Tanzania is a large country situated in the East of Africa, with a population of around 62 million. It is known to be one of the safest and most politically stable countries on the continent. I have described my amazing safari experience there in a previous post. This article gives a taste of Tanzania outside of the safari parks.
The members of our tour group traveled from the Caribbean, North and South America, and the UK to meet in the town of Marangu in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. Yes, we landed next to that awesome, dormant volcano. The idea was to spend a couple of days recouping from the very long flights, and eight hours time difference for most of us, before hitting the safari trails.
After sleeping through most of the first day, I was ready to sight-see by the second. The owner of our hotel, Babylon Lodge, treated us to a ride up to the gateway for hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro. This mountain is over 19,000 feet high and is one of the tallest free-standing mountains in the world, i.e., from its plateau base. Some of our group hiked uphill to that gateway from our hotel. We enjoyed wandering around the shops and the many road-side vendors, buying souvenirs.
Our next stop was at the WaChagga Village, where we viewed a labyrinth of underground caves. Here the WaChagga (or Chagga) tribes used to hide when their village was attacked by Maasai warriors a couple of centuries ago. If an enemy came down through the narrow openings, he would be clubbed to death by the villagers from below.
A few of the Chagga women then demonstrated how to make coffee from scratch. They picked red berries from the coffee plants, stripped their outside skins, roasted the beans over a fire, ground them and then made us a hot pot of delicious coffee, all surprisingly quickly. This while we clapped and sang along with their traditional songs.
We also checked out the traditional Chagga huts, including a sleeping nook and space for goats and cattle inside.
The next day, we traveled to Arusha to pick up the Land Cruisers for the start of the safari tour. We still seemed to be close to Mt. Kilimanjaro, even after two hours driving. On the way, we stopped at a Maasai Village.
The chief’s son warmly greeted us. We were taken to a shady spot under a tree, and the Maasai men danced in a war-like manner for us, complete with spears and shields. The chief’s son then grabbed my hand and led me into the fenced, rounded compound where a tribeswoman took me to a small hut. I think the others in my group thought I was being kidnapped! I was joined by the rest of them. We stood there while the villagers dressed us in their traditional (mostly red) cloths and jewelry.
As we followed them outside the compound, I bumped shoulders with some of the men. I wonder what that means? The next thing, we were taking part in an exuberant dance and singing routine in a circle. Some of the men started jumping very high, which apparently demonstrates their strength and allowed them to have many wives.
Afterwards, we were all shown inside a hut, in twos. Each consisted of an enclosed bed draped with an animal skin and a small space for cooking. The chief had dozens of wives so the huts belonged to the women and were built by them.
Next we were taken to a square area, ringed with booths showcasing crafts made by the women. A male escort carried our selections and helped us ‘bargain’ with a head woman. Their prices were very high but I felt obligated to buy. I was shown into a school room where children aged 2 to 6 sang a welcome and then demonstrated their knowledge of numbers in Maasai and in English. The older ones have to walk 3km to the nearest school. I was then encouraged to donate to the school and also tip my escort.
Finally, we divested the hot wraps. The last show by the chief’s son was how to quickly make a fire. He did this by rapidly twisting a stick in a hole in a piece of wood over a large leaf to create ash. He then added the hot ash to very dry straw to create a blaze.
I felt that this interaction with the Maasai was very special, but it seems that every village put on the same show. Also, they never wasted an opportunity to be included in photos, for a price. I was saddened that the strong, proud culture of the tribespeople had become so commercialised.
After the week on safari, we flew to the tropical island of Zanzibar for some rest and relaxation. We immediately boarded a tour bus and headed for Stone Town for a historical and cultural walking tour.
The first stop was at a church in a building that used to be a slave collection centre. Our guide gave us the horrific tale of how the local slavers used to capture villagers, whip them for days (including women and children) and stuff them in poorly-ventilated dungeons underground. We got to see those dungeons – not nice! Those who survived fetched a higher price from the foreign slavers.
We carried on walking and I was intrigued by these lovely doors. We stopped at a busy market where some of our group bought local spices. As night drew near, our guide was leading us through a maze of narrow alleyways, when the lights went out. I was quite nervous, but he assured me that there are cameras everywhere and no one would risk harming us. Eventually, after the lights came back on, we ended up in a night market where crowds of people were buying street food. Unfortunately, as we were so late, we never got to see Freddie Mercury‘s birthplace.
I chose not to go on the Jozani Forest Tour the next day, since I really needed that rest and relaxation. By all accounts, this tour was worthwhile and featured the rare Red Colobus Monkey. I did enjoy my walk on the beach and swim in the hotel pool, followed by a massage. That night, we witnessed several Maasai men demonstrating their athleticism on the beach.
Our hotel, Amaan Bungalows, was right on the beach, as were our rooms. It was quite comfortable, though not as luxurious as our camp tents. The tide range was massive, with the sea being way out at low tide and crashing against our rooms at high tide.
The next day we went on a Blue Safari Tour on the Indian Ocean. It was a nearly two hour drive to a rough area leading to a beach. The tide was way out and we had to wade through water up to our thighs to get to our boat, a traditional dhow. Sitting under a canvas shade, we motored to one of the many sandy islets out at sea. The boat guys quickly erected a square cloth shade for us, and promised to bring us fruit in the water. We sat or floated in the shallow water, along with many other tourists. The fruit tray came with chunks of cooling coconut, pineapple and watermelon. The guide recommended dipping the white pineapple in the water to get salt. I declined as I could imagine what else was in that sea.
Afterwards, we motored to a bay where people were snorkeling. Our boatmen had to beg for extra snorkels from other boats, but eventually we were in the water. They threw in fish food so, at first, there were loads of yellow striped fish, angel fish, etc. Otherwise it was pretty dull compared to what I experienced in The Philippines.
We then headed to a larger island where lots of vendor huts lined the beach. We waded a fair way to the shore and eventually settled under a large shelter. A seafood feast was prepared for us – lobster, shrimp, calamari, octopus and fish – with rice, vegetable salad and chips. Delicious! After viewing a fallen Baobab tree that still grew, we were pleased to see that the tide had risen to bring our boat closer.
The guys put up the sail after a pleasant swim in a nearby lagoon. We passed the islet where we first landed and it was nearly covered by the sea (see picture below). It was a lovely and peaceful sail back to the beach where the tide was now high up on the shore. That night, the hotel put on entertainment in the form of a live band and dancers. Some of us ladies ended up in a Conga line!
The next day was a free day, so everyone relaxed around the hotel. A few of us ladies decided to book a sunset cruise. After wading to a wide-bodied dhow close to our sea-front rooms, the captain and three crew quickly put up the single sail and handed round nuts and red wine. They then proceeded to teach us the dance moves to popular African music. The floorboards were lined with fake green grass so jumping around was safe, and we had fun. We nibbled on fruit and watched the sun descend. We sailed back along the coast and stopped to take down the sail. The other three ladies took the opportunity to jump into the sea from the roof. That water looked too cold in the dark for me.
The time had come to head for home. The next day we drove through a very congested Zanzibar City to the port. We boarded a brand-new and very fancy, fast ferry to take us to Dar-es-Salaam on the mainland. From there, we went our separate ways to our various destinations.
It was goodbye to a wonderful experience, enjoying a safari and a taste of Tanzania.
