Tanzania: The country of Mad traffic, Hakuna matata and Karibu

02.08.2015

Last blog ended after crossing the border in the north of Mozambique and arriving in Mtwara, our first destination in Tanzania.
From there we drove to Kilwa Masoko and stayed at a beautiful campsite called Kilwa dreams. There was a very sweet girl working there who made us feel super welcome. The place also had a mini-restaurant where you could eat but we decided to cook, a nice steak and some potatoes and courgettes we had. It was super windy outside and the cooking gas flame would not stay on. I asked if we could maybe sit inside the restaurant with our mini portable kitchen and plates :-) there were no other guests there at the moment and she was fine with it. Super sweet.

The next day we drove from Kilwa towards Morogoro city. Our goal was to get to Mikumi National Park, but the drive would be too long to do that in a day so we stopped there. We had to actually drive via Dar es Salaam
to get there…. Horrible traffic and delayed us easily by 2 hours. What directly became apparent after crossing the border with Tanzania and surely when getting closer to Dar is all the TRUCKS… There is zoo many of them but moreover they drive like crazy. Together with the local touring buses they are surely the biggest danger on the road. They overtake in blind corners, they overtake with 2-3 trucks at the same time. They expect smaller cars and bikes to sort of disappear on the side of the road if the situation gets dangerous. So not that many animals on the road causing problems like in Botswana but in this case local traffic!

Finding in campsite in Morogoro turned out to be more difficult than expected and we soon also realized we had reached the most expensive country in southern Africa. (Even though maybe Tanzania is more East Africa. :-)) We were forced to stay in a local hotel and instead of paying 6-10 Dollars per night we now had to pay around 35 euros for a single room that we were allowed to actually sleep in with the two of us (bed was like 1,20 wide).
Well we had a roof above our heads that night and in this manner we could get going the next morning towards Mikumi after some shopping and petrol. Also this in Tanzania sounds easier than it is. All petrol had to be paid cash, we then first needed to get extra

money out (even though petrol is one of the few things that IS cheaper than elsewhere) then we finally filled the car and then needed a supermarket, they where either closed, bankrupt or very badly stocked. We ended up finding a small place run by Indians that was sort of Ok and we got to buy some crisps, yogurt and we even found a alcohol shop for some wine and beer. We were ready again!

We arrived at Mikumi around 11.00 in the morning, The road that leads there is the TanZam Highway. Why is it called that way? Well it is the road from Tanzania to Zambia (or the other way round) and that the main road to drive (also for all trucks and buses) from Lusaka to Dar es Salaam and everything in between. Some parts of this road (also the one in close to Dar) have been so overused by overloaded trucks at hot temperatures that there are actual „rails” marked into the tarmac which makes driving and especially overtaking very dangerous. Yet this road is also know for its special scenery while driving as you cross partially through the outsides of the Mikumi park. So already before we had entered the park we had seen giraffes :-)! When arriving to the park we also realized that entering the parks and also camping inside was not for free. We were around 160 dollars lighter but we were in :-)… Having said that I think we drove around for about 30-40 min before getting stuck in very deep mud.. I can hear you all think these stupid ladies :-) We did ask when entering the park if there were any roads we should not drive on and they said all good…
We were badly stuck and this time no diff-lock, low gears etc.. were going to help. It was 12.30 and in the middle of a wild park.. Do you get out of the car? Do you not? How do we get help? We had a satellite phone and luckily picked up a map from the park with some phone nrs on it. We called, it took about 3-4 hours for help to arrive, they did not really know the park very well themselves and kept asking us where we were stuck? What do you say.. the 4th tree on the

left we turned right and we see a lot of buffaloos on our right, and we were on our way to the hippo pool… More detail than that we could not give. They found it, they had to tow us out backwards and the whole operation still took about 30-40 min… But we were free and able to drive around in the park for another hour before it started to get dark. It was amazing how many giraffes we saw in this park, it think without exaggerating we must have seen around 100 in those 24 hours. We had an amazing wild camping spot, where Steph made the biggest fire of at least my trip and history… See pictures. We had a great bottle of wine, were proud of our dirty car and heard lions all night in the park but it was a good wildlife experience again.
Later on when looking at the map we did see there were some (unclearly marked) seasonal roads…this may have been one :-) oeps!!

From Mikumi NP we drove to Lusotho, a small village in the mountains. On our way there we were stopped by the police for

speeding (63 instead of 50 ). We said to them we did not see the sign and if it was really there (:-)) we actually drove back to check (and participate in this little piece of acting). We opened the window and the second question they asked was: ”Where are your husbands” ? our answer: they are at home earning money to be able to pay all these traffic fines! They found this incredibly funny and the fine dropped from 30.000o Tsh to 10,000 Tsh which is 5 euro’s. Lusotho is like a little piece of Scotland in Tanzania. The weather at the moment we had to drive up the mountain was also like in Scotland.. so much rain and wind. But we got here alive and were welcomed at the Lawn Hotel (and campsite) by and incredibly friendly lady. She felt so sorry for us that we wanted to camp in this weather that she gave us a 50% discount on the room so we would choose that for the night. We got a room that dated back to 1914 (Also the furniture :-)) see pictures. The place had great internet and so we were able to book

our flight and accommodation for Zanzibar and Cape town.

We drove from Lusotho to Arusha. We caught a glimpse of Mt kilimanjaro and Mt Meru. We arrived in Arusha and were recommend by Julie and Peter to stay at the Masai campsite. it was great, good hot showers, cool sleeping, secure.. only quite some noise from a road nearby. Before settling on the campsite we went in search of a good supermarket, and found it!! great to stock up on some good meat and veggies and fruit and extra stuff for what would be our last week. It was by now the 11th of january and we would hand in our car in Dar es Salaam on the 17th of January.

After some difficulties with some pieces of the rooftop tents (see pictures of us repairing) the next morning we wanted to head towards the Ngorongoro crater. This is not as easy as it sounds: just

like in Botswana also here you need to go to an office and ask for a permit for the campsite and the park. Once you know the days/price you have to pay, you have to go to a local bank and stand in the queue to make a cash deposit at the account of the NP. The bank then gives you a receipt and once at the gates of the park this receipt again is the proof of payment and an actual entry permit is given to you for you and the car. Well this was our mission on the 12th of January. We drove to the bank they had told us about: CLOSED! Why? Guard: It is a national holiday today everything is closed. Mhhh… after a short minute of disappointment I realized the first answer in Africa is rarely the right and final one. We asked again:Is everything closed? Yes. Also other banks? Yes. Is there not one bank where we can maybe pay this? NO… Well maybe there is one bank open in town. I think all the other people go there today to pay.. Mhh OK? So there is one bank open? Yes maybe… So there we went and it was indeed open, that was good news! Less good news, the whole of Arusha that needed to deposit money today were also there :-)

We got to the NP around 16.00 and to the campsite (Campsite Simba A) around 17.00. Such a beautiful place and we got an amazing spot on just the edge of the crater with our rooftop tents!
When we had parked our car and got out, we heard a funny noise from the front-left tyre.. A big puncture! We did some attempts of fixing it, with half the campsite as visitors impressed by our car, two female travelers and our mission of fixing the tyre. We had some beers and bites but just after dinner (when it was dark already) we did decide to change the whole tyre. As waking up the next morning around 05.00 to go down to the crater and then finding out our fixing solution had not worked would be worse. While doing this the two park rangers stopped by and where very interested in what was happening. While there Steph and the ranger did a small skin comparison. He said that even if we went to Zanzibar for a month we would never get his color :-) and then when looking at our arm and freckles/moles he said: what is that? is it an allergy? should you not get them removed? haha… a good culture bonding moment again.

That night around 00.30 I heard some grinding noises, moving plants and trees etc.. I sat up in my tent and through my mosquito net could look outside. I had expected it to be a buffalo.. but to my extreme surprise I saw a huge elephant tusk (tooth) at about 2 meters from my tent entry! Whaaa… so scary and 2 sec later I realized so beautiful too. Steph was sleeping in the tent next to me… I sort of wisper-shouted Steph wake up! a few times. She did :-) ” If you sit up straight in your tent you will see an elephant in front of our home! I sat there for about 5-10 min observing, enjoying and also praying he would not decide to explore my tent.. AND where the hell were those two rangers now!!? haha
Well after a few minutes he decided to take an extensive pee-break in

front of our tent… IT sounded like a waterfall.. but apparently he was feeling comfortable in our presence. What a night!!
The next morning we left around 05.30 down to the crater.. After a short TIA discussion with the guard on duty we were allowed in. It was after all rule NR 7 to have a guide with you in the car, and pay for the guard. One we had no space in the car for him and 2 after already having paid 440USD!!! to enter the crater we were done paying. For some reason this convinced him.
But back to what matters: WAUW! it is a piece of nature that I have never seen anywhere else! Impressive and soooo peaceful! and..we saw the black rhino!!! Steph was so excited and had made a promise to me just in case we saw a black rhino…… She is now busy choosing a tattoo shop and deciding where the rhino will be tattooed :-) We saw lions, hippo’s, buffalo’s, and so much more… It was impressive!

You are only allowed into the crater for max 6 hours so around 11.00

we were on our way out and decided that our next stop would be Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its ”tree-climbing Lions” . This was again a beautiful park, so much vegetation and nearly no people we felt on our own. Like most parks in Tanzania also this was quite expensive. I have to say that in comparison to all the other countries Tanzania was by far the most expensive and not always I think in good comparison to the quality. Prices sometimes were ridiculous, but what the hell we live once and we were here now, so lets enjoy it! We got to the park around 1400 and wanted to check out both campsites (1 and 2). The trip toward the second campsite in the park took us the whole afternoon and when we got there it was very remote from any roads, had fences to protect the toilets, smelt of elephants and also we had no coverage with our phones..We decided that we would drive back to campsite one and probably have a more peaceful and safe night. We did, even though when we were preparing our meal there started appearing some funny little cat-like animals that looked like mini hyenas. Still we are not sure what they were, but they were not afraid of the fire we had made and very curious. We went to bed early that night after a very, very long day!

What I have not mentioned yet is that since Arusha the weather had actually started to become a lot better and sun was actually constantly up in the blue sky. It was a nice change again. That morning we our last safari drive, sometimes being a bit more careful, as we had nearly killed ( driven over) a very special leguaan/iguana the day before :-(. then we drove back to Arusha were we enjoyed a great sunny afternoon, with nice cold wine and beers. Reading a book and actually realizing that the end of our road trip was coming close. Our trip had actually gone by with no major injuries, but that night Steph stept into some huge thorn, the size of a tooth pick. Luckily I had quite an extensive medical kit with me and after some disinfecting for a few days her foot was ok again.


The next morning we had booked a village tour through a local village and a visit to the local Masai Cattle market. I have to say a very nice morning were we got to see the other side of african life again, that sometimes is kept far away from National parks, safaris and lodges. We did a beautiful hike in the hills, learned some things about traditional Masai living and life and visited the market. Our Tanzania experience was nearly complete and we started our drive back to Dar Es Salaam. That night we slept mid-way in Pangane River side Camp close to Mumbo. Quite a basic campsite but also with a very ambitious, friendly young local owner who was trying to make this work. We had a drink with him, offered him a cigarette and he told us some more about local traditional life in Tanzania.

The next morning we started to drive early at 08.00 am what would be our last kilometers toward Dar es Salaam. We had chosen a very

nice campsite to stay just in Dar. We got there at 14.00 but obviously this trip needed to end with a few unplanned extra stops. The place was not as nice as we expected and so we moved to another campsite, we had nearly opened up our tent there when they made clear to us it was a military camp and we could not stay. We drove to a hotel, but that had clearly not been used the last 8 months. Then we decided to go to campsite (on the other side of town) that we got recommended. Mikadi Campsite. Yet this meant crossing again through Dar, which we had not really enjoyed the first time. Yet we had no other option. It even meant taking a Ferry again, a whole experience again as we were on that boat with far too many cars and after that all,and we mean ALL, the little left over gaps were filled up with people. Well the boat did not sink and we got to a great campsite at 17.00 ( again a long day of driving!)We got a beautiful spot to camp nearly on the beach, for our last night. It had cold salt-water showers, with good pressure :-) and a bucket of fresh water next to it so you could rinse

yourself off. This also meant salt water to brush your teeth with we found out :-)

During this whole day I had also been in touch with the rental company as they would be picking up the car the next morning from where ever we would be staying that night. Yet the campsite plan changed various times during the day but we now very finally stationed somewhere. To my surprise they called me to inform that their driver would only arrive at Dar airport around midday and we had a flight at 15.00 so it would be better to drive to Dar Airport the next morning to deliver the car their….Noooo this meant we had to take the ferry again and drive through horrible Dar City traffic again… Well on the positive side we did not need to order a taxi to the airport and got a few more kilometers with my precious car (named: ” Tough-y” )before saying good-bye :-)

The next morning, the last day in the car after more than 17000 km!! the airport was 20 km away from the campsite and our flight at 15.00. We left at 11.00. It took us until 13.50 (nearly 4 hours) to get to the airport. But we got there. I had to park the car, hide the keys and all the paper work, text the rental company about the location and they would then take over… So we did. But it was 1350 and our flight was at 14.50! Help! we got to security who then tell us we are at the wrong terminal. Excuse me!!? Yes madam, you have to go back to another (old) terminal that is used for the island flights! Funny anecdote is, that we had actually been there 20 min before but when we saw the terminal and the planes (only 6-12 seaters, private jets) we though this must be wrong. Well it was not wrong we actually had to get into one of those mini planes with all our luggage to get to Zanzibar!! Hilarious! see pictures for more details. The pilot once you get into the plane, actually just turns around in his chair: ” Ladies and gentlemen welcome and please fasten your seat belts. Your life vests are under your seats and enjoy your flight!”

We got to Zanzibar and now the final phase of my trip had started! Zanzibar and Cape Town will follow in a short last blog with mostly pictures!
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