TPC Pools: Trip IV

Flamingos overhead!

About a half hour drive away from our house, the pools are the closest quality birding spot in Moshi (TPC I, TPC II, TPC III). This past weekend I was even more excited to go because Ana had brought her telescope back from Spain and I was keen to learn how to use it. She told me that it was best used for shore birds since they stay relatively still and are typically out of good view when using binoculars. We decided to pop out to the pools on Sunday afternoon and see what was around.

The last time we visited the pools were pretty low and we have a hard time understanding what causes the water level to fluctuate. It is the dry season now and we haven't had much rain, though we have been on holiday for most of July/August. The water seemed to be at a normal level and at first we saw our usual suspects.

However, at a seldom visited pool (there's probably 5-10 pools) we saw a mirage of pink. Was it a mirage? No, it was 475 flamingos! We had never even seen one flamingo here and although they are known to migrate quite a bit, we were still surprised to see such a great number. We enjoyed watching them from a distance with the telescope before something suddenly scared them. They all took off in unison and we watched at they circled around overhead. The day was very hot and the air was still so as the flamingos circled back and flew directly over us, the flapping of their wings crescendoed overhead. It was a truly spectacular moment!

We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, though anything more than two hours in the hot sun can be too much. I did end up having a great tutorial with the telescope and now I'm excited to take it out again!

A black winged stilt takes off over the pools. 

Ana checking out some birds with a little dust tornado heading her way. 

Pools with the "blue mountains" in the background. 

Flamingos taking off. 

The cows don't bother. 

Setting up to look at some Wood Sandpipers across the way. 

Kindoroko Forest: Trip X

In the forest alongside a stream. 

Our most recent trip to Kindoroko led us down a different path than our previous trips (Part I,Part II,Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VIII , Part IX). We had decided to enter the forest from a different point and try to possibly walk to another village over the mountain. We figured the worst thing that happens is that we walk for three hours and then turn around the way we came. 

The forest reserves are delineated by now-massive eucalyptus trees. We try to climb as high and deep as we can with the motorcycle and then leave the motorcycle at a local resident's house before we find a footpath into the forest. Sometimes the trails are very short and only go to areas where local residents have cut down trees, so we often ask people if we can access the inside of the forest from the trails. 

We were very happy with the new trail we found and it led us down to a stream. The stream was heavily wooded though the steepness of the sides allowed more light through than the rest of the well preserved forest. We found a cool spot under a giant rock to fill our water bottles and continued inside. 

The days hike was very steep with a lot of ups and downs, as well as some detours on either disused trails or animal paths. One of our favorite parts of Kindoroko is how dramatic the forest can change depending on elevation and the direction of the slope. We hiked the entire day on trials we had never been on before so it was a real treat to experience the feel of that section of the forest. 

After some hours we could see the trail become well-trodden and we felt we were closer to a village. We popped out in the back of a house overlooking a valley and we found a young guy washing some clothes at the house. We began to assault him with questions like, "what is the name of this village?", "where is the nearest main road?", etc. We wanted to find out where we were so we could perhaps tka the motorcycle to that point on another day and use it as a base for further exploration. The conversation was very confusing and we finally told him that we entered the forest from another place and we parked our motorcycle at a house. He then said, "Your motorcycle is here". At that point I thought that it was the Swahili I was not understanding but Ana confirmed and we peeked around the side of the house and sure enough, we were at the same spot that we started! I couldn't believe it as I am normally quite good with direction but sure enough, I had been completely turned around!

Luckily that meant we didn't have to hike hours back on the same trail, in fact, we turned around and headed back in to make use of the rest of the day exploring yet more trails! 

Classic Kindoroko view!

An awesome water spot. 

Birding in the forest. 

Some of my favorite plants. 

View from the village. 

Visit from Chinese Friends

Enjoying some fresh coffee on the coffee tour.

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro

I was very excited when my friend from China asked me about visiting Tanzania. I strongly endorsed a trip here and excitedly told her she could see all these awesome African animals and then kick back on the beach in Zanzibar. I told her I would help her book everything on the ground and advise her on her options and before I knew it she had convinced three of her friends to join her! All four of them had been working in Shanghai for at least five years, so they were quite cosmopolitan and well traveled. Still, I was a bit nervous booking all of their activities as I only knew my friend and didn't know much about the other three.

When they arrived they quickly admitted they had been too busy to properly read all the things I had sent them and simply trusted my choices. I was somewhat relieved but still a bit nervous that they wouldn't like some part of the trip.

In the end, the trip was nearly perfect. They went on safari and spent some days in Zanzibar, all with Moshi activities interspersed throughout. We went on a coffee tour (Trip I), which I loved the first time, and also went to the hot springs (Trip I, Trip II). The highlight for me was doing a Mt. Kilimanjaro day hike but that will get it's own entry (see here). It was really interesting to see a tourist from a different culture other than the usual American or European.

Before they came they asked us what they could do to show their appreciation. We said that we already had most of the things we needed BUT it would be great if they could teach us how to make some Chinese food. Sure enough, they loaded their bags full of Chinese treats and one night we got together and cooked up a storm. They left us with tons of sauces and vinegars, so if you come visit us within the next few months, you might be able to get some tasty Chinese food!

Getting some great info on coffee

Hot springs!

Feast of Chinese food in our house. Yum!

Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park: Day Hike

View of the mountain with local flora.

I finally got the opportunity to go into Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park. My Chinese friends wanted to do a day hike and insisted I join them, which  seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally enter the park. I haven't entered the park before because park fees are quite high and I can't bring myself to pay nearly $100 for a day hike. But, it was perfect to spend some time with my friend as well as experience a unique landscape.

The hike began at the Morum Barrier at 3500m (11,500 ft). I was really surprised at how high we started and somewhat disappointed we passed through the montane rainforest. What lay ahead of us was a barren and desolate Shira Plateu, a 13km stretch that is actually a caldera, or collapsed volcano. It was nearly entirely devoid of fauna and the beautiful landscape with the eerie silence gave a vibe reminiscent of a desert. We had chosen this route because my companions were worried about the physical demands (the lower routes in the forest are very steep) but the drawback was there was no loop and we simply walked until we were tired, then turned around. As a result of being above the tree line there was also a notable absence of shady places to rest.

It was really cool to be so close to Mt. Kilimanjaro and we lucked out with a relatively clear day allowing us to see fantastic views. I was happy to experience the unique plateau, though it is probably the closest I'll ever get to the top!

Small river.

If you look closely you can see the camp in the distance.

Starting point.

Trailhead.

Nyumba ya Mungu: Trip XI

Dry landscape eventually gives way to the lake.

Since our July has been booked with travel to the US and Spain, as well as hosting some friends from China, we have had a bit of a drought in our personal trips. We decided this weekend to go out to Nyumba ya Mungu to do some birding (Trip I, II, III, IV, V & VI, VII, Trip VIII, Trip IX, Trip X).

We had never been to the lake at this time of year and the lake was at the lowest levels that we have ever seen. It made it very difficult to see birds because they were hidden behind the deep reeds and we are not so enthusiastic to jump into the lake due to the presence of  Schistosomiasis. We were also curious to see if the rumored ban on fishing at the reservoir had been enforced. In May the government had announced that fishing was to be banned for one year due to declining stocks. Sure enough, we didn't see any boats or the usual traders of fish along the shoreline. We did see some small scale extraction but nothing like before. It is a curious move, which is very demonstrative of the administration. Instead of addressing the issue of illegal fishing methods and declining stocks, they simply put a blanket ban on the activity. There are hundreds of people in the very poor area that have no alternative livelihood. Instead of investing in education or alternative programs, they take the easy way out which will likely only increase illegal fishing activities and further increase poverty in the area.

We hope that next time we visit we can rent out a boat and maybe take some time to talk to people about the local ban. I'm curious to hear how the locals feel about it, how enforcement was announced, and what people are doing in the meantime. Until then....

Traffic jam on our way there.

Ana surveying the landscape.

Possible illegal fisherman?

Cows grazing.

Lake Manyara National Park

Grey-crowned Cranes with the western escarpment of the Rift Valley providing a backdrop.

We had only been to Lake Manyara once before, and it was probably for less than two hours as part of a frantic Big Birding Day last year. I have been eying up a trip to this park for quite some time but it's just a bit too far to reach for a weekend trip. However, a long weekend was not coming soon enough and since we are leaving for a trip to the US next week, I thought it would be a good time to go all out and try to make a weekend trip of it.

Lake Manyara is about 3 1/2 hours from Moshi so we left Friday at 5pm and made it to a town just outside the park at 8:30pm. We had done this exact drive one time before on a trip to Lake Natron but unfortunately this time we did not see any wildlife on the highway (last time we saw zebras and a zorrilla). We did get stopped by a traffic police and he requested we give his co-worker a ride about a half hour away, which is not unusual among police here. I mean, come on, who is going to refuse a police officer a ride? Unlike America, where the presence of a police officer in my car would make me nervous, here it basically gives you the green light and guarantees you won't be solicited for a brib (which is also very common).

We reached the town of Mto wa Mbu and located the guest house we had previously stayed in. Cheap, clean, serviceable, with working mosquito net? Awesome. Forgetting the ear plugs with loud neighbors, too cold with thin blanket, and a very uncomfortable mattress? Not so awesome. But we survived and headed out early the next morning for a day at the park.

The biggest upside of staying in Mto wa Mbu is that it is less than five minutes to the park gate. When we arrived we were greeted by a young guy that we later learned was a student doing a field placement. He said that not a lot of people came by themselves (not on a guided safari), later evidenced by the 15 safari vehicles at the picnic spot. We manged to register and be one our way in less than 10 minutes, which is much less time than the more popular parks.

We headed to a part of the park called the Hippo Pool and found it to be quite flooded. Beautiful grassland with zebra, wildabeast and buffalo grazing was being encroached by a sprawling swamp. We realized that the lookout platform we wanted to reach was under water but didn't know if we should risk reaching it.

Luckily we waited long enough and we saw a much more experienced safari driver start to drive through what I felt was a river or swamp. All I needed was someone to blaze the trail so I followed closely behind though I was somewhat alarmed at times when water reached up to the top of our wheel but I have to admit, I was damn excited and happy to be fording a river.

Driving on the road was a good bit of fun but I could probably afford to be relaxed with other safari vehicles nearby. If I got stuck, it wasn't likely to turn into a massive ordeal. Still, there were moments where I thought of the Obi Wan Kenobi quote, "Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?". I had always though the snorkels on safari vehicles were outlandish but I was now reconsidering my stance.

When we reached the platform we enjoyed some stunning views. The east side of the park is the impressive alkaline lake with the west side comprising of the western escarpment of the Rift Valley. The rains had created a wetlands that drew a huge amount of fresh water birds. We enjoyed watching the wildlife, as well as watching the safari jeeps roll through the water.

We spent the rest of the day driving south and taking most of the loops that cut by the lake. The rest of the shore isn't as flooded so there aren't as many birds but there are still flamingos and storks seen about. Lake Manyara is also noted for it's numerous varied habitats and it was pretty cool to wind between forests, acacia scrub, bushland, and savanna.

There were some great wildlife spottings including a few groups of elephant, an animated mongoose family, a jackal, and numerous close views of giraffes and zebra. Since the park isn't as open as Ngorongoro or Serengeti, we felt that the wildlife viewings were more intimate and fulfilling. The big parks really spoil you so it's nice to be somewhere that you don't take a chance encounter for granted. We stopped along the road for some birds and thick grass surrounded us. We had the car off and suddenly we heard the unmistakable sound of an elephant. It sounded like it was right next to us! I got out of the car and climbed on the roof and sure enough there was a family of elephants grazing about 5m away!

We made it out of the park at 530pm (the park closes at 7pm) which was a good time since the western escarpment dims the area earlier than sunset. We had an amazing day and even though it was a lot of driving this weekend, it was well worth it and I'm sure we'll be there again soon!

Some giraffes come to the dryer part of the lake for a drink.

Ana taking in the view.

Bull elephant having some chow.

Wildabeast crosses the path of Yellow-billed Storks.

Zebras grazing.

Baby elephant walking up to the car. No words.

The view of the "road".

Crossing the "parking lot".

Totally swamped!

West Kilimanjaro Farmstead: Trip III

Awesome sunset. 

For Ana's birthday we chose to go to the farmstead on west Kilimanjaro for the combination of the food and birding. The only downside is due to the elevation, camping was chilly!!!

It had been a few weeks since we went up for our last trip (Trip I, Trip II) but the rains had all but vanished in that area. It was still green but not as lush and not nearly as muddy as our last trip.

We absolutely love the farmstead and we were in luck as we were the only guests that weekend so the atmosphere was very relaxed. We were extra lucky as the afternoon cleared up and we were able to see fabulous clear views of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the very unfamiliar western perspective. In addition, because of the elevation, the mountain appears less like a full on mountain rather it is just a little nub for a peak. Very cool!

Ana checking out a white-backed vulture. 

View of the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

Ana looking on as Mt. Kilimanjaro shows its face in the background.