Road in the rainy season

 

Mud.

 

In the dry season the roads are dusty labyrinths of pot-holes and corrugation. The rains can transform them to slippery mud with pools of unknown depths scattered throughout. We recently took a road in Pwani Region during the end of the rainy season and after a heavy rain the previous night. The road was actually in pretty decent condition though there was a tree fall that we had to maneuver through. There were also some sections of the road that were under construction and the roller had not yet hardened the dirt. This resulted in some sections of extremely sticky mud. We encountered a bus along the way and it had drifted a little bit off the main road. It managed to muscle it's way out with an impressive kick of the engine and some wild fish-tailing.

We were lucky that the trip was uneventful but as usual we had the tools to address any unfortunate incidents. The first key item is a tow rope. Driving etiquette in Tanzania encourages assisting stranded drivers and thus vehicles are willing to at least try to pull a stuck vehicle out. But often times vehicles lack sturdy ropes and something as simple as attaching a rope to a vehicle turns into a more labor intensive affair. 

If you can't pull the vehicle out, you've got to dig and try to create traction around the wheels, usually by stuffing branches, logs, debris, etc. A shovel is a necessary tool to excavate around the wheels. Another necessary item is a machete. It can handle all the small cutting but a small axe is another useful item to have as it helps to cut branches that may be thicker than the machete can handle. There are different techniques depending on the situation so you want to ensure you have all the necessary tools to give yourself the best chance to dig yourself out!

I've written more about vehicles getting stuck in the mud here...

A palm tree had fallen and we just barely fit underneath.

This is a case where you absolutely, under no circumstance, want to divert from the established path.

Nyerere National Park

Lakes are like an oasis.

Nyerere National Park is one of Tanzania's newest national parks. It consists of land that was formerly gazetted as Selous Game Reserve (SGR). Most of SGR was designated for hunting but the northern part around the Rufiji River (Matambwe sector) was designated for tourism. It remains the best area for tourism in Nyerere National Park due to the Rufiji River and a set of lakes that are scattered around the wide river. 

The story behind why the national park was gazetted from SGR is an interesting one that I encourage you to research independently. 

We had a really nice game drive seeing plenty of impala, kudu and giraffe. We had a great sighting of elephant cooling off in a lake as well as a nice herd of buffalo. We did manage to see a pair of lions which was nice though after about an hour there were too many cars for my taste. When we arrived there was only one other car but by the time we left word had spread and there were more than 10. 

The landscape was dry and the grasses had mostly been eaten or burned. This made the lakes and river even more stunning and the roads were in decent shape. I imagine in the rainy season the majority of the shoreline drives would be impossible in the black cotton soil.  

Another lake.

Rufiji River in the rainy season

The first thing that I notice upon arrival to the Rufiji River is the sweltering heat. The strong sun and humidity that saturates the air is uncomfortable even after a few days acclimating in Dar es Salaam, a low lying coastal city. It truly feels wet, in the sense of a rain-forest and sweat is inevitable as is a sluggish feeling that comes from my body sending signals to my brain to slow down, find some shade, and rest. 

But it has been several weeks since my last trip here and there have been unseasonal heavy rains in areas further upstream. The Rufiji River is actually the end result of the Ruaha River as well as the Kilombero and Luwegu Rivers. I want to check out how the water levels are so we trek down towards the river. Although we're within village land, the riverine habitat is thick with seasonal tall grasses and reeds. When we walk a constant stream of small crickets jumps to avoid us, a type of strange visual that makes the ground look like it's ever so casually erupting. 

When we reach the rivers edge the high grasses obscure the view. But the sun is setting in the background and the thick humid air spreads the light in a particularly beautiful fashion, with soft hues that change slowly as the sun emits less light. I'm hot and at this point my shirt is nearly drenched but for just one moment, I can forget that all and take in the quintessential tropical sunset.

The Rufiji River

Sunset on the river.

 

While we have done more adventurous exploration of the Rufiji River (Trip I), our latest trip was not as intensive though still interesting. We are still getting to know the area so it's exciting to check out new areas. The main highway, going north/south from Dar es Salaam all the way to Mozambique, bisects the large mouth of the Rufiji River. One of the longest bridges in Africa, the Mkapa bridge (named by and for the third president of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa) is a notable feature in the area. 

There are settlements on both sides of the Rufiji River as you head west. On the north side of the river there are over a dozen villages before you reach the gate of Nyerere National Park. On the southside of the river there are fewer villages heading to the local administrative capital called Utete, the last village before the entrance to the Kingupira side of Selous Game Reserve.

I've gone down both ends but these days I spend more time on the north side. It's amazing how wild the river remains even with heavy traffic from small boats. Crocodiles and hippos can be seen and heard all along the river. There are a few larger permanent lakes, ponds, and shallow pools, some of which will dry up during the peak of the dry season.

The amazing plant, Desert Rose

The Rufiji River

Walking to the water.

The Rufiji River is 600 kilometres (370 mi) long, fed by the Kilombero and Ruaha Rivers. It's the largest river in Tanzania and signifcant portions run through protected areas, most notably Selous Game Reserve and the newly established Nyerere National Park. We took a work trip out there and had a fantastic time poking around the river and understanding the landscape. We were maybe 100km from the ocean but the river was already quite wide with numerous tributaries, islands, and other seasonally flooded areas. I was surprised as farmers put crops in the sand either on the shore or other parts of the riverbed. There are nutrient rich bushy areas before you reach the sand, and finally the water.

Hippos and crocodiles are in the area though local residents told us hippo numbers are reducing due to poaching. It was very unclear how we could cross the river but we eventually got someone to show us the crossing. There are a few community-owned boats that are communally used among community members. Apparently the going rate is 200tsh per person if it's in a big boat and 1,000tsh per person if it's chartered and anyone can offer this service. We thought we'd find a regularly run type of local ferry service but the system was far more informal than I expected. It also appeared to be a BYOP (bring your own paddle). When we successfully crossed to the the other side of the river, our guy stashed his paddle in a bush. It was a good move. When we came back our big boat was gone and what remained was a small boat a quarter full of water, with more seeping in every second. We heard a voice from around the bed and though we were in luck. Alas, an even more precarious boat came around the bend...

Yeah, I think I'll pass on the lift in that dudes boat.

Our guy took the paddle out of the bush, bailed the boat, and went to pick up the larger one. We waited in the shade and sure enough he came back with the larger boat. The larger boat was quite sturdy, seemed to leak at an acceptable rate, and held six of us with room to spare. The paddler had a long stick to push through shallow water gondola style and a small paddle for open water. We passed a group of hippos and a crocodile basking in the sun, so it's safe to say we were all carefully examining the river-worthiness of the carved out log. Although I wish the paddler had a larger paddle (or even two, canoe style?) the boat was sturdy. We all held our breath when we got temporarily beached on a sandbar. Stepping out of the boat to dislodge the boat in crocodile infested waters is not recommended but sometimes necessary. After a small push we were off.

It was a lot of fun to explore the river and cross over to see the temporary farming and grazing camps. People are living rough with small solar panels and basic houses. Many will only farm temporarily and frequently cross the river to go to town but it still must be rough. People were friendly and welcoming though notably surprised to see us!

Turtle on the loose

Larger and smaller boat. The guy had a long pole, it was just like Venice.

This is what a house off the grid looks like.

These two mamas were weaving mats and baskets.

Member from the Sukuma tribe with his cattle going for water. I was hoping to see some carnage with a crocodile but alas, there was none.

Saadani National Park

Zaraninge Forest

The cornerstone of our Christmas holiday was a trip to Saadani National Park, mainly to see the supposedly best conserved patch of coastal forest in Tanzania. We took some trips to other non-national park coastal forests and we were a bit disappointed in what we saw. We hadn't heard many glowing reviews of Saadani and due to it's relatively new gazetting (created in 2005) we didn't expect the fantastic wildlife of the northern parks since it was cobbled together from former hunting areas giving it an odd feel with a village and salt production facility in the heart of the park.

Our goal was to camp and hike in Zaraninge Forest though information on the internet and from friends was very sparse. When we got to the park headquarters we were told that road and campsite were closed. They also said they no longer do hikes in the area and that all the trails were closed. I persisted a bit and they finally relented saying that we could try but we wouldn't get our money back if the "special" campsite there was inaccessible. Funnily enough, it is $15 more to camp at the "special" campsites in the national parks here, which don't have any facilities. I was determined to reach the forest (or at least try) but we were a bit disappointed at the news we received. I was delighted to hear we could do a river cruise and that we could do it immediately before we tried to head to the forest (it was on the way).

To access the river you have to drive through a salt pan, which is unsightly though interesting to see. We were the only two people on the boat and although the wildlife was sparse (we saw a few hippos), it was cool to go out to the mouth of the river and see the mangroves. Our boat driver received a phone call and the trip was cut short because another group had come. It was a pretty poor value for one hour on the boat, though the timing would have probably been better in the morning or evening if we wanted to see wildlife other than birds.

After the boat cruise we made our way to the forest. We literally saw more cattle than any other wildlife (which actually, we didn't see any other mammals in this part of the park) and the drive took us through several villages. We were getting a bit nervous and feeling somewhat lost when we came upon an old WWF office. WWF had previously managed the Zaraninge Forest before it became part of the park. The ranger there told us we were almost there and gave us some direction.

When we finally reached the turnoff, it appeared our luck had changed. The forest was beautiful and undisturbed. However, the road was cluttered with tree falls and at one point I had to spend about a half hour cutting through a large branch with a machete. We also had to move a giant log in order for us to pass another very narrow section before reaching an absolutely stunning campsite.

The area around the campsite was very cool with massive wetlands (though quite dry this time of year) within a five minute walk. There was also a network of signed trails in the area but none of them led further than a 15 minute walk before being bushed out. It was quite disappointing that the area was not being managed though it was positive that there didn't seem to be any signs of resource extraction. The campsite was quiet and isolated and we enjoyed it immensely.

On the way out we stopped at the main beach campsite that was packed with day trippers from Dar es Salaam. We didn't see any more wildlife on our way out and although the trip was arduous we agreed it was worth it, though doubtful we would return again. We wouldn't recommend visiting the park unless you were particularly interested in the coastal forests.

Chopping those trees

Ana checking out the mangroves

Typical Saadani landscape

River campsite

The beginning of Zaraninge Forest

The wetlands in Zaraninge Forest

Campsite

An awesome bug at night

Zaraninge Forest

Beach campsite