Tanzania Dreaming - Part7: Back to Dar via Lushoto

Shopping on route Leshoto.

Next destination is the cooler hills of Lushoto. The drive from Moshi is an easy cruise to the town of Mombo where you turn right and climb up the hills to Soni. The climate cools down and the vegetation changes with every foot of the climb it seems. 

Tanzania Dreaming - Part 6: Into the Serengeti

Photo's don't do justice to the migration.

Moving from Ndutu to the Serengeti  presents another irritating ‘rule’. With fees valid for 24 hours, you need to check in to the Serengeti 2 hours before you actually get there! The drive to the Serengeti however, makes up the for irritating rules. 

Tanzania Dreaming - Part 5: Ndutu and the migration

Flat featureless plains packed with migrating wildebeest. 

Ndutu was our next destination, still within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) and calving grounds of the annual wildebeest migrating. Once a year with the rains, Ndutu comes to life when the migrating herds stop to calve and feed on the nutrient rich grasses. Nudutu features a alkaline and fresh water lake, but the main attraction is the open plains packed with game. 

Tanzania Dreaming - Part 4: The Ngorongoro Crater amazes

Crater floor from the rim

Back in Moshi the next day to hook up with Makasa, (tour operator and very reliable local company), to check out the highlight of the trip. First stop was the Ngorongoro crater for lunch and a half day drive. Nothing can really compare to the view of the crater which is a fully intact caldera. From the crater rim, with a set of bins, you can pick out game on the crater floor.

Tanzania Dreaming - Part 3: Arusha and surrounds

Feeding time

We had a couple of days planning and getting logistics ready for the road trip up north. The first part of the road trip would be on our own checking out some of the more accessible parks on the Northern circuit followed by a guided safari to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater and finally a couple of days in the hills of Lushoto.

Tanzania Dreaming - Part 2: Zanzibar

Zanzibar door - Indian trader

Couple of days later we were off to Zanzibar for a couple of days staying at Stone Town. Even for an experienced traveler Zanzibar offers something unique. Stone Town is a maze of narrow alleys with a variety of shops selling just about anything but one of the interesting aspects is the locals going about their everyday activities in this place like no other.  

Tanzania dreaming - Part 1: Arriving in Dar es Salaam

Essential planing tools

Tanzania offers a wide range of attractions from wildlife to beaches to fishing and diving and mountain climbing. Amongst the many choices to explore, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater, Mount Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar are a must do for first time visitors. 

Mkomazi NP - New Year's 2012

Mkomazi NP

The decision to check out Mkomazi was made on the way back from Selous where we spent Christmas. We had to be back at work for two days before the new years eve long weekend offered another opportunity to get away. With 3 nights on the cards, the first option was to check out Tsavo West in Kenya. However, the crossing of the border presented a potential issue with Cheryl’s passport only having a few free pages.

Selous GR - Christmas 2012

View of Selous River

After 2 years of being in Tanzania, we finally made the decision to go to the Selous Game Reserve over the Christmas period.  While the northern parks have always been our number 1 choice, this time around we didn’t weren’t taking leave between Christmas and New Year’s so could only take advantage of the long weekend just before Christmas – a total of 5 days off.  Looking at the Tanzania map, the choice was obvious – Selous game reserve – a place we’d never been but wanted to see.

Buffalo vs Lion

Mikumi NP is the closest national park in terms of distance from Dar es Salaam, which makes it an attractive option as a weekend away for residents.  Having said that, we've only been there twice, but our second trip gave us one of our best action sequences in the bush... lion vs buffalo.