Transition to dry season

 

Walk in the woods

After two very wet years, this years rains were way below average. Something strange happened with the weather whereby the late rains were later and heavier and/or the normal rainy season was earlier and shorter. This resulted in above average rains in January and February with rains nearly completely subsiding by March with a few showers in April. As a result the onset of the dry season has been earlier than usual.

The transition from rainy to dry season is a slow and creeping transition. The rainy days less frequent changing from raining every day, then every few days, to finally having a week or two pass before it rains. A sporadic rain will then be welcome but then there is always a day where one realizes that it is not going to rain for another six months! Evidence is usually through the drying of leaves or the lack of germinating grasses and shrubs. Intermittent influxes of termites and other insects become less frequent and the oranges and brown overtake any green and yellows.

The rainy and dry season are so long that the transition times feel like they pass so quickly. A few weeks of sunshine with the absence of rain will sap all the remaining moisture from the air and ground. It will signal all the flora and fauna to pack it in and hold on tight until the rains come again!

Sometimes it reminds me of the fall colors in North America. 

Flying over Mt. Kilimanjaro

 

 

Flying south from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam affords one the opportunity to see Mt. Kilimanjaro from the airplane. If one is landbound, on a normal day the peak hides behind the clouds during the day and can most frequently be seen in the mornings or the evenings. Thus an aerial view gives fantastic views of the peak. Flights coming from Europe also tend to fly over the mountain and it's an uplifting feeling to peer out the window and see the tallest mountain in Africa.

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.

Zanzibar: Mnemba Island for snorkeling

 

Gathering the group

 

My brother had never been snorkeling before so after a successful maiden snorkel at Chumbe Island we decided to hit Mnemba atoll as well.  We ended up going with the company One Ocean Dive Centre - Matemwe, which I was initially skeptical about. I was worried that a larger company may be offering more of a generic experience but I was pleased to find that was not the case. We were impressed with the quality of the gear (wetsuits included!), staff professionalism, island transfers (there was a skiff trip to board a larger boat), snacks (fresh fruit), and most importantly, it was a half day trip that was split up in to two 45 minute sessions. I loved the splitting of the sessions as I always feel like I'm enjoying the reefs so much that it only feels right when someone forces me to get back in the boat. So having two sessions totally helped to take some of the pressure off and to be honest, a half day was more than enough.

The snorkel guide was also fantastic, so good in fact that I wrote to the company commending his guiding. He was not only good at pointing stuff out but he also kept the group together. This was essential as the atoll was VERY busy. There were so many boats that at some point I questioned whether they were all there for snorkeling. Turns out that there are many divers are in the boats but still, there were something like 35 boats clustered together. We were also told that in peak season it can be extremely crowded.

The highlight of the trip was a Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) as well as plenty of eels that went unidentified. The reef wasn't in as good of health as Chumbe Island's but there were still plenty of healthy tracks. 

Overall I can not recommend enough to consider the wetsuit as a crucial item that most outfitters do not provide. It provides protection from the sun, additional buoyancy, and also keeps you warm. Even tropical waters will eventually draw heat from your body making you feel cold. I had only used a wetsuit while snorkeling once before but that as on a cold and cloudy day in the Pacific Ocean. I had not thought about the benefits of using a wetsuit in the tropics but I am now a believer! Even though the trip was on the high end when compared to other operators, it was totally worth it!

That's some tropical waters.

Zanzibar: Chumbe Island Coral Park: Trip II

View north from the lighthouse.

I can't believe that it has been more than five years since my last visit (Trip I) but I was happy to return to Chumbe Island. It remains one of my favorite package snorkel trips and it's great to know the trip is supporting the island and marine park. We had a booking snafu whereby they did not confirm our booking and Matilda was dismissive and rude but the manager Masudi swept in and was helpful and accommodating.

The visibility was not perfect during the snorkel trip but the coral was in great shape and offered some great viewing of the aquatic life. Ana even saw a Blacktipped Reef Shark which proved to be the highlight of the trip. 

I truly love the day trip nature and pacing of the trip. The forest walk was more of a forest narrative but redeemed itself when we climbed the lighthouse, which was closed during my last visit. The vistas of the island we beautiful!

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro: 6 day Machame route

Shira Camp

 

My young brother decided he wanted to come to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and naturally I decided to join. We were accompanied by one other person making our climbing group a total of three. We climbed the 6 day Machame route and there were relatively few people on the mountain due to the Omicron variant and the post-holiday "shoulder" season. 

You'll find a ton of information regarding climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro scattered throughout the internet so I'll just cover a few personal points here. The most important take away for me was that it is not necessarily your physical fitness level rather it's the pacing of your hike and acclimatization that is the most important. Everyone in our party felt the effects of altitude at some point or another and even though we adjusted, that "adjustment" was still massively uncomfortable. Our pace often seemed exaggerated with how slow we moved but I do think it paid off to not exert ourselves. I had gotten altitude sickness one time before in Colorado at a place that was only 3,431m (11,256ft), which is lower than everywhere after the 2nd day of the Kili climb! But that day in Colorado I was chopping wood and hiking and by the evening I had an awful headache and general nausea. I was slightly concerned about the altitude at Kili but a combination of taking Diamox (altitude sickness med Acetazolamide) and really watching our exertion helped us through. There was a fair amount of mental attrition that was also necessary due to the fact that your body clearly does not want to continue to starve itself of oxygen yet you continue to trudge ever higher.

The first few days of the hike were great and the camp sites and trails were not too overcrowded. I was disappointed at the amount of litter that was on the trail and disturbed by the trend of guides and porters blasting music from their portable bluetooth speakers. I think that the experience would have been vastly different had the mountain been crowded or the weather poor, but in the end we really lucked out with near perfect weather and open trails and camps. 

For all the beautiful hiking that Tanzania has to offer, hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro clearly represents a more metaphorical or self-discipline type of hike. I'd be hard pressed to find anyone that considers the last two days "fun" but I understand why people would have various motivations for reaching the summit. It's certainly not my type of hiking or backpacking but I was happy to join my brother on the adventure.

Total epic campsite at Barranco campsite. 

View from the Barranco Wall.

What a view 5000+m up

The dogs and the tortoise

 

Who is the boss here?

 

In the rainy season it is common to see Leopard Tortoises strolling around, some are huge (the biggest specimens have been reported to be up to 60 kg/132 lbs) while others are tiny. One recently came through camp and the camp dogs were agitated beyond belief. I imagine that they usually flush anything out with aggressive barking but due to their speed and natural fortification, the tortoises stand their ground or just carry on. I think the dogs are flummoxed by the lack of respect and it makes them nervy. 

They eventually made their way to sniff the tortoise and I felt the need to intervene on behalf of the poor guy. I shooed off the dogs and let the tortoise be on its way.