Western Tanzania

MTT Safari Destinations 2009/2010

As fantastic as the Serengeti is, there is far more to Tanzania. Now you can access Western Tanzania's star attractions - the empty wilderness that is Katavi National Park and the chimpanzees of Mahale National Park on the shores of Lake Tanganyika - from Arusha, safari hub of the northern circuit.

Itinerary:
Depart Monday
Shared charter flight Arusha - Katavi National Park
3 nights Katuma Bush Lodge
Full board plus game drives
Depart Thursday
Shared charter flight Katavi National Park - Mahale National Park
4 nights at Kungwe Beach Lodge
Full board basis plus one chimpanzee trek, forest walks, snorkelling, kayaking
Depart Monday
Shared charter flight Mahale National Park - Arusha

www.mbalimbali.com

Mahale National Park and its chimpanzees make a wonderful stand‐alone extension to any northern circuit safari. Depart Arusha Thursday for Mahale National Park and the Kungwe Beach Lodge and return Monday. Both Katavi and Mahale Lodges are closed March 1st to May 15th due to the rains. High season is May through December.

Gombe Stream National Park, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika but to Mahale's north, is the site of Dr Jane Goodall's chimpanzee research dating back to the 60s and one of the world's longest continuous animal studies. For a long while there were few facilities for visitors. Now there is the Gombe Forest Lodge. Getting there requires flying to the town of Kigoma and taking a boat from there. I spent a glorious week there years ago as the guest of the Jane Goodall Institute. I stayed in Jane's house which was very satisfying. Big and brawny Frodo was the alpha male at the time. My suggestion for anyone interested in travel to either Gombe or Mahale is to get into good physical shape. The chimps live in forested mountains which rise vertically it seems from the lake. You need to climb these to get to the chimps. When the chimpanzees move, they can disappear quickly, and you need to scramble after them to keep up. It is all part of this particular adventure. Sunsets from the lake shore are sublime. In fact, Lake Tanganyika's beauty spoiled me for any other lake in Africa. I am still trying to find one which can better it. The lodge is closed February 15th to May 15th due to the rains. High season is May through December.

27-05-2009

Rwanda

MTT Safari Destinations 2009/2010

Rwanda's Mountain gorillas are a popular safari extension for northern circuit safaris as well, and a great option for anyone not interested in a Zanzibar beach. Here is how you might consider fitting Rwanda in, by leaving Arusha on a Friday: Rwandair flies Kilimanjaro International (Arusha) to Kigali, Rwanda Mon/Wed/Fri, departing 09:00 and arriving 10:30 am. It flies Kigali, Rwanda to Kilimanjaro international Mon/Wed/Fri, departing 06:00 and arriving 09:00.

Day 1: Arrive Kigali, transfer immediately to Ruhengiri town, a two hour + drive, gateway to Volcanoes National Park.
Day 2: Gorilla tracking in the morning; visit the area (Lakes Bulero and Ruhondo) in the afternoon.
Day 3: Gorilla tracking to another family in the morning; drive to Gisenyi (at Lake Kivu) to overnight there.
Day 4: Full day at Lake Kivu.
Day 5: Return to Kigali, city tour and overnight.
Day 6: Return to Tanzania on early morning flight.

27-05-2009

The Plight of Asia's Moon Bears

w w w . a n i m a l s a s i a . o r g

I caught a TV program on China's moon bears and Jill Robinson's efforts to rescue the thousands of bears which live a life of torture on farms so that their bile can be extracted and used in traditional medicine to cure ailments ranging from headaches to haemorrhoids. These gentle and intelligent animals are confined - in many cases for years and years ‐ in cages which vary from agonisingly tiny "crush" cages to larger pens, all of which cause terrible physical and mental suffering. I immediately went to Jill's website to learn more about how I could help. The Asiatic brown bear or moon bear was recently included on Asia’s official "Big 5" list along with the elephant, tiger, orang‐utan, and the giant panda. It is hoped that this will help expose the moon bear's plight to the world and be another weapon in Animals Asia's struggle to end its shocking abuse. Dr Jane Goodall of Gombe Stream National Park fame is a supporter of this organization. Go to this website and prepare to be deeply moved.

27-05-2009

Book Reviews - "Mean and Lowly Things"

Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo by Kate Jackson: A friend of mine in Brazzaville told me that her fellow passenger on an Air France flight from Paris to Brazzaville was a herpetologist working in the Republic of Congo. Her name, my friend recalled, was Kate. I googled Kate and immediately found her book Mean and Lowly Things. (The full quote is credited to Aristotle: "To understand the world, we must understand mean and lowly things".) The book opens with her fascination from childhood with creepy crawlies (I would imagine that you would have to be born with this interest rather than develop it as a discipline), moves to her education as a herpetologist and finally, the most interesting, her two research expeditions to the Republic of Congo to locate scientific samples of toads and snakes.

As travel writing, I enjoyed the book, but I will not encourage my potential Central African gorilla safari clients to read this book before signing on to my tour, lest they end up thinking that a scientist and a tour operator approach trips to the Central African jungle the same way. Dr Jackson's accounts of stupefying African bureaucracy are useful preparation for anyone traveling to these parts - I commiserated with her at many points in her narrative - but she was sadly ill prepared for emergencies which might arise in her profession on location deep in a remote rainforest... like venomous snakebite for example. Perhaps a classic case of self - denial - "it is never going to happen to me" - is a necessary prerequisite for herpetologists. Well, as it happens, Kate is bitten lightly, or believes she is bitten (she has so many scratches or her hands that she cannot identify any puncture wounds), and it is only then that she wonders how to go about administering the anti venom she carried with her or what symptoms she might experience. Hel-lo! Shouldn't a herpetologist going off to the jungle know what she should do? Not only her life but that of her Congolese field assistants who are with her might depend on her knowing. Up to this point in the book, I admired Kate's determination and spunk; I had forgiven her for her earlier admission that she had forgotten some pretty important provisions for her months - long scientific fieldwork in the jungle - like tents. But I couldn't look the other way about the snake bite, even if she finally decided to inject the anti‐venom in her stomach and jeez, that must have really hurt.

27-05-2009

Book Reviews - "Jambo, Mama: Memories of Africa"

Jambo, Mama: Memories of Africa by Melinda Atwood: In 1987, Melinda flies to Nairobi, and rents a house for what she thinks will be for a one year hiatus from family stresses back in New York. However, she ends up buying a local carpet business, buying and renovating an old house, and staying for six years. One of the reviews on Melinda's website (www.jambomama.com) says "Forget Karen Blixen, this is "Out of Africa"… for the next millennium!" So it is, right down to Melinda's financial situation, which allows her to rent a home in the upmarket neighbourhood of Karen, named for its most famous resident Karen Blixen, and owned by Kenya's president. Her terrace has a 180 degree view of Karen Blixen's beloved Ngong Hills. But there is nothing that says you have to be a lowly paid aid worker in Africa to have the best insights. Despite Melinda's privileged status, she can't escape the heartache that Africa dishes out. One of her employees dies painfully from burns she receives in a house fire and her house - keeper, who was really her best friend in Kenya, dies young too. All in all, Melinda pays her dues over the years and earns her stripes to know enough about Kenya and Kenyans to write about both in minute and honest detail. That she leaves out so few observations about daily life in Nairobi makes it a great read for anyone going to live in Kenya, even though some time has passed. For the closed community which is Karen, probably the greatest change over the years has been the increase in traffic.

Melinda appears to shares another similarity with Karen Blixen, and that is a vulnerability for charming, daring men with commitment and loyalty issues. Melinda explains her ill fated relationship with a terminally married man as the result of loneliness, which may have been a big factor for Karen Blixen too. Unfortunately, Melinda doesn't dump her scoundrel until the end of the book (and he survives, no romantic legacy fixed by a plane crash), long after this strong woman who has shown herself capable of starting over alone has thoroughly annoyed me.

27-05-2009

MTT Luggage Tags

These tags were available for the first time just before Christmas and were a big success. Instantly recognize your black duffel bag with colorful 2 1/2" x 4 1/4" Luggage Tags with strong black plastic loops. They will evoke memories of your African travels or motivate you to go.

Price is CDN$5.50 plus postage. Email me to order.

27-05-2009

Tidbits 6

"If you always eat from your mother's pot, you think she is the best cook.": African proverb

"In civilization, unlike the hunter - gatherer life, it has always mattered who you are."

27-05-2009