Tanzanian Travels

Jambo & Hello We are back in Nairobi having completed the Tanzanian leg of our 13 day Safari tour. Last Wednesday morning we left Amboseli Reserve and Mt Kilimanjaro behind us (still covered in cloud) and headed for the border. Exiting Kenya and entering Tanzania was relatively seamless, much to my relief as I have heard tales of lengthy delays at some border crossings. Here we changed vehicles and drivers. 7 new people joined us for the Tanzanian sector (our package was really two separate tours put together hence some people only did one part) Overall things in Tanzania are very similar to Kenya. Vehicle of choice for safaris in both places is the Toyota Landcruiser - modified with a pop up roof for game viewing and "stretched" to increase seating - 7 passengers in the rear (potentially could have another in the front with the driver but they don't seem to) and reducing the luggage compartment to barely 30cm behind the rear seat. It becomes obvious why luggage is restricted to soft sided bags. It is the beginning of the high season and the vehicles are a common sight and branded with dozens of different companies - it's big business here. At a couple of lunch stops in the game reserves we have counted up to 60 vehicles parked together at the one time! The driver/guide in both countries have been excellent, handling the vehicle and road conditions brilliantly(although occasionally we wondered if he thought he was driving in the Dakar rally), seeking out the best game viewing (the drivers are in continual radio contact keeping each other informed) and providing a wealth of information about the wildlife as well as the country and culture. (I'm sure I won't retain even half of it!) The accommodation was exceptional. All lodges were located in secluded spots away from everyone else. Some inside the parks, others just outside. A couple perched high up overlooking magnificent views. The isolation meant they were reliant on generators for all power so that was often switched off for a few hours through the night and the hot water only available 6-9 am & pm! All featured superb African decor and at some the rooms were in buildings modelled on the typical African round mud huts. The food at the lodges was plentiful diverse and delicious with many meals served as buffets. Some lunches we had picnic boxes prepacked as we were away from the lodge all day. At a couple of places the wildlife is known to roam into the grounds so a security guard is required to escort guests from the reception/dining area back to the rooms. The reality of this was clear yesterday morning when a small herd of elephants decided to graze on the lodge lawns adjacent to the rooms and reception/car park. Speaking of elephants we have continued to pursue sightings of all manner of African animals and birds over four more National Parks in Tanzania - Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. All very different landscapes. I must confess wondering at the beginning if 7 parks and multiple game drives would lead to overload (similar to Europe/UK where travellers reach the "not another castle/cathedral" point). Perhaps a little but the diversity of the regions and huge variety of wildlife kept it interesting. From lush tall jungle growth to low woodlands, swampy marshes, lakes, savannah grasslands to the arid woodlands - devoid of anything but the hardiest thorny bushes. The sheer volume of animals amazed me in some places. Australia has very little wildlife in comparison - even in our parks. Huge numbers of buffalo, gazelles, zebras and of course the wildebeest. It is impossible to describe or even capture in photos the magnitude of the wildebeest migration. Although we did not get to see them crossing a river we did see the huge herds spread out across the landscape (in the Maasai Mara) and often trudging in long lines travelling a path that has been imprinted in their DNA to do so. We have had amazingly close encounters with a lot of different creatures. And I will confess to feeling a little nervous on a couple of occasions as elephants and lions eyeballed us and looked somewhat threatening. Perhaps the lion was a little annoyed that we had been just metres away when he was busy mating! This morning, even though now in Nairobi, we continued our encounter with wildlife by visiting a giraffe centre where we got to handfeed and pat them. And there was a two week old baby giraffe there - so cute! I have been really fascinated by the local Maasai people and culture. I was not expecting to see so many people over such a wide area still living the traditional nomadic tribal lifestyle. Driving along we saw dozens & dozens of villages. These consist of a collection of mud huts enclosed in a fence made of branches from the thorny bush. The cattle or goats are gathered inside each evening after spending the days grazing (on what often appeared to be almost barren ground) tended by herdsmen wearing traditional colourful Maasai blankets. The animals are led to communal waterholes where water is also gathered and carried back to the village for domestic use. Women are often seen carrying water or bundles of wood on their heads.Donkeys abound as the primary means of transport - either pulling a cart or loaded up with sticks or water containers. It's really a whole different way of life! Hard to believe such a basic lifestyle still exists in the 21st century. Aside from visiting the giraffe centre we have also had opportunity to explore a little more of Nairobi... but this is quite long enough and that can wait for the next email! Signing off from Kenya as we head south tomorrow Jenny and David (still intrepid and still travelling!)