Lake Mikuyu

Looking out over the lake. 

When we passed back through Singida we decided to try to check out one of the nearby alkaline lakes. Lake Mikuyu shows up in the map about 15km north of Singida along a dirt road, with no clear path to the lake. We are familiar with these ephemeral seasonal alkaline lakes and knew that access could be iffy.

We drove until we thought we had reached the side of the lake and then took a few roads to try to cut down to the shore. We frequently find more cattle tracks than passable road and this trip was no different. After a few attempts we finally found a track down to the shore and parked the car for a short walk. We were lucky that the clouds were out and the sun wasn't yet too hot.

The lake had dried up a bit and black cotton soil appeared dry, though under the cracked first layer remained a wet clay that was guaranteed to ensnare your vehicle if one so dared to drive on it. It's even quite difficult to walk on so we continued up on the grassy area walking along about half the distance of the western shore.

The area was sparsely populated by people who appeared to have planted a diverse set of crops and also plenty of cows and goats. We met several people taking their cows down for water and chatted with them about the rainy season and how the lake changes throughout the year.

It was overall a very positive adventure as many of our "lake finding" trips end up with us not finding access to the lake or with the lake being complete dry. There wasn't anything specifically spectacular about the area but the landscape was beautiful and the fact that there weren't many people added to the calm and peaceful feel of the area.

Checking out the island

No one was fishing today

Mwanza city

View from the Capri Peninsula. 

I had always wanted to visit Mwanza, Tanzania's second largest city located on the shores of Lake Victoria. People refer to it as "rock city" due to the massive granite boulders strewn throughout the city. I wasn't really sure what to expect though I think I imagined a bit more char from the lake side city.

We arrived driving from the west, which meant we had to cross the Mwanza channel via ferry. There are two crossings, one in the north that has a patch of rough road but goes directly downtown, and another along paved road to the south. Locals from Bukoba all had different takes on which one was better and at last we opted with the rough road/direct to city route as a result of many people speaking about delays at the southern ferry crossing. 

The ferry across was uneventful though quite chaotic. Buses and cars jockeyed to get onto the ferry, which left every half hour. Cars and buses had to reverse on the ferry with a chaotic mix of young men shouting instructions to helpeless drivers. Some of them were likely employed loosely with the ferry, others just wanted to get in on the action. They never closed the entry/exit point of the vessels and often had cars dangling off the side. 

It was nice to be on the water and we got some nice views of the city with its characteristic granite boulders. When we pulled into the port we immediately searched for a hotel and realized the size of the city created too much traffic and business for our liking. We recharged and drove around the city a bit in an effort to get something to drink before dinner. Mwanza seemed to have a claustrophobic downtown, a high-class peninsula with huge houses, and then makeshift developments surrounding the rest of the city. We found ourselves driving up through the ritzy neighborhood and finding a high point with stunning views of the city. We then eventually found somewhere to have drink on the ocean. 

One of the things I thought I'd do in Mwanza is eat a lot of fish. Mwanza is known for having a huge fishing industry and I imagined eating roast fish day and night. We had eaten quite a bit of fish on the trip, especially in Bukoba. I was extremely disappointed when we went to three different street vendor barbecues, all without fish! I asked people why there wasn't any roast fish available and they said that people preferred to eat red meat and that we'd have to go to one of the nice restaurants or fancy hotels. I was in absolute shock as we'd even seen literal boats of Nile Perch and Tilapia on the ferry ride over. 

I didn't find anything especially charming about Mwanza though I'm not much of a medium sized city person anyway. The access to the lake must be great so living there I imagine I'd develop the hobby of fishing so I could guarantee myself a steady supply!

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From "Capri Point". 

Rubondo Island National Park

This hippo welcomed us to the park

Rubondo National Park is a curious park located a few kilometers offshore in the southwest of Lake Victoria. The park has a strange history being initially an island populated with animals bred in captivity or reintroduced from the Frankfurt Zoological Society, then it was a hunting reserve, and now it is a national park. We had always been curious to visit this park and with our travel plan it served as a perfect middle point between Bukoba and Mwanza.

Arranging to get to the park without a tour company was not easy. One must arrange a boat to the island through the park and I went through about five numbers before reaching someone that could answer my logistics questions. It didn't help that they didn't have great phone service on the island and that I needed to confirm the day we were coming so the boat would pick us up. We were unsure of which day we'd exactly be going and I only ended up sending them a text the day before, hoping they would receive it and plan accordingly. All the other information was unclear so we prepared by bringing all of our food as well.

I had received instructions to drive to a town called Muganza and head for the port. There are several port-looking locations and we drove around a bit until we found one with a partially obscured sign for the park. It was bustling with local lake traffic and the overloaded boats were truly impressive. It really reminded me of some kind of 18th century port with dozens of hustlers loading and unloading, people shouting orders at each other, and passengers frantically trying to either collect their belongings or load onto a boat. Everyone kept asking us if we had called the park and arranged before and I said that we had. Then, out of nowhere, a young guy comes and says that he had traveled from Arusha that day to join us on the boat out to the island. He said he had just talked with them and that the boat was on its way. True to his word the boat showed up, we loaded in, and in 10 minutes we were at the park.

From dock in the park we loaded into a safari vehicle and drove to the park headquarters. We had already interacted with over 10 people, seemingly all park staff. It was strange and reminded me of when I lived in China and places were overstaffed resulting in constant attention, warranted or not. We eventually reached the headquarters and I saw on their notice board that they had more than 50 people on staff for the park. I later found out that most of these were rangers that occupied the various look out points in search of poachers.

When we finally made our way to our bandas, comfortable little cottages, we were pleasantly surprised to see we were the only ones there. The site is located in a pleasant bay with an old boat converted to a seating area looking over the water. Nearly tame Sitatunga and Bush Pig visited us throughout the day and three hippos lurked in the water. In the evening we went for a short walk and then sat with a few of the camp staff around a fire. When it was time to go to sleep they said we should be accompanied by a ranger. This happens often here and it always feels a bit over the top. Well, this time, it was not. When we approached our banda we saw two big hippos and a baby, less than 8m (25 ft) from us! It was an awesome, though heart-stopping, experience.

The next morning we went on an early walk to a lookout point and then to a swamp. The island was dry, having had their wet season end around February. We saw tracks and fresh dung of elephants, as well as several ungulates of different varieties. A couple of very impressive sized crocs also periodically slithered off the shore into the water.

Rubondo Island National Park was a great experience, though with the entrance fees, camping fees, walking fees, etc, it's becoming a bit unreasonable to visit. The uniqueness of the island and the tameness of the animals made it unique for sure and we were lucky to have the place to ourselves. It is a shame that staying overnight in the parks has become cost prohibitive but we consider ourselves lucky that we can afford to do it even once!

Walk along the shore as the sunset. Careful for crocs!

The bay. 

Do not fall into the spiderweb. 

Boat ride in the morning back to the mainland. 

Kagera Region

Map showing the regions of Tanzania

Kagera Region piqued our interest due to it being very different than the parts of Tanzania that we have traveled. Located in the far northwest corner of Tanzania, the region itself is bordered by Rwanda, Uganda, Burndi, and Lake Victoria. Historically a strong kingdom dominated by the Haya ethnic group (still powerful in Tanzania today), since the mid 20th century the region has been the landing place for thousands of refugees from neighboring Burundi and Rwanda. The landscape more greatly resembles the highlands and forests of Uganda and the Congo with the Kagera River cutting through the region eventually draining into Lake Victoria. The southern part of the region is a transitional forest mosaic that allows one to really feel the change in the landscape when driving through. A massive escarpment along the majority of Lake Victoria provides stunning views.

The drive from the south provided a rare opportunity to pass through a game reserve. Unlike national parks, ownership and operation of game reserves is a murky and opaque business reserved for hunters and private companies. Vast tracks of Tanzania have been allocated as game reserves (many adjacent to national parks) and remain teasingly out of view for naturalists like ourselves. So the fact that the main road cut through Biharamulo Game Reserve was a real treat. We didn't see any wildlife but we did drive through a long stretch of undisturbed forest which was a unique blend of forest species.

We spent most of our time in the highland swamp area in the northeast part of the region. We arrived a week or so after the rains had ceased resulting in the landscape appearing lush and green. Vast swampland and lakes provided some good birdwatching and hiking though the muddy roads provided a challenge.

We also visited Minziro Forest Reserve, which was a real treat, and also spent some time in the capital of Bukoba. With around 70,000 people Bukoba is big enough to have a lively feel, though nothing close to as hectic and dirty as other large urban areas. It also has the advantage of being located on the lake shore, though we came at the unfortunate time of the year when the area was infested with lake flies. The flies were so thick at night that they appeared to be smoke from the distance and you couldn't walk without getting a mouthful. In the morning there were piles of flies that had died the night before that were seemingly replaced by even more flies the next day!

Although some of the tracks in the rural areas were as devoid of development as anywhere I've ever seen, there were areas (especially Bukoba) that either had vestiges of missionaries or colonial meddling, or had non-profit projects (and perhaps still missionary meddling as well). Overall we absolutely loved Kagera and wished we had more time to explore the western and southern parts...though always good to have a reason to go back!

Local transport

Lake Victoria 

Looking out over the wetlands 

Random village 

Lake Ikimba

Random town shot

Acacia scrub towards the west of the region

Swamp

Lake Victoria

The impressive swarms of lake flies

Minziro Forest Reserve

Ana checking out the canopy

As natural forest lovers, we were drawn to Minziro Forest Reserve in Kagera Region. Extremely unique to Tanzania, the forest is really a fragment of the eastern most limit of the west and central Africa rainforests and thus has unique flora and fauna that can't be found anywhere else in Tanzania. It shares a border with Malabigambo Forest Reserve in nearby Uganda border and is about 25,000 ha (62,000 acres) in size. It consists of 3/4 seasonal swamp forest and 1/4 seasonally flooded grassland with Acacia woodland.

I'd never heard of a flooded forest before I visited and we knew it was a risk to visit in such a short proximity from the end of the rainy season. Our fears were somewhat justified as nearly all the walking trails were impassable within 5-10 minutes of walking. Even the vast grasslands surrounding the forest were too soggy to attempt crossing. 

The parts of the forest we did see definitely reminded us of the forests of Uganda. Unfortunately most of the larger native trees have long been cut so the area surrounding the road feels a bit thinned out for a natural forest. We attempted to enter from several directions but everywhere we found it was flooded. The surrounding area does have some nice points for views over the lowland forest and we enjoyed the trip nevertheless. However, it's advised that if you visit, wait till at least July for things to dry up!

View of the forest from the north looking south

Along the main road

Singida city

Ana taking in the view

During our trip a kind of mid-way point was Singida. A seemingly average small city in the middle of Tanzania, I came away loving the unique feel of the city and the centerpiece of Lake Singidani. 

Singida was much bigger than I had expected which makes sense since it's located quite central in Tanzania and a bit far from the other nearby large cities. It has a bit of a one-lane town feel but still has a busy and dense periphery around the main road. It was a little confusing at first to find the road down to the lake but we eventually found its and parked the car to go for a walk. 

The lake wasn't especially beautiful but was very open and lacked shops and structures on the shore. There were some rocky outcrops in the middle of the lake and at that time of the day the sun was on our backs and the light made the lake and reeds look very nice. Since it was Sunday it appeared that many people had the idea to come down to the lake for a walk and soon the area was bustling and alive with people walking along the lake, relaxing under a tree, and even some kids doing some acrobatics. I wondered if the lake was so lively everyday or if it was especially happening because it was Sunday.

It was really cool to see if so many people out and enjoying the landscape and surroundings. I felt like the lake was the closest thing I've seen to a public park in Tanzania, at least one that people were actively using. There was a great mix of young people older people and even some fishermen going into the lake towards the end of the evening. We took a long stroll up and down the lake eventually reaching a swamp. We enjoyed the lake as the sun went down and eventually made our way back to our hotel.

Clear waters of the alkaline Lake Singidani

Enjoying lakeside. 

There was a small peninsula popular with the locals

Car modifications: The Seats

Well, the roof rack at least looks nice. 

We recently decided to make some upgrades to our car, mainly attaching a roof rack and refurbishing the seats Our car is a three door (two side and one back) and is known as a "short wheel base" Landcruiser. We love it because it's not a behemoth truck yet it still has the power to get us through the roughest of roads. However, it is 25 years old so it's due for a few replacements. About a year ago the springs for the drivers seat blew out. Our company driver decided to fix the seat in the most local way possible, which resulted in a very thick piece of foam being set, which elevated me way up in the seat. It was quite comical how high I perched and even a traffic officer once asked why I appeared to be so high when the other seat was low. The foam finally did settle and driving was a bit more comfortable, but in the past few months the condition of both seats has deteriorated greatly.

The rear seat is also extremely cramped and I always feel bad when we have two passengers back there for more than 15 minutes. There is very little leg room and in addition, I also felt the seat prevented the car from fully utilizing the cargo space in back. Basically, I felt like it was a crappy compromise for both the passengers and the cargo and I thought I had the perfect solution.

One of the great things about the craftiness and economy of labor here is that repairs and modifications like car interiors can be relatively cheap and the level of customization is unlimited. Thus I gained inspiration from several old Landcruisers that I saw that had removed the rear seats and put folding seats facing sideways. It's not entirely uncommon, so I wasn't stretching the bounds of imagination. Or so I thought.

I decided to do the repairs while we were on holiday for two weeks. I left the car with a friend that owns a safari company, which means he is familiar with Landcruisers, and he has also previously helped me do work on the car before. I explained to him that I wanted the rear seats taken out and replaced with fold up seats facing each other, as well as replacing the foam and covering for the front seats. He asked what type of design I wanted for the seats and I said I really didn't care and trusted him that it would look presentable. I left the car with him and went on holiday.

When I was on holiday my friend sent me pictures of the car. I was shocked. Not only were the seats a tacky bronze and leopard print design, but the back seats were completely too high and without any space for the legs of passengers. I responded saying it doesn't seem like there was much space (and that they were the wrong orientation) and he countered with the fact that it only appears that way because the front seats are pushed back.

When I arrived I realized that it was even worse in person than in the pictures. To be honest, I don't even really mind the seat covering, in fact, it's so gaudy that it's humorous (and makes for a nice story) but the rear seats had to go. I was surprised my friend didn't understand my usual request and further, I can't believe he couldn't see that it obviously didn't fit. I also couldn't believe that the guy working on those seats wouldn't at some point say, "I don't think anyone could comfortably sit here?!".

I ended up showing my friend some pictures of the seats I wanted and we eventually found something that worked. In the end I met the guy who did the original rear seat job and he was non-chalantly like "Oh, the other seats in the back didn't fit". And I was like, "Was it you who did them?", to which replies, "Yeah, it was me". I was so shocked I didn't even respond.

In the end the upgrades were made and the car is out on the road. Tanzanians seem to really love the seat coverings (I'm looking for some to throw over them) and they are comfortable. I got the fold up seats I wanted and I learned a valuable lesson: if I say I truly don't care about something, I might end up with bronze leopard print.

Taking a closer look you can see the rear seats don't really fit...

Upon even closer look, there is absolutely no space. And those seat covers are...well....

He doesn't fit. 

Yeah, that's not gonna work. 

This is more like it. We had to look pretty hard to find just that beat up metal frame and then re-cover it. 

Finally, exactly what I wanted. 

TPC Birding II

A rare sunny day at the pools

With the rainy season in full force, outdoor excursions can be challenging. Thus, our trips to nearby TPC grow in frequency (Birding, TPC I, TPC II, TPC III, Trip IV). If there is a small break in the weather we can always try to drive out and have a quick walk albeit in quite soggy conditions. 

Rain moves in but it can not break the focus of Ana. 

Soggy ground, gotta be careful or you'll be waist deep in mud.