Times in Tanzania: 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!