Times in Tanzania: Lake Jipe: Trip III

Ana on the water

We have gone to Lake Jipe twice before (Trip I, Trip II) but each time we had spent so much time bird watching on the road there that we arrived too late to go on the lake. We decided this weekend that we would do some "bush camping" though we knew the trip would be highly exploratory, aka, we were ready for a huge success or massive failure.

As usual we enjoyed some bird watching on the way to the lake. At around 2pm we stopped for lunch at the point where we previously had cut down towards the northern end of the lake. We agreed that we would continue further south and try to get towards the southern end. After lunch it was quite hot and the landscape was sparse and hot. We managed to cut across to some small villages on the southern end of the lake but our further explorations only brought us to sketchy roads and impassable terrain. We decided to return to the nearest village and try to get on the lake.

The entire western side of Lake Jipe is covered with reeds. In some places it extends 100m out and as a result it's hard to actually see the lake when you are on the western side. Along the shore the local people have dug out small channels to navigate out to the main lake. While we were checking out one of these canals, a young guy came back in from a fishing excursion. We asked him if he would take us out and he agreed that he and his friend would take us out to the lake but we couldn't go too far because of the wind. The price was right so we hopped in and set off.

Slowly pushing through the canal with reeds hanging over us was an amazing experience. Kingfishers and other birds zipped in and out of the reeds. It seemed to go on for quite some time before we finally made our way to the open water. The young guy (couldn't have been older than 17) explained that across the lake was Tsavo National Park in Kenya so in the evenings there are several animals that come to drink but it was too far to go now. He said there were hippos and crocs at the southern end but he was hesitant to go.

On our way back we stopped on a small stand of reeds to rest. Another fisherman was coming back from the lake and he chided the young guys for not taking us further. I am assuming the young guys had never taken foreigners out and even worse they were probably already out on the lake all day so they were tired. I certainly didn't want to be the one to push them past what they were comfortable with amongst crocs and hippos!

We got off the lake around 5pm and drove another 15 minutes or so down the shore. There was no evidence of settlements and we found a quiet spot and set up our tent. The soil was like black clay and there were sections where you couldn't get close to the lake without sinking. We even saw two cows that were submerged and likely stuck until they died. It was pretty brutal to see as one was somewhat normal looking, just stuck, while the other was mistaken as dead if not for the faint breathing we detected.

I was really paranoid about the soil because although it is not the rainy season, if by chance we got a freak rain there would be no way we could get out of the soil. But I was highly committed to this spot and the worst thing that would happen is that we'd have to wait all day till it dried up. So we settled in, started a fire, cooked dinner, and enjoyed the amazing panorama of stars.

The night was incredibly peaceful and one of the quietest places I've ever been in. There were some random wind storms but for the most part it was as still and quiet as you could possibly imagine. There weren't any night birds nor were there any birds calling at dawn. Only some bee-eaters and swallows came in after sunrise and some distant waterbirds in the reeds.

On our way out we stopped by the same canal as the day before. We met an older and more experienced fisherman and asked him if he would be willing to take us out. He agreed and we set out again! This time the lake was much calmer and we managed to go to the southern end. We got to see a few groups of hippos as well as some nice birds. It was very cool to see the lake with the Pare Mountains on one side and the dry flat Tsavo plain on the other. It also helped that it was a bit cloudy and not too hot.

On our way back to Moshi we decided to take the scenic route through the mountains instead of driving along the northern end. The road didn't show up on the maps and we just kind of followed our noses until we finally reached the familiar road in the mountains. It was a very rocky and steep climb, in fact it was the first time we've had to use our four wheel drive for an incline (we've used it plenty for mud). It was fun to do and we look forward to our next Lake Jipe boating excursion.