Serengeti: Trip III

Best sighting of the trip

With tourism down to unprecedented levels, the opportunity to experience Serengeti without the usual crowds was something we could not pass up. Our previous trips (Trip I, Trip II) were both phenomenal and I hold the Serengeti National Park on a pedestal far above any other national park I've visited in Africa. The density of wildlife is unparalleled. The only drawback, which is becoming a more frequent complaint, is that the park is overcrowded. Many people are surprised when they come on safari and see 10 other safari vehicles around a pride of lions. It can be a little annoying to have to overhear the conversations of the occupants in the other vehicles or jockey for position to get a good viewing. This can reduce the intimacy of the experience but it also helps to have so many eyes out browsing the landscape; information about sightings are communicated quickly through guides so locating rare animals become easier.

Ana and I had discussed the possibility of trying to visit the Serengeti without tourists and when my friend mentioned an amazing offer that one of the lodges was having, we literally booked our trip within 24 hours of receiving the information. It seemed like a truly once in a lifetime experience.

And sure enough, the trip lived up to every expectation and was a special experience. We arrived at the gate and it was stunning to see it empty. Typically you see up to 50 safari vehicles waiting in line. As we finished checking in we saw a touristy-yet-resident looking guy was checking out and I thought to myself, "hm, maybe there will be more people here than I expected...". We saw a caravan of five vehicles exiting the park shortly after we entered and I tried to taper my expectations regarding the relative emptiness of the park. Little did i know, those vehicles I saw within the first 10 minutes of arriving would be more than I'd see throughout our three nights in the park!

We only saw two other vehicles with tourists and none were at sightings of wildlife. Every single pride of lions that we saw (4 or 5 groups) we had to ourselves, including ones with kills. We were lucky enough to see the wildebeest migration in full force with no one else in sight. Three cheetahs on the road going to a wetlands to drink? Only us to watch them. It was kind of like low season in Ruaha only with 5x the density of wildlife.

Having the park to yourself doesn't just add intimacy to sightings but it also creates a kind of feeling of adventure. We had a map and relied on the ecology of the area (grasslands, rivers, etc) to identify our daily plans. We had some great drives and some long uneventful grass filled drives. Because tourism numbers have been way down since the rainy season many of the roads in the grasslands were very difficult to follow and all the smaller roads felt like no one had passed in weeks.

We were on the fence about this trip for a while and in the end I can't believe we even hesitated. The Serengeti will likely never have as few people and even when we came out on Saturday morning we began to see many more cars coming in, likely weekend trips from Arusha. Working in the field of conservation has certainly spoiled me rotten and this trip might have just put it over the top.

Mikumi National Park: Trip III

Sunrise

After a few months of self-isolation and limited movement, we're finally getting a chance to get out. Luckily, visits to national parks are quite good in the times of a pandemic due to limited interactions with people. We had to attend a meeting in Mikumi so naturally parlayed a trip to the national park (Trip I, Trip II).

One of the best things about Mikumi is that one can stay in reasonably priced accommodation in Mikumi town and still make it inside the park early enough to take advantage of prime wildlife viewing hours. On the road in we actually saw three hyenas cross the road, an exciting sighting in any national park. We made it to the gate when they opened at 6:30am and spent the morning leisurely driving around. At some point we decided that we'd like to check out the miombo woodlands in the NE side of the park and headed up the western side of the park. I'm a sucker for exploring areas of national parks that are seldom visited or areas that have not previously visited. It appeared they had recently repaired the roads and we passed through some uneventful recently burned miombo woodland until we reached Choga wale Ranger Post. The ranger post was surrounded by more grassland and we happily greeted the rangers at the seldom visited post. We attempted to drive east to loop around to the gate but the road was impassable.

We thought we would have a meeting after lunch time but the meeting was delayed so we poked around the hippo pools and main area just north of the gate. Unfortunately we got notice that a huge pride of lions was spotted in an area of the park that was too far for us to reach. We did enjoy views of a solitary buffalo, solitary eland, a pair of Bohor Reedbuck, and all the other usual suspects. We were also pleasantly surprised to see quite a few domestic tourists, mostly whom I assumed were from Dar es Salaam. It's good to see Tanzanians plugging the gap missing from international arrivals!

Hippo pool with low water level.

A pretty accurate map.

Amani Forest Reserve: Trip III

After a brief rain the moisture was hanging in the air.

We had visited Amani Forest Reserve in 2014 and 2016 and really love the place. We wanted to spend some more time in the forest but we unfortunately had our trip cut short (Trip I, Trip II) due to COVID-19. We planned to stay a few nights but due to uncertainty on how the nation would handle the first few cases we decided to head back home. We still got a chance to get out one day and do some hiking and birdwatching.

The drive up from Muheza was quite muddy this time of year and took around 1:40 to reach the village of Amani. The resthouse that we had previously stayed at was under construction (about a half hour down the hill from Amani proper) which means it will probably have some decent facilities in the near future. When we reached Muheza we found the Amani HQ had a previous booking and was full! We couldn't believe it but they directed us to another guesthouse, apparently the old malaria research station. There we found a comfy room in an old farmhouse type building set up on the top of a hill next to a river; extremely picturesque!

We immediately went to Kwamkoro Trail, one of the trails set in the interior of Amani. It's kind of weird because you must pass through a tea plantation to reach the trail head but there is an old logging road that is relatively flat. It's a beautiful walk through nicely preserved forest, the only drawback being that it's not a loop. We enjoyed an afternoon walk with some light showers, which I always feel like highlight the montane forest in a mystical way.

Unfortunately we got word of the first confirmed COVID-19 case that evening so we decided it was safer to head back home. It was still great to have even the briefest visit in the amazing forests.

Taking a picture of a forest is always a crapshoot.

Peponi: Tanga trip V

I love the common area right next to the beach

We unfortunately had our trip to Spain cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns so we decided to make the best of a bad situation and at least get out of Iringa town. We decided to visit one of our favorite spots in Tanzania on the Tanga Coast (Trip I, Trip II, Trip III, Trip IV). We had not been able to visit for nearly three years (!!!) due to the long driving distance. However, we decided to wake up early and drive the 10 hours to Peponi, one of our favorite places.

One of the reasons we decided to go to the coast was the fact that we're in the middle of the rainy season. We had plenty of places that we wanted to do wildlife viewing or hiking, but if there is a rainy day then we would find ourselves stuck. With the beach, we at least know there are covered public space that we can chill at and read, after all we don't spend our days at the beach laying in the sun anyway.

We love that Peponi has campsites that are quite cheap and right next to the ocean. Our tent can get a nice sea breeze and the sound of the ocean at night is therapeutic. It can get a little warm in our tent but we found that if we put a mosquito net (always travel with one!) draped over our tent with the sides open, the breeze can come through.

The beach is nearly always deserted and we were able to do some fantastic bird watching as well. It's such a chill location and the services and staff are still amazing. I was pleased to recognize, and be recognized, by many of the staff even years later. We hope that another three years doesn't pass before we go again!

Walking along the beach.

The seafood platter for two. At 50,000tsh (roughly $21.00) it is one of my favorite meals in the entire world.

Jozani Forest: Trip III

In the forest

Visiting Jozani is a must when I go to Zanzibar (Trip I, Trip II). It offers a different type of environment than the beach and it’s a short and easy hike with the bonus of habituated monkeys for viewing while walking. I recommend it to anyone that visits Zanzibar, whether they love nature or just looking for something else to do. It can take under an hour if you have an easy pace or you can make it last longer but taking your time or requesting to hike deeper in the forest. They’ve steadily built up the facilities and amenities since the first time I came and it is a well advertised activity throughout the island.

Paje Beach: Trip III

My favorite beach to go to on a day trip from Stonetown is Paje Beach (Trip I, Trip II). It’s become a bit of a tradition for me to head out there one of the festival days, leaving after breakfast and spending the day lounging and swimming with a fantastic seafood lunch in between. My favorite thing about Paje are the variety of hotels, restaurants, and shops that allow you to stroll the beach and find exactly what you’re looking for. The beach is heavily occupied by kite surfers but they don’t encroach on the swimming while providing a pretty backdrop. The beach isn’t deserted by any means but it isn’t packed either. This trip was a little cloudy but it was kinda cool to watch rain pass by without actually hitting the beach.

A storm that passed by.

Sauti za Busara (Trip IV)

The main stage in twlight.

My fourth trip (Trip I, Trip II, Trip III) to Sauti za Busara was another total success. I’ve written at length about how much I love the music festival and it did not disappoint this year. The event planning was top tier professional with excellent sound, punctual performance times, great concessions and crowd control.

I’m a bit unique as a festival goer in that I am totally focused on seeing as much music as possible but this requires some strategic planning and pacing. Music begins just after 4pm with two performances in the public Forodhani Gardens stage located just outside the festival venue. These performances are great in that large crowds gather and the general public finds themselves curious. However, it’s usually pretty warm although the stage is right next to the sea which typically gives some sea breeze. Nearly all of the bands that play the early slot also play at a later date and/or time but for those that enjoy a more subdued vibe the Forodhani performances are perfect. From around sunset the performances move inside the venue at the main stage and every half hour or so there is a new act either in the smaller more subdued amphitheater (majority of people sitting) or the larger main stage.

I think the festival does an excellent job mixing the styles and performance times of the bands and especially highlighting music for younger crowds late on Friday and Saturday. If someone doesn’t like to dance and party but is interested in the music they can catch the early performances and head home by 10 or 11pm. If you want a more lively scene you can head in after dinner and enjoy music utnil 1am. Something for everyone!

My favorite thing about Sauti za Busara is not knowing any artists and being constantly surprised. Although the artist descriptions are usually spot on, it’s obviously impossible to know if you’ll like a certain band only by reading the festival booklet. This year my top three artists were Evon from Uganda (amazing voice), Tarajazz from Zanzibar (jazz/taarab fusion, drummer was off the hook!) and Sinaubi and Zawose Spirit Group from Tanzania (traditional music mixed with pan African instruments, insane hand drum player!!!). There wasn’t a bad act and as usual I loved the variety from percussion based traditional sounds to full band hip-hop and even electronic afro-pop. So many styles that I am unfamiliar with and the ability for the festival organizers to continually choose fresh artists never ceases to amaze me.

Out of 31 artists I saw performances by 28, which I consider a success! Although I’d love to see each artist, it’s difficult to juggle all the activities and keeping the energy high. I had some great interactions with foreigners and locals alike an marveled in the mixing of people from all over the world. As someone that comes specifically for the music I’m always surprised that the majority of people only come for a day or two of the fest, though this makes sense if you’re looking to combine the trip with a beach holiday. It is the one drawback of the fest being in Stonetown because the nearest nice beaches are about an hour or two away which means it’s not really feasible to stay somewhere on the beach unless you want to take the long taxi after the show. However, I wouldn’t fault someone for staying on the beach and coming for only a night or two.

Sauti za Busara remains one of my favorite events and I’m already looking forward to next year…