Ever wanted to take a safari to Tanzania -- perhaps to visit us? Or to see the wonders of Mt Kilimanjaro, Lake Manyara, and Ngorongoro Crater. Now you can do so from the comfort of your computer, and control where you go and how long you stay. How? By means of Google Earth and a special safari program put together by Jim.

What is Google Earth?

Google earth is a free and absolutely astounding program that lets you travel anywhere in the world using satellite images -- but as if you are flying in a plane rather than just looking down. Yes, it moves and you can sweep right or left, up or down.

For instance, here is a still shot of a Google Earth fly-by on ELCA Headquarters (8765 Higgins Rd) in Chicago:

All the images on this page are at 35% of actual size.

The rotating collection of images to the right in the center column was gathered from Google Earth and then assembled as an animated gif.

Below is a view of the Makumira area from the south, with 15,000 ft Mt Meru in the background:

How do I take a Google Earth safari?

First, download and install Google Earth. You can click here to do that. It's a 10mb download, so it may take awhile. The installation itself is very easy and quick. You should have a cable connection, but a good dial-up connection will work, too.

Then click on one of the departure airports below. It will install your entire safari. You can let it lead you, or you can explore on your own the craters at the top of Kilimanjaro and Meru, the shore line of Lake Manyara, the runways of Kilimanjaro airport. And then you can rejoin the safari wherever you want.

Free flights to Tanzania,
now departing from

Los Angeles

Minneapolis-
St. Paul

San Francisco

What you are watching above is the area between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru -- basically the view from the air a little east of Makumira. The large crater in the foreground is Ngurdoto. Just after it passes, Meru comes in from the left. Kilimanjaro then follows it. Then Ngurdoto Crater appears again.

For another animated example -- a zoom in to the Kilimanjaro crater from outer space -- click here. Note: the file is large, and may take a few moments to load, depending upon your connection speed.

What do I do after I click my flight (in the middle column)?

On the left side of the Google Earth program you will find a collection of "Places." At the bottom you will see "Temporary Places," and under that you will find a new and strange file name such as GE42F.kmz. Click the little arrow () to the left of that name.

That will cause the "Trip to Tanzania (from XXX)" folder to appear. (XXX will be LAX, MSP or SFO, depending upon whether you chose Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St Paul or San Francisco for your departure.)

Click the arrow to the left of "Trip to Tanzania ..." and you will get a display similar to the following:

Start your safari by double-clicking the first blue underlined text under "Trip to Tanzania ..." The above example starts from Los Angeles International, but you may have chosen another airport.)

Bon voyage! Or, as we say in Tanzania, Safari njema!

Be sure to e-mail me if you have any problems with the program.