West Kilimanjaro Famstead: Trip IV

Fallow fields with a beautiful view looking west.

We always enjoy our trips to the farmstead on the west side of Mt. Kilimanjaro  (Trip I, Trip II, Trip III) and although it is very dry this time of the year, we thought it might be a good time of year to see birds of prey since many of the farmers till their fields now.

Of course we always enjoy the drive up, which provides excellent bird watching and although things were a bit quiet this time of the year, we still saw some interesting things. We also noticed that nearly all the farms had been tilling their land so we were hopeful that birds of prey would be out.

There were more visitors than we have ever seen at the farm (probably three groups for a total of about 10 people) though the property is designed in a way to not feel over crowded.

We did our usual circuit of the farm and enjoyed our wonderful dinner in the evening. The food is, what I think, the best food in Tanzania! Fresh and original with tastes that we often don't have. The next morning we had a very nice walk by the river and then set off back home. The ride back was notable as we saw two eagles that had killed a hare and we stumbled on them just as they were chasing off some interested vultures. We watched them from about 10m away as they devoured the hare. A very National Geographic moment!

Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background. The peak is obscured by clouds.

Ana looking out as the sun sets.

Two Tawney Eagles perched with a delicious meal of a hare below.

Compare this same tree (slightly different angle) to this picture I took in the rainy season last April.

Nyumba ya Mungu: Trip XII

Pares in the background to the east.

Ana and I have been having to work some weekends lately and one of our favorite "one day trips" is going to Nyumba ya Mungu (Trip I, II, III, IV, V & VI, VII, Trip VIII, Trip IX, Trip X, Trip XI). A large lake caused by a dam, the reservoir is around 1 1/2-2 hours from Moshi. The road winds through Masaai villages and barren dry acacia scrub before suddenly transforming around the lake's edge. The Pare Mountains are usually visible in the background to the east while the "Blue Mountains" (as they're locally known) are in the west.

This time of the year the water level is very low. It is also very hot, which makes for a long day, especially if we are birding! We took the car this time and we left a little later than usual, leaving Moshi around 830am. Since we stopped frequently to bird watch, we arrived at the lake around 130pm. We were tired from all the sun but rejuvenated by the low water and thus high bird visibility. We saw some very rare birds for us including about 10 Greater Painter Snipes, a usually solitary and shy bird.

Nyumba ya Mungu is always a great, though tiring trip. When we returned at 5pm we didn't have much energy to do anything and I think we both suffer from a "too much sun" hangover on Monday!

Without the dam, much of the landscape would just be flat and dry.

Ana checking out a cool bird called a Godwit.

Time for the cows to come in. They stirred up the water and a bunch of birds came to feed.

More cow crossing.

Ana doing some birding surrounded by cows.

Amani Forest Reserve: Trip II

Great viewpoint!

On October 14th there is a national holiday called Nyerere Day, the commemoration of the death anniversary of Julius Nyerere, the highly revered "father" of the nation. This year it fell on a Friday, which allowed us to have a three day weekend and take a trip a bit outside the usual radius of weekend trips. We decided to go to Amani Forest Reserve, which we'd only gone to once before (Trip I) about two and a half years ago.

One of the things we liked most about our trip was the accommodation at the gate of the park. Typically people either stay another 20 minute drive up the road at the main Amani Park headquarters (and small village) or at a upscale "eco" lodge even further in. The accommodation at the park gate, called Zigi Resthouse, had its pros and cons.

Negatives: It is located a bit far from the best preserved parts of the forest. It is located next to the main road where there is a gate and cars/trucks have to stop, which makes for a bit of noise at times. It is very basic.

Positives: It has good value food and a varied menu can be arranged with the manager/cook. It's very rare for people to stay there so you usually have it to yourself. There are paths extremely close where you can go for a walk in the forest. There is a river behind the main building and the sound of the river is a constant backdrop. It is very basic.

I also must say the staff are very responsive via email and text. Their website is basic but the contact page has up to date contacts. Because of the infrequency of visitors, it is probably recommended to call ahead since they will likely not be prepared for drop ins!

Aside from the accommodation, we once again enjoyed the well established and easily accessible trail network. There are not many places in Tanzania you can freely walk that aren't heavily impacted by human resource extraction or have exorbitant conservation fees. Although the impact of logging and agriculture are quite noticeable, there are corridors and patches of forest and it's relatively easy to find a trail where you don't have to worried about getting lost.

The first day we arrived and did a short hike in the area by Zigi Guesthouse. It was originally part of the botanical gardens the Germans established there in the early 20th century so there are a few non-native and very interesting plants there. In the afternoon we drove up to the main gate and did a hike to a view point, which was beautiful in the afternoon sun.

The next day we bit the bullet and hired a bird guide since the area is a hot spot for birding. There are several birds that are only found in the Amani area and since last time we didn't see many of them, we decided it would be wise for a professional to help us out.

I was a bit skeptical about getting a guide since many guides around Moshi can have what I feel is a disingenuous and contrived "act" that panders to tourists expectations and romanticism of Africa. Our guide, Martin, was totally the opposite. He was originally from the area but had spent time working for a big company in Arusha before coming back to Amani. He was excellent with the birds and knew a lot of great spots, including a part of the reserve that was nearly an hour away from the main gate.

Overall we had another great experience at the Amani Nature Reserve. Although the area doesn't have as pristine of forests as some other mountains in the Eastern Arc, it is still worth the visit!

We saw this innovative covering for a motorcycle taxi.

River walk by Zigi Guesthouse.

We unfortunately did not have a picnic to go with the table. But we did enjoy the views.

Ana checking out the other side.

Inside the forest.

Hiking off the trail.

Trip to Uganda

I think I've been spotted, by a chimpanzee.

This past week I mixed business and pleasure and spent a week in Uganda. I returned the the hospital that Ana and I worked at for six months (Uganda blog here). We were originally connected with the hospital because Ana's late uncle was a doctor there for 30 years and is buried there with a statue of him and everything. His impact was a huge and a foundation was created in his name. We sit on the board of the foundation and each year either myself or Ana goes to check in with the hospital.

I will blog more about the trips specifics in my Uganda blog but I'll leave some pictures here and say that it was really a great experience to travel a different part of east Africa. There were some small things that made me say, "Oh wow, we don't do that in Tanzania", yet there was a common and familiar way of doing things that made me feel like I hadn't strayed too far. There rainy season was a few months earlier than ours; they had phone network throughout the 8 hour ride to Kitgum; traffic police also had radar guns; they sold different food at the bus rest stops, wait, same ingredients, different preparation. It was really nice to get out of my Tanzania bubble and even though I had been to Uganda before, I had been coming from Spain so likely had a different perspective than coming from Tanzania now.

The main ward at the hospital which we are helping to refurbish.

Tea fields give way to the natural forest.

It was the rainy season and heavy rains made some places a bit tricky to cross.

Chimps nest.

Watching the chimps mate, build nests, and call with their loud bellows was a really a treat.

Scoping out Queen Elizabeth National Park on our way down from the escarpment.

The smallest baby hippo I've ever seen is next to the mom.

Great lunch spot. And sunset spot. And sunrise. What can I say, I milked a good view.

Great guests to wake up to in the morning.

Checking the crater lake.

Walking in the highlands.