Times in Tanzania: Lake Chala: Trip V

Taking in the view with the clouds passing by

This weekend we headed to Lake Chala (Trip I, Trip II, Trip III, Trip IV) to celebrate our three year anniversary in Tanzania! We haven't gone much since the introduction of a $20 government fee at the gate and a corresponding hike in prices the lodge charges, which is a shame because this weekend we were reminded why it's such a great area to visit.

We left Saturday morning and we were somewhat alarmed at the signs of rain as soon as we turned off the highway. Higher elevations on Kilimanjaro have started to get rains but in Moshi it has been very sparse. Reaching Chala involves gaining some elevation and there was not only signs of rain but large mud puddles. We even saw ominous rainclouds coming off the mountain and wondered if it was a bad time of year to come.

Fortunately, by the time we reached the campsite around 11am, it looked like it would just be a cloudy day. Which was quite fortunate considering the heat at Chala is usually oppressive and a day hike is a true test of character! We set up camp and then proceeded on our usual circuit of the dry river, crater, and then open savanna.

We were shocked to see the river was flowing, which was something we've never seen before. Usually it is dried up with a few stagnant pools of water. Now the river was flowing and actually had a waterfall at a point! It was obviously more difficult to walk along the river bed so we modified our usual route and spent more time in the open savanna.

We enjoyed sightings of bushbuck and eland, which are particularly exciting in the thick acacia scrub because they are usually very close by the time you can actually spot them. Despite the clouds, it was still very hot so we made our way back to camp around 5pm.

The night was when things really started to get interesting. The moon was 95% illuminated and the light was so bright we did not need to walk with flashlights. We heard non-nocturnal birds periodically call out and the highlight came as we heard elephants grazing about 200m from our tent! We tried to get a closer look but due to the thickness of the acacias, we had to turn back before we could see them. Typically the elephants would be more scared of you than them, especially in areas like Chala which are surrounded by humans. Still, you never know what they will do if you surprise them, or, even worse, if you get between a mother and her calf. The next morning we went to where we thought they were and sure enough, lots of broken branches and eaten tree tops! We also agreed the area was very thick and we made the right decision in turning back when we did. It may SOUND like an easy and safe choice, but it's easy to get carried away when you think elephants are around!