11-05-28
By Robert Selwitz
Anyone thinking about visiting Africa should
definitely not overlook Tanzania. This country
facing the Indian Ocean offers fabulous
game-viewing; fascinating history; astounding
archaeological sites; Kilimanjaro, the world's
favorite mountain-climbing site; and the exotic
island of Zanzibar.
Supporting all this is a well-functioning
network of roads, dependable air transportation
and comfortable lodging for all budgets. Equally
important, Tanzania is politically stable and most
welcoming to all visitors, including North
Americans.
Dar es Salaam, a raucous, bustling port, is
definitely worth a day's exploration. Highlights
include a vibrant fish market, the "anything goes"
Kariokoo market, and plenty of colonial-era
churches and landmarks. Fossils from Olduvai Gorge
are on display at the National Museum.
When it's time to seek out game, the
possibilities include the justifiably world-famous
Serengeti, well-developed Selou in the south, or
Ruaha, a developing area for tourism the
government hopes will take pressure off the
Serengeti. Aside from being less crowded, another
Ruaha appeal is that it is much wilder and
off-road driving is permitted.
Occupying some 5,000 square miles, Ruaha is
Tanzania's second-largest national park after
Serengeti. While accommodations in Ruaha tend more
towards basic rather than luxurious, a recent
visit to both Mdoyna River Lodge and Jongermero
demonstrated that food at both sites was
excellent, and lodge guides were friendly, savvy
and knowledgeable.
At Mdoyna, the more Spartan of the two, sturdy
permanent tents attached to a wood-topped platform
are entered via zippered "doors." Interior space
is sizable, and though there is no electricity,
camp-provided flashlights provide needed
illumination. Since water is solar-heated, showers
and shaving are best accomplished as close as
possible to sundown.
Candle-lit dining is communal and delicious.
Grilled meats and fresh vegetables predominate,
and good conversation fills the early evening
hours. On our trip my wife and I saw animals
constantly — between the Dar-Msembe airstrip and
the camp, on scheduled game drives and during our
several-hours' transfer to Jongomero.
Highlights included elephants, zebras,
giraffes, water buffaloes, impala, warthogs, a
monitor lizard basking on a branch and a plethora
of fantastically colored birds. Things really got
interesting when we watched a group of cheetahs
position themselves for an attack on a gathering
of impala. Ultimately the impala, sensing serious
danger, dashed away before the cheetahs could
strike. We also encountered an elephant family
chomping on grass. From no more than 15 feet away,
they ignored us as they foraged and ate in peace.
In much more upscale and expensive Jongomero,
where eight tents with electricity are much more
spacious and attractively appointed, food and
company were also excellent. Drive highlights
included an hour's stalk of a lion that woke up
with a bad stomachache. Ultimately, after he found
and ate some grass, he regurgitated whatever was
bothering him, then sauntered off to join his
pride.
The guide explained how tan-furred impala
earned their nickname, "McDonald's." Since black
stripes at their rear look like the famous "M"
logo and impala are among meat-seekers' favorite
meals, dubbing them "McDonald's" was deemed
ruefully appropriate for animals destined to be
many carnivores' "happy meal."
In both Mdoyna and Jongomero, drivers freely
piloted their four-wheel-drive vehicles anywhere
they could safely venture. They were also most
pleased to linger at a site and did not seem to be
following a strict "must-see" checklist.
Things are more controlled in the Serengeti,
where off-road driving is prohibited. Following a
Coastal flight to Arusha, we were met by a
prearranged driver who drove us to motel-like
Rhino Lodge. Here the prime assets are low cost
and relatively close proximity to the Ngorongoro
Crater park entrance.
The next morning, descending through
surprisingly dense fog, we entered the
100-square-mile meteor-caused depression.
Elephants, lions, Cape buffaloes — indeed just
about every African mammal except giraffes — and
myriad birds seem to thrive here. Giraffes don't
because there are no trees within the crater to
produce the high-above-ground leaves they require.
The following day we stopped at Olduvai Gorge.
Here, in a 30-mile-long stretch, fossil
discoveries dating from more than 2 million to
15,000 years ago have created invaluable evidence
of the stages of human evolution. Olduvai is where
renowned paleontologists Richard and Mary Leaky
and their son Richard worked for more than 70
years searching for, finding and analyzing
critical fossils and their role in man's
evolution.
Onsite is a small museum detailing their work,
sporadic lectures about their finds and guides
who, for a fee, will walk visitors through sites
where important discoveries — including the most
ancient skulls and bones — were made.
For a complete change of pace, we were then
driven to the 2-year-old, 72-room Kempinski Bilila
Lodge, several hours to the west. Magnificently
appointed rooms, excellent food, clever
landscaping and, above all, fabulous guides made
this an ideal change of pace.
Bilila game drive highlights included watching
elephants knock down trees and strip off the bark,
then chew the moisture from the soft center wood.
We also spotted two leopards reclining on tree
branches, zebras grooming each other's coats and
skins from forehead to tail, lions positioning
themselves for a wildebeest attack and dozens of
zebras jostling each other for the best spots at a
water hole. We also watched another zebra bringing
her young to a safe viewing distance from a
reclining lion. You could almost hear her say,
"Watch him — he's your greatest threat."
From Bilila we were driven to the Seronera
airstrip for our final Coastal flight, this time
to the exotic island of Zanzibar. Here, many
travelers spend their final post-safari days
unwinding and exploring fascinating Stone Town,
and/or relaxing on its beaches.
Tanzania is vast, and most visitors can only
sample a portion of what it offers. One good
strategy is to combine a Ruaha flying safari visit
with a land-based Serengeti venture. The key
difference here is that in Ruaha camps handle
accommodations and food as well as airstrip
pickups, game drives and ground transport between
camps.
In the Serengeti, independent travelers must
arrange for their own airport/site pickup as well
as moves between often quite distant attractions.
While lodges such as Bilila offer superb game
drives and transportation for flight connections,
travelers have to arrange their own long-haul
Serengeti ground moves.
Game trekking is a most costly affair. Daily
per-person rates can range from $320 per person in
Mdoyna to double-room rates starting at $640 at
Bilila. And there are the costs for car and driver
hire as well as flights within Tanzania.
Like many other African countries, tourist
expenditures — including park fees and lodging
taxes — are a prime part of Tanzania's economy.
But seeing animals in their natural element is
unforgettable, and Tanzania is a wonderful place
to have that experience. With its stability,
diversity of attractions, and extraordinary range
of animals, terrains and accommodations, this
nation is as appealing as any in Africa.
WHEN YOU GO
As with any visit to Africa, flights to
Tanzania are long and expensive. Many travelers
choose European carriers where southbound links
bring them to Dar es Salaam. Passengers can also
choose to fly South African Airways, nonstop from
New York to Johannesburg and one-stop via Dakar,
Senegal, from Washington, D.C: www.flysaa.com.
For general information, contact the Tanzania
Tourist Board: www.tanzaniatouristboard.com.
Kempinski Kilimanjaro Hotel is a 132-room
luxury property with excellent cuisine that
overlooks the harbor in central Dar es Salaam:
www.kempinski.com/en.
Air is the only practical way to get to Ruaha,
and quality carriers such as Coastal Aviation
regularly fly nine- to 18-seat aircraft to
airstrips at or near Ruaha's major campsites.
Coastal will also make arrangements for
flight/accommodation packages throughout the
region. Their new nine-seater aircraft should
reduce Ruaha-Arusha flight times to just over an
hour: www.coastal.cc.
Leopard Tours is the major Tanzanian operator
specializing in land transportation and tours:
www.leopard-tours.com.
Mdoyna River Lodge: www.ed.co.tz
Jongomero: www.selous.com/jongomero-camp
Bilila Lodge: www.kempinski.com/en/serengeti
Robert Selwitz is a freelance travel writer. To
read features by other Creators Syndicate writers
and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate
website at www.creators.com.
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