Zanzibar Beach

If you are enthusiastic about the culture of the Swahili people of Eastern Africa, you may already know about the Sauti za Busara Music Festival in Zanzibar. This annual event showcases the best of East African music, especially Swahili music. Performing artists come from Zanzibar, mainland Tanzania, Kenya, and Burundi, as well as from other African countries.

While taarab is arguably the most recognized genre of Swahili music, there are lots of other equally entertaining music varieties, all of which are performed at the festival. They include the kidumbak dances, traditional ngoma music, rumba, swahili mystical/religious music, bongo flava, and afro-fusion.

Sauti za busara is a big event, attracting thousands of East African residents and international visitors. For the residents, it is a great way to get entertained and celebrate culture. For the artists, Sauti za Busara provides a unique chance to interact with each other and share ideas. And for international tourists, it gives the rare opportunity to see the best of the Swahili culture in one place.

The carnival at Stone Town is one of the highlights of the event, setting a very friendly mood, followed by four days of music heaven in the Stone Town Old Fort. During that time, visitors also get to enjoy delicious Swahili foods. What better way is there to enjoy a beach holiday in one of Africa’s finest beach destinations.

You may find more information about the festival at its official website. If you have not yet made your Zanzibar hotel and flight reservation for this year’s event, it may be a bit late now. The festival has already started, and ends on the 16th of February. But be sure to attend next year’s event if your schedule allows.

Hotel Booking for Zanzibar

If you plan to travel to Zanzibar anytime soon, you may want visit the hotels combined reservation web site and book your hotel in Zanzibar.

Tanzania ranks alongside Kenya and South Africa as one of the leading destinations for African wildlife safaris. The country is located along the coast of East Africa and is neighbored by Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, and the Indian ocean. The united republic of Tanzania actually consists of the mainland (Tanganyika) and the semi-autonomous Zanzibar Island.

Game viewing and bird watching are among the key attractions in Tanzania. Serengeti National park is considerably the most renowned Tanzanian national park due to the annual wildebeest migration between this park and the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya. Other equally famous wildlife destinations in Tanzania include:

• The Ngorongoro conservancy area
• Tarangire national park
• Selous national park

In Tanzania tourism circles, the wildlife safari destinations in the country are referred to as the Northern Safari circuit and the Southern safari circuit. The northern circuit is the more popular of the two, and has the highest number of visitors. Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire fall in the Northern circuit, while Selous, Mikumi and Ruaha national parks are part of the Southern circuit.

Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, is also found in Tanzania. The snow-peaked mountain attracts thousands of trekkers and every year for mountain climbing safaris.

Basic facts about Tanzania

• Administrative Capital: Dodoma
• Principal Commercial city: Dar es Salaam
• Other Major Cities: Arusha, Moshi, Musoma, Mwanza and Kigoma
• Top safari destinations: Ngorongoro crater, Serengeti, Mt Kilimanjaro, Tarangire
• Other key natural features: Mt Meru, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi