I Bless the Rains Down in Tanzania

 

July 1, 2023, Serengeti, Tanzania

The transition from SE Asia to Africa was a big one for several reasons. The first was the change in seasons. Going from 6 months of the dry season in Asia (the rainy season was just starting as we left), coming into winter in Tanzania required a whole wardrobe changeover. These puffy jackets and long sleeves we had been lugging around for the past half a year were finally coming in handy! There is also a totally new type of cuisine for me to learn to navigate with my Celiac Disease. And not to mention a different set of cultural norms and safety know-how that come with a new continent. 

Johnny arrived in Africa on his birthday, June 28, but I wouldn't see him until later that evening given the necessary re-bookings due to "Visa-gate". After an overnight layover in Mumbai and another all-day stopover in Nairobi, we were reunited near Ashura, in the town of Moshi at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  A starting point for many people hiking the mountain, I was excited to see Kilimanjaro in all its glory. Alas, because it's winter, the mountain was behind clouds the whole time so I never actually got to see it. We had a day in Moshi before we were scheduled to start Safari and had a very relaxing day at Kikuletwa Hot Springs, followed by a less relaxing evening in the town on Eid al-Adha (a major holiday in Islam) when we were trying to buy a sim card on the street while hundreds of children tried to get our attention to say "HELLO!". But the next day we were off for Safari, meeting up with Rachel, my childhood friend that had been hiking Kilimanjaro the week prior. 

Picking a safari option is a daunting task. There are various countries to consider, each with multiple parks, and then the 100 tour companies to pick from. Our choices were somewhat limited based on our budget, but even with a number in mind, there were so many ways to approach. Tour company or self-lead? How many days? Lodges or camping? Eventually, we settled on a private 5-day camping safari that would visit 3 different parks in Tanzania: Tarangire National Park, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater. It was an incredible experience. I feel like we were exceptionally lucky, seeing most animals within a few feet or meters, including leopards and cheetahs (video of some of our highlights). The only one of the "big five" that wasn't up close was the black rhino. We saw him, but it was so far away he was only visible with binoculars. What we did get to see was the great migration; thousands of wildebeests on their journey across Tanzania into Kenya. 

Some of my favorites were the herds of Zebras. It was incredible to see the visual effect of their stripe pattern as they ran in large groups. Johnny's favorites, on the other hand, were the big cats. We were lucky enough to come very close to seeing a pride of lions take down a zebra, but at the last moment, he got away. I was relieved to not see a Zebra ripped apart feet from me, but I think Johnny was a bit disappointed he didn't get to play out his own Dave Attenborough documentary right in front of us. After all the time researching and planning, we were very happy with the Safari we choose, aided by our awesome guide Josh and his love and passion for all things wildlife.  

After Safari, it was straight to the island of Zanzibar. Although technically part of the country of Tanzania, the residents feel like they are their own nation. Famous for its fine white sand and turquoise blue water, this was primarily a time to relax on the beach. Rachel and I did take a boat out to Changuu island to see the giant tortoises, and we enjoyed walking around Stone Town, but most of our time was spent on Nungwi beach. We also took a sunset cruise on our final evening, complete with some horn instrument that was made significantly less painful to listen to with the more vodka and orange fanta that we consumed. A final note about Zanzibar; for those of you following along, you may know about my cat obsession....well, Zanzibar takes the cake so far. Literally hundreds of well-fed (relatively) healthy cats that LOVE pets. I was in heaven.

We had flown into Zanzibar at the end of our Safari, but in an attempt to save a few bucks on flights, we decided to ferry back to the mainland, Dar es Salaam to continue on to South Africa. The few bucks saved were not worth it in the end. Not only did both Rachel and I both get seasick (Johnny got to experience sitting in the middle of us both), but getting on and off the ferry was absolute madness. Possibly the most hectic travel experience we've had so far, with lots of pushing and no clear organization except get you and yours through as soon as possible, even if that means trampling small children and pulling other people's luggage off the belt to make room for yours. The cherry on top was an entertaining taxi ride to our Airbnb in which the driver seemingly had never seen a map, nor understood that pointing to the left and shouting "left, left, left" means that you should turn left. After a frazzled day, we made it and were ready for our flight, bright and early the next morning. 

Everything was made more special for this leg of the trip by getting to experience it all with one of my closest and oldest friends. Additionally, the trip had taken a different cadence with Rachel joining us, as the itinerary of someone traveling while on summer break is different than when you are jobless bums with a year left to burn, which made our time together feel like a vacation within a vacation of sorts. Eating in nicer restaurants, having hotels and flights pre-booked, and just knowing our itinerary for more than 4 days out were all changes from our "flying by the seat of our pants" approach that characterized our time in South East Asia. With Safari and Zanzibar crossed off the list, Tanzania and country #9 was under our belts and it was off to South Africa for country #10.