*Twende Tujivinjari is Swahili for “Let’s go and enjoy ourselves!”

It was the last day of our trip, and we were keenly aware of it. Instead of the gusto and excitement with which we’d woken up the past few days, on this last day, we were dragging our feet and barely talking to each other. We got up, had breakfast, and put our stuff together in preparation for the long journey ahead.

Personally, I was a bit excited because I knew we were scheduled to drive through Tsavo East National Park on our way to Nairobi. Granted, we’d just be driving through, but I remember the excellent time I had “just driving through” the Serengeti, a little over a year before.

To get to Tsavo East National Park, we would head west from Malindi—instead of south towards Mombasa—and enter the park through its Sala gate. We would then exit the park at either the Voi, Manyani, or Mtito Andei gates, all of which lie on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.

We left Malindi later than planned and, because I heard no mention of it, I began to suspect that our Tsavo East National Park plan had been nixed. I didn’t ask any questions but I figured I’d find out soon enough.

When I found myself in the middle of Mombasa, passing City Mall one last time, I knew then that we were retracing our steps and taking the same route we’d taken to get to the coast. From Mombasa, we first got to Voi, then Mtito Andei (where again we stopped to have lunch), and so we went until we reached Nairobi, which we found vibrant and alive with the energy of Saturday night.

To be truthful, although it was a bit anticlimactic that our trip was over, I was looking forward to the next few days that I would be spending in Nairobi: I had lots of friends to catch up with and things I wanted to see that I had heard had changed since my last visit.

We said our goodbyes, promising to keep in touch, and with that, our trip came to an end. Thank you, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), for the fantastic experience! I am not sure I’d have ever otherwise discovered the magic of Kisite Marine Park nor how long it would have taken me to discover the pleasures of snorkeling.

For those of you who may have missed earlier posts in this series, here they are again:

• Day 1: Getting to Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park
• Day 2: Exploring Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve
• Day 3: Mombasa Marine Park & Reserve
• Day 4: Malindi Marine Park & Reserve

Until the next time,
Biche

P.S. Subscribe to ChickAboutTown to be notified whenever I publish a new post. You can subscribe by email or in an RSS reader of your choice. You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook for daily musings on living & lifestyle in East Africa. Signing up is free and easy!

Photo Credit: Anna Langova; Tim Constantino;

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*Twende Tujivinjari  is Swahili for “Let’s go and enjoy ourselves!”

I woke up in Malindi, after a few short hours of sleep, eager to see what goodies Malindi Marine Park held in store for me. As I wrote in my previous post, Malindi is my favorite town on the Kenyan coast, so I was eager not only to spend time at the beach but to also explore Malindi under water.

Along with the rest of the group, I woke up, made and ate breakfast, did some clearing up—we were staying in KWS self-catering accommodation—and got into my swimwear, ready to enjoy the day. We had decided to extend our trip by one more day so that we could fully enjoy Malindi, and our new leisurely pace, with nowhere to rush to, was refreshing to say the least.

The first item on our agenda was a briefing from the park’s warden. In the warden’s office, we got a sneak peek at what we might see in the park, later in the day, from the pictures plastered on his wall—pictures of coral, starfish, and  zebrafish, among other marine creatures.

During the warden’s briefing, we learned facts about Malindi Marine Park, such as: it’s Africa’s oldest marine park, having been gazetted as early as 1968. We learned too that it had recently undergone a branding process and was famed not only for being Africa’s oldest marine park but also for its magical islands and zebrafish. Magical islands, you ask? Yes, these are simply sandbanks that appear out of the ocean during low tide, but which are submerged at all other times. He told us too about new accommodation that KWS had built that we, the female bloggers, would get to experience later that night.

Done with our briefing, it was time to experience it for ourselves. We headed off to the beach, which was surprisingly busy for a random Friday in November. Still, unlike the beaches of Mombasa, which have lots of hawkers and commercial activity going on, the beach in Malindi seemed like it was being used only for recreational purposes and was therefore a lot more serene. The sand was white, the water and sky were deep blue—altogether very, very pretty.

Our guides wanted to make sure that we had correct snorkeling gear before we got into the boat, so we took a moment to take care of that. At Malindi Marine Park, they were pulling out all the stops, so snorkeling gear consisted not only of a diving mask and a snorkel, but also flippers. Sadly, there were no flippers to fit my tiny feet so I had to forgo those. Oh, well…

With our snorkeling gear sorted, we got on the boat and headed off to the marine park. The first stop we made was at a magical island. The beauty of magical islands is not simply that they appear out of nowhere, but that the sand on them is extremely clean (as I guess it would be, given that it’s covered by water most of the time). This very white sand surrounded by clear blue or turquoise water is what makes magical islands so dreamy.

We didn’t actually disembark and get onto the magical island; rather, we decided to go into deeper waters and snorkel. Once our boat had moored and we were given the OK to jump in, that’s exactly what we did.

Snorkeling at Malindi Marine Park, for me, consisted of three very different experiences. There was a section of the park that was shallow, with coral and colorful fish swimming around, sort of like at Kisite but less pretty. Then, there was a section that was extremely deep with huge, mammoth coral lying on the ocean floor, which was interesting but a bit scary. Here, the fish were bigger but the gigantic coral was what was most fascinating. It made my thoughts jump to horror movies I’d watched, and as I observed the coral in amazement, I half expected something to reach out and pull me to the depths of the ocean floor…forever! Still, somehow, I couldn’t tear myself away.

Moving right along swiftly! …In the last section that I saw, the coral was almost forest-like: tightly packed and very green. Although it was hundreds of meters into the ocean, this section was surprisingly shallow. I know one’s not meant to step on live coral, but I had to just to gauge how shallow the section really was. When I did, the water came only up to my chest. It was surreal to be standing in the middle of the ocean, far from shore, and yet in water shallower than most swimming pools.

With the environment around our boat fully explored, it was time to go back to shore. It was only early afternoon when we got there, so we had the whole day ahead of us to enjoy Malindi, which is exactly what we did. We sat by the beach all afternoon and well into the night, getting to know each other better and generally enjoying our surroundings.

Much later in the night, the others decided to head out into Malindi town to explore the town’s nightlife, but lethargic from the late night, the night before, and from sitting around chillaxing all day, I chose to forgo that adventure.

Instead, I thought I’d stay in, get to bed early (didn’t happen!) and conserve my energy for the next day’s ride back to Nairobi, which was scheduled to take us through Tsavo East National Park. But…that’s a story for another day. To know as soon as I post that story, you can subscribe to this blog here.

For now, I hope you’re having a great start to 2013!

Until the next time,
Biche

 P.S. Subscribe to ChickAboutTown to be sure not to miss any future posts. You can subscribe by email or  in a reader of your choice. You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook for daily musings on living & lifestyle in East Africa. Signing up is free and easy!

Photo Credits: guidaviaggi.it; watalii.com; kws.org; kuoni.co.uk

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*Twende Tujivinjari  is Swahili for “Let’s go and enjoy ourselves!”

We left the KWS Kisite Marine Park office, in Shimoni, full of excitement about what the day held in store for us. Our plan was to visit Mombasa Marine Park and then drive on to Malindi, where we would be spending the night. Despite my excitement, the exhaustion from being on the road, the last few days, had me dozing off as soon as we left Shimoni.

I had been napping for only a short time when I sensed the car come to a halt: we were at the KWS Shimba Hills National Reserve office. Groggily, I got out of the van and followed the rest of the group inside to say hello to the warden. We didn’t stay long. After exchanging a few pleasantries, we we were back in the van and once more on our way to Mombasa.

I slept again until we reached the Likoni Ferry (who can sleep through the hustle and bustle of the ferry terminal?!). I am glad I woke up because it was here, while waiting for the ferry, that I tasted kashata, a delicious Swahili coconut and (in this case) peanut brittle, for the first time. A few kashata bars later, we were on the ferry and crossing to the other side.

We didn’t have any business on Mombasa Island itself (I just found out that Mombasa is an island so I had to throw this in here somewhere! ) so we simply drove through, crossing New Nyali Bridge, on to Mombasa’s North Coast.

Our first stop in North Coast was the recently renovated Nyali Mall, now called City Mall. A bigger better version of its former self, this 4-storey complex built around the old strip mall could rival any of Nairobi’s newest malls.

I am not sure exactly why we stopped at City Mall, but I took the opportunity to walk around and explore. At City Mall, I saw the usual suspects—Woolworths, Nakumatt, Safaricom, etc.— but I also saw specialty stores such as a toy store, a lingerie store, and a sports store. I was impressed!

I didn’t have lots of time at City Mall, so I walked through very briefly. One thing that kept drawing my attention though was a gorgeous restaurant/café on the ground floor called Cafesserie, which I knew I would have to come back and visit one day.

Done with the short stop, off we went to Mombasa Marine Park. We got to the KWS Mombasa Marine Park office, with no time to waste: it was already afternoon and we still had to get to Malindi before the end of the day. We quickly changed into our swimming gear and headed off to the marine park.

Gazetted in 1986, Mombasa Marine Park is one of Kenya’s newest marine parks. The park itself covers an area of 10 km², but is surrounded by a 200 km² marine reserve. What’s the difference between a marine park and a marine reserve? You can find that answer in my previous post about Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve.

We accessed the park through Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach, which was characteristically bustling with activity. Since we had little time to spend in Mombasa, we immediately waded through shallow water (one of us who did not want to get his trousers wet was carried by a beach boy!) and off we went, in a boat, to the marine park.

It was only a short boat ride to the park, and no sooner had we set off than we came to a stop. As we peered over the side of the boat, we could see little fish swimming about in the water all around us. It was a surreal experience. Someone one gave us slices of bread and encouraged us to feed the fish.

Feeding fish in the ocean is an experience that tickles the soul (for lack of a better expression). I remember that it was this same activity, a few years earlier at Malindi Marine Park, that encouraged  me to reevaluate my life and make more room in it for life’s simpler pleasures. Again, it’s one of those experiences that I don’t think words can do justice to (at least not my words), so just for you, here’s a short video that I took that day.

We soon ran out of bread for the fish but were nowhere near done with our experience at Mombasa Marine Park. Upping the ante, we put on some snorkeling gear and…jumped in with the fish. It’s was an exhilarating experience! All around us were hundreds of little, colorful fish; beneath us were all manner of coral; and as I dipped my head into the water, I saw even bigger fish swimming further below.

The underwater experience at Mombasa Marine Park did not rival what I had seen at Kisite Marine Park the previous day. Given that Kisite Marine Park is said to have the most vibrant marine life on the Kenyan coast, this shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to me.

Still, it was an interesting experience in its own right. Here, the water was deeper than at Kisite and the fish were bigger. Although the coral reef was not as colorful as at Kisite, the coral too were larger. I particularly liked the colorful parrotfish and seemed to have struck my first inter-species friendship with a brightly colored blue and pink parrotfish that seemed to swim along with me and want to play.

We swam around Mombasa Marine Park for about an hour and then it was  time to go back to shore. As we waited to drive on to Malindi, we took a moment to enjoy Kenyatta Beach. Some of us got henna tattoos—mine was of a scorpion—and we enjoyed some street food as we made our way back to the van. The potato-lover that I am simply LOVED the viazi karai, flour coated spiced potatoes, that were delicious doused in chili sauce.

We stopped once more at City Mall to buy provisions at Nakumatt before heading to Malindi. We were in for a treat that night because one of the male bloggers decided he’d make chapatis for us—from scratch—for dinner. Well-stocked for our stay in Malindi, we continued on our way.

We got to Malindi a little after 8 p.m., but even in the darkness of night, Malindi showed us her beauty. As we drove into the KWS Malindi Marine Park office, the placid still ocean glistened in the moonlight. No sooner had the car stopped than we all ran off to the beach.

Malindi’s beach is by far my favorite on the Kenyan coast (yes, I know I haven’t been to Lamu yet). Unlike the hustle and bustle (and uncleanliness) of Mombasa beaches, the beach at Malindi is secluded, peaceful and a haven of tranquility. It was so nice to see, so soon upon my arrival, that Malindi’s beach was still as beautiful and as charming as I remembered it.

After a short stint at the beach, those who’d volunteered to make dinner went ahead to do so, while I went off to catch some shut-eye (can you tell I was tired all day?). Although I lay down for a while, I didn’t get any sleep because the mosquitoes wouldn’t let up for even a minute! After tossing and turning for a while, I gave up irritated and went off to brainstorm how I’d fend off the mosquitoes later that night.

Soon enough, our dinner of piping hot chapatis and delicious curry stew was ready. I had dinner with the rest of the group, did some dishes—it was only fair after such a delicious meal—and off I went to bed for the night.

Though I made it to bed immediately, the lure of the beach was hard to resist. At 4 a.m., somehow I was still up, having gone back to the beach, and hadn’t slept a wink yet! I finally got to bed again (for the third time that night) and, this time, caught some shut-eye thanks to my well-devised plan-against-the-mosquitoes. 

I was up at 8 a.m. again to experience Malindi by day, but…that’s a story for another day. If you’d like to know as soon as I publish that post, you can subscribe to this blog here.

Until then, I wish you a great start to 2013!

Biche

P.S. Subscribe to ChickAboutTown to be sure not to miss future posts. You can subscribe by email or  in a reader of your choice. You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook for daily musings on living & lifestyle in East Africa. Signing up is free and easy!

Photo Credit: Renate Kapl; Daniela Hartmann; Mili Shah; Dr. iDaywa; John Alogo.

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*Twende Tujivinjari  is Swahili for “Let’s go and enjoy ourselves!”

I woke up the next day, at the Shimoni Bandas, sandwiched between Ivory Kathue and Njambie Mungai, the two other female bloggers on the trip. Not long afterwards, early-bird Mbugua Gitau was at our door waking us up and wanting to use our banda’s power sockets. Yes, we’d all gotten to know each other real quick!

As the ladies got up and began preparing for the day, I lingered in bed for a while, taking advantage of this time to take a closer look at my surroundings. I noticed that our banda had very good built-in ventilation, and though the other bloggers (who were all Nairobi residents) complained about the heat, I found the open, airy style of the banda—with its large open windows and spaces in the ceiling covered only by mesh— simply ingenious!

Outside, beyond the mesh, I could see a dense coastal equatorial forest. A coastal forest seems like a bit of an oxymoron to me because when I think of a coastal environment, I think sun and sand not dense forest. Still, having grown up in West Africa, I love thick forests and the foliage outside inspired me to get out of bed, take a closer look, and send out my first tweet of the day.

Finally out of bed, I took a shower and got dressed. I then joined the rest of the group for a briefing from the marine park’s deputy warden. He gave us some background information on Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve; he told us about its history and its attractions, as well as the origin of its name.

Kisite and Mpunguti are actually names of islands (click to see map) found within the Park & Reserve. The combined protected area is made up of Kisite Marine Park, located off Kisite Island, and Mpunguti Marine Reserve, located off Lower & Upper Mpunguti Islands. What’s the difference between a marine park and a marine reserve? In a marine park, tourism and research are the only human activities allowed, whereas in a marine reserve, other human activities such as fishing are allowed under specific conditions.

The deputy warden went on to tell us that the protected area is most famous for dolphins. It’s also home to the largest land-living crab in the world, the coconut crab. Humpback whales and whale sharks can also be seen in the park seasonally.

With our briefing complete, we were ready to experience all this for ourselves. We headed back through the woods to the main gate of the KWS camp, where we caught our first glimpse of what the day held in store for us: turquoise waters, islands, sun, and sailing!

We waded through shallow water—it was low-tide—to get to the boat that would take us around for the day. Once on it, off we went circumventing Wasini Island to get to our first stop: Lower Mpunguti Island. As we approached our stop, we passed a secluded beach which we were told was a special campsite for honeymooners that could be rented for only $30 a night. We ooh-ed and aah-ed at the thought of that then quickly jumped off the boat and went in search of coconut crabs.

We never did see any coconut crabs on Lower Mpunguti Island because it was too early in the day for this mostly nocturnal animal. Still, while trying to understand what exactly I’d missed, I later came across this fantastic slideshow of coconut crab pictures. I guess I missed a lot!

Hurriedly, we got back on the boat because we were in a race against time. Our main activity for the day was to go snorkeling in Kisite Marine Park, off Kisite Island, and snorkeling is best done within two hours, on either side, of low tide. The tide was already low, so every minute we spent getting to Kisite Island was a precious minute lost for snorkeling.

We sped off in the direction of Kisite Island as fast as we could but slowed down when we came across boats, seemingly stopped in the middle of nowhere. The seasoned among us already knew why: dolphins had been spotted. Those less seasoned didn’t have to wait long to figure it out—we soon saw a pod of dolphins swimming and jumping about in the water.

The dolphins must have already been peopled out by the time we got there because after a few jumps in and out of the water, they quickly swam away. We followed them for a while, hoping they’d give us a chance to watch them further and photograph them, but they were having none of that. Having been forewarned about the dangers of chasing dolphins and permanently separating dolphin pairs, we quickly gave up and continued on to Kisite Island.

I don’t remember approaching Kisite Island—I must have been tweeting about our encounter with the dolphins. Rather, I simply looked up and found myself in paradise: a pristine white sandbank surrounded by clear turquoise water and happy people frolicking about. It was breathtaking!

I quickly took some pictures and put away my electronics as I waited for instructions on what to do next. Our snorkeling instructor handed each of us a diving mask—essentially swimming goggles with a part to cover the nose—while instructing those who couldn’t swim to keep their lifejackets on. We then got into the water and, on his instruction, each put one hand on a lifebuoy (to remain afloat) as he guided us to the best parts of the coral reef.

I swim every day for exercise, so I am used to being in water. Opening my eyes under water is an experience I am very familiar with—think: hazy and blue. Imagine the mind-boggle then when I put my head underwater only to see the clearest turquoise water filled with coral and fish of all shapes, sizes, and color. It was mind-boggling and I couldn’t contain my excitement.

The snorkeling instructor took us to different parts of the marine park, but once I had gotten the hang of things, I decided to go exploring on my own. I wish I could convey to you what I saw, but I don’t think I can do it justice with words. Rather, here’s a slideshow of pictures I found across the web that were taken under water at Kisite Marine Park. All I could think of as I swam around in utter amazement was that I finally understood what India.Arie meant in her song “God is Real“.

Photo Credit: Hugh Lunnon

Photo Credit: Hugh Lunnon

Photo Credit: Hugh Lunnon

Photo Credit: Hugh Lunnon

Photo Credit: BeckyRobin

Photo Credit: ReefHotelKenya.com

Photo Credit: AfricaForAmateurs.com

Photo Credit: ParadiseDiver.net

Photo Credit: KWS Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve Facebook Page

Photo Credit: CowsGoMoo

I kept swimming further and further away from the boat until I got to a place where I suddenly saw the ocean floor drop sharply into the deep, dark blue. I realized that I’d swum to the edge of the marine park and was about to enter open ocean. I hesitated for a bit, debating whether or not I should swim on, then I saw a beautiful DEAD yellow fish floating towards the surface. I got the message: it was time to turn back!

Once we’d had our fill of the beauty of Kisite Island, it was time to head back to the coast. Maybe we were all exhausted from swimming or perhaps we were simply overwhelmed by all we’d seen, whatever the case the boat ride back to Shimoni was a lot quieter than our ride to the marine park.

We eventually arrived back at the KWS camp where we freshened up and made lunch. Our plan was to visit the Shimoni Caves, later in the afternoon, but somehow that plan never materialized. We only left the camp again, in the evening, to get a taste of Shimoni’s night life at nearby Smuggler’s Bar.

After a couple of drinks, I decided to call it a night. The next day was going to be another action-packed day, and I thought it best to conserve my energy. Next stop? Mombasa! But..that’s a story for another day. To know as soon as it’s up on my blog, please subscribe here.

Until then, I wish you happy holidays!

Ta-ta,
Biche

P.S. To be sure not to miss future posts on ChickAboutTown, sign up to receive posts directly by email or subscribe in a reader of your choice. You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook for daily musings on living & lifestyle in East Africa. Signing up is free and easy!

Photo Credits: Big Cats Exploration and Safaris; KWS Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve Facebook Page; Diani Tours & Safaris; GVI; John Alogo.

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*Twende Tujivinjari  is Swahili for “Let’s go and enjoy ourselves!” (loosely translated )

If you follow me on Twitter, then you probably already know that I spent the last week of November visiting Kenyan marine parks courtesy of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). KWS is a bona fide 21^st century East African parastatal that fully embraces the power of social media. Apparently, KWS’s 4 marine parks–Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park, Malindi Marine Park, Mombasa Marine Park, and  Watamu Marine Park—are among the least visited of KWS’s 35 national parks and reserves. So, KWS sought to resolve this by inviting bloggers to visit and experience these parks and spread the word about them through social media. Yours truly was among the bloggers invited for this trip.

The marine park tour began on a cold Tuesday morning at the KWS Headquarters in Lang’ata, Nairobi. The other female bloggers on the tour have done a fabulous job of writing about our arrival in Lang’ata and their impressions of the bloggers on the trip, so I won’t do the same. Rather, if you are curious to know which other bloggers participated in the tour and what they were like, I encourage you to read the following posts: Meet The Gang…Introduction to the coastal tour… & The Travelling Canary… Part 1 .

Once we’d all gotten to the meeting place, we left Nairobi around 10:30 a.m. after a quick stop at Uchumi Mombasa Road (at Capital Centre) to stock up on snacks and drinks for the long ride ahead. To be honest, I had never heard of Kisite or Mpunguti before this trip, so I wasn’t exactly clear on where we were headed. To give you a better picture than I had, here’s a map of the route we traveled that day.

View “Nairobi to Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park” in a larger map

As you can see, the general direction of our trip was towards Mombasa. Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park is located off the southern coast of Kenya, near the town of Shimoni, only 8 km north of Kenya’s border with Tanzania.

As we traveled along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, we made all the usual stops on the way to Mombasa: first, we stopped to have lunch at Mtito Andei (marked in green on the map above), a small town on the western edge of Tsavo National Park, then we stopped again at the market town of Voi (marked in yellow above).

We reached Mombasa nine hours after we’d left Nairobi. There, we stopped to buy groceries at Nakumatt Likoni—we had been forewarned that this was going to be a camping trip—and then crossed the Likoni Ferry for the 82 km journey south to Shimoni.

We finally arrived at the KWS Kisite Marine Park Office at a quarter to midnight. Having bused the previous day from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, I was exhausted and had only one thing on my mind: to find a bed and crash! My travel companions, on the other hand, found it in them to shower, cook dinner, and have a meal. I didn’t stay up long enough to see that happen.

As soon as I found out where I was sleeping for the night, I got into bed and was out like a light. As I slept that night, I had no clue of the beauty that surrounded me–beauty that I would only become aware of the following morning. But…that’s a story for another day. To find out more about my experience in Shimoni and at Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park, come back in a few days for the next installment in this series. If you would like to receive a notification as soon as I publish my next post, you can subscribe to this blog here.

Until then,
Biche

P.S. Subscribe to ChickAboutTown to be notified whenever I publish a new post. You can subscribe by email or in an RSS reader of your choice. You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook for daily musings on living & lifestyle in East Africa. Signing up is free and easy!

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I am chuckling at the title of this post. If you knew where in Tanzania Mugumu and Arusha were–and what lies between these two towns–you’d understand why: the title of this post is a huge understatement for the experience I’m going to share with you today. I’ve done this deliberately; I want to tell you about this road trip the way I experienced it–from beginning to end.

My journey began on a cold morning in Mugumu, at Giraffe Garden Hotel, where I’d spent the night, having arrived the day before from Mwanza, via Bunda and Butiama. After a quick breakfast, my travel mates and I jumped into our cars for the short 40 km ride to…the Ikoma gate of…the Serengeti National Park! Our destination was Arusha, where most of my travel companions lived, but the road to Arusha would take us through both the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. As it would be my first time visiting the world-famous Serengeti, I was EXCITED!

To put things in perspective, as one of my travel companions reminded me, we weren’t going for a game drive through the Serengeti; rather, we would simply be driving through, staying on the main road. Nonetheless, just getting a chance to see the Serengeti seemed to me like reason enough for excitement!

Within an hour–having made a quick detour to the Serengeti Cultural Centre–we finally entered the Serengeti National Park. Having glimpsed at the park the previous day as we approached Bunda (the Serengeti National Park’s Ndabaka Gate is a few minutes outside Bunda and a 2-hour drive from Mwanza), I was not surprised to see woodland savanna as we entered the park.

After driving for a short while, we came upon giraffes munching on treetops. While crossing a small bridge, a few minutes later, we saw a herd of hippos mucking about in thick muddy water. Since I was in the mind frame that we weren’t on a game drive, I felt lucky that I’d already seen two large animals within 15 minutes of entering the park.

We continued our journey through the Serengeti and yet again came upon more animals—this time one of the Big Five: a herd of elephants. Game drive or not, we slowed down to take a closer look.

In all honesty, I am not an animal lover by any stretch. Although I have visited a number of East Africa’s national parks, it has almost always been due to someone else. Still, there’s nothing quite like watching animals in the wild. As our vehicle slowed down, the excitement in our car grew. We quieted down not to startle the elephants, grabbed our cameras and peered keenly through our windows. Anyone who has ever gone game watching knows what the feeling is like: your heart begins to race a little and the silence is enveloping, as you gaze in fascination at the magic of nature. We watched the elephants for a while until they walked away behind some bushes. The spell broken, we too continued on our way.

Again, we drove for some time until we came to a place where we saw cars lined up in the distance, obviously watching something. Since we were in the Serengeti, we knew it had to be an animal. We debated for a while about whether or not to join them, but in the end our curiosity won over. As soon as we got there, we realized what they were looking at: a leopard walking in the grass. To understand how rare it is too see leopards in the wild, one of my travel companions, a wildlife biologist with over 20 years experience working in the African wild, said that this was the first time she was getting to see one. We couldn’t believe our luck!

Forgetting temporarily that we were just passing through, we threw all restraint to the wind and became full-fledged travelers on Safari. We raised the roof of the car, stood on our car seats, got out our binoculars and cameras, and watched in captivation. At first the leopard was far away and we hoped it would come nearer, but as it got nearer, we hoped it wouldn’t do something terrifying like jump on our car or, even worse, try to get inside. Luckily, it didn’t. Rather, it casually walked in front of the cars and crossed the road to the other side, where it abruptly stopped. Not knowing much about the animal kingdom, I thought it had stopped simply because it felt like it. The experts in the car, however, suspected it had stopped because it had spotted something. It had. Hidden under a nearby bush was a rasp of guinea fowls.

The leopard stood at attention for a while, as though debating whether or not to attack the guinea fowls. Obviously, it must have decided against it because as suddenly as the leopard had stopped, it turned around, crossed the road, and returned from whence it came. The spectacle over, we resumed our journey.

The woodlands faded away as we entered the Seronera Valley, the Serengeti National Park’s central valley. With fewer trees, the Serengeti’s “endless plains” became more apparent. In Seronera, we saw all manner of antelopes–hartebeest, Thomson’s gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, and bachelor herds of impala. And then, we came upon zebras—zebras in single file in an unending line both to our left and to our right. Simultaneously, the driver and one of my travel companions cried out: “The migration!”

The Serengeti is host to the largest mammal migration in the world. Every year, year after year, more than 1.5 million mammals—wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle—cycle through the Serengeti ecosystem; including the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the Maasai Mara National Reserve (in Kenya); in search of water and greener pastures. Being one of the top 10 natural travel wonders in the world, I had heard of the Serengeti migration before but had no hopes of seeing it on this trip, given that we were just driving through and it was October, the driest month in the Serengeti, when most migratory animals were expected to be in the Maasai Mara.

To be honest, the migration I saw only involved a hundred or so zebra and wildebeest–these were the procrastinator animals (commonly referred to as the tail-end of the migration). Still, it was a wonder to behold. How did these animals know to start moving? Who led the migration? How did they know what direction to travel in? What kept them in line? I made a mental note: I was going to see the Serengeti migration, in its full glory, as soon as possible.

We continued through Seronera Valley almost uneventfully, stopping only once to look at a cheetah, perched on top of a water tank, preventing a water truck from drawing water. We watched the standoff for a few minutes, but seeing no impending resolution, we left and made our way to Naabi Hill, where we stopped for a bathroom break, visited the Visitor’s Information Centre, and took care of the formalities necessary to exit the Serengeti and enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). Formalities taken care of, we left the Serengeti National Park and moved on to the NCA.

As we entered the NCA, I noticed it looked much like the Serengeti except it was a bit hillier. The most notable difference was that people lived in the NCA, whereas we hadn’t seen any living in the Serengeti. Here, we saw Maasai tending to their livestock—sheep, goats, and camels—and generally going about their everyday existence, while we also continued to see wild animals like ostriches and baboons.

We drove through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for about two hours before we finally reached the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. We had not planned to visit the floor of the crater, but still we stopped at the rim to take a look, wonder at the grandeur of nature, and of course, take pictures. The Ngorongoro Crater (or more accurately, caldera) looked as majestic as I remembered it when I last visited three years earlier. After the short stop, we got back into our cars, drove directly to the main gates of the NCA, and exited the Ngorongoro-Serengeti ecosystem.

Needless to say, the three hour journey to Arusha, via Mto wa Mbu was anticlimactic, considering all we had seen earlier in the day. Luckily for me, I had something to look forward to: I would be visiting Arusha, a town I love, for the  first time in three years. I could harldly wait!

We finally arrived in Arusha, much to my delight, eight hours after our departure from Mugumu. And thus ends the story of my road trip from Mugumu to Arusha. What I thought of Arusha when I finally got there is a story for another day!

Hopefully, now you understand why I was chuckling at the beginning of this post: this road trip was not so much about driving from Mugumu to Arusha, but rather about driving through the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Although I completed this trip in a day, if I were to do it all over again, I’d spread it out over several days spending at least one night in the Serengeti and dedicating a full day to discovering all that the NCA has to offer. For more information about these magnificent nature reserves, please visit their official websites: Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

And that’s if from me. If you’ve gone on a similar road trip before and would like to share your experiences, I’d love to hear all about it in the comment section below.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Until the next time,
Biche

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If you are anything like I used to be, you might think that Mwanza is a small, sleepy, upcountry town–in the guise of a city–with few interesting things to do in and around it. After spending a few days in Tanzania’s second largest city, I’ve changed my mind: I now know that Mwanza is a scenic, burgeoning, lakeside city (somewhat deserving of that name), with a selection of things to do in its vicinity. Don’t believe me? Here’s a list of seven things I enjoyed during my most recent trip to Mwanza that you can enjoy too the next time you visit!

1. Take a tour of the city Take a tour of Mwanza to learn more about this 121-year-old city. Visit downtown Mwanza and/or take a tour of Capri Point Peninsula to get a feel of the city and catch a glimpse of its rich history, with its many foreign influences (German, British, and Indian). To schedule a tour, hire a local tour guide (e.g., Dullah +255 (0)769 046631) or contact any local tour operator (e.g., Serengeti Expedition).
2. Visit the Sukuma Museum at the Bujora Cultural Center Mwanza’s indigenous inhabitants are the Sukuma, Tanzania’s largest ethnic group. Learn about the Sukuma by visiting the Sukuma Museum at the Bujora Cultural Centre. There, you will see 500-year-old royal drums and learn about traditional Sukuma iron smelting. When you are done at the museum, be sure to watch the resident dance troupe perform. The Sukuma are renown for their dancing and have been holding annual dance competitions for years. Sukuma snake dancing is something I am sure you won’t forget for a long time! The Bujora Cultural Centre is located 16 km East of Mwanza (off the Musoma Road) and can easily be accessed by public transport or by taxi.

3. Enjoy a sunset cruise on Lake Victoria The feel of Mwanza is in large part determined by its geographic attributes: its proximity to Lake Victoria, its rolling hills, and its huge, unusual rock formations, which earn it its nickname–Rock City. To fully appreciate the beauty and serenity of Mwanza, take a sunset–or sunrise–boat ride on Lake Victoria. To schedule a boat ride (for any time of the day), contact Hotel Tilapia‘s business center (price: $100 per hour for the boat–includes up to 20 people) or contact Jan, of Tunza Lodge (+255 (0)755 541078–price: for a 1-hour boat ride: 50,000 TSh. for the first 2 people and an additional 10,000 TSh. for every person thereafter).
4. Discover Rubondo Island National Park Rubondo Island National Park, the only national park on the world’s largest tropical lake, is a quick 40-minute flight from Mwanza (it can also be accessed by road and water, but that takes much longer). Walk through Rubondo Island’s dense forest to see both indigenous and introduced species such as sitatunga, a rare marsh-dwelling antelope, and chimpanzees (needs to be arranged in advance). Rubondo Island is also a great place for sport fishing. Here, tilapia and Nile perch have been known to grow to over 100 kilograms! For bird watchers, over 200 species of birds can be observed breeding or simply passing through nearby Bird Island. Auric Air flies regularly between Mwanza and Rubondo Island. To get to Rubondo Island National Park by road, drive 4-5 hours in the direction of Geita to Nkome, where you’ll be picked up by boat for a 2-hour ride to the island OR drive 8-9 hours from Mwanza, on the highyway that leads to Biharamulo, to Muganza/Kasenda, where you can be picked up by boat for a short 30-minute ride to the island (click here for a basic map). For more information, visit the Rubondo Island National Park website.
5. Head to Butiama to visit Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s home, mausoleum, and Memorial Museum Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere was not only Tanzania’s first president but, to some, also a world hero for social justice (so named by the president of the 63rd UN General Assembly in 2009). Butiama, a 3-hr drive from Mwanza, is President Nyerere’s hometown. There, you can visit the Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere Memorial Museum, which documents the life of this great statesman from his earliest days at Tabora Boys Secondary School, through to his contribution in the fight for Tanganyika‘s independence, covering his 23-year presidency, and finally until his death on October 14, 1999. His family home at Butiama, and his mausoleum, are now also open to the public. Click here for more information on how to get to Butiama.
6. See the spectacular view from atop Balili Mountain I tell you about this activity with particular delight: it was one of the most enjoyable, though unexpected, things that I experienced during my trip! In full disclosure, I did not climb Balili Mountain from its base; rather, I drove most of the way up the mountain to Balili Camp, then hiked the last 15-20 minutes to the viewpoint at its summit. The 360° view that I saw there was breathtaking! In one direction was the Serengeti, extending as far out as the eye could see (no wonder the Maasai call it “endless plains”); in another direction was Lake Victoria, which also seemed to stretch out to infinity; and not far from both of these was Bunda town, seemingly unaware of the majesty surrounding it. Balili Mountain, located right outside Bunda town, is a 2-hour drive from Mwanza, in the direction of Butiama and Musoma–only a few kilometers away from the Ndabaka gate of the Serengeti National Park. For more information, visit the Balili Camp website, or contact Tembea Mara Visitor’s Information Centre (+255 (0)714 445566), located at the foot of Balili Mountain.

7. Explore the Serengeti The Serengeti, ranked 1st among the top 10 natural travel wonders of the world, needs little introduction, but did you know that the Serengeti is only a 2-hour drive from Mwanza? Visit the Serengeti as a day trip from Mwanza, if you are pressed for time, or spend a few more days to take full advantage of all the national park has to offer. For more information, visit the Serengeti National Park’s official website, or contact any Mwanza tour operator (such as Serengeti Expedition).

This is by far not an exhaustive list of all there is to do in and around Mwanza; rather, it’s simply a list of some of the things that I enjoyed doing during my last visit there. If you know of something else that you would like to recommend to visitors of Mwanza, then I’d love to hear all about it in the comment section below. As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Until the next time,
Biche

P.S. Subscribe to ChickAboutTown to know whenever I publish a new post. You can subscribe by email or in an RSS reader of your choice. You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook for daily musings on living &lifestyle in East Africa. Signing up is free and easy!

Photo Credit: Rubondo Island Photo by Frank Beier

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P.S. Subscribe to ChickAboutTown to know whenever a new post is published. You can subscribe by email or in an RSS reader of your choice. You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook for daily musings on living &lifestyle in East Africa. Signing up is free and easy!

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As those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter might know, I spent the end of last week visiting Northern Tanzania–Mwanza, Mara (including Butiama), the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Arusha. Because of the busy itinerary planned, I didn’t attempt to blog about the trip while on it but, rather, shared what I could on Twitter, saving the blogging for when I got back to Dar es Salaam.

For those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter (or for those of you who do but somehow missed my tweets), this first post is a consolidation of the main tweets I wrote while traveling, with links to websites where you can see pictures or find more information. I hope you find this interesting and useful.

If you’d like to ask me a question or make a comment on something I shared in one of my tweets, please feel free to do so in the comment section below. As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Until the next time,
Biche

Day 1: Dar es Salaam-to-Mwanza / Mwanza Hotels /Bujora Museum

• And so the journey begins…heading to JNIA now. First stop: Mwanza. I hope Precision is not delayed this time.
• Just flew Precision Air Business Class (Dar-Mwz) for the first time. Spacious. And breakfast was delicious!
• I have already driven down beautiful Nakasero Drive and seen Bismarck Rock, so truly, I am in Mwanza.

• Someone just planted a dream in my mind: apparently there are hot balloon safaris over the Serengeti $490/person/hour. Imagine that!
• Just had lunch at Malaika Beach Resort, Mwanza. Food was so-so. The rooms? Very, very nice!
• Very nice rooms at Malaika Beach Resort, Mwanza/$150 double room B&B/Free Wi-Fi/Comp. shuttle to airport.
• Did you know Mwanza had only 1 set of traffic lights and Arusha had 2? Hehehe…now you know.
• Apparently, Sukuma kings would cut their hair only once a year, and it’d be such an event that royal drums would be sounded. Interesting!
• If ever you get to visit Bujora Museum, please be sure to watch the dances, especially the snake dance. THRILLING!
• Had dinner @ Gold Crest Hotel, downtown Mwanza. Nice decor, professional service, good food & coffee bar. Can’t wait 2 sleep there tomorrow.

Day 2: Rubondo Island National Park / Wag Hill /Sailing on Lake Victoria

• And the touring continues. First stop: Rubondo Island National Park, the only park on Lake Victoria.
• Rubondo Island National Park was a li’l slow. Little wildlife, but the thick forest was nice & lake shore interesting in its different-ness.

• The best thing on the Island for me was Rubondo Island Camp. Would be perfect for a getaway with that special someone.
• @whthome Apparently, they’re only at the Northern- and Southern-most tip of the island. We didn’t see them. (Talking about chimps at Rubondo Island National Park.)
• In Kenya, I developed a taste for rustic lodges. Wag Hill, Mwanza is right down that alley. Pricey, yes, but so so nice!
• Wow! If u came 2 Mwanza just 4 the sunset boat ride from Tilapia Hotel, it’d b worth it. $100 for 1 hour on the boat total up to 20 people!
• @Andre_Muhozya Didn’t go 2 Saa Nane Island but sailed around it. Was great 2 sit/stand on-deck, feel the wind & waves, & experience sunset.

Day 3: Mwanza-to-Mugumu / Bunda, Mara / President Nyerere’s Home & Museum at Butiama

• The rooms at Gold Crest Hill were as good as I expected. Great executive hotel in downtown Mwanza. Incredibly low introductory rates!
• Oops…I meant Gold Crest Hotel not Gold Crest Hill.
• “Serenity on the Lake”, a lodge 20 mins from Serengeti’s Ndabaka gate, opening early 2012, featuring lake views from your bed. Imagine that! (Owned by the same group that owns Hotel Tilapia & Mbalageti Serengeti)
• For bird lovers, Speke Bay Lodge (10 mins from Serengeti’s Ndabaka gate) features nature walks where u can c 60 species of birds in 2 hrs.

• Speke Bay Lodge also features cool tents for the budget traveller.
• 1 of the best views I’ve EVER seen: the 360° view from the viewpoint @ Balili Camp, Bunda, Mara, overlooking Serengeti & Lake Vic. Grand!
• Just left Butiama where I visited President Nyerere‘s home, grave, and museum. Makes one think about how much one man did for his country!

Day 4: Mugumu to Arusha via The Serengeti National Park and The Ngorongoro Conservation Area

• Live in Dar es Salaam long enough & one forgets that it gets cold elsewhere. This morning, I woke up in Mugumu, Mara & it’s COLD! *Brrrrr*
• In Dar, we get watered-down traditional dances. I just saw Kuria dancing at the Serengeti Cultural Centre in Mugumu. Now we’re talking!
• Entering the Serengeti for the first time, through the Ikoma gate. Did you know it costs only 1,500 TSh for East African residents?
• …and only 10,000 TSh for East African registered vehicles? #Serengeti
• So far, I’ve seen giraffes…and hippos just chilling in the mud. #Serengeti
• …and now I’ve seen a HUGE herd of elephants! #Serengeti
• …I’ve seen Hartebeest (sp?)…and guinea fowl. #Serengeti
• …and a Leopard so unafraid of people that it walked up to a convoy of 6 cars and crossed the road in front of us. #Serengeti

• And the scenery, plains with a backdrop of hills, is amazing! #Serengeti
• I saw the wildebeest/zebra migration in person–woohoo! Animals in single file and grazing around, in other places. #Serengeti
• I’ve seen Thomson’s & Grant’s gazelles, bachelor herds of Impala, ostriches & a cheetah on a water tank preventing a truck from drawing H2O.
• Now entered Ngorongoro Conservation Area through the gate at Naabi Hill (I didn’t know the Serengeti and Ngorongoro shared borders).
• In Ngorongoro, so far, I’ve seen sheep (because Maasai are allowed to live and graze here) and camels. (Camels???!!!) #Ngorongoro
• @MulkiAhmed reminded me to share that we saw a baboon too. In fact, we saw it break into a tourist’s car & steal food. Hehehe…#Ngorongoro
• Businesses that act suspicious of their customers irk me. #AfricafeArusha #Shoprite

Day 5: Arusha & Back to Dar

• Of the last 4 #Precision Air flights I’ve taken, 1/2 have required that I wait 4 hrs for the next flight (no fault of my own). Not cool!
• Wow, that was one long road trip from Mugumu, Mara to Arusha–8 hours–but driving through the Serengeti & Ngorongoro was well worth it!
• It was great to be in Arusha again after so long. It’s still as fresh and clean as I remember it–just bigger and better!

• The Njiro Shopping Complex is quite impressive and more than I expected to find in Arusha!
• …and no trip 2 Arusha is complete 4 me without a visit 2 The Arusha Hotel (@arushahotel) which is even more beautiful than @ my last visit
• Need 2 get from Arusha 2 KIA/JRO cheaply? Try the Precision Air shuttle. Leaves 2.5 hrs b4 all local flights, from town office. 10,000TSh
• #Precision Air is a MESS!

P.S. Subscribe to ChickAboutTown to know whenever a new post is published. You can subscribe by email or in an RSS reader of your choice. You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook for daily musings on living &lifestyle in East Africa. Signing up is free and easy!

Photo Credits: Benny Geypens; limpinglemur; Biche; Ferdi’s – World; Maradentro; Tanzan

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