TANZANIA

Whale Sharks and Wild Dogs

The Songwe River border crossing into Tanzania was quiet and we were through within an hour. There is also an official Bureau du Change on the Tanzanian side so we missed having to deal with the hordes of dodgy money changers.

The country immediately struck me as being a busy one and there seems a lot more activity here than in Malawi. Southern Tanzania is hilly and the valleys have many agricultural fields. The variety of vegetables and fruits are noticeable and we were especially pleased to see road side stalls crammed with big mangos and pineapples. We planned to drive 100km to Mbeya to fill up with diesel and get connected. Mbeya is a pleasant town that has spread along the road so that the older centre is relatively quiet. We found the Vodacom Shop and got connected, although it took far longer than we thought as there seemed to be a problem with a new batch of SIM cards. Eventually we were on our way but because of the delays we could not reach the popular Old Farm camp which is located just before Iringa. Instead we found a camp site on Tracks 4 Africa called Mbufi Camp (which used to be called the Riverside Camp). At 5pm we turned off the main road and followed a track to the camp site. We overshot the camp and seeing a Tanzanian lady carrying a bucket of food on her head, we pulled over to enquire. What happened next had us all in stitches. The lady took one look at Jonny as he greeted her and literally fled into the bush in pure terror. Not sure what she thought of him, but it was hilarious.

We found the camp site which is in a great spot situated on the banks of a river. The ground was quite soft so we opted to pitch camp directly on the harder track. The gardener could not speak English and after a few grunts pointed us towards what we thought was reception. Actually it was just an abandoned tent so we started to set up camp figuring that eventually the person that ran the place would find us. The facilities were basic but worked fine. We were the only ones in the camp. Eventually the manager came along and we paid for one night. As we only had two chairs, he hired out to us a Chinese made camp chair for the night. Another hilarious moment came later that evening when Jonny literally disappeared in mid sentence when the chair catastrophically collapsed. It was as if he had fallen down a hole and, as there were no lights, the disappearing act was even more effective.

The next morning we packed up and drove to the Old Farm campsite where we planned to stay one night before heading to the Ruaha National Park. The Old Farmhouse is a working farm of 2400 acres. The camp is in the bush with many Acacia trees. There are nice walks and the restaurant is now run by a French couple so the food was bound to be good. The camp is popular with overland trucks. We went on a nice walk to the two dams and were treated to flocks of birds that were feasting on a flying ant hatch which lasted for about one hour. The sky was full of Amur Falcons that were catching these insects in mid air. Later we found that the farm sold quality meat and other agricultural products. We bought a few T Bone steaks to barbeque when we got to Ruaha. That evening we enjoyed fine food at the restaurant and I am sure the quality of the food will increase the attraction of the camp.

The following morning we packed up and headed northwards towards Iringa, which is the place to stock up before heading into the Ruaha National Park. Iringa is a pleasant town in the hills and has a nice feel to it. We were told of a nice café called Hasty Tasty which sells great stuff, including its famous samoosa’s. We had a nice lunch at Hasty Tasty and caught up on world events. The early stages of Colonel Gadafi’s downfall was underway and it seems to me that the Middle East is about to undergo a major change as the old style rulers are being swept away by their disgruntled citizens. I hope that whatever replaces the current rulers will result in peace and improved relations with the west.

The road from Iringa to Ruaha starts off as tarmac but turns into a rough track after about 10km. The track takes a couple of hours to drive and you really get the feeling you are heading deep into the bush. Eventually we reached the park entrance gates and signed in for a couple of days at Campsite No 1. We discovered that non residents have to pay all park fees in US$ and noticed that residents are charged a fraction of the prices charged to tourists. We drove another 30km into the park to the head quarters and were given directions to our camp site. We also arranged for a guide to meet us at 7am the following morning to take us on a game drive. We would use the GPS to track where we went and use that route later during our stay. The price of the guide is cheap at US$10 for four hours and is well worth it.

The camp site is in a gorgeous place, perched on the banks of the Ruaha river. You overlook the animals as they move across and along the river banks. This is the nearest I have found to the idyllic camp in the Muduma reserve, Caprivi Strip, Namibia, which is still my favorite camp site to date. I doubt we will find many such spots in the rest of our travels up east Africa. Here we have absolute freedom and you are truly camping in the wild. That evening I made a barbeque and cooked some of our T Bone steaks. They were really good and we had a great evening watching the large crocs devour the remains of our meat and bones which we threw into the river below us. That night there was a lot of splashing in the river and Jane decided after 30 minutes that the car was a safer place to sleep than the tent. We would have to move her tent much closer to Proper Job the following evening.

The following morning we met our guide and went on a four hour drive. We saw many animals and birds and the numbers seen were a match for any game reserve. We saw two male lions and enjoyed a tea break in a rest hut overlooking the confluence of the Ruaha and Mongoose Rivers. The rains had not yet arrived in force so the viewing was excellent. We returned to camp at midday and rested up for a few hours before heading out alone at 4pm. Again we saw many animals including five more lions. That evening we reflected on a great day’s game viewing and my bird count was now up to 460 different species on my journey through Africa. During the night we heard lions and hyenas from three different directions. The camp site is not fenced and anything could walk through at anytime.

The following morning we were up early and packed up our camp. We were sorry to be leaving this great camp site, but would drive around until midday before heading out of the park. Again we were not disappointed with the wild life. Our experience was further enhanced when a pride of 15 lions walked right across our path. Whilst driving we had heard the warning bark of a male Impala and stopped to scan the bush. We saw the first lioness, followed by others including one year old cubs and three large male lions. I have never seen such a big pride in all my safaris to Africa. Later that morning we saw four more lions bringing our total in two days to 26.

We drove back to Iringa where we filled Proper Job up with diesel and had lunch at Hasty Tasty. We then drove to Baobab Valley Camp which was about 120km from Iringa. When we arrived at the spot marked on Tracks 4 Africa we found it was not there. Some locals pointed us down a sand track but as they could not speak English I decided to look for an alternative, Luckily there was another waypoint marked for the Baobab Valley camp 25km away on the edge of the Udzungwa National Park. I rechecked my map that fellow travelers Hildy and Karel had marked when I had dinner with them in London last December. Indeed they had market it correctly and so we drove confidently the extra distance to the camp. When we got there we were not disappointed and again it was set along the much swollen Ruaha River. The facilities were good and the staff very friendly. We enjoyed a couple of cold Safari beers overlooking the river and had a peaceful nights rest.

The following morning after a quick cup of coffee we headed towards Dar Es Salaam. We had been told the drive would take us six hours and we made good progress until we arrived in the city itself at around 1pm. We then sat for two hours in heavy traffic as we skirted around the city towards the southern beaches. I did not want to take the ferry southwards as that meant heading right into the heart of the city. With my passion for disliking all large African cities (except Stellenbosch) I wanted to avoid down town at all costs. We had heard that the Sunrise Beach Resort campsite was very good and we reached the camp at around 4pm. We were not to be disappointed as the place is really nice and is a hangout for the Dar Es Salaam expatriates on the weekends. Today was also the crunch Six Nations match between England versus France and I was relieved to find the bar had a good TV. There were no other overlanders at the camp so we had it to ourselves. That evening, after missing the first half of the match because of technical difficulties, we enjoyed a tough second half that saw England triumph by 17 to 9. France has been in super form and this win bodes well for Martin Johnson’s side in the World Cup later this year.

Our plan was to stay for a couple of nights and sort out our itinerary to Mafia Island, which is a remote place well known for its Whale Sharks. We managed to book three seats online with Coastal Air for Monday morning and arranged to leave Proper Job in the secure car park at Sunrise Beach Resort. We relaxed on the beach all day Sunday as we had an early start the following morning to make it to the airport in time to catch our 10.30am flight to Mafia Island.

The flight to Mafia Island lasted around 30 minutes and we flew over pristine untouched coastline of Southern Tanzania before a short flight from the coast to the island. We landed at a quaint rustic airport and got a taxi to Whale Shark Lodge, which was mentioned in the Lonely Planet as a good place to base yourself for Whale Shark diving. I had called Whale Shark Lodge the day before and spoken to the owner Carlos. As he has impeccable English we decided it would be a good place to stay. We met Carlos and got a room each for $20 per night. They were clean and comfortable and the lodge had a great view overlooking the ocean. We were told by Carlos that this side of the island has all the Whale Sharks. As most of the expensive lodges were on the other side of the island, inside the marine reserve, they all came through Whale Shark Lodge for their trips. We were advised to go out that afternoon as a few Whale Sharks had been seen in the past few days. The boat came in at 3pm with a couple of Canadian girls, Alexia and Vera, from the Toronto area. They had seen three Whale Sharks that morning so we were hopeful of success.

At 4pm, after a late lunch, the boat headed out for about a 30 minute trip. We soon came across two Whale Sharks feeding on the surface. We quickly donned our snorkels and fins and launched ourselves into the warm water. Over the next couple of hours we magically were able to swim besides five of these gentle creatures as they fed on the surface with their mouths agape. It was a really special experience and the highlight for me was being towed along by one for a while until it decided to dive deep. We were exhausted by the time we came in and later realized how lucky we were even to see five Whale Sharks in very close proximity.

The following morning we decided to go snorkeling inside of the marine reserve. Carlos again organized everything for us and we jumped into a tuk-tuk and drove to the other side of the island. We hired our gear from a local dive shop and met Steve who is Carlo’s younger brother. We had a wooden motor boat with a sun cover, as the day threatened to be a hot one. We sailed for 30 minutes to the Coral Island where the skipper warned us that the tide was too high and the current would be strong. Johny jumped in first and, as he did not have fins due to his continual problems with his foot, was whisked away with the current. The skipper told us not to worry as he would drive down current and pick us up. The water was warm and we swam around for an hour before climbing back into the boat. We saw some colorful fish and some nice corals but the water was quite deep. We then headed to a structure they call Big Rock and were promised that there would be many colorful fish around it. We jumped in and swam slowly around the island and were treated to scenes of brilliantly colored fish and beautiful corals. It was so good that it was difficult to pull ourselves out of the water. After a couple of hours we got back into the boat, all sun burnt. We returned to the dock and ate a quick meal of chapattis and chips on the beach before heading back to Whale Shark Lodge. That evening we had dinner with Alexia and Vera and arranged to meet them the following afternoon back at Sunrise Beach lodge, south of Dar Es Salaam. They were travelling back to the mainland by boat and we were keen to hear how much of an ordeal it would be.

The following day we reluctantly jumped on the small airplane and flew back to Dar Es Salaam. We had pre arranged a taxi and Alonso, an avid Liverpool fan, was there to pick us up. We arrived back to find Proper Job untouched and set up camp again at the camp site. That evening we watched Ireland miraculously beat England in the Cricket World Cup. They deserved it, as one of their batsmen scored 100 runs in 50 balls. With that victory, Ireland achieved their highest ever one day score, they have the fasted 100 scored and have the highest run chase in World Cup cricket. Our Canadian friends turned up at around 5.30pm after an eleven hour journey from Mafia Island. I am glad we decided to splash out and take the airplane.

The following morning we left early for the 250km drive to the Selous National Park. On the way we picked up some mangos and pineapples and the first 200km went very smoothly. The road was tarred until the turnoff at Kibiti followed by nice graded gravel for another 50km. Some distance along the Rufiji river the road started to deteriorate. We pulled off the bush road and stopped for a quick cup of tea and a light lunch. I then took over the driving and the next 60km took about two hours. We found a couple of camps just outside the park and checked them out. The first we went to was called Selous Riverside where we were met by an English girl who apologized that they were closed for repairs. She recommended we go to either the Hippo Pool Camp or Jimbizi Lodge. We drove along a small track to Hippo Pool but the camping area was not really suitable. We drove along another track to Jimbizi and were met by a very nice Tanzanian girl called Rose. She showed us where to camp and we soon noticed that there was a swimming pool. The lodge is perched on the wide Rufiji River and has a splendid view over this hippo infested waterway.

That afternoon we went for a river cruise and saw many hippos and a few small crocodiles. Upon inquiry, I was told that all the large crocs had been killed for their skin, which is a real shame. We drank a sun downer on one of the many sand islands along the river and returned to camp at 6.30pm as a thunderstorm approached. Luckily it missed us and we were able to have a peaceful nights rest.

The following morning we were met by a Zubari, an experienced guide that Rose had organized for us. I then drove the 3km to the Selous Reserve and we forked out US$245 ($65 per person and $50 for the Proper Job) to enter the reserve for the day. Apparently the Selous Reserve is the most expensive in Tanzania. It is Africa’s oldest game reserve having been established in 1896, and measures 48,000 square kilometers. It is also Tanzania’s largest game reserve and certainly one of the remotest, hence it is not visited that much.

We drove around for the day and had a good time as the viewing conditions were excellent. We saw many animals, although I did notice that most were very skittish. This normally means that poaching is a problem or that they are not used to seeing people. The highlight of the day was the rare sighting of four wild dogs. I knew from past experience how lucky we were to see these and drummed this into Jonny and Jane so that they fully appreciated the moment. We got some great pictures of them. We later came across a herd of elephants near one of the lakes and they were not happy to see us. One juvenile bull kept mock charging us but Zubari told me not to move the car. On one occasion, as the bull came back for another look, he told me to rev the accelerator. This seemed to do the trick as the young bull turned and scarpered into the bush to follow the rest of the herd. Again I wondered why the animals were so nervous of our presence.

We stopped for lunch by Lake Manze and saw a huge flock of black open bill storks. During lunch, a safari truck drove by and two tourists told us they had seen lions kill a young Zebra earlier and yesterday had witnessed a fight between two male lions. Game viewing is all about being in the right place at the right time. However, I was happy just seeing the wild dogs.

On the drive back to the gate we saw three lions, including two large males. At one stage Proper Job was surrounded by a flock of beautiful carmine bee eaters that swooped around us as we drove along, grabbing the insects we disturbed from the long grass.

By the time we reached the park boundary I was quite exhausted. I had done all of the driving because some of the small roads we had to drive down were quite challenging. On one occasion we could have easily got seriously stuck in some marshy ground but luckily I remembered some driving techniques I had been taught on an off road driving course I had taken in the UK before I had departed on my African adventure. We arrived back at camp and devoured some delicious mangos before jumping into the cool swimming pool to lower our body temperature. We decided to eat in the restaurant that evening and were pleased with our choice as the storm clouds once again began to threaten. I really hoped it would not rain heavily tonight as the dirt road leading out of the Selous area would become very difficult in places.

The following morning we packed up and drove back towards Dar Es Salaam. Luckily the storm clouds had not turned into rain so the road was drier than when we came in. Along the way the engine cut out suddenly a couple of times. A quick check revealed that the main power wire from the battery had partly severed. We taped it up as best we could and continued our journey. We made it back to the Sunrise Beach Lodge in five hours. I arranged for one of the staff to give Proper Job a good clean as he was filthy from the drive around the Selous National Park. We later arranged with Alonso to take us to the ferry terminal the following morning as we planned to go to Zanzibar for a few days. The rest of the day we lounged around the lodge and swam in the warm sea.

The following morning we took the ferry to the Kilimanjaro Ferry company and bought our tickets to Zanzibar which cost US$40 one way. The journey to Zanzibar took almost two hours. Nearing Zanzibar the view of Stone Town from the ocean is quite spectacular and it is easy to understand why this is now a World Heritage site. When we docked, we surprisingly had to go through immigration even though we had been in Tanzania for a couple of weeks. I guess this is because, to some degree, Zanzibar still harbors a separate identity from Tanzania. We were asked by immigration for our Yellow Fever certificates which we had left back on the mainland. I quickly explained that we had now been in Tanzania for a few weeks and had not expected to be asked to show them again. That did the trick and we were let through. We grabbed a taxi and drove to St Monica’s Church where reasonably priced accommodation could be found in the adjacent hostel. The church itself is set upon the site of the original slave market and remnants of the market can still be seen. We were also not too far from the centre of historic Stone Town and we arranged for a tour the following morning.

We headed to the local market to find some suitably crazy material to have three shirts made up. John had thought up this ‘holiday necessity’ a few days ago and this seemed the perfect place to get it done. A friendly local guy in the food market showed us to an Indian owned material shop and a few minutes later we emerged with the material; cheetah, zebra and the Crater Scene (of course this one was for John). Next stop was a tailor that the Indian owner recommended. Ali, the tailor, measured us up and we agreed to return in a couple of day’s time to pick them up. Whatever, they will be a laugh and don’t be too concerned if you see us sometime in the Bolingey Pub with our crazy shirts on.

That evening we headed down to Africa House for sundowners and watched some dhows ply the ocean. We decided to have dinner at the Africa House and tried their delicious curries. Food is a good in Zanzibar as it is renowned for its assortment of spices. Before I leave I shall stock up on a couple of spices to see us through the rest of Africa. I still have some of the wonderful masala powder that I bought in Fez, Morocco and it has never failed to liven up, what would otherwise be a fairly dull meal. Another fact that makes Zanzibar special is that this is where Freddie Mercury from the iconic band Queen was born. He lived on the island until he was 8 years old before moving to India where his talent was noticed by an English school teacher. From India he moved to England and the rest is history.

The following morning we met our guide Elvis and started our tour. He has very good English and is quite a joker. We started off by visiting the underground slave holding pens. It is hard to imagine how humans could treat others in such a barbaric manner. The small chambers would be crammed with 75 humans with only one small slit window for ventilation. Apparently this was done so that the strongest could be weaned out and sold for the highest price. It brought back memories of the depressing slave markets at Quidah that I visited whilst in Benin. What I found refreshing here was, unlike what I heard in Benin, Elvis did not try to minimalize the African involvement in profiteering from the slave trade.

The walk around Stone Town was a treat and the vibe and character of the place is still very much alive. One of the highlights was visiting the Hindu temple where we were entertained by a charming 69 year old Brahmin teacher. Besides telling us some funny jokes he also was friends with Freddie Mercury. He says that at that age Freddie had no noticeable musical talent but was a lethal marble player. After four hours of walking around the heat started to take its toll so we called it a day. Before we said cheerio to Elvis we arranged transportation to Kendwa in the north of Zanzibar, where we were going the following day. We had heard from our Canadian friends, Alexia and Vera, that it was really nice in the north where the beaches and sea were very special. Later that evening we went to the popular fish market in front of the Old Fort. Here, dozens of stalls prepared all sorts of sea food. Whilst the food was pretty good it was also pricey. It is always worth arguing the price until you get a good deal. Though be warned and make sure you do this before you eat.

The next day we were met by Frankie, our gospel singing taxi driver, who drove us to Kendwa. The ride lasted 90 minutes and we travelled through rural Zanzibar to reach the northern tip of the island. We went to the White Sands Resort on the beach front and booked in for a couple of nights. We caught a couple of glimpses of the beach through the trees whilst being shown to our rooms. However, when we walked down to the beach and saw the colour of the sea we were shocked. It is the bluest water I have ever seen and was simply stunning, being set against the fine white beach sand. You often see such vivid colours on holiday brochures but are invariably disappointed when you get to your destination. You won’t be disappointed with the colours of Zanzibar, guaranteed.

The sea had a few different shades of blue, ranging from cobalt to turquoise. We lazed on the beach for the rest of the day and swam in the amazingly coloured sea. There was a very pleasant sea breeze throughout the day and night which kept the temperature at a perfect level. Also there were no mossies or sand flies. We ate dinner at the restaurant on the beach and later wondered up to the neighbouring resort for a couple of beers. We found a dive centre and arranged to go snorkelling the following day to an island owned by Bill Gates which lies off the north east coast of Zanzibar. The boat ride would take about 90m minutes and the coral and marine life in this proclaimed marine reserve is supposed to be excellent.

The following morning we awoke to a strong warm wind and a rough sea. We ate breakfast and waited for the dive boat to arrive. However, we seriously doubted anything would be going out this morning and at 8.30am we were told by the company that all boat trips were cancelled. The problem was not the diving sites themselves but was getting to those sites. We were disappointed not to going but, on reflection, another day lounging on the beach with a vivid blue sea was not a bad substitute. Anyway, with this type of travel a few days R&R are a definite necessity.

We really enjoyed our visit to Zanzibar but it was time to head back to the mainland and reunite with Proper Job. We would have been away for five nights and I doubt the auxiliary battery would have any charge in it when we returned. At least we did not have too much in the refrigerators that could spoil. Frankie, our taxi driver, was due to pick us up at 9am and drive us back to Stone Town where we would pick up our crazy shirts and then jump on the midday ferry back to Dar Es Salaam.

Three hours later we were back on the mainland and on our way to Sunrise Beach Resort. Surprisingly, the fridge on Proper Job was still cool, and this was after five nights on the auxiliary battery. We spent a final night camping before heading up the coast to the highly vaunted Peponi Beach Camp. We skirted around Dar Es Salaam without too much trouble and headed westwards to connect to the main road to the north. Six hours later we arrived at Peponi Beach Camp and met the owners Dennis and Jilly. My first question to Dennis was whether he had a TV, as England were playing Scotland the following day. A win here would put England one game away from their first Grand Slam since 2003 when Martin Johnson was the captain. Dennis first thought we wanted to watch soccer, which he clearly is no fan of. However, he soon changed his tune when we mentioned rugby. Later that afternoon he came down with the times for the weekend games and told us to come around to his house to watch them.

We set up camp right next to the ocean and were pleased that the facilities were good. Each camp site has its own thatch shelter and electric plug in points. This explains why many overlanders spend weeks here. Later that evening we arranged to go snorkelling the following morning and for one of the staff to acquire some king prawns for our barbeque the following evening. We also noticed that their restaurant prices are very reasonably priced.

The following day we headed out to some coral reefs and were surprised how nice they were. Tanzania really has some great diving sites. That afternoon we returned to the mainland and spent a couple of hours in the camp swimming pool. Probably another reason why people stay here for extended periods. I went to the kitchen to check on the king prawns and discovered he had purchased 2kg’s for us. This amounted to about 60 prawns and I explained that was way too much for two people. I ended up buying 30 prawns from him and got the barbeque going. Jane and I enjoyed a feast of gorgeous tasty king prawns that evening before retiring to the camp bar for a couple of beers. Later we went to Dennis and Jilly’s house and watched Wales versus Ireland, which ended up a rather dull game.

The following day we lounged around the pool and caught up on some chores. Dennis reminded us to be around his place at 6pm for the rugby match and he clearly seemed pleased to have rugby fans in his camp. That evening we watched a tense game that England came through as winners by 22 to 16. The Scottish defence was superb. After the rugby we ate dinner at the restaurant and Jane and I enjoyed the seafood platter, which was very good.

The following morning we said our farewells to Dennis and Jilly and headed northwards towards Arusha where we had arranged to meet up with friends of Paul Marsh, Paul and Erika Sweet of Shaw Safaris. I had also decided that this was the place to get the power cable on the battery professionally repaired. It took us longer to get to the north than we thought so we decided to stay overnight in Moshi at the recommended Honey Badger Lodge. Whilst at Peponi Beach I was told that the RSA Toyota garage in Moshi was very good so on arrival I popped down to see if they could do the work. Luckily they said they could do it that afternoon, so I dropped Jane and John at the Honey Badger Lodge and drove Proper Job back to the garage. A couple of hours later the problems were fixed and I returned to the camp site.

The following morning we drove to Arusha and went to the markets to stock up on meat for our trip to the Serengeti. We later caught up with Isle of Jems owner, Peter Ferreira who is a jeweller and dealer in Tanzanite. I was put in contact with Peter by my French mineral dealer friends Brice and Christophe Gobin. We selected a few super gems for friends and family and got an excellent price at between US$200 to 250 per carat for AA to AAA quality. Tanzanite is a beautiful blue gem stone that is found only in Tanzania. It also has a unique property when in its natural form of displaying three colours depending on which angle you look at it from.

Later that afternoon we met up with Paul and Erika Sweet of Shaw Safaris who are good friends with Paul Marsh of Footloose 4x4. They have a self drive safari business located on the boundary of the Arusha National Park. We planned to drop by to say hello and seek some advice on what to do etc in northern Tanzania. They are both very hospitable people and we ended up joining them at a neighbours barbeque and then camping the night on their premises. That evening a herd of elephants came through the area and the following morning the exit road was blocked by a felled tree. We had breakfast with them and then said our farewells as we needed to drive northwest to the Serengeti National Park. Paul offered us his ramp to have a quick look under Proper Job, but I declined as everything seemed fine.

I wish I had taken up his offer as two hours down the road, as we stopped for a cup of tea, I noticed diff oil leaking from the front axle. Upon further investigation I discovered a split in the bracket that connects the suspension bar to the front axle. Clearly this needed to be fixed before we went on rough roads so I called Paul to ask his advice. After a few minutes chatting we turned around and headed back to Arusha and drove to Paul’s house. Luckily for me Paul is an expert welder, which was verified by Paul Marsh who advised that this was quite a common failure area on Land Cruisers and Paul Sweet was the best person to fix it. Paul and I started work on the repair at 5pm and finished at 9pm. We camped overnight and said our farewells again the following morning. On the way back to the main road I called into Hughes Garage and they put new diff oil into Proper Job. A couple of hours later we arrived at the Kudu Lodge which is a few kilometres from the entrance gate to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The following morning we drove to the gate and paid our $190 transit fee to get to the Serengeti National Park. Be warned, everything you do in these two parks costs a lot of money. The real disappointment for me was the poor quality of the main road that went through Ngorongoro to the Serengeti. It is appalling and, for the fees one pays, the least they could do was grade them.

We started our drive though classic African plains and saw quite a few animals along the way, including four lions which were quite near the road. On a brief stop I noticed that oil was again leaking from the area of the repaired bracket and called Paul to let him know. He advised that it could be a small crack that he had missed and to continue the journey but keep an eye on the diff oil level. The plan was that when I returned to Arusha he would have another look and fix it.

After five hours driving we got to our designated campsite in the Serengeti. Immediately we were attacked by a swarm of tsetse flies so we abandoned the deserted campsite in search of another. A little further down the track we saw a group in another camp called Timbili. I spoke to a Tanzanian guide and he told us this was a much better place and free of tsetse flies. Plus it had a shower. His name was Michael from Bobby Safaris and over the next couple of days he proved to be a very helpful and genuine person. We went for a game drive later that afternoon and saw the usual suspects. The terrain was excellent for game viewing and we had high hopes of seeing the big cats for which the park is famous for. We returned to camp and I made a fire to cook our T Bone steaks. We enjoyed a pleasant evening and Michael showed us some routes to go along the following day. Later the rains came and the area got a good soaking. We had been told that the rains would be good for the migration herds, but it would wreck havoc on the already poor roads.

The following morning we headed along a river in the Seronera area and then onto the Massai Kopje loop. The roads became very muddy and, even worse, were as slippery as ice in parts. We then followed some car tracks southwards towards Simba Kopjes which lay about 20km away and reconnected to the poor quality main road. Half way down the track the tour vehicle in front of us turned around and we briefly chatted. The driver was said that I may as well head along the road I was on as it was equidistance back to the main road. A couple of times Proper Job spun around on the slippery roads even though we were travelling at 10 kmph. Thankfully this happened where there was no drop off gullies along the road as, if there were, there was a risk we could topple over. The plains in this part of the park were quite deserted of other vehicles and animals. However, we did see a cheetah sitting on a hill. We did not see any other vehicles and, after a couple of hours of difficult off road driving, we thankfully reached the corrugated rough main road. After a quick lunch back at camp we decided to go to another place that Michael recommended, where earlier they seen lions in the trees and a massive herd of Wildebeests. The track down to the site was muddy but not as bad as we had experienced earlier that day. We did not see the lions because the rains had again arrived and they had left to seek shelter. We did see the massive herd of Wildebeests which must have numbered well over one million. It was quite a sight to see the plains black with animals. This is what BBC wildlife documentaries have made the Serengeti famous for. On the way back we saw another cheetah which was perched classically upon a termite mound observing the surrounding plains.

We headed back to camp and made a nice sausage and potato stew, washed down with a couple of Windhoek beers. At around 8pm there was suddenly a loud roar from a lion that we instantly knew was very close. The other campers were quickly ushered into a caged kitchen compound and Michael urged us to join them. We grabbed our beers and hurried to the other side of the camp. The guides estimated the two lions were closer than 100 metres but we did not catch a glimpse of them. They gradually disappeared into the night until we could only hear their distant roars. We returned to Proper Job and called it a night after an eventful day. Again the rains came and the following morning we packed up our wet gear and headed back to the river area for our final drive before heading out of the Serengeti and into the Ngorongoro Crater. Along the swollen river we saw very little. Towards the end of the drive we saw a car pulled over photographing a large male baboon sitting on a dead tree stump. We wondered what all the fuss was about until we reached the baboon and saw it was ripping apart, and eating, a young antelope. This was quite a rare thing to see so we sat there for a while and observed this carnivorous behaviour. We then drove further along the track and came across a tell tale sign of a major sighting. Ten vehicles were pulled up and, suspecting a leopard, we quickly made our way towards the mêlée. When we reached them the other vehicles were crawling along towards us and, lo and behold, they were following a leopard. I pulled over to the side and switched the engine off. Luckily for us the leopard then changed direction and walked right past Proper Job. It was so close I could have reached out of the window and touched it. We were thankful to see this magnificent creature and happily made our way southwards along the appalling main road to the exit gate. Some hours later we made it to the gate.

We planned to wait for a couple of hours at the gate before we entered the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This way we could maximise our 24 hour permit so that to could spend enough time in the actual crater the following morning, as well as getting to the final exit gate in good time so as to avoid another large fee. We caught up with Michael at the gate and again he proved to be such a good person. He showed us the route they were going to follow in the crater and offered that we tag along with them so we could avoid a ridiculous guide fee. The crater is only 25 square kilometres and no one could really understand why a guide was needed.

At 2pm we left the gate and drove to Simba A camp, where we arrived at 5pm. We set up camp in a nice spot overlooking the impressive Ngorongoro Crater. Although the rain clouds were again threatening I began making a fire to cook our fillet steaks. For the first time on my trip around Africa the fire went out and I had to remake it and fan it vigorously to get it to cooking temperature. As this was going on we heard noises around us and shone our torch to reveal a dozen buffalo surrounding us. They were peacefully chewing on the camp grass and nobody seemed overly concerned. We continued making our fire and eventually an armed guard came down and chased the buffalo back into the bush by throwing stones at them. The fillet steaks turned out to be superb and after another tiring day we called it a night. During the early hours the rains came down and at 6am we packed up our gear and drove to meet up with Michael.

The sunrise over the crater was spectacular as the rays colourfully lit up the low clouds covering the crater bottom. We met up with Michael and drove with them to the crater entrance gate where the locals tried unsuccessfully to guide us around the crater. We dropped around 400 metres to the crater bottom. The setting is spectacular though and as we drove around we saw many different animals, including two rhinos. For the next couple of hours we followed the road, which was in pretty good shape, around the crater lake. We stopped at the Hippo Pool and Michael told us that some lions had been spotted near the official picnic site next to the crater exit road. We followed Michael to that area and saw lions next to the road, including two spectacular males. A little further along we came across six vehicles looking at something. When we approached we discovered they were observing a pride of lions that earlier that morning had killed a large buffalo. They were all bloody from gorging themselves on this large feast. Many hyenas were gathered a couple of hundred metres away but did not dare encroach.

The picnic site was another 200 metres further along so we pulled up and had a cup of tea. On the way we saw a lion in a tree and from the place we parked for tea we could see the dead buffalo, which had now been temporally abandoned by the lions with their meat bloated stomachs. The climb out of the crater would be quite trying as Proper Job’s gear box had recently overheated a couple of times. After spending an hour in the picnic site we started the ascent out of the crater. Half way up the 400 metre climb the gear box light came on and we pulled over for 20 minutes to let it cool down. We stopped once more on the way to the crater rim to let it cool down and then made our way to the exit gate.

Overall I would say that I found the Serengeti somewhat disappointing but not the Ngorongoro Crater. The problem with the Serengeti was the poor quality of the roads which were made poorer by the rains. It is difficult to relax and observe the surroundings when driving along such roads. It is also very tiring. I would like to return in the dry season as that would mean all the tracks leading out into the wide plains would be easily and safely accessible. The sight that made the most impression on me in the Serengeti was the million plus herd of Wildebeest.

We drove out of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in a heavy rainstorm that had thankfully not arrived when we were in the crater itself. We planned to camp at the Twiga Lodge in Manyara before heading northwards the next day to Lake Natron. When we arrived at the lodge we found the campsite too wet so opted for a couple of rooms. John and I started our checks on Proper Job. I greased the prop shafts whilst John checked the wheel bolts for tightness. Unfortunately whilst tightening one of the wheel nuts on the rear wheel snapped off. We were recommended a garage across the road and the willing mechanics came into Twiga Lodge to replace the sheared stud. I have now had quite a bit of experience with local mechanics who always tell you that it is an easy job. After a couple of hours, having failed to get the wheel hub drum off, I told them to reassemble the whole lot as I could not risk them damaging other parts. They had started to remove parts that Paul Marsh at Footloose 4x4 had not had to remove when he did the same task in Peterborough, UK. There was now no way we could travel along the 100km rough road to Lake Natron and so I decided our only option was to return to Arusha along the tarred main road and cancel our visit to Lake Natron. That evening we were told by some tour group operators that today vehicles travelling up the Lake Natron road had turned back because sections had been closed by landslides.

Our plan was now to head back to the Honey Badger Lodge in Moshi and take Proper Job into the nearby Toyota garage to get the stud replaced and some other work done. I also wanted to replace the gearbox oil and get a replacement axel rubber buffer that had fallen off. Our decision to stay in rooms instead of camping proved to be a good choice. Once again it poured with rain during the night. The following morning we had a leisurely few hours until midday and then headed back to Arusha. We arrived in Arusha at 3pm and collected the Tanzanite gem stones from Peter at Isle of Jems. We then headed towards Moshi and along the way I had the underneath of the car power washed in preparation for the work Paul was going to do. I then dropped into the Toyota garage to set up an appointment for the following morning. We arrived at the Honey Badger lodge at around 6.30pm and decided to stay in their well priced rooms. We enjoyed dinner with the owners Joe and Jane and swapped tales about the Serengeti.

Overnight it rained heavily again and after a quick breakfast I took Proper Job to the Toyota garage where I explained the work that needed doing, That done, I headed back to the Honey Badger Lodge and would return to the Toyota garage at 4pm to collect Proper Job. Over the next few hours I caught up with my blog and we visited Moshi town to top up our internet SIM cards.

The following morning we met up with Paul and joined him for a day drive around the under-rated Arusha National Park. It was nice for me to be in the passenger seat for once and we had a great day and saw many animals and different bird species. The mountain area of the park is a good place to spot the Bar Tailed Trogon but again we failed to spot this illusive bird. This was also the day that Jane was due to fly back to the UK after a fun filled six weeks with us. We planned to return to the Honey Badger Lodge that afternoon and after dinner take Jane to the Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch her 10.30pm flight. We were certainly sorry to see Jane go as once again, like when she joined us in West Africa, she proved to be a great travel companion. Next time we meet for something to eat will be our Sunday lunch at the Bolingey Inn back in Cornwall. I can’t wait.

The following morning we again met up with Paul and Erica as Paul was going to have another look at the welding repair on Proper Job that he had done for me prior to entering the Serengeti. A couple of hours later Paul had finished his checks and we bade farewell to two truly hospitable genuine people. We are very thankful for the welcoming that we got from them and for the quality repair work that Paul performed. We then drove to the nearby Hughes Garage where we caught up with Brett Scott, who also has been helpful. We were even given free new differential oil to help us on our journey. We then made our way out of Arusha and to the main road that leads to Kenya.

Tracks 4 Africa showed a Catholic Mission Hostel which we checked out, only to find that all the rooms were taken. The Sister advised us to go another 1km further along the road to Radio Haribari, a complex owned by the Pentecostal church. We easily found the place and were welcomed by the friendly Sisters who provided us with excellent accommodation for the night.

The following morning we headed northwards towards the Kenyan border. One thing I am expecting is a fine for having an expired Temporary Import Permit. Anyway, we will see what happens when we get to the border.

I have really enjoyed my weeks in Tanzania and rate the country close to Namibia, which is a big ask. The camps and infrastructure are good, the coastline is excellent, the people mostly speak English and are friendly, and there are many good places to visit.