South Pare Mountains: Chome Trip II

The road to Chome with awesome vistas.

Our friends that live in Chome are moving at the end of this month so it was a good excuse to get back up the mountain and pay them a visit (Trip I). For a normal weekend we drive the 1 1/2 drive south to Same on Friday night, then drive the remaining three hours up the mountain the following morning. It makes for a long trip back on Sunday but the drive (sans highway portion from Same) is actually quite fun as there are tons of birds on the way so frequent stops break up the trip.

The mountain road is narrow, steep, and full of ditches and sharp rocks but the scenery is beautiful with expansive views of the plains to one side and impressive mountains on the other. This time of the year the mountains are green with vegetation and small waterfalls run over escarpments as the clouds roll off the mountains in the morning.

As we started up the mountain we passed over a particularly rocky patch. I suddenly heard one of the tires spewing air and I quickly reversed down to a flat patch of ground that we had just passed. I was happy that the tire punctured there because there are VERY few flat areas on the road up. We parked the car and assessed the situation; a jagged rock had literally sliced open the side of one of the front tires. No worries, we had a spare and a jack. Had I ever used the spare or the jack? No. But I had seen the jack used when the car was getting repaired in the workshop.

Well, turns out that we had two jacks and they were both very small. I put the jack on a flat rock and put it as close to the car as possible, then jacked it as far as it would go. It did not appear to have moved the car at all. I was a bit frustrated and trying to think of what to do when an older man passed on the road and stopped to help us. We explained our situation and he obviously had a bit more experience than us as he matter of factly told us there was no problem. He instructed us to jack as far a we could, then stack a separate pile of rocks to act as a lift for the car, take down the jack, re stack a taller rock on the jack, then lift it again and repeat the process. This incremental jacking process took us three "reloads" before we could remove the tire. The secondary pile of rocks was also under extreme stress and when we lowered it while we were finished we realized that two of the rocks had broken. But, we were successful in changing the tire.

At least we were stuck in a very scenic spot.

Jack situation.

A close look at the jack situation

The whole incident delayed us a bit up the mountain but we still arrived to Chome with plenty of time. We went on a very nice walk to some forest areas, checked out a waterfall, and hung with our friends at their house for dinner. I'm always very happy to be in a village and live the "village life" though I wish we could have spent a few more days there!

A view of the mountains while in the plains. Early morning clouds.

View of the plains from the road up.

Doing some birding.

Super bad ass spider.

It ain't a village visit without some river crossings.

On a hike.

Waterfall action.

View of the plains in the morning, above the clouds.

Nyumba ya Mungu: Trip VIII, north end

Boats back from a days fishing.

One of our favorite spots relatively close is Nyumba ya Mungu, a large lake created from a dam (Trip I, II, III, IV, V & VI, VII). We usually go to the same spot on the lake due to accessibility but occasionally we'll visit other parts. This weekend we somewhat by accident visited a portion in the far north.

Our friend had "discovered" the area during the week and thought it was a different lake than Nyumba ya Mungu. We met up with the locals he had gone out with and we followed them until we reached a small river. I was slightly concerned with the river since the opposite shore was quite steep, almost like a small curb the car would have to jump. I started in and hit the step and promptly rolled back into an unseen hole. Bam, stuck. Luckily the vehicle that had escorted us had yet to leave so they went to town to look for a tow rope. They returned with a gigantic roll of twine which didn't look like much at first, but after doubling it back about 100 times, well, not sure it looked much better but it was all that we had.

At the moment we got stuck, a herd of cows just happened to come by and check us out.

Taking shade under a tree while we waited for the rope.

The rope was strong, in the end.

We did manage to get the car out and our spirits were not dampened as we tried to cross again, this time with success. We waved our friends goodbye and they told us to just call them if we got stuck on the way back and they'd come help us out if we got stuck.

The rest of the route was a very peculiar landscape, kind of an acacia plain with evidence of extreme flooding. We eventually arrived to the lake and set up shop to watch some birds and chat with some fishermen. We had gotten out quite late in the day so we had to turn back around 6pm with about an hour of daylight left.

Unfortunately, I had been a bit overzealous with how close I drove us to the water and upon entering the car we realized all the tires were slipping. We didn't dig ourselves in and I quickly hurried back to the fishermen's camp to recruit some help. I was worried because it was late and I had only seen a few older people there and if we couldn't get unstuck it would be a very long walk (probably 2 hours?) back to the nearest village, and I doubt there would be a vehicle there AND even if there was, they would probably chide me for being a moron driving too close to the sticky mud and they likely wouldn't want to drive their vehicle on the surface.


Morale was low when I returned with a young teenage boy, probably 13 years old. However, I did acquire a plank of wood, though it had fish guts all over it that I promptly covered myself with. So, here I was, with a 13 year old, car slipping on the mud, smelling like fish guts. I was not happy to say the least.

Still, we persevered and with enough rocks, the plank of wood, and serious pushing, we got the car out and moving. However, our journey wasn't over since we still had to find our way back. The road was somewhat clear to a point but there was a certain junction where motorcycles and bicycles (99% of local traffic) carried on while larger vehicles had to take a turn to reach the river we previously crossed. Luckily we crossed paths with a motorcycle coming from another part of the lake and he led us to the road we needed to reach. I didn't even realize how lost we likely would have gotten had he not led us, but I was even more pleased since we somehow found a different road that had a proper bridge over the river.

Overall it was certainly more of an adventure than we bargained for, especially for a, "short afternoon bird trip", but the landscape was lovely and there is ALWAYS room for adversity!

Pare Mountains in the background.

Watching some water birds.

Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background.

Birding: Lark Plain Trip III

It's not called the lark PLAIN for nothing, there is a lot of plain. 

We finally got an opportunity to return to the Lark Plain, a unique habitat north of Arusha which is home to an endemic and rare species of lark, the Beesley's Lark. We have come twice before (Trip I, Trip II) and had never seen the lark, though we were told that it is only found in a very specific area and that we'd have to go with someone that knew exactly where to find it.

Well, we organized with one of our old friends who happens to be likely the best birder we know in Tanzania. It had been a long time since we'd gone out together so we were happy to see him. He also brought one of his friends as well, who was a welcome addition. Both had been to the Lark Plains several times so I felt confident we'd have a successful trip!

We left Arusha early at 7AM, which is critical since the Lark Plains can get very toasty. The plains are located on the north side of Mt. Meru so we were in luck as the clouds created by Mt. Meru provided some shade during the morning.  It was an overcast day with some brief rays of sun which was the perfect kind of weather.

Sure enough, we found the Beasely's Lark and a bunch of other nice birds. Some wild Thompson's Gazelle and Hartebeest ran through the area contrasting with the domesticated cows led by Masaai and the plains seemed to stretch on endlessly. Mt. Meru didn't show its face but the clouds constantly rolled off the mountain. We also learned that the road we took can lead us all the way to west Kilimanjaro so if we ever fancy taking the "long way" to Arusha, we now know the way!

Larks are found on the ground, so I think we were looking at something else here.

A nice cloudy day on the plains.

Lake Jipe

I'm always happy to go on a day trip and these days it feels like we've exhausted our options. But there is ALWAYS more to see and this weekend we decided to try to go to the infrequently visited Lake Jipe. Shallow, narrow and enclosed by dense beds of tall papyrus, Lake Jipe runs for 10km along a natural swamp, nowhere more than 3m deep, on the Kenya border between Kilimanjaro, the main source of its water, and Mkomazi National Park.

It’s an atmospheric body of water, with an awesome setting: the Pare Mountains to the south, Chala crater rising from the flat plain to the east, and, when the clouds clear, Kilimanjaro hulking over the northeast skyline. Lake Jipe is seldom visited, and almost never from the Tanzania side, but it is reasonably accessible, and there’s quite a bit of wildlife around, since part of the northern shore is protected within Kenya’s unfenced Tsavo National Park. The lake itself extends over 28 square km and is teeming with hippopotami and crocodiles, while the papyrus beds harbor several localized  birds,

Due to the infrequency of visitors, information is not very clear on how to reach it but we figured we could do an exploratory trip and see how far we got. After all, the area around the lake was sparsely populated so we figured we wouldn't have any problem asking around.

Overall we were successful in finding the lake though we realized we hadn't left enough time to actually get on the lake. We also underestimed just how thick the reed cover was as we couldn't even see the lake when we were on the supposed shore. We did manage to find some guys that would take us out on a very basic canoe but we didn't have enough time to make it out. Apparently navigating through the reeds takes some time and I certainly don't want to rush the boatmen considering the hippos and crocs!

I think we will return and camp, then head out on the lake in the early morning. It'd probably be wise to bring some umbrellas for the sun, which might appear a bit bourgeois for the locals but I think it might get a bit hot on the lake. Can't wait for the return trip!

Local bee-hives on the way.

Early in the morning on our way there we stopped along a river that drains to the lake.

On the lake shore. Can't see anything over the reeds.

North Pare mountains in the background.

The lake shore, with reeds.

The plains in the east on the road to Jipe.

North Pare Mountains on the way back.

Nyumba ya Mungu: Trip VII

Young Masaai crosses the frame.

Nyumba ya Mungu is one of our favorite places to go (Trip I, II, III, IV, V & VI) and I continue to enter these trips mainly for the sake of posterity. I've already taken loads of pictures and written much about it but I consider it a real special place and loads of fun to drive the rough road to reach.

This trip we took a fellow birder named Pete out to the lake. We spent a long time on the road there as it's full of birds. When we reached the lake around noon there were a ton of people fishing, washing their clothes, and selling fish onward to the markets. As usual it was very hot and we could only be out for about an hour before we retired to the car for lunch. The lake was as low as we've ever seen it which was great for watching birds as you could get close to reed beds packed with birds.

Overall we had a great day though the heat remains the biggest challenge of Nyumba ya Mungu. However, there is no way around it so we just make sure to drink lots of water and stay covered!

Ana looking across the plains.

Checking out some birds!

Cows grazing in the shallows.

Moving: New House IV

Front of the house. Ignore the chair on the railing, it was cleaning day!

Well, we recently moved to our fifth place in Tanzania (1,2,3,4). Although it's a lot of moves in just over two years, I think we've finally found a place we really like.

We moved about five minutes from our previous house which was ideal since we love our neighborhood. We love it for a few reasons, namely that it is out of town a bit (but not too far), has reliable water and electricity, and is quiet and small with a friendly vibe where you know the shopkeepers and neighbors.

The size of the house and arrangement is also near perfect. There is another house with a Tanzanian family that live in our compound and we share the backyard space. The mother does tailoring on her porch, chickens run around, kids play, and it generally feels relaxed and homey. It also helps to have people around since we are frequently out of town.

The house itself is a two bedroom (one en suite), with a storage room, split bathroom and sitting room. We also have covered parking and a covered porch. We joke because I call the extra room the studio since it's got a drum kit and Ana calls it the gymnasium since she does exercise there. Maybe it's a multi-purpose room?

Unlike our last place, which was massive, this place is easy to maintain and comfortable. We also have slowly acquired most all the furnishings of a house. We only need to buy a kitchen table and then we'll be good to go! For now, we take our meals on the porch!

Sitting room.

Sitting room from another angle.

Split bathroom.

Main bedroom.

Ensuite bahtroom with a western toilet and shower.

Studio/gymnasium room.

Kitchen and backdoor with entry to store room.

Store room. Could be a third bedroom.

Kitchen from the store room angle.

Marangu: Marangu Hotel and Ndoro Waterfall

Ndoro Falls.

We have been talking about making more of an effort to explore all the spots located on the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. To actually enter the park requires payment of national park fees, which in the end would end up to be about $100 USD per day to go on a hike. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the areas on the mountain have been cultivated right up to the border of the park, making it more of a hike through farmland than through the montane rainforest that exists in the park. We previously visited a place on the northeast side of Kilimanjaro as well as a place on the west side, so we decided to check out Marangu, which is only about 45 minutes from us on the south east side of the mountain.

There is a nice hotel located in the area with very nice camping facilities and reasonably priced food. The hotel specializes in group climbs and we found the facilities to be quite nice, similar to many of the accommodation options on Kili in that it was obviously an old plantation converted into a hotel. The hotel is located outside of the main town with spacious grounds and some nice views of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

We reluctantly took a guide in hopes that he would know some nice birding spots and trails, but he was a bit drunk and although he wasn't bad, he certainly wasn't a positive addition to the hike. It would have been challenging to independently navigate the village trails, and he did show us where the waterfall was which was a pretty substantial walk from the hotel.

As residents of the area we always find it difficult to go with guides as they are somewhat pre-programmed to give a certain "experience". Most have been trained in a very specific way and since we already know much about the local culture and flora/fauna, most of the facts they give can be redundant. Even speaking Swahili and them knowing we have lived here for some years, they still deliver the same program. I'm sure that the vast majority of people enjoy these tours and there may be a tactful way to tell them we just want to walk but usually we feel bad and feign polite interest in their facts.

The Ndoro Waterfall was pretty cool and somewhat well organized with an office and small building where people signed the visitors book and paid the fee. It was a bit odd as a young guy was stationed on the road about a hundred meters before the entrance and he quickly latched onto us and explained we had to go to the office to pay the fee. However, since we were already with our guide we were allowed to go down the falls with him.

The walk down was steep but short. There was a group of young Tanzanians swimming and we joined them in the VERY cold water. We enjoyed the environment as the river was surrounded with lush vegetation and the sound of the falls was calming. A large group of tourists came just as we were ready to leave, which is good because the area wasn't really too large and could easily feel crowded.

We enjoyed our time in Marangu but I'm not sure if we'll be rushing back anytime soon. We did like that it was very close, we could camp, food was good and fairly priced, and it did have the "mountain" feel (cold night, nice views). However, the main activity, which would be hiking, was somewhat limited, but perhaps if we just needed a place to chill out, it would be perfect.

On a walk through typical villages on the mountain.

Hiking down to the waterfall.

Ana and I at the waterfall...it was VERY cold!

Hiking up the trail from the waterfall.

Lots of irrigation in the area with loads of water flowing off the mountain.

Looking over into the ravine.

Mt. Kilimanjaro visible from the pool in the morning.

View of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the morning.

A nice flower at the hotel.