Zanzibar
After climbing a mountain we thought it best to relax a bit before starting our next adventure on Safari. We caught the plane from Kilimanjaro airport and landed in Zanzibar half an hour later. Some more haggling went on between Catriona and the taxi man, a deal was made and we were driven to our first hotel, Tembo House.
After a hot shower and a bite to eat, we went to do some souvenir shopping and explore the island. It was full of winding streets and beautiful wooden doors. On our wonderings we passed a spa. We couldn’t resist, we both had a massage!! It was the best thing to have done to sooth our aching muscles. Later that night we ate dinner at the hotel on the beach and got an early night before our taxi driver picked us up to take us to our next hotel.
We reached the Mtoni Marine hotel early so we explored the beach and the infinity pool before unpacking our bags. Our room was on the ground floor (thank goodness, our legs still couldn’t take the stairs!) not far from the beach. There was only one thing we wanted to do today and that was relax and read near the pool. We got changed and that is where we spent the day. At lunch time we went to the pool bar for a snack and ended up making friends with the bar workers who allowed us control of the pool music and invited us to make drinks and answer the phone. It wasn’t really surprising to us to discover that making people feel welcome and striking new friendships was extended past Lilingu and Mtwara. It seemed that everyone we met in Tanzania was pleased to see us.
Dinner was a candle lit meal for two on the beach that night. We couldn’t help but feed the stray cat that was camped out under our table. Tonight was the fist night Catriona tasted a native meat dish of WORTHOG! Being vegetarian I didn’t try any but Catriona assures me it was one of the most delicious things she had tasted.
The next day we had booked ourselves onto a boat trip to Prison Island to see the endangered Aldabra Giant land Tortoises; some were over 100 years old. Our boat ride took us from the hotel and across the clear waters of the sea to a deserted island. On the way we stopped to do some snorkelling. This was the first time Annika had done this and was totally awe struck by the beauty of the marine life, after she got over the panic of not being able to breathe through her nose of course! We followed many beautiful fish and watched them as they swam gracefully in their natural habitat. We saw Nemo (clown fish), a variety of star fish and an enormous range of brightly coloured fish. Once back on the boat we headed for Prison Island, so named because it was designed to be used as a prison for rebellious slaves in the 1860’s. However, the British first Minister of Zanzibar bought the island in 1893 and no prisoners were ever housed there, instead it became a quarantine station for people with yellow fever.
We spent the morning feeding and stroking the tortoises before a brief guided tour around the island ad heading back to the hotel. On the way back the other passengers on the boat had convinced the captain to open the sails, so we enjoyed a nice relaxing sail back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel we spent the rest of our time in the pool before getting changed for dinner. The bar workers we had met yesterday had offered to take us into Zanzibar and show us some of the best places to eat. It was Ramadan all over Tanzania at the time we were there so the centre of Zanzibar came alive after the sun had gone down. We were given a guided tour of the food festival before being shown to a hidden terrace restaurant that overlooked the sea. We didn’t stay out long as we had to pack for our final adventure- Safari! We headed back to the hotel to pack and sleep before setting of back to Dar Es Salam.
Safari
Landing at Dar Es Salam once more we were greeted by our guide who showed us to our mini van which would drive us five hours to the Mikumi National Park. We hoped to see the big five but would be happy if Catriona got to see a giraffe and Annika saw an elephant. Being the fourth largest in the country covering 3230km², hopes were high.
On our way in, we had to sign in. We climbed out of the van to stretch our legs and turned around to see not one but three giraffes crossing the road right behind us! Catriona was happy now, all we needed was to see some elephants and we could go home feeling fulfilled.
After signing in we turned around to drive to our accommodation. Two minutes into the journey we saw a family of three elephants cross the road in front of us! It was incredible, we had been here five minutes and already seen all we had hoped for, this is going to be a successful adventure.
Upon arrival to Stanley’s Kjope we were shown to our tent where we would be sleeping for the next few nights. We were told the electricity is turned off at ten and if we needed to venture out into the night, we were to arrange for the Massi Worrier to escort us from place to place. We settled in and went to explore. Up at the top of the steep hill was a building, which was the restaurant where we would eat all of our meals. We sat overlooking the expanse of wilderness, a log fire burning just below, the sun setting overhead and the animals gathering around the waterhole. Elephants and zebras came and went as the sun continued to set.
The next day was an early start; we went to the restaurant for breakfast before heading out on a full day game drive. We saw a variety of animals up close, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, warthog eland, hippopotamus, elephants and even a lion cub. We spotted the lion cub near the watering hole; he was watching with intense interest the warthog that was on the opposite side. Waiting with baited breath, we sat patiently and silently in the jeep, hoping to see some action. The action didn’t come but it was wonderful to watch these incredible creatures in their natural habitat. Seeing them in a zoo is never going to compare now we have experienced the true ways of the wild.
Back at the Kjope we ate dinner and enjoyed sitting next to the fire chatting about all the wonderful tings we had seen that day. The anticipation was building already.
We had decided for our last game drive we wanted to experience a different time of day. We headed out at 5am in our jeep in search of some new, unseen wildlife. It wasn’t long until the sun started to rise and the birds started to sing, as we drove down the bumpy road we spotted the lioness and her three cubs. They were sleeping and were extremely well camouflaged. The jeep rolled to a stop and we watched in silence for about half an hour as the mother woke up her cubs, licked and played with all three of them. In the distance, we could see zebra making their way to the watering hole for an early morning drink, but we were not the only ones who had spotted them. The lions climbed to a better vantage point to get a better look. The lioness made a move toward the zebra. Things were tense in the jeep, none of us really wanted to see an animal killed, but were intrigued by the skill and prowess of the lioness as she stalked the zebra- breakfast perhaps. . .
Luckily for the zebra, unfortunate for us, the lioness deferred her hunt.
As the morning wore on we searched for the remaining one of the big five we had not yet seen, but with such an expansive park and the shy nature of the leopard we did not manage to do so. We headed back to the Kjope to pack our things ready for our long journey back to Dr Es Salam.
When we left the park we had discovered a new found respect for the animal kingdom and the work that goes into keeping a park like this in order to conserve this natural way of life.
Once in Dar Es Salam we spent our last night at the holiday inn. It was Catriona’s birthday the next day so I had arranged for a cake to be made and presented to her after dinner. After one celebratory cocktail it was an early night for us, in the morning we would be going home and leaving this beautiful, diverse country we had come to love and be a part of for the past three weeks.
The journey home
It was Catriona’s birthday, it was only right we should try and get bumped up to first class. Unfortunately our begging and pleading was totally useless, the plane was full. However once on board the steward took pity on us and sorted it with the pilot so we could see the cockpit (the icing on the cake you could say).
Upon leaving the country we couldn’t help reflecting upon our time and feeling so appreciative for the opportunity to be able to come and experience all of the wonderful things we have seen and done while in Tanzania.
It is with thanks to Julie, the governors and all of those at Ledbury Prmary School that we had this chance. This trip has been a once in a life time experience, one we shall never forget. Thank you.
