Flora and Fauna: Miombo Woodland

Miombo leaves putting out their leaves

One of the more unique features of the south is the Miombo Woodland ecosystem. Miombo is actually a non-scientific vernacular term but usually references the oak-like trees, typically dominated by the genus of Brachystegia (though also Julbernardia and Isoberlinia). The trees typically shed their leaves in the dry season before producing a flush of new leaves right before or after the first rains. These leaves are a mix of yellow, gold, and red, which really look like the "fall foliage" of forests in temperate climates.

The Miombo woodlands here are characterized by having a long dry season and poor, sandy soils. Although wildlife density is low, elephants, lions, and other large mammals exist in the landscapes. There are also quite a few species of animals that are adapted to specific Miombo habitats.

We've enjoyed the visits to Miombo woodlands and they truly have a remarkably different feel. They are a bit eerie in the dry season when there are no leaves but when the rains come they are visually stunning. A well preserved Miombo woodland has a relatively clear understory so one can view wildlife from quite a distance away. Ana had worked in an area around Singida with a very nice miombo woodland and we'd hiked through a patch on the plateau in the Udzungwa mountains but I was surprised I wasn't very familiar given the vast expanse miombo woodlands cover. I suppose it's not too surprising given the low wildlife density and lack of tourism.

Typical Miombo forest

Ruaha National Park: African Wild Dogs

Photo credit to our friend who took these great pics!

One of the most difficult and sought after mammals to view in Tanzania is the African Wild Dog. Not only is it endangered with very few remaining in the wild but its movements are also unpredictable. There aren't any spots that have a high chance of viewing year round (unlike, for example, the rhino) and seeing them often comes down to luck. We are lucky because Ruaha National Park is one of the places with a relatively high chance of seeing them, especially when they are denning.

There are only around 6,000 African Wild Dogs left in the wild with habitat destruction and disease largely contributing to their decline. They need a huge territory and with habitat loss much of their historical range is now fragmented. There were a few that were equipped with satellite collars and their movements took them throughout Tanzania thousands of kilometers before the collars battery died. As a result, they can be sighted in strange places and usually only for a short duration of time. One was even seen near the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro!

We had heard there were some African Wild Dogs in Ruaha National Park and decided to take a trip to try to see them. We spend the night and woke up at 5:30 to try to take advantage of the first light as the dogs are most active in the mornings and evenings. We drove to an area of the park where they had been seen and I was a bit discouraged because the area was dense with bush and thus we couldn't scan very far. Right when I was giving up I saw a few dogs moving on the side of the road.

I couldn't believe our luck. The dogs, in true canine behavior, approached us with curiosity and got within 10m of our car! We watched them play for about a half hour before we heard a lion roaring quite close! The dogs took notice and casually moved back towards a hill in denser bush. We were in awe to have such an intimate time with the dogs and watching them relax and play in the morning all alone is one of the top wildlife experiences I've had in Tanzania!

Each dog has a unique coat pattern

Chillin in the grass. 

I was in shock as Ana tries to get her phone out for a quick picture. 

East of the Ruaha River Trip II

Great view of the dry Great Ruaha River

Having had such a great time exploring the land adjacent to the national park, we decided to head north and explore a similar area. We didn't have as much information as we did in our previous trip and the road was in worse condition, but it felt great to get out and explore!

The first half our day was quite miserable as the surrounding area was dense thicket with poor visibility as well as loads of tsetse flies. We pushed on and eventually reached a better habitat with acacia woodland and large baobab trees. We started to see wildlife like zebra, giraffe, and kudu, though everything was very skittish. We had heard there is/was quite a bit of poaching in this area and the shyness of the animals certainly supported this theory. 

In the evening we camped in the bush without a soul around. About an hour after the sunset we heard the familiar growl of a lion, somewhere closer than one km. I made sure the fire was going pretty good before we went to sleep. We were nearing a full moon so there was quite a bit of visibility and we spotted a pair of Black-backed Jackals inquisitively investigating our site. 

The next day we continued to explore the area and had a great view of a hundred plus elephants and buffalo from a distance. We saw elephant tracks and signs everywhere but we didn't see any from our car. Once again this reflects the likely tense interactions that they have with humans. 

We passed through some really cool grasslands and hugged the east side of the Great Ruaha River, which is the border to the national park. We tried to cut back east towards another village but we found the road blocked by a tree fall. We decided to go back the way we came, which was fine since we were prepared to drive quickly to avoid the tsetse flies!!

Great Ruaha River with an elephant skull

Campsite with the moonrise

East of the Ruaha River

Baobab tree with a hill in the background

The rainy season has slowly begun and as a result the landscape is changing. Trees are putting out their leaves and the dust has settled a bit clearing the air. We've also returned from our holiday abroad so this weekend we were itching to get out into the bush.

We decided to take some advice from a local researcher and explore a road we had not previously driven. The road winds south and east on the border of the park and is a vast uninhabited area with acacia and miombo woodland. We had yet to experience a legitimate miombo woodland so we decided to explore the area.

The area was full of birds and the habitat ranged from secondary growth to undisturbed. We saw loads of interesting birds and although the wildlife was found in low density, we ended up seeing quite a few species such as warthog, giraffe, elephants, dikdik, and the biggest treat of all, a group of Sable. The wildlife was extremely skittish and there were signs of elephants everywhere so we were careful when exiting our car and exploring on foot.

Overall the area was quite beautiful and we noted some hills we'd like to climb in the future as well as a few wetlands that we identified from satellite maps. We feel incredibly lucky to have this vast expanse of wilderness in our backyard!

Ana investigating a hollowed out termite nest. 

Beautiful flower coming out with the rains

Miombo woodland

Another view of the Miombo

Nearly dry riverbed offers some green

New Dabaga Forest Reserve

Ana enjoying the forest

This weekend we continued our exploration of the forest reserves of the southern highlands. Through a network of naturalist friends we were told it was necessary to obtain permits for all forest reserves. The price had dropped from $30+ per person to a more reasonable $10 per person and the office was somewhat easy to locate. We decided to visit a forest reserve near to the office so we wouldn't have to back track since the office is located about an hour southeast of Iringa city.

After checking the map we decided to visit New Dabaga Forest Reserve, a pretty looking patch of green on the satellite images. The drive was another hour or so southeast of the permit office and we arrived to a relatively large village of Dabaga. We were instructed to meet the equivalent of the mayor or head of town council (Tanzania has a very organized local government system) and he was quite friendly. He encouraged us to take a guide but we said that we had a GPS and we wanted to try to find some paths ourselves. He asked how he would know that we were safe and we told him we'd text him when we got out of the forest. I also told them that if we didn't find any good trails and wanted some help, we'd contact him tomorrow. He agreed and happily sent us on our way.

We tracked back to a road that we passed on our way in. It was the only somewhat obvious looking road that we saw. A few people coming from their farm activities passed us and we asked them if there was a road to the forest. They said we were on the right track and after about 10 minutes of climbing we came to the end of the road which was strangely a cemetery. The cemetery wasn't very large and we could see a small stand of planted pine and then the forest behind. Unfortunately there was also thick scrub in between so we parked our car and proceeded by foot. We eventually found a clearing and access to the boundary with a few small paths into the forest.

We were delighted to find a network of trails, though this may also be a sign of heavy human disturbance. While the bird life was great, the few animals we saw (monkeys) were very skittish and immediately fled at our presence. There were some disturbed sections with an open canopy but also a few sections with classic montane forest in good health. One of the days we tried to hike down to a valley but found it a bit too steep though the forest seemed to be even thicker towards the valleys.

One of the best parts of the forest is that the entrance is already at a high elevation and the trails mostly cross relatively flat ground. We've found that the majority of the other Eastern Arc forests have steep terrain, perhaps a reason they weren't previously logged and cut. It was pretty nice to have easy access to a relatively flat trail and due to the open understory in the nicer parts of the forest, if one was so inclined and had a GPS they could climb up and down the rolling landscape.

Checking the GPS to make sure we aren't lost

View from the southern boundary 

Crazy caterpillar

Nice sunshine in the afternoon

Lugalo Forest Reserve

Looking north

This past weekend we decided to get out of our dry habitat and search for some highland forests. We hard heard that the Eastern Arc forests stretch into Iringa, though on the opposite side of the region that we live. Because the roads are often in poor condition, one can never know how long it will take to reach an isolated forest reserve. Compounding things further is that most of the forest reserves were gazetted because the area is hilly and thus the forest is difficult to exploit. However, one must take some chances and explore the areas so we gathered as much info as we could and tried to identify a route to Lugalo Forest Reserve (officially gazetted as Kisinga-Rugaro Forest Reserve but known locally as Lugalo).

Lugalo is a huge reserve at about 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres) so we decided to try to enter from the north as it's closest to the Iringa-Dar es Salaam highway. We drove about an hour out of Iringa and then turned south to climb up towards the reserve. We found a decent track of road that was at times quite steep and rocky but certainly passable and lightly maintained. Although I was focused on staying on the track and not getting a puncture from the jagged stones, I was able to appreciate the view as we climbed up.

We eventually reached an open grassy area with stunning views to the villages below. We stopped and greeted a woman at a makeshift shack that was used to house some workers in charge of maintaining a water intake site in the forest reserve. On our way up we were surprised to pass an older guy in a decent looking pick up truck but now it made sense. We thanked the woman and made our way to the edge of the reserve and parked our car.

There was a very clear and well maintained road that went through the reserve but we opted to walk since the forest looked quite inviting. We spent the next three hours walking through a variety of habitats from secondary montane forest to open grasslands. The forest didn't show the heavy signs of exploitation that I had expected though it was obvious the area was likely logged heavily decades ago. The forest reminded us of other Eastern Arc forests that we had become so familiar with in the north (Kindoroko, Minja, Shuguya) and having spent the last few months in a dry area, it felt good to be in a moist and green environment.

The scouting trip couldn't have been more successful and we look forward to returning to do some camping. Most of our hiking was at or above 2000m (6,500 ft), so we have to make sure to bring some warm clothes and a heavy sleeping bag!

Checking the bird book

A clearing in between the forest

Nice forest behind us

A cool little grove

Flora and Fauna & Food: Tamarind Tree

Fruit of the tree

One of my favorite fruits to forage while in the field is the fruit from the Tamarind tree. Not only is the fruit delicious but the tree is typically large and provides great shade. It also has a long fruiting period which means that you can depend on gathering the fruit for an extended period of time, not just the usual glut of fruits from most trees.

The fruit is a curved lumpy brown pod that has a very brittle shell. If you aren't careful while removing, it has a tendency to crack and become difficult to remove from the sticky innards. When removed the black seed is revealed, covered in a sticky and sour pulp. You can pop the seeds into your mouth and suck on the seeds until all the pulp is removed, then spit out the shiny hard seed. You can also make juice from tamarind, as well as paste to use in cooking.

I've only seen locals eat it straight from the fruit and for whatever reason it is mostly young children that consume it. We've made juice a few times though it's good to balance it with some sugar or honey. I do love to eat the fruit straight from the seed but it tends to burn my mouth if I have too much!

Nice specimen

Pods on the tree

Flora and Fauna: Toothbrush Tree (Grey-leaved Cordia)

Fine toothbrush you got there

Most of the people I work with in the field still live a very traditional lifestyle. Although they are adopting more and more of the tools and luxuries of the modern world (clothes, cell phones, washing detergent, etc) they still maintain many of their resourceful and local ways of doing things. One of these things is tooth care. Instead of having a plastic brush and imported toothpaste, the locals use the branches of a small shrub, the Grey-leaved Cordia. Abundant and easy to identify, people will break off some branches and gently peel the end with their teeth. This will create a brush like end which allows the user to dutifully clean their teeth. When I asked a co-worker how often they use the brush, he stated proudly that he brushes up to five times a day and that the bush is quite useful for him. And really, when I think about it, most of the guys I work with have very nice teeth, so perhaps I should exchange my crusty old plastic toothbrush for a natural local one?

The tree is usually a small shrub though it can grow large like a small tree

Food: Snot Apple (azanza garckeana)

Snot apple!

While in the field the other week, our team needed to find water. We made our way to a dried up river bed and dug shallow holes in the sand to access water. Along the river there was a medium-size tree that our local team immediately identified as having edible fruit. They sent the youngest member to gather some of the fruits, at which point I got quite excited at the prospect of trying a new fruit.

The fruit of the not so flatteringly named, “Snot Apple (Azanza Garckeana)” is strange to me in a few ways. First, the skin does not look inviting but the fruit is consumed with no peeling. Second, the texture has an odd mix of soft innards and a kind of chewy and tough skin. Third, the flavor is subtle at first and then tastes like a slightly watered down honey. You end up chewing on it like sugar cane; swallowing the liquid and spitting out the skin and innards. The fruit gets its name from the texture, which many people describe a slimy.

Overall the fruit was initially foreign to my taste and consumption but the flavor is quite nice and certainly a good find while navigating around the bush. I'm not sure if I would buy it in town but anytime I see a fruiting tree, I'll be more than happy to get some fruits!

Food: Fruit from Baobab Tree

Seed pod, exposed seeds, a few seeds that have been sucked dry, and a phone for scale. 

I've already written about the iconic Baobab tree but one thing I overlooked was the fruit. I had tried the juice made from the fruit and I have seen the seeds both on the tree and on the ground but I had never actually thought about eating the seed.

The area I am living has a large amount of Baobab trees and thus some of our local staff have recently shown us how to consume the fruit. The Baobab tree has a large, woody, oval pod that is covered with fine velvety hairs. It can be over 20cm long and is quite strong so to open it you can step on it with quite some force. Inside are numerous black seeds that are embedded in an off-white, crumbly pulp that is divided into sections with some fibrous red hairs. Separating the seeds is relatively easy and you can pop them in your mouth and suck on them to get a lightly tart taste reminiscent of something rich in vitamin C (which it is). It leaves a strange texture in your mouth, a kind of “fuzziness” that I find challenging to describe, kind of chalky and gritty. I think it's one of those foods that leaves a funny feeling that is remedied by eating more of it, thus creating a cycle.

You can also make juice by simply soaking the seeds in the water overnight and filtering the seeds out, adding sugar to taste. The fruit is apparently very high in vitamin C and locally it is believed that it helps to reduce thirst when out in the bush. There is a caveat to this local belief though; I find it DOES reduce thirst by generating more saliva, but this actually then leads to me being more dehydrated overall. Still, I'm not sure it will be a matter of life and death so I'm always pleased to pop a few seeds!

Clear look of the insides

Ngorongoro Conservation Area: Ndutu Trip II

Lions and elephants

I've visited Ndutu in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) once before (Trip I) and it was one of the more amazing experiences with wildlife that I'd ever had. Granted, we were there during the time of the migration and calving, so there were plenty of carnivores stalking the available prey. However, my most recent visit took place in the heart of the dry season, so I was curious to see how the landscape and animals varied.

We stayed three days in Ndutu and although we only had chance for one game drive, there was quite a bit of wildlife around the lodge we stayed. The lodge owners said the year had been especially dry and that the area looked like the dry times in November, even though it was only August. All of the migratory wildlife had moved on, leaving only the resident wildlife hanging on for survival.

I could see a marked difference in the landscape, obviously the green grasses were gone but also Lake Ndutu was entirely dry. I remembered seeing wildebeest crossing in the morning but now it was only caked mud. A few other wetlands had also dried up, though there were some water holes that still held water. On our game drive we managed to see many lions, though prey seemed a bit scarce.

Even though it wasn't the ideal time to visit, I still found Ndutu area to be stunning with plenty of wildlife. It was also very cool to see the change from wet season to dry and gives a sense of the "other half" of the legendary migrations of this eco-system. No wonder the majority of the ungulates are chasing the rains in the far north; there is very little fresh grass in Ndutu!

Large male lion. 

Ngorongoro Crater: Trip IV

Wildebeest looks on 

I was fortunate enough to get a trip to the famed Ngorongoro Crater as part of a work event. I consider myself to be very lucky to have visited a few times before (Trip I, Trip III) but this trip was quite different as the trip was organized with a partner organization that are true locals!

There is an organization in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) that has a similar approach to lion conservation as us. As a result we brought up 10 members of our team for a weekend of training and celebration. The NCA was kind enough to fully support the endeavor and even lent a hand by providing drivers and cars for participants. In total we had probably about 40 people, most of them traditional pastoralists, that participated in our game drive.

It was most fun to see guys from our team wowed at the habituated nature of the wildlife, as well as the huge amounts of safari cars. They probably saw more safari cars in one day in the crater than we do all year at Ruaha. It was a very cool trip and although we didn't see many lions or rhinos like I have in the past, I still feel the crater is one of the most amazing natural landscapes in the world. It's unfortunate that tourism has driven up the cost of visiting to an unreasonable amount ($70 USD/day and $250/car!!) and thus I feel very lucky when I have the opportunity to visit. Each time I leave I say..."well, that's the last time I'll visit that place"...so hopefully I continue to prove myself wrong!

Zebra. 

Guys doing some posing. We had a lot of tourists looking at us at the lunch area. 

Sad dying rhino.  

View from the crater going out. 

River and waterfall hike

Thinking about a swim

As a result of being in the middle of a massive landscape, the diversity of habitats is far less than what we were used to in the north. We're smack in the middle of a relatively homogeneous landscape and finding weekend day trips has proved to be a challenge. This is compounded by the fact that we both spend a lot of time in the field so having to get in the car to explore on the weekends isn't always the most attractive option. Still, we're new to the area so we're constantly hearing of cool spots to check out, one of which we visited this past weekend. 

There are numerous rivers in the area though many are dry or have disappearing pools of water. However, some of our “neighbors” (about 15km away) told us of a waterfall they heard about so we decided to try to check it out. 

We'd received some very local directions with various natural landmarks (trees, farms, etc) and we made our way along a river climbing slowly as we approached the hills to the south. The road eventually turned into a footpath and we parked the car and walked the remaining way to a waterfall. 

I was actually pretty impressed with the flow of water given how dry it is but others in our party felt that attributing "waterfall" to the flow of water was unjustified. It was enough for me to jump in for a swim and the water was refreshing, bordering on being too cold! After a quick swim we decided to climb up the river, which was quite the adventure. It was somewhere between proper rock climbing and a boulder scramble. We climbed for about an hour and saw some impressive fissures of rock, beautiful views of the hills, and the highlight was probably finding the skull and horns of a kudu. 

The river and waterfall were very cool and we hope to return to hike a bit more along the river downstream. Although the area is heavily impacted by humans, there is still a nice little strip of trees along the river that provide shade and good habitat for wildlife, even during the peak heat of the day. And who knows, maybe some day we'll have the energy to climb up to the source of the river?

Checking out the river

A decent few of the landscape

Walking along relatively flat section of rock

Camp activities: Evening walk

Walking through a commiphora woodland with the sunset

One of the things I love the most about our new home is the ease of taking a walk. It was one of the drawback of living in the city of Moshi; finding a natural place nearby to go for a walk required a significant drive in the car, which is less than ideal.

Luckily we're now surrounded by open bush and going on a walk is literally as easy as walking out of our banda. We try to go on a walk every evening from around 5pm until the sunset around 630pm. Our camp is surrounded by a mosaic of habitats so we've got acacia and commiphora with some farm land mixed in. One benefit of having cows and goats grazing around is that there are numerous trails that create a network of trails ripe for exploration and variety.

We've found a few different circuits that we like to walk depending on the amount of time we have and our mood. We often bird watch and the recent purchase of a tree identification book has reduced the distance we travel as we spend every few steps identifying a new tree species. We take note of all the different flowering patterns and we are pleasantly surprised at the amount of wildlife around even though it's so dry.

It's great to get out of camp each day and get some exercise. We can't wait for the rainy season and bird migration as I'm sure the landscape changes dramatically. It's a real treat to get out in nature and we're feeling more and more connected to the natural environment every day noticing subtle changes in the flowering plants and presence of animals.

Mixed acacia

Land cleared for agriculture 

Climbing a baobab. Some locals put in pegs to climb and raid the honey of bees. 

Overgrazed area nearby in the morning light

Neighboring lodge and views of the landscape

Our camp is located somewhere in the vast expanse of land

As a result of us being so close to Ruaha National Park, we have a few lodges and campsites in the area. One of them is built up on a hill and has a great view of the landscape that we live in. I actually didn't think we were THAT isolated and remote until I saw the view of our surroundings. But after seeing the view I was kinda like, hm, we are in the middle of nowhere. 

The lodges can be a cool place to get a drink and relax (especially after a park trip) though the staff have been over-trained in customer service and can be a bit uncomfortable to deal with at times. Even though they know that we are normal people and their neighbors, they can't help but to be overly polite which borders on subservience. It's like they've received a training in how to welcome the customers, how to order drinks, how to explain the landscape, etc, and they can't stray from the script no matter what. There is a bit of irony in it though as most of Tanzania has not existent customer service so I suppose if you are a hotel manager you've got to find a way to deliver services in a way that most tourists will like, and I suppose we're in the minority of people that just want a cold drink and to be left alone. 

The place is about a 1/2 hour away so it's in reasonable distance to just chill out if we need to get away from camp and it's probably a fantastic place to take in the sunset (though we haven't yet). And, if you don't fancy staying in the bush, you can always stay here if you decide to visit!

A view looking towards Ruaha