Tanzania - Photologue

If you ever end up in Tanzania on a whim or are stuck here due to a layover, here is a run down of the top three sites the country has to offer:

Safari

The Serengeti is probably one of the most thought of names when people mention an African safari.  Lying in eastern Tanzania along the Kenyan border, it covers a massive area that is just a portion of the Great Rift Valley, the birthplace of humanity.  Aside from the famed Serengeti National Park, the lesser known Ngorongoro Crater National Park is my favorite park in the region lying just to the south.  As its name implies, it is a giant crater that acts as a natural enclosure for the animals that at some point in the past have ventured in.  It is filled with all the animals the Serengeti has to offer but in a much more confined area only lacking giraffes. 

The Kenyan side of the border has two parks to rival those of its neighbor.  One being Amboseli National Park, which is the only park where you can get views of elephants or giraffes grazing while the snow topped peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro rises majestically in the background.  The other park is Masai Mara National Park known for its high concentration of lions with plenty of zebra and wildebeest carcasses lying on the grounds to prove it.

Arriving on the Dark Continent, I first flew into Nairobi, Kenya, also known as ‘Nai-robbery’, where I had the chance to visit the parks there before heading overland into Tanzania.  I had five friends that found the time and patience to get to this part of the world and head out on the safari together.  I’ll keep the words brief here since the video below can show the grandeur of the animal kingdom much better than I can explain it.

Mt. Kilimanjaro

As a friend once pointed out, “Why would you want to climb a mountain that has ‘kill-a-man’ in its name?”  That’s a fair question especially since it is the highest point on the African continent and the highest freestanding mountain in the world rising 5,895 meters or almost 20,000 feet from the Serengeti Plain below.  It has also claimed the lives of more climbers than Mt. Everest, at least according to Wikipedia.   

Luckily, after the boys left after their safari, one stayed behind to help achieve the daunting task of reaching the summit.  Unluckily, I came down with malaria the day before our six day climb was to begin, but fortunately the curative medicine works rather well and I was back to normal within a couple of days, before the tough climbing kicked in.  This rounded my tropical disease count out to an even four so I felt could about that.

The tour companies tout that 90% or more of their clients make it to the summit.  When researched a bit, that number is actually closer to 60% so out of the two of us, at least one of us should make it to the top. 

Out of the six routes, we chose the Machame Route which is a bit steeper but offers more spectacular views and we weren’t let down by either one of those facts.  The first 3 days are steady, shallow 3 – 4 hour climbs beginning with lush forests before ascending above the scrub line to the harsh and jagged landscape of the mountain top.  The 4^th day is when the intensity picks up both in altitude and duration.  After an 8 hour day of hiking, we reached base camp around 5 pm, had a quick dinner, and were off to catch as much sleep as we could before the summit attempt at 11 pm that night. 

For two guys who have spent most of their lives living at sea level in a coastal state, the trip to the top pushed us to our limits.  As we climbed, focusing to put one foot in front of the other, we passed fellow climbers who were being pushed to the top by their guides, others who stopped to vomit on the side of the trail before pressing on, and still others who were being lead down after their body couldn’t take it any more.  I can say it was the most difficult thing I have ever done but after 6 hours of climbing we reached the summit just as the sun was rising and it was a magnificent view.

After about an hour at the top, we began our descent, continuing to trek passed our base camp, arriving at our final camp around 2 pm making for an exhausting two days and much needed rest.  The next morning we hobbled out the few hours to the main gate where we made the official entry into the log book stating that we had made it to the summit.  Our guides and porters who carry all the equipment for the entire journey looked like they were ready to take off again back up the mountain.

Mt. Kilimanjaro's top rises above the clouds keeping a watchful eye over Moshi.

First camp on a clear night with Kili's snow shining in the moonlight.

View from inside our tent looking across to our 'dining hall' at the second camp.

Third camp in the morning where the nights get well below freezing.

The line of hikers and porters ascend the steep terrain out of camp.

The porters are the pack mules of the mountain carrying everything in and everything out.

Sunrise on the summit with Kili's shadow resting on the Kenyan side

At the top with my buddy Mark, our guide - Dennis, and assistant guide - Rogers.

Hiking back down to base camp from the 'Roof of Africa'.

All the clothes I wore at the top and was still cold.  Yes, the beer bottle and gorilla mask were a necessity

2 guides, 1 cook, and 7 porters for just the two of us.

Simon Mtuy: World Record holder for up and down the mountain
along the same route we took in 6 days except he did it in 9.5 hours.

Zanzibar

It is the definition of an exotic island and being surrounded by crystal blue waters that meet white sandy beaches is just the start.  The waters contain an abundance of sea life from playful dolphins and whale sharks to octopus and tiny brightly colored nudi-branches making it the best place for diving on the East African coast.  (Most of the sea life can also be sampled at the local food stalls along the seafront promenade.)  The beaches are scattered with tourist baking in the intense equatorial sun while local Africans dress up in traditional Masai attire hoping this will increase their chances to sell their wares.

Inland, an indigenous species of red colobus monkeys fill the forest treetops while a sanctuary for the cumbersome giant tortoise takes up the well-trodden ground below.  Outside the protected forest, the countryside is filled with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and a multitude of other spices, which are exported all over the world and lend credence to Zanzibar’s title as ‘The Spice Island’.

The focal point of the island is Stone Town, declared a World Heritage Site as the only functioning ancient town in East Africa.  Due to its heavy Persian influence, its architecture belongs more to Aladdin’s tale than an African island.  Each turn you take gets you more lost down the cities narrow streets but offers up more enticing scenes around each bend.  Being 99% Muslim, most women walk around covered head to toe, some with just their eyes visible, adding to the mystery of the place while prayer calls from the mosques and children singing songs in madrassas fill the air. 

In its past, Zanzibar, meaning ‘Coast of Blacks’, was primarily a horrific trading hub for slaves.  Persian traders would trek inland sometimes as far as the Congo with armies of men to capture or buy thousands of slaves whom they would march back to Zanzibar, along with as much ivory as they could carry, to be sold and then shipped to the Middle East, India, and Asia.  This slave trade was put to an end in the late 1800’s after British missionaries began colonizing the region.  The British influence can also be seen in some of the grander architecture throughout Stone Town and have also left English as the second language of the island making it easy for tourists to find their way when lost.

Pictures speak for themselves of the allure of Stone Town and one thing that is pictured the most are the intricate and strongly built doors on each abodes entry.  The doors were originally built strong and with sharply pointed accessories to defend from the blunt attacks of elephants trying to knock them in during periods of invasions but now lend themselves primarily to the onslaught of tourists’ cameras, which they can easily withstand.

Also, for the music trivia fans, Stone Town was the birthplace of Freddie Mercury.  For you non-music trivia fans, Freddy Mercury was the lead singer of Queen.  For the extreme non-music trivia fan, if you don’t know Queen, you can look that one up on your own.  So, since it is difficult these days to get a photo of Freddie Mercury roaming the streets of his hometown, I have chosen a Queen song to accompany this set of photos.  Although the tempo of the song doesn’t match the sultry laid back lifestyle of the town, a bicycle’s bell can be heard around every blind corner as you then have to quickly dodge the oncoming traffic cruising the narrow walkways.

I hope everyone is doing well and always look forward to hearing back from you.
Cheers,
JB