Flora and Fauna: Acacia trees

Recognize this Acacia tree? It's the iconic tree in the Disney movie, The Lion King. 

One of the most iconic trees in East Africa is the Acacia, known commonly as acacia, thorntree, whistling thorn, or wattle. It is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. There's about 800 species of Acacias worldwide (over 600 indigenous to Australia) but they are especially numerous on the plains of southern and eastern Africa, where they are well-known landmarks on the veld and savanna. Some are found in very dry conditions and other where there is a high water table.

Iconic Acacia tree. 

Acacias have extremely thorny branches which make them a serious hazard when hiking. Giraffes eat their leaves and are known to have particularly durable lips in order for them to cope with the thorns. Another awesome wildlife interaction is the way that shrikes (bird species) uses the thorns to tear apart its prey.

Nyumba ya Mungu Part II

We have visited Nyumba ya Mungu on a few occasions (one documented here), but we decided we would try to drive around Nyumba ya Mungu. We typically enter from the north and arrive at the northwestern most point. The dam is at the southern tip of Nyumba ya Mungu so this areas waterline fluctuates dramatically depending on the time of the year (i.e. rains). This allows for prime birding and also prime grazing for the locals donkeys and cows.

Our attempts to drive around the west side of the lake were successful, though challenging. We initially drove along the coast of the lake, which was easy and scenic. There are a few very small villages connected with a labyrinth of smaller roads and trails. About half way down the lake it became too rocky and we had to take trails inland which were unclear and rough. I would guess at which trail to take but then I'd be presented with another trail and another and soon realized it would be difficult to trace my steps backwards. It was easy to generally keep going south but a few times I underestimated the varying width of the lake and we had to double back and find another route.

Eventually we reached the dam and we realized the latter half of the journey was much less scenic and the lake was much rougher with a more abrupt coastline. The bonanza of birds in the shallows was replaced with a few groups of cormorants and flamingos. Still, the acacia landscape was beautiful in its own way and the villages added some character to the place.

After reaching the lake we then went directly east towards the main highway (yellow line on the map below) and then back to Moshi. It's then about an hour back to Moshi and we agreed that our next trip would be exploring the eastern side of Nyumba ya Mungu!

Map of the area: note from Moshi to Nyumba ya Mungu, scale is in bottom right

The hills to the west of Nyumba ya Mungu. 

Looking southeast across Nyumba ya Mungu toward the North Pare mountains. 

Greater flamingos wade in the shallows with the North Pares in the background. 

A look directly east across the lake with the North Pares. 

Because the lake is artificial, the landscape changes abruptly to acacia dominated savanna. 

The south point and dam!

Kindoroko Forest Part III

View from the ride to the base village of Usangi. Lake Jipe straddles the border of Kenya and Tanzania to the east. 

We've taken two (one, two) trips to Kindoroko Forest before and we returned this past weekend determined to push as far as we can into the forest. The hike was pretty straightforward as we start in the north end of the forest and hike up to the Kindoroko Peak (2,113 m/6,932 ft.).  This takes about two to three hours though it's a brutal nearly vertical ascent.

From the peak we walked along the ridge-line for about another hour. It was sloping downhill and the trail was less worn than the way up. We realized there were several smaller trails that were bisecting the trial, which we deduced led down to neighboring villages. To the west of us we could see dense forest and to the east of us were small villages. We decided we wanted to explore the western part on our next trip, possibly entering from a different road or starting our hike from the south.

In the end the trip was a success and Kindoroko Forest remains one of my favorite places to go in Tanzania. We are slowly but surely charting out the trails with our GPS and hopefully we'll one day have a guide to the trails of Kindoroko!

View from our ascent to the hiking point. Sub-montane environment!

View inside the forest. 

The peak of Kindoroko Mountain was not very clear in the morning....

...but when we returned in the afternoon it was much clearer!

Lianas invade the trail. There is a section that is basically completely covered by lianas, very Lord of the Rings-esque.

View from the "trail head" which is really someones house. 

Local carwash

Car wash from the waiting area. 

One thing that I've found to be a recurring theme in developing countries is the emphasis on cleanliness. One of the most obvious signs of a foreigner is dirty shoes; locals tend to keep their shoes spotless and clean them daily. This habit also applies to vehicles. I know some taxi drivers that was their car TWICE A DAY. Although it's understandable to frequently wash your vehicle due to the dust from the unpaved roads, sometimes it's a bit overboard, especially considering how beat up many of their vehicles are. Still, there is a thriving "car washing" industry in Moshi.

There is a hotel near to my house though it appears that the car wash is the main attraction. In the front of the hotel there is a large space with a few pressure washers, a water pipe, and several young men eager to wash your vehicle. For motorcycles it is TZS 3,000 ($1.78) and cars are TZS 10,000 ($5.94). Many people will either have their domestic servant or children wash their car but these guys offer a very thorough car wash due to their pressure washers. It's become my Sunday routine to go to the car wash and wait the 1/2 hour while they clean my bike. If it's a clear day you can even see a view of Kilimanjaro while you wait!

Worker with a pressure washer. 

Drying off the bike. 

Usangi accomodation: Mhako Hostel and Restaurant

Main road in the morning. The cobbled road exists for the 20 ft in front of this building, otherwise it's dirt

One of my favorite nearby destinations is the small mountain town of Usangi, about an hour and half southeast of Moshi. The town acts as a great jumping off point for the forest reserves in the North Pare mountains, especially Kindoroko Forest, which I've written about twice (one, two) before. 

Usangi is nestled in the North Pare mountains and is a one road affair with a few small roads leading to nearby farms and houses. The lush green landscape is a stark contrast to the nearby savanna and the the farmland, although found on sloping hillsides, is rich. Overall it is a sleepy town with about two shops selling food (sometimes), a primary and secondary school, and a church and mosque. 

One of the most surprising features of Usangi is a guesthouse, especially one of decent quality. 

The Mhako Hostel has a handful of rooms and they range from a "VIP" room ($60/night) with a private sitting room, balcony and bathroom, to small windowless cubes ($12/night). There are two that have a private bathroom, otherwise the bathroom is shared. If it's busy it can get a little gross as the toilet has some problem leaking and some patrons have problems pissing directly in the toilet. However, they will heat water for bucket baths and for the basic rooms, the price is right. There is also a restaurant where local food is served, which is affordable and filling. The only reason I find this guesthouse notable is that most guesthouses I stay at in towns the size of Usangi are dated, derelict and dirty while Mhako was obviously built recently with good materials and thoughtful design. 

The most shocking thing about the guesthouse is that it's been nearly at capacity every time I've visited. And it's been full of Tanzanians, which is even more puzzling given that it doesn't appear many are hitting the forest trails and Usangi is more of a village than a town. It's a place I'd assume people have family instead of staying at a guesthouse. Plus, it's not THAT far from Moshi if you're traveling somewhere it doesn't even have a through road. I asked the reception on my recent stay and he said that people come for tourism. Having never seen anyone in the forest (though there are several trails and forests), I still remain a skeptic. Looks like next time I'll have to be chummy with other patrons and just ask directly if I want to quench my curiosity. 

The main second floor seating area. 

Basic room. Pro tip: We always pack our mosquito net as only one room has one. 

A look from the "VIP room" balcony in the morning with clouds obscuring the mountains.