Nyumba ya Mungu: Part V and VI

There are many boats scattered throughout and they provide a great spot for a mid morning snack!

I've documented our many trips to Nyumba ya Mungu before (Trip I, II, III, IV) and we were lucky enough to go out there last weekend, and then also this weekend. I was contacted by someone that had found my entries online (people ARE apparently finding my blog!) and he had a friend coming to Moshi to do some birding. We told him that yes, Nyumba ya Mungu is a must for any birder, especially since it is low cost and a bit off the tourist trail. We met the guy for coffee during the week and he seemed nice enough so we agreed to escort them to the lake.

The birding trip was a success, though as usual, it was TOO hot by the time we reached there. However, the roads are dry so it's less of an arduous journey and the birdlife was spectacular. The next weekend we decided we wanted to go somewhere, but our car is in the garage for repair and due to the national elections we didn't want to stray to far. That left Nyumba ya Mungu, which we agreed would be interesting to visit two weeks in a row to see the variation of bird life.

We also decided to go for an "early" birding trip since we are always complaining about the heat. We left the house at 6AM and arrived a bit before 8AM. By the time it was about 11AM, the heat was on, but we weren't exhausted from standing exposed in the peak heat.

The area is quite beautiful this time of the year but the trip is still tiresome, especially on the motorcycle. We agreed that the early arrival was critical to our morale but we also agreed that we must take a boat out to the interior of the lake one of these days! Maybe a camping trip is in order?

Mt. Kilimanjaro was visible to the north.

Nyumba ya Mungu and the North Pare mountains.

Yet another boat to rest on.

We were heavily observed by a small troupe of Masai children.

TPC II: South Pools

Checking out some birds.

We've visited TPC many times (see here) but usually when we're birding there is not much to blog about, unless you're particularly interested in a rare or infrequent species that we see. TPC mainly provides a nearby area (30-40 minutes drive) whereby one can walk undisturbed along various habitats, though virtually all the areas are small and surrounded by plots of sugar cane.

One of our favorite spots is back in the "south pools" an area that has water year round and therefore attracts various water birds. This time of the year is the "short rain" season, and thus the grass emerging from the dry ground is a picturesque sight.

It's a great Sunday morning activity for us and we usually finish up by going out to lunch in Moshi. We love to see the fluctuation in species, for example, in the last two trips (3 weeks apart), we saw about 35 species each time with 15 or so being different species. The only downside is that it gets awfully hot, but when you have a nice lunch to look forward to, it's not so bad!

One of the pools.

Checking the bird book for ID help.

Some more pools with new grass coming up.

One of the roads at TPC with massive flowering trees.

Pangani: Maziwe Island

Looking out as the tide comes in. 

One of our friends recommended snorkeling at an island about 8km offshore from Pangani at a place called Maziwe Island. Maziwe Island is a marine reserve but it has been poorly managed until a few years ago. It is a tiny island with nothing but sand and some rock, though there is a very healthy group of coral and fish on the east side of the island.

Our friend had given us the number for Kasa Divers and we tried to arrange an outing. The person in charge wrote us saying she wanted to go out the next day, which we said we couldn't. I said we would like to go out the following day and she said that was fine. The next day she emailed and said maybe she would have to go to town and possibly couldn't go. I asked her to confirm either way so I could arrange it with someone else. I was really worried as I had been looking forward to the trip and I was disappointed Kasa Divers couldn't give me an answer within 24 hours of wanting to go.

As I lost faith in Kasa Divers, I decided to go to Pangani to check out if there were any other operators. I stopped at a hotel between where we were staying and Pangani and saw some flyers on the wall. I took a number and called a tour operator though the person I reached was apparently based in Moshi. He said he would call the guy in Pangani and see what he could do. The whole thing began to seem like it would never happen and even worse, when we reached Pangani we realized it was a tiny town with not a lot of tourism happening, hence operators numbers in Moshi being posted on the walls of local hotels. We pulled up to the ferry, for no reason other than it was naturally the most bustling point in town and I called the guy back asking him to send me the operators number. He said his name was Emmanuel.

Just like that, a gentlemen appeared at my window. "Are you looking for Emmanuel, the tour operator? I am him". I couldn't believe it and he jumped in the car to go to his office. Now, Emmanuel was certainly helpful but I would describe him as a bit of a character. He said we could arrange the trip for the next day at a bit cheaper than the previous place had quoted me. We worked out the particulars and a meeting time, paid a deposit and went our way.

I was happy to support a local tourism initiative, though I am certainly aware at how poorly managed these programs can be. So I was absolutely pleasantly surprised when I found out that everything was on time, we had a motorized craft with an extra engine, and it was covered. The covering was especially helpful after our debacle in Kilombero River. We made our way out to the ocean, enjoying the cool sea breeze and passing local dhows with fishermen.

After about 45 minutes we passed another group heading to the island. They were riding with a sail powered dhow, and it looked like they were having some issues with wind. We chatted with their captain and then agreed to help town them the rest of the way. It took us about an hour to reach the island and apparently by dhow it takes 2-2.5. Certainly the dhows are attractive and a bit romantic, but in the end it appears that passengers spend most their day roasting in the sun on the way to the island.

When we reached the island the guides created a temporary shelter with the sail of the dhow. It was enough to provide a little shade, though we immediately plunged in with the snorkeling. Our boat had about four pairs of snorkel gear, all in varying states of decomposition. I opted for flippers a bit too large for me, though the fin was not disintegrated like the other pair I was eyeing up.

The snorkeling was fantastic, with some rich coral and abundance of fish. We took a break, had some lunch, and dove in again. A variety of seabirds were also perched on the island and as the tide came in, we all got a bit more crowded on the island, until our captain signaled it was time to go.

In the end, I was happy to have taken the "local team" and quite enjoyed the island. It was a bit expensive but the setting was something off a postcard and the snorkeling added an activity beyond just laying on the beach. My only advice is, bring lots of sunscreen!

The dhow at port. 

The local dhow, heading in. 

Awesome crab on the beach. 

Crazy crab with algae camouflage. 

Yeah, the water was pretty blue. 

Tanga Coast: Camping and Resort

Prime camping spot.

After two years, we finally made it to the Tanga coast. Although it appears close on the map, it is about a 6 1/2 hour drive from Moshi. We weren't sure what to expect and the internet seemed to have sparse information regarding places to stay on the Tanga coast. Our friends in Tanzania have all given us varying accounts of different places as well, so we just hoped we could find a nice place we could camp, swim, and do some snorkeling.

We found our way to a place called Peponi Resort, which was about 45 minutes south of Tanga and 15 minutes north of Pangani. Peponi was fantastic, very spacious with a variety of accommodation for all price points (self camp, rent tent, safari tent, banda). They had a restaurant with a large menu that was affordable and delicious. Fresh sea food every meal!

The vibe was very relaxed and most of the guests appeared to be, like us, expats living in Tanzania. The place was extremely family friendly though there were also some younger couples like ourselves as well. The resort had a SE Asia style with a "backpacker" vibe, ample seating for various group sizes, and a very friendly and competent staff.

The tide was dramatic; I estimated that it went out nearly 200m (650 ft) and it occurred twice a day. The beach was nice, though it wasn't postcard blue like most people like, and for us, since we are birders, the tide was perfect for attracting waders and shorebirds. As a result of not having the same type of pristine beaches as Zanzibar, I can see how tourism in Tanga is a niche market.

There were also mangrove forests along the coast. We enjoyed walking through them at low tide and we thought to kayak through them but decided the winds were a bit more than we would have liked, especially after a long walk in the hot sun in the morning.

We stayed at Peponi for a few days and used it as our base for activities in the area. It was so laid back that we can't wait to go again!

Awesome little sitting area to watch the sea.

Sunrise over the Indian Ocean.

Our tent with a mini covering, which was very nice since it rained the first night.

Ana taking a walk in the mangroves.

There was a very weird green river on the way to Pangani.

I think they accidentally gave me the seafood plate for two, instead of half order. Whatever the case, it was amazing.

Low tide...and still going out!

Breakfast, which for westerners might seem "okay", but for us, it is luxury.

South Pare Mountains: Chome

Climbing up the mountain.

We are massive fans of hiking the Eastern Arc Mountains (North Pares, West Usamabaras, East Usambaras, Uduzungwa) and the last remaining patch to explore in our area was the South Pares. We met a friend in Moshi and turns out him and his wife are living up in the mountains, about 2 hours from the main road in a small picturesque village called Chome. On our way to the coast, we decided to branch off and see them as they had said a hike to the highest peak in the South Pares could easily be done from their house.

View of Chome's flat area.

The drive up the mountain was beautiful offering a view of the plains to the west, and cloud covered mountains to the east. Chome sits in a plateu of sorts in between two different ridges of mountains, and a particularly picturesque scene occurs when the flat area is filled with green maize and potato leaves.

Our friend told us to prepare for rain, but we were lucky that it neither rained, nor was extremely cloudy and cold on the mountain. He had a troop of local kids that joined us on the hike, which we started at around 9:30. The hike initially scaled a ridge, and then through a flatter area where there were eucalyptus trees recently burned out by a fire. We were informed that this large fire was likely caused by honey farmers whom have the unfortunate habit of sometimes lighting an entire tree on fire just to extract the honey.

It was interesting to hear the narration from our friend as he'd been living up there for the past year and a half. Illegal bauxite and gold mining, failed irrigation projects, rumors of feral and dangerous cows...it was great to have some background on the area and he had obviously done this hike many times and knew the surrounding landscape.

After the burnt eucalyptus there was a stretch of shrubs and short vegetation, likely deforested areas growing back in a strange way. The edge of the forest was abrupt and upon entrance we were suddenly surrounded by dense forest, complete with some blue monkeys in the trees. An old irrigation system from around the 70s was built in and we followed it to a stream to refill on water. We then began the real ascent and the trail became dramatically steeper. We pushed on until about 1:00 when we reached the summit. Because there is another ridge to the west, the peak didn't offer the same spectacular views as other parts of the Eastern Arc, but it was a treat to watch the clouds roll through.

We enjoyed a lunch at the dilapidated "picnic area" which was no more than a few rotting boards nailed together to create makeshift benches. There was a strange large structure at the peak that looked to be four stories high, but there were no stairs or ladders built in. A wooden sign with fading paint read "UNDP tourism development", which obviously hadn't spurred tourism as they had wanted (our friend said he's never seen anyone else on the trail).

The hike down was a lot quicker than the hike up and we were all thankful the rain held off. We decided we had to return another time to do a bird census and maybe explore some more of the forest. Because it takes so long and it is so steep, perhaps we have to do a camping expedition?

Shengena Peak. You can see where the deforestation abruptly stops and gives way to new forest.

Walking through a cloud.

On the trail, very green!

The peak!  2,462 m (8,077 ft)

A view of the peak with red earth.

On our way down.

Short vegetation dominated a part of the walk.

Everyone loves climbing under a fallen tree covered in moss and lichen.

The ridgeline had short and windswept trees.

Moss and lichen covered the very wet upper trees.

We stopped to refill some water up here.

An interesting fresh water crab. A lot of endemic species of plants and animals, wouldn't be surprised if this guy was ONLY in this water.

Lake Chala IV

View from the east looking west of the lake.

We used to love Lake Chala (Trip I, Trip II, Trip III), but since the introduction of a government fee in 2014, we haven't returned. It's a funny situation as the area is privately owned (and has been for some years), yet the government feels entitled to collect a "conservation fee" from guests. The branch of the government that collects is not the same one as the national parks and thus there is no reduced resident rate; all foreign guests pay $25 USD. The actual Lake Chala camp has a very reasonable and quite cheap entrance fee and before the government fee it was about $15 for two of us to camp for the night. Now it's closer to $70, which has reduced the return visits to zero.

It had been over a year since we went and we did miss the camping. It has the best camping closest to Moshi and the large area of undisturbed land allows for long hikes and stunning vistas. We finally decided to return and as usual, had a wonderful time.

We enjoy taking the walk along a dry river bed (filled during flash floods) though there weren't any pools remaining which normally attract birds and other wildlife. The riverbed leads to a small crater, a perfect spot to hang your feet off the edge and look within the crater for wildlife.

Acacia scrub is a nice habitat for hiking because there always seems to be a place you can blaze your own trail, though you have to be careful to not box yourself into a thorny area. For the less adventurous, there are numerous small trails throughout the property, including one down to the lake where there is a small pier for swimming.

Although we enjoyed our stay, the cost of the park is a bit more than we would like to spend. I wouldn't mind if I felt the money was truly going towards conservation, but from what I have heard from people involved, it is not. It's unfortunate as it would likely have been a monthly camping spot (well, at one point it was, however short lived) but now it will be an occasional treat.

Dried up pool.

Walking along the river. It was a VERY hot day.

View of the plains.

Sitting on top of the crater rim.

Down by the lake.

We saw two nightjars on a nightwalk, this one a Donaldson-Smiths.

We also saw a grasshopper that was as big as my hand.

Here's another nightjar, the Squaretailed.