False msafiri 55 a fabulously diverse country that’s more than qualified to have letters after its name… is for… Another spectacular sunrise Dawn in Tanzania has an epic quality, the sun sitting low on the horizon like a smouldering fireball, refracting every imaginable shade of red, purple, orange and pink. Stunning crepuscular skies are a feature of life on safari, from the Selous to the Serengeti, but when it comes to the ultimate sunrise experience, Kilimanjaro is difficult to beat.

False 56 TANZANIA is for… Chimps and monkeys Mention Tanzania, and most people think of wide-open plains, but this astonishingly varied country is also the best place to track our closest living relatives in the wild. On the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika, Gombe Stream is home to the celebrity chimpanzee community studied by Jane Goodall in the 1960s. A generation or three later, Gombe’s chimps remain exceptionally well habituated to tourists, as do their counterparts in the larger Mahale Mountains National Park on the southern lakeshore. For sheer impact, few wildlife experiences match seeing – and hearing – wild chimpanzees. But all primates are natural born entertainers, and Tanzania boasts a wealth of these captivating creatures, from the baboons and vervet monkeys of the savannah to the colobus monkeys that leap spectacularly through the highland forests. Most remarkable of all is the endemic Kipunji monkey, which lurked undetected in the southern highland forests until 2003, when it became the first new genus of primate to be discovered in 83 years. is for… Browsing Tanzania is a great place for souvenir shopping, whether you opt to haggle at a market stall or pay fixed prices at shops. Take your pick of the best buys: Q A bright and lively painting in the style of the pioneering artist Edward Tingatinga Q A bizarre statue carved by the animist Makonde of the Mozambique border region Q A CD of Swahili Taarab music, which fuses Arabic and African influences Q A marimba or ‘ finger piano’ Q A traditional Maasai shuka ( red robe) to use as a drape Q A used Maasai calabash, complete with smoky village smell. Q The colourful batiks that adorn curio stalls all over Arusha Q The latest compilation CD of ‘ bongo flava’ ( Tanzanian hip hop) Q If you’re paying, a beaded Maasai necklace or copper bracelet Q If somebody else is paying, Tanzanite jewellery, made from a gemstone unique to Tanzania. msafiri BRACELETS: SHUTTERSTOCK