Gangilonga Rock

 

Iringa is unique for a Tanzanian city in that it actually has a pretty cool unique city attraction. Gangilonga Rock is located on the outskirts of Iringa town just up the hill from Sunset Hotel, easily reached by either foot or bijaji/motorcycle/taxi. 

There is a very short walk through a wooded area and then a climb up a gigantic crevice of the rock. Rocks have been piled to create a little staircase but it still requires some balance. It's a very short climb and I am always blown away by the views of Iringa. The rock provides a really cool point of reference over the larger landscape and the area is unbelievably photogenic. Visiting during the sunset basks the area in a soft evening light which causes most people to continuously take photos with each incremental change in the hues of the light.

I am a firm believer that every visitor to Iringa should try to climb the rock!

Ngosi Crater lake north rim

 

The lake

 

We had visited Ngosi Crater Lake on a previous trip (Trip I) but had accessed it from the southern entrance. On a previous trip to Mbeya we had tried but failed to reach the newer northern point. Our failure was due to the steep and wet roads during rainy season. Although the road was well signed, the road was full of deep erosion, sticky mud, and poor visibility. We ended up turning around so I was pleased to complete the journey today. 

The road has clearly received some maintenance but there are still some very steep sections. The views over the agriculture dominated rolling hills are spectacular. It took less than a half hour from the main road to reach to the entrance, which wasn't much more than an old signpost fixed at a trailhead. 

We parked the car and enjoyed the short 2.2 km (1.4 miles) hike to the crater rim. The path took us through open grassland and then a short bit through montane forest. It was a very gradual climb and l would recommend the hike to just about anyone of any fitness level and age. 

There were some cement picnic benches and a collapsed viewing platform all with stunning views. There appeared to be a trail down to the lake but it was incredibly steep so I only peaked down the ravine. 

I'm happy to see another access point to the crater lake. It's a great day trip activity from Mbeya and maybe one day I'll have the strength to walk down to the waters edge!

A nice little forest patch

Mt. Rungwe (Trip III)

 

Beautiful forest

Mt. Rungwe is a burly hike and this expedition proved no less challenging than our previous hikes (Trip I, Trip II). 

The day did not begin auspiciously when I tried to take a shortcut from Mbeya and we almost ended up in Malawi. Literally. I had a feeling that the back road was heading in the wrong direction. I stopped to ask a random woman on the road where the road headed. She casually replied Malawi and I asked her if the road to Tukyu (nearest city to Mt. Rungwe) was near and she immediately looked concerned and told me it was far. Very far. Welp, we turned around and then realized that the original shortcut that we wanted to take was closed due bridge repairs. We ended up picking up a random old man to help direct us to the turnoff. He disembarked before but gave us explicit instructions. We still missed it and ended up having to ask yet another person for directions. We finally located the tiny path and our mood lightened as we took in expansive views of the landscape. The road was clearly used more frequently as a footpath or for motorcycles. We enjoyed the ride down to the main road as we realized that we would indeed make the hike today.

However, tjos meant we got a late start and we really pushed it to make it to the top. We started the climb at 10:30am. We managed to make the climb in 4 hours and 51 minutes and descended in about three hours but we were pushing it hard. One way is only 6.4km (about 4 miles) but the altitude gain is 1,340m (4,400 ft). There are some extremely steep sections and towards the top the altitude can really affect the body. 

We had an incredible hike with great sightings of Colobus, Kipunji, and Blue Monkeys. We were casually birdwatching but saw a Bar-tailed Trogon, Red-faced Crimsonwing, and Silvery-cheeked Hornbills. The weather was great and we got to enjoy some time on the summit without fierce wind. 

I was disappointed to see the rustic bungalows were torn down at the new campsite. We met a crew that was building a new toilet which I suppose is a welcome upgrade from the simple drop toilet. The "second campsite" appears to have been completely overgrown and even the path to the toilet is obscured. There was a lot more litter on the trail than our previous excursions which I suppose means it's being used but I wish it was kept a little cleaner though it wasn't completely trashed or anything. 

The hike is not for the faint-hearted and unfit; it requires a decent level of fitness and the rapid gain in elevation can be tough. I love how the trail winds through different environments and the peak has some fantastic views that make it worth it!

Almost to the top

In the bamboo zone

Ruaha National Park: Guest visit

 

Five hyenas came in the morning

Ruaha National Park is known for its vastness, lack of crowds, and wilderness. One of the major reasons for this is that the wildlife densities are low, especially in comparison to the more famous northern circuit parks such as Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. This means that visitor experience can be hit or miss, both due to the chances of good wildlife sightings a well as the personal preference of the visitor. Some people really like the wild feel with few cars while others yearn for more frequent wildlife sightings. 

We had a friend visit from America and he was not specifically interested in the wildlife so we were curious how he would find the safari. We did a typical three day, two night safari with accommodation at the park run bandas.

The safari took place in peak dry season meaning that animals congregated at the remaining water sources making it easier to spot wildlife. We are lucky enough to find ourselves in Ruaha National Park relatively often but most time there is an aspect to the visit relating to our work. It had been a while since we took a purely recreational visit to the park and it's always a unique opportunity to share the experience with a first time visitor, especially a long time friend. 

Our safari was Ruaha National Park at its best. We had intimate sightings, saw a diverse species of wildlife, and felt the beauty and power of nature. Some of the highlights were having two lions on a kudu carcass across from the bandas, waking up to a group of hyenas in the river scavenging the kudu, following a pride of 13 lions that had just eaten to the river, along with countless other elephant sightings. Apart from one leopard sighting (which we actually didn't manage to see) we had every single sighting to ourselves and probably passed a total of five vehicles on the road during the entire time.