Uganda – Africa’s next diamond

We have been completely surprised by Namibia and Uganda. Our itinerary has been so full of the ‘must sees’ that one reads about in magazines that you sometimes forget to give credit to the smaller names. The Delta in Bots, whitewater rafting the Zambezi, Zanzibar, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, ballooning and Kilimanjaro can easily overshadow lesser names. We did have the gorillas to look forward to but my impression was always that this was the only reason we were visiting Uganda, a kind of splash and dash stop.

It was like been caught off guard by a fine maiden. You find yourself surprised; stunned at her beauty, determined to return but somehow struggling to put the experience into words afterwards, I shall do my best.

I know I have included a short write-up on Jinja before but maybe I should retrace my steps. Uganda’s personality strikes you as soon as you cross the border. While Dicko was busy seeing to our vehicle’s papers we were engaged by possibly one of the most interesting people we have met on our trip, a ten year old Ugandan entrepreneur.

In the space of fifteen minutes he had sold us a few bottles of water, half of which we didn’t rally want and convinced us to ‘help my friend’s business’ by buying some bananas. He also, in between conversation, converted the Tanzanian shilling we paid him into Ugandan shilling, provided some views on their education and the effect colonization had on it as well as taking the Mickey out of the Congolese.

After a great stay in Jinja we trekked north to Murchison Falls. The officials were a lot more pleasant and so where the fees than in Tanzania. You were not welcomed by a string of rules and the park is quiet. We again had the campsite to ourselves which was set spectacularly on the edge of a rushing White Nile just above Murchison Falls. The campsite had no facilities so we boiled water from the Nile for use and had to wash our cooking equipment, and ourselves, in the river. We reached an amicable agreement with the hippos that we would move a little downstream to wash as they seemed reluctant to move.

The Falls themselves are more a gorge than a waterfall which the Nile bursts through before settling in the river below on a meandering route to Cairo. In the morning you cross the Nile by ferry to get to the other side of the park where most of the game can be viewed. The park is rich in game and is also home to the famous Africa shoebill (a kind of stork for those less interested in birds). Unfortunately this group of ornithologists was unable to add this fine species to their list which is approaching 350 feathered friends.

After three days we headed for Queen Elizabeth National Park with an overnight stop in Fort Portal which coincided fabulously with the Bulle verses the Crusaders match. What a hell of a game, say no more.

The morning drive to QENP was not too long and we were again on high alert for the famous tree climbing lions. We enquired about camping facilities and the warden suggested that we camp at the office for the simple reason that their one camp was closed as a result of Congolese rebels ‘pestering’ tourists. The only other camp he also suggested we avoid as a few days earlier some campers had been chased by lions and only just made it to their vehicle in time. We decided to take our chances with the lions.

The campsite was on a ‘koppie’ overlooking a large plain that was littered with game. It has no working facilities except a longdrop which can hardly be described as a working facility.

Whilst preparing dinner the warden arrived with two armed guards carrying automatic Kalashnikovs (AK47s). Surprisingly these were in case the Congolese paid us a visit and not for protection for the tourist chasing lions.

Anyway, we heard mating lions during the night but nothing close enough to keep one awake. Whilst having breakfast in the morning we did see them crossing the plain below. We upped our bird tally but didn’t manage to see the tree climbing lions. The lions did however provide us with plenty of entertainment on our final night. For the uniformed, when lions mate they mate every fifteen minutes for a couple of days. When you sleeping in a tent and they choose to mate closer and closer to you this can make for an interesting night. Eventually they were closer than we have had any lion during our trip but surprisingly the only thing we heard from our guards was their snoring. We were hoping for some type of affirmation that they would not bother us or at the very least a flashlight pointed in their direction. Nothing forthcoming…

I had purposely placed my tent in between the cruiser, the guards and the other tents so I was comfortable that I would not be the first to be snacked upon and, once alarmed by screams, I would have more than enough time to jump into the car. I had also placed the ranger (my brother) inside my tent.

Dicko, been on the edge of our ‘laager’ closest to the lion and obviously feeling most vulnerable finally had had enough and called out to the guards. They, although sleeping in the open, seemed rather relaxed and said that we should simply stay inside our tents while they casually pointed their flashlight around. Pretty obvious advice I would think, I certainly wasn’t going to get out and greet them!

My brother, holding his bladder for a while, made a 3 meter dash for the cruiser and spotlight and eventually located the lions which were now only about twenty meters from Dicko’s tent. Murray also needed a bladder release but in his own words, “I can’t move, I am paralyzed by fear!” Our camp was filled with nervous laughter and this, together with the spotlight, seemed to chase the two lovers off. This was to be our last night in the bush camping and it was a fitting end to some amazing nights spent in the African wilderness.

The next morning we headed for Lake Mbura to join Brent’s parents and some family friends that had flown up to Uganda to join us for the gorilla trekking. We spent the afternoon cruising on the lake and managed to up our bird list a little.

It’s amazing how good a shower can be! We spent the night at a tented camp before a long drive up to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the home of the Nkoringo mountain gorilla family. The most fascinating part of the drive is seeing how these Ugandans farm the southern slopes of their country. The slopes are so steep that any good minded Free State boer would scoff at farming it. As pointed out by one of he people working at the lodge, they are a hard working race. I do not doubt this!

The lodge we stayed at was high up in the mountain range with views over the Congo and Rwanda. In the distance the glow of a volcano added to the excitement that was boiling for our gorilla trek in the morning.

A thorough briefing and we were off. Fortunately the gorillas were a little into the forest which added to the adventure (as opposed to being in the buffer zone which is less foresty). Our guide literally cut a path for us with his panga, directed by radio with help from the two trackers that were sent out earlier in the morning. We spent an hour with the family of sixteen and every second felt like a separate experience. They are amazing creatures and more than anything we have experienced on our trip, one has to see them.

You are also left feeling like these people appreciate your support, the fact that you have come all this way to see the gorillas and indirectly are supporting their community (20% of the fee goes into the community). A few of their neighboring counties would do well to learn from Uganda’s tourist etiquette.

While the Dicksons and the Johnstones carried on with their trip of Uganda we had 2100 kilometers to cover across Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania in search on the Mozambican coastline. It seems strange to think that after thirty seven hours or driving I don’t have much to tell you but that is the truth. I have nothing to say.

Just before crossing the border into Mozam we spent two nights at Mtwara and spent the one day doing two dives. I am not a water baby but after a few dives I feel like I am sold on it. We saw some fantastic coral and a large variety of fish species including a giant rupa which was almost as big as one of us.

Luckily the long awaited Unity Bridge between Tanzania and Mozambique has finally been opened which meant we would not have to string a few fishing boats together to get the vehicle across the river which forms the border.

Once in Mozam you have to quickly prepare yourself for what will be possibly the most annoying officials you’ll encounter on any African trip. Eventually we were allowed to proceed on our trip. Although a little late we headed for Pangane as Lonely Planet included it in its “Top 10” must sees. There was nothing there so we camped and continued along the coast in the morning towards Ibo Island.

Dicko has some family that run a lodge and backpackers on the island and we were kindly invited to stay. We got to the little port a little late but managed to catch a dhow and arrive at Ibo just as the sun was setting.

Three days of chilling, good food and an amazing setting were easily digested. If you ever find yourself in northern Mozambique then pay Cinca Porta a visit.

So now were are in Pemba, a pizza down and half drunk posting a blog. See you soon

To digress for a moment, I have been threatening to tell you about our fourth companion for a while now. We picked him up just below rapid seven on the Zambezi for the pricely sum of fifty ZAR and he remains committed to seeing out the rest of the trip.

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, introducing… Comline the Hippo, affectionately known as Comdog.

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Over the last few months we have only heard positive sentiments echoed about Uganda so we were keen to make our way to Jinja which is Uganda’s second largest city and situated on Lake Victoria at the source of the White Nile.

The road between Nairobi and Jinja, the A104, should be renamed Russian Roulette Highway. If I were to describe to you the driving extremes witnessed you’d laugh and call me a liar. As proof of my own sanity we did pass four overturned trucks en route!

After 575 kilometers and 12 hours of driving we booked into Nile River Explorers backpackers at precisely ten past seven, kickoff time, to watch the Blou Machine work the Sharks over.

The next day was filled with a days rafting down the White Nile and although not as impressive at the mighty Zambezi, there were a few awesome rapids which command some level of respect. As a sweetener they threw in a good braai afterwards and a few Nile Specials.

The first thing that struck us was the amount of people that would be assisting us in getting to the highest point in Africa, Uhura (‘Freedom’) Peak. The second thing that struck us was how thin Murray’s minus 30 degree Celsius sleeping bag was which he had hired.

Our party consisted of three porters for each of us, a cook, an assistant cook, guide and assistant guide. That’s 13 people in order to get us to a height which is only just as high as Everest base camp where people live for months on end, it almost seemed laughable.

The first few hours we spent walking through the rain forest on the lower slopes and generally passing the time making friendly banter with our guides as we begun to get to know them. At times the mist is so thick that it feels like light rain and because you under the forest cover its difficult to believe that you in the middle of Africa.

You can not read about Kilimanjaro without coming across the Swahili phrase ‘pole pole’ which, translated into English, means ‘slowly slowly’. We couldn’t believe just how slowly slowly you actually walk and in fact it takes a while to get used to it. The idea obviously is to give your body a chance to acclimatize to the altitude as you ascend. Despite this, Brent was convinced that we could jog up to the top in a day, however, he seemed reluctant to chance his climbing fee on this idea.

Without going into detail, the hike consists of 6 days/5 nights. The total distance is about 77 kilometers. You start and finish at 1800m with a bit of up and down in between. The highest point being, Uhuru Peak at 5895m. Some find it easy whilst others suffer from altitude sickness and don’t even make it to summit day (4600amsl). So, if you find yourself in Tanzania (highly unlikely) then you might as well give it a shot. Chances are very good that you’ll make it!

The only problem with Mount Kilimanjaro is that she can be a little moody at times and she either takes a fancy to you or she doesn’t. She seemed to like Brent and I and we comfortably made it to the top although she didn’t take quite the same liking to Murray. She had him feeling sick from day 3 already but despite skimping on food, a few vomits and other altitude sickness symptoms he pushed on and made it to the top.

It’s a bit difficult to put the climb into words. Personally, I loved the hike itself simply because it took you through so many different habitats, the guides were friendly, the food good, the days short enough to enjoy and because it is the wet season there were very few climbers on the mountain. The summit day is a bit tougher but anybody can do it, if you unlucky and get altitude sickness you just have to stick it out. There was a fairly big assembly of climbers at base camp and there was only one person who looked like he was in a bit of trouble, he was been carried down the mountain as quickly as possible by two porters.

The three biggest challenges are altitude sickness which, according to my understanding you can’t to anything to prevent or treat so that is taken out of your hands. Secondly, once you hit 4600 amsl plus it does get icy cold. Luckily this is easy to counteract, a good sleeping bag and six layers of clothes on summit night. The third, and probably the worst for me is the lack of sleep.

If you like me and struggle to steal forty winks that means you could potentially be awake for 38 hours straight. If you’re an easy sleeper then you may be lucky and sneak in 4 hours but whatever the case, you going to be short on sleep!

This is because on summit day you wake up at 07h00, proceed with a normalish day of hiking which ends at about three or four o clock. From four to six o clock you relax and maybe get you gear ready for the summit. Dinner is at six and at about seven thirty you retire to your tent to try and get some sleep before been woken up at eleven for tea and biscuits before you begin to summit at midnight. I subjected myself to the most boring article I could find in The Economist, the new health reform act (Obamacare) which has recently been approved by the Senate but even this could not get me to sleep.

We planned our climb in order to ascend on a full moon so we didn’t even use our headlamps. The summit is a long affair! It took us about seven hours to summit and two ours to return to base camp. I kept my mind occupied on the way up by wondering if it is possible to fall asleep whilst walking (Brent later confessed that he did the same) and been ever alert for any signs that I was about to join Murray in feeing worse than death. We were told that our water would freeze in our camelbacks near the top and I can now confirm this.

There is some feeling of achievement when you finally reach the top. After a few photographs to try and capture this and a set of 20 pushups, to test the oxygen content in the air, we headed back down.

When we got to base camp, we relaxed for two hours, had some lunch and then continued heading down the mountain for our last night of camping. We shared the last of our Johnny Walker with our guides and retired.

The most exciting activity on getting back down the mountain has to be a shower after six days and some good sleep.

The next morning we headed for Nairobi to spend a night with friends’ of Brent.

We headed straight for the park but, as all the park permits here work on a strict 24 hour basis, we were planning to camp outside the park and head in after breakfast the following morning.

As we approached the gate we tried a number of camp sites, some which undoubtedly tried to rip the mzungus off, even though they were closed. Eventually someone told us we would be able to camp outside the gate for free so, with light quickly fading, we covered the last few kilometers.

As we pulled up outside the gate we were greeted by a couple of locals, they wasted no time in pulling up a few plastic chairs for us to make sure we were comfortable. After a few minutes introduction we set up camp and Murray set about making us some of the best burgers you’ll ever have. (If you find yourself in Cape Town make sure to stop in at his house for a burger meal.)

After dinner we took out a bottle of our finest, Black and White whiskey, and invited our new best friends around for a couple of drinks. This turned out to be one of our best nights with Michael sharing more than a few precious pearls of wisdom with us. Courtesy of Barman Brent’s pouring skills it is the fastest I have seen a bottle and a half of whiskey disappear. Everyone retired to bed and in the morning they returned our generosity by preparing breakfast for us. Breakfast consisted of boiling hot tea and chapattis. A chapatti is similar to a wrap but has nothing in it. This was also the start of a chapatti craze which lasted a good two weeks.

After breakfast we headed into the park and slowly made our way to our camp site. While it was nice to be in the bush again, Tsavo was not the most impressive park. There were tons of animals, especially elephant, but the road network is poor with very few game drive options available unless you head out and back along the same track which is no fun. Most routes would take you a good few hours to do. We were quite keen to get on the road again and head for Lake Manyara, Ngorongora Carter and the splendid Serengeti.

On route to Arusha, a stopover before Lake Manyara, we drove past Mount Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day so we were unable to get a glimpse of what we would be in for in just a week’s time.

After setting up camp we treated ourselves to pizzas and then made our way into town to see what it had to offer. The Colobus Club seemed promising but once inside the only entertainment was a couple of expats singing karaoke. We decided to try the club next door but we were refused entry until we had paid our cover charge. We persisted that we only wanted to have a quick look to see whether we wanted to stay. Eventually we paid 3000 shilling (approximately R17) for one of us to have a look, Murray returned to inform us that there was not a single person in the club. The mzungus had been taken again. We took this as a sign and retired to our tents.

We’ve heard so many different stories about what to expect from the Crater and the Serengeti, and if some of the comments in the visitors book at the entrance gate to the park was anything to go by, we were about to be ripped off beyond belief.

While it is a bit expensive, what is more annoying is the bizarre system of having to pay a ‘toll fee’ to be able to drive through one park to get to the other. Having said that, neither the Crater nor the Serengeti, disappointed for a single minute.

Both are exactly what one sees on postcards and coffee table books. Our first night we camped on the Crater rim, this was probably the first time that we all used our sleeping bags and got out some warm kit because at 2500 meters above see level it does get a bit chilly.

On our first morning we were up early and after convincing the officials that we didn’t have place in our car for the compulsory guide we spent the rest of the day inside the Crater. We took hundreds of pictures but somehow they do not do the place justice. All around you are animals and if you look carefully you can pick out the Masai men tending to their cattle which they walk down into the Crater during the day for grazing.

That night, with the Crater having lived up to our expectations we were keener than ever to get into the Serengeti.

Once through the main gate it didn’t take us long before we came upon thousands of wildebeest with some zebra scattered between them. You can watch as many Planet Earth DVDs as you wish but the Serengeti is something that you have to see with the naked eye to truly appreciate.

We made it just in time to book a hot air balloon ride for the following morning and then headed to our camp.

The drive to the launch site in the morning was amazing. First we came upon a pair of mating lion and then a lioness with her cub in her mouth. This is not something you get to see on your everyday safari. After reading a few magazine articles on hot air ballooning over the Serengeti I’m not sure how to go about explaining it without sounding cliché. Unlike the articles, I didn’t feel at one with myself  or savor every second. It was simply an awesome experience!

The following day we made our way out of the park with a mission of finding the herds of wildebeest again, they seem to have grown by a few more thousand. The Serengeti was an amazing experience and if you ever go there, do yourself a favor, do not read the comments in the visitor’s book.

We overnighted again in Arusha and then headed to Moshi to prep for Kilimanjaro. Our briefing of the climb last night was surprisingly brief and in 1 hour we start our trek. There’s not much more to say than hopefully we make it to the top!!!

Brent and I dropped the traveling party at the airport just after 5am. We headed back to the hotel, had a breakfast and settled in for a long drive to Shimoni in Kenya. The lodge we arrived at no longer catered for campers so we were forced to pay euro prices for lodging but it did come with excellent dinner, breakfast and a shot of Kenya Cane from Jan, the German manager.

Eager to return to our budget plan we headed north to Twiga Lodge just outside Diani for the next 3 nights. We spent a day going into Mombassa, catching taxis around to do all the must sees in the town (there not many) before heading back to Twiga. Another day was spent going back to Shimoni in order too snorkel on what is apparently the second best reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. Although not mind blowing the dive (decided to dive instead of snorkel) was good and I was a little envious of my brother who got close enough to the dolphins to be able to stake a claim to swimming with them.

By the time we were back on mainland I had had enough of been treated like a mzungu. Mzungu means ‘traveler’ or ‘foreigner’ in Swahili which goes hand in hand with been ripped off at every opportunity unless your bargain like your life depends on it. I proceeded to give Mohammed, the boat owner, a lecture on business ethics and whilst he seemed quite taken back by my attack and almost seemed to understand where I was coming from he did not offer any to return any of our money.

In their defense, I am sure that they are not aware that the ZAR in not quite as strong as the euro, dollar or the sterling pound with whom they normally associate mzungus.

At Twiga we had what must have been two of our best meals on tour thus far. We bought 2kg of prawns, 2kg of crayfish (the fisherman’s scale seemed to register 2kgs on his hand written meter regardless) and a red snapper. Murray added his mango, avo, banana salsa to this which was as good as anything we have had in a restaurant to date.

We had bought permits for East Tsavo National Park in Mombassa but we had a few days to kill so decided to drive to Malindi and catch a flight to Lamu Island for 3 nights. Unfortunately we had missed the only flight for the day but fortunately there were some Italians who had chartered a plane and had a few extra seats available (at a price).

Once on Lamu we quickly sorted out our accommodation for the next 3 nights and then headed down to a pub on the sea to plan the next few days. We also asked the manager where we could find a good local restaurant and he suggested Labanda where we were able to fill ourselves for next to nothing.

We spent an early morning on a dhow leaving Lamu for another snorkel, by the end of the trip we are hoping we’ll be Olympic candidates should snorkeling ever be introduced as an Olympic sport.

Unfortunately I lack the vernacular to describe to you what Lamu Island actually looks like. All I can say is that it is very different to the other places we have visited and if that tweaks your interest then Google it.

The highlight of our trip had to be our sunset cruise on the dhow. We’ve been on a few of these but this one had something extra. We sailed out and then as the sun was setting the captain turned the dhow to face back to Lamu and lowered the sails. He and the kids on board used an empty plastic drum and a scrubbing brush to get a beat going and then sung a few songs.

Today we pack up and head towards Tsavo East Park. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the bush and we can’t wait for those earlier mornings with a cup of Amarula coffee to get the day started.

Apologies, no pictures of Lamu Island but I will edit the blog with the next entry to include some pictures.

And one last thing, we have neglected to mention that whilst in Zambia we picked up a fourth traveler who has been committed since and continues our journey with us. I’ll include some pictures of him and a write-up soon.

The Julius Nyere International Airport in Dar Es Salaam is just another reminder of exactly how far ahead South Africa’s infrastructure is when compared to other African cities. Yes OR Tambo may not be the most efficiently run airport on the world aviation circuit but IT IS THERE which is a start. There is the opportunity to turn a world class asset into a world class business and this is something that one begins to appreciate the longer you are in Africa, or rather, the “Rest of Africa”. It has become cliché but South Africa really is alive with possibility. Some people will always have more or less opportunities than others, but you get the feeling that as a whole, South Africa is capable of offering its people so much more than the rest of Africa. We simply have to make it work!

OK enough prophesizing, we had two days to kill before Zanzibar so we headed north to Bagamoyo, nothing intense, a lot of sleep, good food, more beaches and a last attempt to finish off another novel to send back to SA after Zanzibar.

We made our way to Dar and spent the morning looking for accommodation for when we return from Zanzibar that would also act as a place we would be able to leave our vehicle, eventually we settled on Starlight Hotel.

We caught a taxi to the airport, of all the traveling we had done on the past two months this was without a doubt the most dangerous 13 kilometers. By the end of it Brent, in the passenger seat, had his hands up in order to stop himself going through the windshield at any minute. We survived and found a small restaurant where we settled for 2 orange juices and 4 samoosas each whilst watching the Bulls against the Force before we decided to go and purchase tickets to Zanzibar. Turn around time between flights was going to be close.

Baba, Cornel, Nikki and Lynne arrived on time and we had to fight tooth and nail to jump a queue in order to make our flight to Zanzibar which in the end was delayed by an hour. It was good to see some familiar faces although my beard didn’t receive the enthusiastic welcome for all which I had hoped for, I immediately knew that its days were numbered.

The flight to Zanzibar only takes about 15 minutes. We then caught a taxi from Stone Town to Nungwi in the north of the island where we would be for the next couple of days.

Cornel had arranged some excellent accommodation with a small restaurant on the waters edge. We dropped our luggage and met for dinner in order to catch-up on news at home. We spent the next few days in, under, on or near the water. We went for sunset cruises by dhow and did a fair amount of snorkeling. I’m not one to dispense travel advice but if you ever find yourself on Zanzibar Island, Mnemba Athol is a must for snorkeling.

After a few days we made our way down to Stone Town which has a completely different feel to it. We wandered into one of the local museums and spent some time at the food market which is open every night until midnight. The market serves everything the ocean has to offer and is very reasonable, the biggest obstacle is deciding what to eat!

We also hired motorbikes and scooters and spent a day outside Stone Town – after lessons on the nearby soccer field - in one of the parks, stopped at a seaside restaurant for lunch and hackled with police who clearly wanted a bribe.

Time moves swiftly when one is surrounded by good food, wine and friends and soon we were on the ferry back to Dar. The other good news was that my brother was joining us a day earlier than anticipated and so would be with us for what was ultimately a farewell dinner. We spent 2 or 3 hours walking about lost in Dar and eventually waved down a taxi which took us to Kilimanjaro Hotel where we treated ourselves to a fantastic meal before hitting the road north towards Kenya the next morning.

Our last two nights in Malawi were spent closer to the Tanzanian border at The Mushroom Farm near Livingstonia. The village is an old mission station but unlike most of the villages we’ve been to, Livingstonia is not on Lake Malawi but sits atop the Chombe Plateau. The reasons therefore are simple, too much malaria on the Lake.

The drive from the lake shore to the village is possibly the windiest road I have ever driven and weaves its way to the top of the plateau over 15 kilometers. It makes one wonder what other ‘engineering’ feats have been built for religious purposes.

The Mushroom Farm itself is situated just off the plateau with the mountain dropping off around you, provides spectacular views of the lake and you can hear the waterfall in the background which we visited.

Finally into Tanzania and a pretty hassle free border crossing was welcomed. Again, we were amazed at the change in environment the minute one crosses the border. Immediately you get the sense that Tanzania is a bit busier than Malawi and that people here hussle a little more.

We overnighted at Kisalanzi Farm and then headed to Iringa in the morning to stock up for our trip to Ruaha National Park. Brent once again found himself in a precarious position with the authorities. A police vehicle came charging down the road with lights flashing and someone hanging out the window waving their arms (In Tanzania this means you need to pull over and stop because there is a convoy on the way). Soon after a convoy of about 15 new Land Cruisers came over the hill, not sticking to any particular side of the road to which Brent took exception to and so started flashing them. A few kilometers down the road we were pulled over and told we had interrupted the vice presidents convoy. Caught slightly on the back foot Brent replied, “He was riving like a drunken person, he almost drove me off the road!”

We protested our innocence and eventually the officer asked if he could have a lift to Iringa, naturally we obliged and gave him some pocket money for the remainder of the weekend.

On a more sober note, it’s a pity to see a 15 million rand convoy, for an opening ceremony in a town which is hardly big enough to feature on a map, blazing past people living in complete poverty.

Ruaha is amazing! Many people have pointed out that we are traveling in the wet season and therefore will not see as much game. In hindsight, I am happy to sacrifice a bit of game viewing for the exclusivity that the wet season affords. Again we had the campsite, which sits on the Great Ruaha River, to ourselves and in terms of setting compares to Mana Pools on the Zambezi.

During four days of driving we saw only a hand full of other cars and the game was excellent. Ranger Dickson picked up an impala’s alarm call which resulted in a brief leopard sighting and we also had an awesome sighting of a pride of lion with cubs. Kuiper got so excited that he took about 250 photos

Our bird list is not growing as fast as we expected, we have reason to believe that the illustrations and distributions maps in our bird books are not entirely accurate. The thought that we are team of amateur ornithologists has not been taken into consideration.

Undoubtedly the best part of Ruaha was the early mornings, getting up in the dark and sitting around a rekindled camp fire waiting for the sun to rise.

More than any other place we have visited, no one wanted to leave Ruaha and in hindsight we should’ve stayed another two days with time on our side.

We headed towards the coast with Baobab Village acting as our overnighter. The camp is pretty run down but served its purpose. This was the first time we had seen a coastline since Swakopmund which feels like ages ago.

Once at the coast we stayed at Peponi which ended up been extremely reasonable even after eating some of the best food we’ve had to date. We also sent a day out on an island by dhow which included a snorkeling stop which has definitely wet my appetite for some diving in Zanzibar.

Our next stop was Sadaani Park. Unfortunately the most interesting thing about the park was the pricing scale. It costs the same as Ruaha but has almost nothing to offer in comparison. On the positive side, it’s cheaper to stay in the resthouse than it is to camp??? Having had a dig, the park is beautiful in its own way. While we didn’t see much game we were only there for a day so we will reserve judgment.

Our trip has been slightly expediated after I felt less than splendid for three days and we had fumbled our way through two malaria test kits with no conclusive answer. I was totally surprised at the hospital in Dar Es Salaam, it completely surpassed our expectations. While I can comfortably deal with the malaria treatment I’m struggling a little to come to grips with that fact that the Govdog’s body folded before the Privates

A little rest and recuperation and today we had up to Bagamoya for two nights and then return to Dar to collect better halves and friends for a week on Zanzibar.

Looking forward to it!

Another lengthy border crossing as a result of Interpol requesting a bride for us not carrying a police clearance certificate pursued. This came to an abrupt ending when Brent, loud enough for those standing around to hear, said “I am not going to bride you!” We were quickly on our way again and the wisdom of his decision was thankfully not to be questioned.

We pushed on past Lusaka and spent the night at Bridge Camp on the Luangwa River with Mozambique as our neighbor. In the morning we made our way to Cape Maclear – on Lake Malawi - via Lilongwe for a short food shop, where everything is about double the price of that in South Africa.

Each country has its own ‘personality’ which surfaces after a few days. In Malawi one gets the feeling that you are now well and truly into Africa. This is the quiet season and everyone is trying their utmost to sell you anything or trade something. However, this poverty is accompanied by the friendliest demeanor we have encountered so far. If you walk through the village or go for a run, almost without fail, you are greeted by a “Hello, how are you?” When walking around at night to go for a drink or supper you feel 100 percent safe.

Over the next three days Brent and Murray took it easy on the lake and I did my unbudgeted for open water dive course. Looking forward to diving in Zanzibar and Mozam!

We finally procured some curios and paintings and headed north to Kande Beach. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t at its best but we took comfort in the news that the Bulls remain at the top of the log with a game in hand. Go Bulle!!!

We only had a short drive the next day (60km) to Nkhata Bay. The town is a lot larger than some of the other we have visited and is clearly a popular tourist destination. There is a thriving local market with a lot of fresh produce and prices are reasonable. The afternoon will be spent on a short boat cruise to a nearby beach. On the Lake, time is on your side.

The Lake is a beautiful and easy going place. While too far to pop up for a short holiday, hopping on a plane to Lilongwe and renting a car to drive along the Lake is certainly not out of the question. Put it on your bucket list!

Murray’s successful Board II results meant that Friday night (26th March) was to be celebrated! In anticipation of this we had booked another booze cruise on the Zambezi and, while Brent and I remained completely impartial to the arrival of approximately 20 female British teenagers doing volunteer work in Malawi, this only served to add fuel to Murray’s fire.

The celebrations ensured that the trip from Lilongwe to Mana Pools would be a long one. An arduous border crossing meant that we did not make it on time to be able to enter Mana Pools so we camped at the office just outside the park.

Zimbabwe if often referred to as “God’s own country” and it is easy to understand why. Almost immediately after crossing through the border there is a change in vegetation and landscape. The bush is beautiful and one gets the feeling that should the land be given the opportunity, it would quickly restore itself to its former glory. I have never thought of nature as been something that is measurable but here you get the feeling that nature is abundant.

If we thought that our time in Moremi and Chobe meant that we had graduated from ‘bush school’ we were soon to be proved wrong. Whilst collecting wood on foot an elephant mock charged us. We headed straight for the nearest ablution block with Murray actually running out of his slops.

The campsite we stayed at is on the Zambezi River. This must be one of the most beautiful and tranquil places I have ever visited, during the day we had only a few families of hippo to accompany us. Otherwise, there was not a single other visitor in the park.

The night again proved slightly challenging in terms of finding some rest. With hippo, hyena, ellie and lion nearby our tents offer little comfort. At about four o clock we decided to go have a look for the lion, partially to get a viewing and partially to justify our nerves/fear.

Nothing came of our early morning game drive but as we were leaving the campsite after breakfast we came across a single male lion not more than one kilometer from our tents.
Unfortunately, because of the rain most of the roads inside the park are closed. However, a drive along the main road leading into and out of the park still yields plenty game.

Having settled in a bit our second night proved to be more restful. After packing up camp and returning from a shower (you always shower last) we discovered that there were a few monkeys that would be energetic (Game), well hydrated (Rehydrate), malaria free (malaria tablets) and see a bit better (contact lenses) after having been through my box.