Stone Town is located on the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania. It is also known as Miji Mkongwe, which means “old town” in Swahili. Stone Town holds great importance in history and to the artistic community. In addition, it is well known for being the center of the spice trade.  But, what you can’t experience on google, are the beautiful views from one of the many rooftops. You can see the trees intermixed with the buildings and the oceanfront full of beautiful boats and clear water from one roof. You can see the region’s historic architecture that stems from Arab, Persi ..read more

A bird that can’t fly may sound like an oxymoron, but the ostrich – the world’s largest and heaviest bird – was made to stay on the ground. An ostrich can grow up to 9 feet tall and weigh up to 320 pounds, making their lack of flying abilities more obvious. Unlike most birds, an ostrich has a flat breastbone that doesn’t provide enough pectoral muscle needed to take flight. The lack of muscle, tiny wings, and considerable weight all force ostriches to remain on the ground. However, what they lack in flight, they make up for in speed. The ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs and can run a ..read more

What animal has three toes, loves mud, and has a name that means “nose horn” in Greek?  If you guessed the rhinoceros – or rhino for short – you would be correct! Despite looking like prehistoric creatures, rhinos are mammals that follow a diet of herbivores, snacking on fruits, grasses, twigs, and leaves. This grassy diet is nothing to laugh at – certain species of rhino can weigh up to 3,500 kilograms (over 7,700 pounds)! Aside from their impressive size, one of the most prominent features of rhinos is their horns. Rhinos can have one or two horns made of keratin, just like our fingern ..read more

The Great Migration is a year-round journey of animals migrating throughout northern Tanzania and southern Kenya. Almost two million animals move across the Serengeti and Mara plains as they search for fresh grass, food, and water. As they travel nearly 800 kilometers in a migratory loop, the wildebeests face multiple dangers – such as predators and a lack of food – as they make the long journey north. Below you can follow the wildebeests’ movements throughout the migration by clicking the arrows to the left and right of the maps! In January, the wildebeest herds are on the grass plains ..read more

The leopard – one of the Big 5 – are highly elusive animals that live across sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. Their wide geographic range has made them adaptable to many different environments and habitats, with some living in warm or cold climates, deserts, semi-deserts, grasslands, rainforests, grasslands, and urban areas. The African leopard is the most common species of leopard, but leopard populations are severely declining around the world.  A leopard’s coat is covered in distinctive spots known as rosettes, as they resemble the shape of a rose. These irregular-shaped rosettes ..read more

Even if you’ve heard of a jackal, have you ever actually seen one? A trip to East Africa would give you the chance to see these fascinating mammals! Just as its name suggests, the black-backed jackal is characterized by its black back. They are generally reddish-brown in color with a black saddle. There are two subspecies of black-backed jackals, and the one pictured above is the East African black-backed jackal. Upon first inspection, these mammals appear to be a cross between a wolf and a fox, which actually isn’t too far off. These canines are native to eastern and southern Africa and have ..read more

Spotting lions while on a safari is sure to be a highlight of any traveler’s trip to East Africa. Known as “the king of the jungle,” these majestic animals have forever been symbols of strength, courage, and power. Below we outline some interesting facts about lions and bust some popular myths so that you are equipped with lion knowledge before your next safari adventure! 1. Lions are the only social big cats and live in groups called prides. These family units can have between two to 40 lions and consist of up to four males, a dozen females, and cubs. While many of the lionesses – or females ..read more

The African wild dog, also known as the African painted dog, is distinguished by its bushy white-tipped tail and colorful coat. It has conspicuously big, bat-like, ears, and each individual has its own marking pattern so that no two are exactly alike.  Weighing in at around 40-70 pounds and a height of 30 inches, these highly social mammals take up space in the deserts, forests, and grasslands of southern and eastern Africa. Within packs, their home ranges can be between 200 to 2,000 square kilometers. Packs of African wild dogs are usually around 10 individuals but can get up to 40. The ..read more

Have you ever seen birds sitting on the backs of some of your favorite large animals? These birds are called oxpeckers, and you can often find them perched on a rhino or a zebra, among other animals. Oxpeckers are no free riders – they actually are in a symbiotic relationship with these animals, which means that both species live together and benefit one another.  Oxpeckers graze exclusively on the bodies of many animals, including, but not limited to, warthogs, impalas, giraffes, buffalos, zebras, and rhinos. They mainly feed on ticks and other small insects, which acts as a form of pes ..read more

They may look like large rodents, rock hyraxes are not a part of Rodentia at all! They are part of the order Hyracoidea – meaning elephants are one of their closest relatives! Like elephants, rock hyraxes have two large tusk-like incisors and strong molars for mashing vegetation. They also have flat, hoof-like nails rather than the hooked claws common on other mammals. While about the size of an American football, the ancestors of hyraxes were as large as a small horse. Living up to the name, rock hyraxes can be found throughout Africa hanging out in rocky formations that provide shelter and ..read more