Safari to Kondoa

a delightful and very little-visited area

Kondoa and Singida is a region of Northern Tanzania which lies to the south-west of Tarangire National Park.

Singida itself is a significant town, the centre of a major farming district, but of little interest to the majority of international visitors.

The area contains two mountains of some significance, Mount Hanang and Mount Kwaraa, both of which are substantial extinct volcanoes standing proud of the surrounding landscape, with their slopes covered in thick forest, but neither of which are climbed with any regularity.

The main reason to come here is to visit the various remote rock art sites which lie scattered to the west of the village of Kolo on the main road south towards Dodoma.

The drive down From Tarangire passes through some very pleasant rural landscapes and the area experiences very low visitor numbers, so this really does have an off-the-beaten-track feel.

There is a small museum in the Kolo area, which tells a little of the history of the people who were responsible for these wonderful paintings.

There is no accommodation at Kolo, so a visit to the rock art is usually done as a very long detour when travelling between lodges in Tarangire and Lake Manyara. With perhaps nine hours of driving to do, it only leaves a pretty short time to spend at the sites themselves. The only other option is to camp down at Kolo, although this tends to take up more time and cost more money than most people are prepared to deploy.

Consequently these rock art sites seem destined to remain very little visited, until someone builds a lodge. Hopefully when that does happen it will be something really special, that makes the trip worthwhile.

no recommended accommodation in the area