Rainy season at home

 

A nice view in the lesser visited far eastern part of Ruaha National Park. 

 

This holiday season we decided to spend at camp. Many of our staff live outside of our work area and Christmas is traditionally a big event in Tanzania. I describe December in Tanzania as the equivalent of a Friday during the work week meaning that things slow down as people may not be completely focused on their work. Taking this analogy a step further, the last two weeks of December are like Friday at 4pm; nothing tends to get done. With this in mind we decided that it would be a good time for our staff to take their annual leave and we would stay behind to look after camp and take our annual leave sometime later in the year.

 

We had just under two weeks at camp with Christmas and the New Year holidays. We had a bit of work to do but we had more than enough time to relax. With the onset of the rains it was a great time to get out and explore. The days were usually overcast and the rains provided some welcome greenery without too much mud to get in the way. Here are some of the images and landscapes that we explored during this time. 

An "average" outing in the bush

 

A look into the landscape that we were walking in.

Today we went out to ground truth some collaring movements and the day was a combination of success and failure though it’s ultimately a good representation of our normal weekend excursions. There have been dozens of excursions like this that I haven't really blogged about but these are kind of easy weekend activities that only take a morning or an afternoon.

There is a very wild habitat about a half hour from us and we knew a lion had passed through a few days ago. We wanted to follow up some of it’s movements and see what it had been up to. The area was near to a watering hole frequented by elephants and thus had a somewhat accessible network of elephant trails. Although this was good for accessibility this also meant that we had to be very careful to ensure we did not run into a group of elephants. Elephant populations near to village land are not very calm and often have negative experiences with humans while crop raiding and thus we had to be careful.

We tried to drive as far as we could with our car and somewhere along the way we hit a gigantic log that somehow flew up and hit the side of our car. When attempting to get out of the car I realized my door was stuck and then I realized that the frame of the car had been pushed in against the door. No worries, I took the ax out from the back and wedged it between the door and car frame. A few cranks and the door was able to open although it’s certainly a tight squeeze. After this short interlude we began walking to the GPS point.

You can see where the door was folded in

As suspected the area was full of elephant trails and due to their constant foraging it was also quite open. This allowed us to be a little more comfortable detecting wildlife from a distance. After about a 45 minute walk we reached our destination but unfortunately did not see anything notable.

On our way out we stopped at the water hole to look at some birds. While waiting quietly we suddenly saw a cautious elephant emerge from the opposite side of the pool. He came to mud bathe and drink and he was soon followed by six other large elephants. I don’t think they noticed us and we were thrilled to have an intimate sighting.

 

The elephants eventually left and we decided to drive another bush road. We ended up seeing a nice group of giraffe but the road was in very poor condition. After bashing through some particularly busy roads we began our journey home only to fly off the road and nearly have an accident. The steering felt off and we inspected the car to see our steering rod ball joint had broken. No worries once again, we straightened the steering rod out, hammered the ball joint in with a rock, and then tied some rope for a temporary fix until we could reach home. Due to the corrugation on the road it untied once but after a second re-tie it served us until we reached home. 

Discovering a kudu carcass

Examining the kudu carcass

 

Once in a while we'll try to ground truth some of the movements from our collared lions data (Buffalo carcass). We check the data every day and look for multiple days or points where the lions are moving within a very small range. It's pretty rare for an area to be in an accessible and safe environment so whenever we have the opportunity we take it. 

 

Movements that suggest a carcass

From November 26th to December 1st we noticed a lioness moving between two distinct areas. After she cleared out we decided to pursue as the site as itwas close to an old disused air strip and relatively accessible. We geared up and headed out, hoping for the best.

Unfortunately the rains had just begun and the area was prime tsetse fly territory. Swarms of tsetse flies can be annoying and anxiety-inducing and I found them to be dangerous in this situation as they took my focus off the environment. We do not live in an open savanna landscape as many people imagine Africa. Rather our area is dominated by a bushy and thick landscape that requires one to be alert when on foot. By focusing on driving tsetse flies off my face, I was taking valuable attention away from the environment. 

It because apparent early on that the area was prime tsetse fly territory and that they would not relent. You just gotta endure and hope for the best. They can bite through nearly all clothes and they frequently bite in odd and sensitive places like fingertips, palms, neck, and face. Many times you can't feel them land and they are extremely agile making it rare to kill them if you swat at them. We've experienced several bad tsetse fly infestations but this day was among the worst. 

At least we achieved our objective by finding the carcass. The first point that we went to only had a lone bone but the second point had a spine and femur of a kudu. We suspect the lioness possibly has cubs and brought food to them nearby. Due to the tsetse flies we did not stick around and look for more tracks and signs. We took a different route back to the car and found several skeletons of impalas and kudus along the way. I suppose the great kudu and impala population helps to sustain that healthy tsetse fly population as well!

A "latrine", basically a place where impala and dikdik defecate regularly. An impressive pile !

 

Zanzibar: Matemwe trip II

Beautiful views from the lodge.

 We traveled to Zanzibar this past week and enjoyed some relaxing days off in Matemwe, the northeast side of the island. Like our previous trips (Paje Beach, Matemwe, accommodation) it was all about eating seafood, reading a book, and refreshing our minds. I brought my guitar along this time which added a nice activity for me. Over three days we did not do much; we did not even snorkel or do any sightseeing. I'm always shocked at how the beach life takes over and one can be without any "activities" yet the days fly by and at no point were we bored!

Love me some seafood.

Perfect shaded area to read and listen to the ocean.

It's best to wear watershoes or flip flops; there are many sea urchins!

Ana wading while a woman harvests seaweed in the background.

Discovering a Buffalo carcass

The on the left is along a river, probably going to drink. After three days the lion moved on...(red square final point)

From the 16th-18th of November we observed Lion #98 with very tight movements indicative of a feeding event. We check the lions movements each day and it's exciting to see when they do something unusual or possibly have a large carcass. We were also pleased that this carcass was close to a road meaning that we could follow up and ground truth once they were gone. The majority of the lions' territories have no road access and thus we were eager to follow up. 

We were familiar with the landscape and knew the lion was about 200m off the road in a thick commiphora forest. These are not particularly dense forests but have features that local wildlife have adapted to and thus lions and the like can appear very camouflaged. It can also be dangerous as the risk of sneaking up on an animal and frightening it is high and in a closed space they can panic and attack. As a result we took precautions bringing our noisemakers and waiting until the lions GPS movements indicated they were far off the carcass. 

Still, it was not without risks though I admit I love the excitement. There is something about the focus and awareness that one has in the bush. You register every single sound, examine the game trails and evidence of wildlife, take in the odors of elephant and kudu. It's an immersive experience and there is always a bit of underlying fear that gets the adrenaline pumping.

We made plenty of noise while observing evidence of elephant, kudu, impala, though no lion. The forest was well traveled but dry season makes it difficult to observe some tracks and signs of wildlife. We tried to follow our noses to the carcass but we didn't smell anything. After some circling about we finally came upon a buffalo head and rib-cage. We identified some spots where lions slept and piles of feces strewn about. The lions had picked the buffalo well clean! 

The head remains.

The head and rib-cage was all that was left. Impressive.

Transporting fish

I think there are two here.

I was impressed this person had fish on each side view mirror. 

 

One interesting thing I frequently see here in Tanzania is the transport of fresh fish. In the absence of a cooler one is faced with the question, should you put the fish inside the vehicle and likely cause your vehicle to smell for weeks or....do you put it...outside? 

Many an enterprising driver tie the fish to the side view mirrors of their vehicle. It is not unusual, especially in areas close to lakes and rivers, to see travelers passing through tying fish on the side view mirrors.

Kisang'a-Lugalo Forest Reserve: Trip II

 

Bracken highland with some views.

It had been several years since we last visited Kisang'a-Lugalo Forest Reserve so we figured it was due time we return (Trip I). We had big plans that included camping at a river but we ended up reducing the trip to a simple day trip. The ride up was beautiful though the views were not as clear as we remembered, probably due to extensive burning in the area. If you're the adventurous type the trip up is worth the journey. 

When we entered into the forest reserve we immediately met a truck filling up with timber. The workers explained that they were harvesting eucalyptus trees (planted in the past to demarcate the border) and that they had received permission to use the forest reserve road. It was a weird interaction but they invited me to view their plot of land, which I declined. We continued on the road through a nice part of forest until we reached a beautiful area with several montane grasses and plants. The clear views allowed us to survey the forest and we began to see signs of previous logging and heavy human use. We continued down a very steep road to a small river. On our previous trip we were told there was an irrigation project in the area and sure enough we saw a water catchment system and massive pipe running down from it. We were a little disappointed as we had imagined setting camp next to a quaint stream in the forest and instead we were faced with a bit of an eye sore in a cleared patch of secondary forest. We had identified another possible camp site next to a stream earlier in the road so we decided to double back. 

On our way back we followed two newly cut logging tracks. One of them we followed until we reached another eucalyptus cutting ground and another we followed until we heard the sounds of chainsaws. We found stacks of planks on the road and decided to not pursue any further. Our mood had soured with the sounds of chainsaws and lack of walking trails and as a result we decided to head back home. I think the prospect of setting up camp at 4pm in a non-forested area with the sounds of chainsaws was not what we had in mind. Although it was disturbing for us as tourists it is a good thing that the trees can be harvested and provide some economic value to the nearby inhabitants. However, cutting new tracks through forests is not only less than ideal due to the obvious cutting of trees and shrubs but these roads also tend to open up the forest to other extraction activities (pole cutting, honey harvesting, etc). 

Most of the forest reserves in the area have been heavily logged and continue to be exploited for mostly small scale use. We are still keen to explore these areas but I suppose we have to taper our expectations and be ready for anything!

Views going south.

Water catchment system.

Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi): Trip II

 

Enjoying a walk in the evening.

In what seems like a perfect pairing, we once again hiked Mt. Rungwe en route to Matema Beach (Trip I). It's one of the closer large bodies of water to us and the Livingstone Mountains provide a beautiful backdrop to the massive lake. Having grown up on a Great Lake in Wisconsin in the USA, being next to a massive body of water is comforting. The only unfortunate thing is that the lake likely has Schistosomiasis, an acute and chronic parasitic disease. Although it can be treated, it's still not ideal to get. Reliable information on its presence is sparse but it appears the lake was free of Shicstosomiasis in the 80s but there have been rising numbers of cases, especially in the southern part of the lake. With that being said, we absolutely swam in the cool and clear lake. 

Matema is a strange village in that the agricultural activities sprawl in every direction but the dwellings and village proper are very densely arranged. There is a roundabout that serves as the nexus of activity in close proximity to the market and Lutheran Center. There is local beach access hosting a variety activities from fishing to bathing to washing. People are also just hanging out on the beach as well with a good number of people coming out in the evenings. 

On our previous visit we did not go snorkeling, falsely believing that snorkeling in a fresh water lake would be lackluster. This time around we arranged to go to the snorkeling spot and we were in disbelief at how plentiful and varied the fish were. We knew that the lake was famous for Cichlids and that over 600 of the 1,000 species of fish in the lake were endemic, but we were not prepared for a variety of fish that rivaled the quality of snorkeling in many places in Zanzibar. There was a rocky area where the fish fed off the algae and plankton, basically serving as a "rock reef". The water was extremely clear and the only perilous part of the journey was the rickety boat ride taking in water at an alarming rate though one can make arrangements with a more lake-worthy vessel if one chooses to do so. 

The rest of the time we spent hiking around, watching the Trumpeter Hornbills come in to roost at night, and swimming in the lake. At night the sky is clear with the milky way clearly shining. Many fisherman were also out at night using lights; I counted 75 boats around 10pm. I'm sure there were many more out there further out in the lake.

 

Some of the riverine vegetation with hippos nearby.

Snorkeling spot.

Boat ride to the snorkeling.

 

Mt. Rungwe: Trip II

 

Peak!

We had visited Mt. Rungwe in the rainy season but failed to summit. Now we're in the heart of the dry season we figured we'd give it another try. We felt well prepared to camp two nights which would allow us to spend the entire day hiking while also enjoying the environs of the campsite. 

The campsite has rustic though worn covered huts and basic tables and benches. There is a small stream very close to the camp that provides water for cooking and bathing. There is a basic pit toilet with a plastic covering to provide some sort of privacy. The only downside of the camp is that depending on the wind, you can sometimes hear music and noise from the nearby village but it's quite distant and irregular. 

Our hike was overall a success though the last quarter to half was steep and challenging. We felt the thinness of the air and moved extremely slow on our ascent. This begins at the bamboo zone and continues up through the grasslands and peak. As you can see from the elevation map below, it's straight up! 

The views at the top were nice and the air was chilly. There were loads of interesting montane grasses and flowers and we enjoyed a White-naped Raven and a pair of Hawk-Eagles that soared at eye level. The descent was much quicker though taxing on the knees. At the second campsite we saw a trail towards the east and we later found out this leads to a crater, perhaps next time we will find it!

Elevation change and distance on the descent.

Beautiful bamboo layer.

A view midway up.

The campsite.

The Rufiji River

Walking to the water.

The Rufiji River is 600 kilometres (370 mi) long, fed by the Kilombero and Ruaha Rivers. It's the largest river in Tanzania and signifcant portions run through protected areas, most notably Selous Game Reserve and the newly established Nyerere National Park. We took a work trip out there and had a fantastic time poking around the river and understanding the landscape. We were maybe 100km from the ocean but the river was already quite wide with numerous tributaries, islands, and other seasonally flooded areas. I was surprised as farmers put crops in the sand either on the shore or other parts of the riverbed. There are nutrient rich bushy areas before you reach the sand, and finally the water.

Hippos and crocodiles are in the area though local residents told us hippo numbers are reducing due to poaching. It was very unclear how we could cross the river but we eventually got someone to show us the crossing. There are a few community-owned boats that are communally used among community members. Apparently the going rate is 200tsh per person if it's in a big boat and 1,000tsh per person if it's chartered and anyone can offer this service. We thought we'd find a regularly run type of local ferry service but the system was far more informal than I expected. It also appeared to be a BYOP (bring your own paddle). When we successfully crossed to the the other side of the river, our guy stashed his paddle in a bush. It was a good move. When we came back our big boat was gone and what remained was a small boat a quarter full of water, with more seeping in every second. We heard a voice from around the bed and though we were in luck. Alas, an even more precarious boat came around the bend...

Yeah, I think I'll pass on the lift in that dudes boat.

Our guy took the paddle out of the bush, bailed the boat, and went to pick up the larger one. We waited in the shade and sure enough he came back with the larger boat. The larger boat was quite sturdy, seemed to leak at an acceptable rate, and held six of us with room to spare. The paddler had a long stick to push through shallow water gondola style and a small paddle for open water. We passed a group of hippos and a crocodile basking in the sun, so it's safe to say we were all carefully examining the river-worthiness of the carved out log. Although I wish the paddler had a larger paddle (or even two, canoe style?) the boat was sturdy. We all held our breath when we got temporarily beached on a sandbar. Stepping out of the boat to dislodge the boat in crocodile infested waters is not recommended but sometimes necessary. After a small push we were off.

It was a lot of fun to explore the river and cross over to see the temporary farming and grazing camps. People are living rough with small solar panels and basic houses. Many will only farm temporarily and frequently cross the river to go to town but it still must be rough. People were friendly and welcoming though notably surprised to see us!

Turtle on the loose

Larger and smaller boat. The guy had a long pole, it was just like Venice.

This is what a house off the grid looks like.

These two mamas were weaving mats and baskets.

Member from the Sukuma tribe with his cattle going for water. I was hoping to see some carnage with a crocodile but alas, there was none.

Community protected area bridge

Still quite a bit of water in the river.

Last weekend we drove through the community protected area (WMA) bordering Ruaha National Park for the first time since the rainy season (Previous Trips I and II). We are planning to do some work next month in that area but we are pretty much the only people that access a large area of the WMA. We wanted to survey the condition of the roads as well as check out the water levels of the rivers.

The journey was somewhat uneventful; we did get stuck in a sand river as well as stuck in a rocky gully. The roads weren't too terrible but one of the places we really wanted to reach was not passable due to a washed out bridge (see photos below). We need the water to recede a bit more in order to perhaps cross the sand. It might require some work on the riverbanks but I'm confident we can make it to the other side!

A few years ago....

That bridge is gone...

Dodoma city

While I"ve visited Dodoma several times before I had never spent more than a night. However, this last week I found myself marooned there as I had a meeting on Friday delayed until the following Monday. It didn't make sense to make the four hour drive back to Iringa so I decided to spend the weekend.

What I didn't know is that Dodoma was holding a large political rally over the weekend and everywhere was booked. I should have gotten a clue when on Thursday evening I asked the hotel if they had occupancy and they told me yes, but they wouldn't have for the rest of the weekend because someone booked the entire place. I found that to be a little strange but shrugged it off. It was only on Friday after I decided to stay that I realized the magnitude of the problem.

I drove around Dodoma for 2 1/2 hours checking every single accommodation option possible. Dodoma, and Tanzania in general, isn't quite up to the AirBnB or standard internet search/booking standards so much of the work still must be done on foot. I checked guesthouses and hotels ranging from $5 a night to $100 a night, with internet presence and on foot. What I found was that seriously, everywhere was booked. I even drove about 20km outside of the city but the clusters of guesthouses I found were booked. I was about to give up and go back to Iringa when a place inside the city had a room. It wasn't much but I was relieved to have gotten a place and settled in.

I spent Saturday and Sunday mainly strolling around, still wearing my mask for C-19 precautions but only spotting a few others doing the same throughout the weekend. Since I was staying downtown it was easy to walk around and check out all the wholesale shops and frantic business. I also had to get some clothes since I had come with literally no suitcase or extra clothes. I found myself one day in Market Saba Saba, a quite lively place with a mix of different types of sales. I initially tried to buy a t-shirt at a "bale auction" whereby sellers rip open bales of freshly imported second hand clothes and frantically auction them off in front of an enthusiastic crowd. I spoke with some buyers, most of whom were weeding through the bales to get good deals to sell at their larger stalls. Some people were like myself, just looking for a cheap shirt. After 15 or so minutes I did not see anything I liked (it appeared the bales were coming from a female dominated household) so I moved on and bought some underwear and a shirt from a more formal stall.

The rest of my time was quite uneventful and unlike Dar es Salaam and Arusha, Dodoma lacks cosmopolitan restaurants and hang outs though the numerous local spots are quite nice to chill at. They are just slight variations of each other, mainly outdoor bars with grilled meat and cold beer available. I'm sure there are some nice spots that I'm just not hip or privy to.

One the thing I enjoy about Tanzania is that people are quite friendly. Since I was in a "no hurry to get anywhere" mood I engaged in conversations with all kinds of people. I'm always so curious about the life story and business models of the various businesses and hustles of Tanzania but Tanzanian culture is not one that invites direct questioning. So in order to get answers one must establish some familiarity and then construct an indirect way of teasing out these questions. I spoke with fruit vendors, wholesalers of massive plastic drums, clothes sellers, and a variety of others. My other highlight was probably having the Tanzanian football league finish on Saturday night. The streets were rowdy and shouts and screams were heard when players scored. I saw a man run down the street with his shirt off like a maniac. I took a short video (below) of a procession that occurred after the game.

The hustler making customized mud flaps for motorcycles. These are very popular in Tanzania with either a god-fearing or cheeky phrase tacked on the back of a bike.

This guy has an ingenious way to beat the ink cartridge cartel.

Parking like this is acceptable. Sometimes ya gotta think outside the box, or, lane.

Maramboi Tented Camp

Sunset over the flooded surroundings

Maramboi Tented Camp has one of my favorite surroundings of any lodge in the north, especially for a lodge outside of a national park. Mamramboi Tented camp sits on the eastern side of Lake Manyara (Lake Manyara National Park is on the western side of the lake). The lodge is situated in a Wildlife Management Area (WMA), one of several community run conservation protected areas in Tanzania.

Maramboi is a massive tented camp far less intimate than many other tented camps. It has over 40 rooms (most tented camps have less than 15) and serves more or less as an appetizer for other camps on safari. Most safari goers will stay here their first day of safari on their way from Arusha en route to Serengeti National Park. As a result most of the guests are only staying one night and they come in the evening with a quick turn around to be out in the morning. Thus some of the intimacy and attention to detail isn't quite as apparent in this lodge as others but it avoids feeling like an empty big box lodge/hotel.

The best thing Maramboi has is its setting. Normally it is set in a grassland with views of Lake Manyara but the massive rains this year have flooded the area right up to the lodges. Waterbirds are numerous and wildebeest and zebra graze right outside the tents. We've visited when the waters are lower and the shoreline is kilometers away and it's still quite beautiful. For us residents we still must pay a WMA fee but they're far less expensive than the national park fees. The lodging is far superior and better value than anything you'd find in the park with the only downside being it can feel quite crowded. However, for those in Arusha it makes a perfect weekend getaway.

The pool looking out into the lake.

Totally flooded

Wildlife from our balcony

Serengeti lodging: Kubu Kubu Tented Camp

The pool was VERY cold!

We were lucky enough to score an incredible deal at Kubu Kubu Tented camp. I hadn't realized it at the time, but we've actually stayed at two other properties owned by the same operator (Maramboi and Kati Kati) and had been impressed by both. We were excited to stay at this tented camp which was a kind of hybrid between a built up hotel and a fly camp. I suppose the name "tented camp" is appropriate.

The location of the camp is excellent in northwest central Serengeti. Seronera and even the western corridor are all easily accessible. The views over the plains are beautiful and there is no other camp in sight. We heard lions and hyenas in the plains below us every night and we even saw a hyena poking around the main lodge early one morning.

There are 25 tents available and I imagine if the place was full it might feel a little cramped but with few guests during our stay it was perfect. The tents are tastefully furnished with all the amenities one could ask for. I appreciated that they had a large drinking water dispenser and the outdoor shower was crafted quiet nicely. They were a little too close together and you could hear your neighbors early morning conversations and wake up calls. The staff was excellent and food delicious.

I always try to view the lodges through the lens of a first time visitor and in that regard the place did not disappoint. They even had a gym that was open air and facing towards a beautiful vista. Working out can be quite nice after sitting in a car all day, especially for a multi-night safari. However, since all the accommodation in Serengeti National Park are quite expensive, even the cheapest place is likely to have impressive amenities and services.

Overall I'd absolutely recommend Kubu Kubu Tented Camp!

Comfortable bed.

View from our balcony.

Inside leading to a very nice outdoor shower.