpreter.

Last Friday, a convoy consisting of 31 French nationals, eight Egyptians and one Briton made a long journey of cutting across the African continent by road, from Cairo to Cape-Town, drove into Serengeti National Park and the adjacent Ngorongoro Crater here at the weekend.

Their sampling of the country’s two leading tourist attractions was enough to make the group of cross-country motorists decide that from North, down South, Tanzania was possibly the best destination ever.

The convoy was expected to go around Africa in 58 days, but they were expected to drive around Tanzania in eight days before crossing to Zambia.

“Most of the people making this journey had never seen wild animals in real life and natural surroundings, we only watch wildlife episodes on television,” said the leader of the expedition, Rami Siag, who is chairman and founder of the Cairo-based, Siag Travel of Egypt.

He said that the aim of the tour was to open Africa to the world, with Egyptian Coastal City of Alexander seeming as potential gate to the continent.

The convoy however has great interest in eastern parts of Africa and so far Tanzania tends to top the favourite destinations’ listing.

“The Serengeti migration was unbelievable; it was like watching thousands of giant animals on a very large 3D screen; awesome!” said Siag who was again lost for words upon entering the crater where the group got rare sighting of the endangered rhinos, a hunting pride of lions and some of the largest buffaloes ever walked earth.

Siag travel which is currently based in Egypt plans in the future to expand its operations to neighbouring Sudan, Libya, Chad, Ethiopia and possibly also Tanzania.

“My motivation is to have African countries, especially in eastern Africa, retain strong links with Egypt,” said Rami Siag, adding that authorities in all the countries they have passed through so far have been very cooperative.

The crater itself proved to be a spellbinding natural feature in its own right and even before the expedition drove to Dar-es-salaam, via Moshi where they were to catch a glimpse of Africa’s highest peak (Mount Kilimanjaro), they had made up their minds to organise annual trips from Egypt to Tanzania.

 The tour delegation will also be sampling Pare and Usambara Mountains, Mikumi, Udzungwa and Ruaha (Tanzania’s largest) National Parkss during their drive across Tanzania.

The planned annual 'Cairo-Dar-Cairo' expeditions starting in January 2013 will pioneer this form of on-ground, cross-country tourism.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

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