We’ve just been in Rwanda as part of our travels around eastern Africa. Leaving there we flew to Tanzania, a country of about 56 million people, sitting east of Rwanda and stretching to the Indian Ocean. We landed in northern Tanzania at Mt Kilimanjaro Airport then caught a taxi for the 70 km drive to Arusha, the safari capital of Tanzania, where we stayed in a quaint lodge in a small hill village.
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| Marg outside our room in Songota Falls, Arusha, Tanzania |
The village was just outside Arusha’s main city centre, in the foothill of Mt Meru, an active volcano that is 4565 m high. The lodge was very quaint and quiet, and we managed to catch up on sleep, laundry, and the blog. The meals were wonderful and we tried many local foods, including banana soup. We ate in an open-sided dining area that gave us wonderful views of a valley below Mt Meru.
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| Village at the entrance to Songota Falls, Arusha, Tanzania |
But, the road up to our lodge was the worst we’d ever been on and it jigged and jogged us all over the place in the back of the taxi. On the other hand, the taxi driver was taking it slowly on the rotten road, so as we passed through the small villages up the mountain, we got to see a little of village life in Tanzania (or Tnzunya as the local make it sound). This whole area is dominated by subsistence farming, and the poverty is evident.
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| Maasai Market and Arusha Town Clock (Top). Arusha streets (below) |
We went down through the same villages a few days later, on a drive into Arusha, a large city of over 600,000 people of many ethnicities. Arusha was built by the Germans in the 19th century, and now has an interesting mix of markets, old buildings, and modern cafes and restaurants. While the architecture has the slightly crumbling look common to tropical areas, the vegetables in the main market were the opposite.
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| The colourful market in Arusha, Tanzania |
All the vegetables looked firm and fresh and the market itself, was very vibrant, colourful, and interesting. Everywhere we walked, local people smiled and waved and said Jambo (Swahili for Hello). We’ve found this in all countries we’ve been to on this trip. In fact, we have never smiled so much! They all seem particularly fascinated by Leigh’s very fair skin and blondish hair.
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| Us at Songota Falls, Bangata village, Tanzania |
While at the lodge, we were driven to Songota Waterfalls, further up Mt Meru. Again, the road was diabolical and best suited for walking or 4-footed and 2-wheeled transport. We went through several tiny villages where the locals were growing potatoes and bananas, along with other fruit and vegetables, until we reached Bangata area and a small property using sustainable farming methods. We met the owners, then walked through their property to reach the waterfalls. It was a lovely outing.
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| Snippets of village life near Tarangire National Park, Tanzania |
A few days later, we were picked up for our Tanzania safari, and drove through more villages where we saw snippets of local life. It was a very interesting drive. On this safari, we would travel in a 4x4 Landcruiser with a pop-top roof for viewing wildlife, and be on the road for 6 days/5 nights, staying in safari lodges and tented camps through northern Tanzania. Our first game drive of the safari was in Tarangire National Park.
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| Wildebeest seen at Tarangire National Park, Tanzania |
Tarangire is Tanzania’s 3rd largest national park and covers 2,850 square kilometres of unfenced and untamed wilderness. We had our permits stamped, entered the gates, and drove along the rough and dusty tracks seeking game. Our first sighting of the day was a large herd of wildebeest on their migration path. We hoped to see more of them later, but were impressed with the size of this herd.
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| A family of zebras at Tarangire National Park, Tanzania |
On our game drives in Kenya, often when we’d see wildebeest, we’d also see zebra, and today was no different. These sturdy little African equines are real characters when you see them clustered together in their very sociable way. We learned that a zebra’s stripes, like fingerprints on a human, are unique to each zebra and they can track family members using the pattern of the stripes. They can also communicate with each other by using facial expressions and moving their ears!
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| A beautiful giraffe at Tarangire National Park, Tanzania |
Next we spotted a huge giraffe. These majestic animals are the tallest land mammals on earth, and this one was a beauty. We stopped to watch her walk gracefully across the track, then she stopped and watched us watching her, looking right at us. Then she began eating the thorny leaves of an acacia tree, using her strong bluish tongue to strip the leaves. Like zebras, the pattern on a giraffe hide is unique. We love giraffes!
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| Ancient baobab tree sheltering wildebeest in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania |
As we drove around, we noticed huge trees that we hadn’t seen before - they were ancient baobab trees. These ungainly-looking giants can live for two to three thousand years and grow up to 30 metres high. This very useful tree stores moisture in its roots, provides shade and food, and is often home to many animals including big cats, and snakes. Because of this, Tanzanians think of the baobab as 'the tree of life'.
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| Us at the Tarangire National Park with the Tarangire River behind, Tanzania |
After a great morning, we stopped for lunch at a viewing point overlooking the Tarangire River. The river is a focal point of the park, and a favourite place for animals to gather. However, the only animals at our lunch stop were some pesky baboons that steal your food if you are not vigilant.
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| Snoozing leopard, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania |
Carrying on after lunch, we had a lovely surprise. We were looking at a huge baobab tree and spotted a leopard in it. He was very high up in the branches and seemed to be snoozing. But he must have sensed us and woke up, then climbed down the tree and walked away to the other side where we could not see him. Driving on, we saw a herds of elephants in the distance, herds of lesser kudu, and buffalo.
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| Villages leaving Tarangire National Park, Tanzania |
At the end of a fruitful game drive in Tarangire, we drove through more rural villages to our accommodation in Karatu township. During our meal that evening, the hotel staff all burst out of the kitchen singing, dancing, and playing music on saucepans in beautiful harmony and rhythm, to help celebrate a customer’s birthday. But they weren’t singing our traditional happy birthday song, it was entirely different, and was such a toe-tapping tune. We loved it.
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| Maasai people seen on the way to Lake Natron, Tanzania |
The next morning, we drove to Lake Natron, about 4 hours from Karatu. By now, we were getting into very dry and arid land, and the home of the Maasai people. We’d seen Maasai in Kenya, but saw a lot more of them here. Traditionally, the Maasai are herders and their cattle represents their wealth and is also their primary source of food. We would often see them walking in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere, quite at home in the heat and dust.
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| Flamingos flying, Lake Natron, Tanzania |
Arriving at Lake Natron, we found a mineral-rich soda lake that is home to many flamingos. After lunch, we met a Maasai guide who walked us out onto the crusty edges of the lake to see flamingo and learn more about them. We stayed the night at the Maasai Giraffe Eco-Lodge near the lake, and the next day, our travels took us to the famous Serengeti National Park. You can read about our experiences in the Serengeti in the next blog.
This blog is part of a series on our travels in eastern Africa. The first in this series is called Johannesburg, South Africa.