Iringa & Ruaha NP - Tanzania

Up at 7am we finished packing Rupert, so much stuff to put back, we just hoped this was the last time we would have to unpack him for a while. After breccy in the restaurant we paid our bill and said our goodbyes to Francis & Fionuela. We were grateful to them for helping us in our hour of need after Katavi and Utengule had proved to be a great stopover which we could add to our list of places to stay. 

We could still hear a slight knocking underneath Rupert so we stopped at the garage to get it checked before heading off to Iringa. They found the bracket on one of the front brake guard plates had snapped so now it was a panic to get this welded and get on the road ASAP, even so it was midday by the time we finally left Mbeya, just as well Iringa was only 200 miles away and all on tar.

The drive from Mbeya to Iringa is very pretty as it winds through mountains known as the Southern Highlands with mile on mile of pine trees, a refreshing change from the usual African Mopani forests. We have mentioned before the funny things we have seen women carrying on the heads out here and true to form about an hour from Iringa as we went through a small village we passed a lady walking along with a Singer Sewing Machine balanced on her head, even though it must have been heavy she walked as if she didn't have a care in the world - incredible.

Our stop tonight was going to be The Old Farmhouse, although about 50km before Iringa it had been recommended so we decided to give it a try. We were met by Frank the guard who showed us what was on offer, a basic cottage was $30 a night, chalet $20, a stable (minus the horse) $18 and finally camping at $3! All except the cottage had to use the communal loos and showers so we opted to camp and use the money we saved to have dinner in the restaurant instead.

It is a working farm and we were told the farm shop was a great place to get fresh meat and other stuff like bread and eggs but sods law when we visited all they had was eggs, still we looked forward to a nice dinner! For once we were not disappointed, the restaurant was very unusual, entirely made out of clay, you dined in little rooms separated by walls which were half collapsed so it felt like you were eating in a derelict building.

As we were in the hills the nights got very chilly so each room had a charcoal brazier in the corner which made them glow orange, very atmospheric. Next morning before we left we had  breakfast on the lawn, the day was beautiful and now with all the problems with Rupert out of the way we looked forward to exploring East Africa proper - next stop Ruaha NP!

First we needed to stop at Iringa to refuel and try to get our Calor gas bottle we use for cooking filled. Most people in Southern and Eastern Africa use gas to cook by, but piped gas to the home is unheard of, so everyone uses bottled gas, however the bottles in the South are different to those in the East.

We bought our gas cooker and bottle in Cape Town before we headed off, almost a year ago, and had had no trouble getting the bottle refilled until we reached Malawi. However, from Malawi upwards the gas bottles are no longer Calor but Oryx, so no matter where we tried we couldn't get the Calor refilled and after the week in Katavi it was getting low so we needed to refill it before we went into Ruaha.

Iringa a hill town was once used by the colonials to escape the heat of the plains, its quite a nice little place, smaller than Mbeya but with a bit more character. Shopping wise though it is no better so despite trying all over town  we were told the only place we might get our Calor bottle filled would be Dar es Salaam, 500 odd miles away!

We had no intention of going to Dar at all so our only option now was to accept defeat and buy a new Oryx bottle. This was a real pain as it also meant buying a new adaptor and a stand to cook on, extra weight and bulk which we could well do without, however we couldn't go on through East Africa without gas.  

Finally after a bit of haggling we got our gas bottle and we were able to leave Iringa for Ruaha about 110kms away. Iringa like most towns in Africa has poor to non existent road signs so it was pure guesswork as to which road to take. Six miles out of Iringa and we left the tar behind, from now on it would be all on dirt or gravel.  

The road to Ruaha is no where as bad as the one to Katavi or as long, however once you leave the villages close to Iringa behind then your on your own out in the bush. The last 70km is down a track known as The Never Ending Road very straight, very tedious.

We made good time and reached the Ruaha gate by 2pm, park entry for each of us was $20 a day, camping $30 each per night, entry for Rupert $40 per day, total US $140 per day to enter the park! Tanzanian parks are expensive, we paid for two nights and hoped it would be worth it.

There are just four public campsites in Ruaha, campsite 2 was the first one we reached, next to the Great Ruaha river it was nice but when we checked we found some people already camped there and they had taken all the best spots.

Next stop was campsite 1 about 10km from the gate and 2km from the park headquarters. The headquarters turned out to be an unsightly hotch potch of buildings, huts and an airstrip, it also had six guest Banda's which were no more than basic tin rondavals with a bed, chest of draws and cement floor, all for around $100 p.p.p.n!

We found campsite 1 deserted, set on a sweeping bend of the river we picked the best spot under a large tree. Behind us lay a grass plain with some stunning Baobab trees and beyond that the mountains, the only blight on the horizon being the unsightly park headquarters, still we had it all to ourselves.

Then just when we had just finished setting up camp we saw three Landrovers approaching, we couldn't believe it as they turned into the campsite and we saw they had Livingstone 4X4 Tours DE on the doors, the same mob we had had two run in's with in Malawi, this was unbelievable!

Thankfully the guide was not the same guy as before but there were about 12 German tourists plus a few local camp helpers so our solitude was a goner. As they were setting up camp the guide came over to apologise for disturbing our peace and to warn us about the Monkeys who slept in the tree above us, we suspected he did this to put us off the spot so they could have it.

As if to re-enforce this one of the locals, the cook, kept looking over and giving us dirty looks, obviously we had nicked their usual spot and now his 'kitchen' was much reduced with very little shade

The whole site had just one long drop loo (two foot rests in a concrete base and a hole!) the door was hanging off it's hinges and inside it was fetid and like the black hole of Calcutta. We had no intention of using it as we had a secluded area next to where we camped where we could dig a hole and use our porta loo while gazing out across the river, far more preferable. However, the poor old Germans had no choice but to use the long drop, for which they were probably paying at least £300 each per night!

It was hot and sunny and our solar shower had soon heated up so rather than rush out for a late drive we decided to chill and have our showers while the Germans were busy sorting themselves out, afterwards we sipped our Gin & Tonics and watched a stunning sunset across the plain with it's yellow grasses and Baobabs.  

The monkeys did pay us a visit but we soon chased them off and watched as one ran over to the Germans camp where before they could do anything he jumped into one of their trucks and  ran off with a loaf of bread .... back of the net!!

As we watched the Sunset one of the German tourists walked towards the long drop but then just continued past and went by our camp towards the bush beyond.  If she was looking to find a more pleasant spot then there was not much cover where she was headed!

When she didn't reappear after 15 minutes we went to check where she was but there was no sign of her, it would be dark soon and it was extremely dangerous for her to wander so far away, what amazed us was her guide and the others in their camp seemed totally unconcerned by her absence.

It has to be said that Germans are well known amongst Safari companies for their irresponsible gung ho behaviour, often harassing and taunting animals like Lion to get a response and  getting out of their vehicle to get a better photo. One lad did this a few years ago to get a better shot of some Lions at the front of the car not realising a Lioness was right behind the vehicle - needless to say she nailed him and all his friends could do was watch in horror as the pride began to eat him.

It was dark when the girl eventually came into view, I went to meet her, to warn her about the dangers of wandering about, especially at this time of day. She seemed taken aback and said she had just wandered out to watch the Sunset and anyway there were no animals about so why worry! It came as no surprise when she said this was her first time in the bush, it's common for new comers when they see little on game drives to become blasé and assume there are no dangers about.

Sometimes this is so but we have learnt never to take things for granted, back in the 80s we were extremely lucky to escape fatal injury when we left our vehicle to go down to a river bank just a few yards away and without knowing stood right in front of a male buffalo lying under a bush. Luckily he was in a good mood and just warned us to move on by shaking his head violently from side to side but plenty have been killed for less.  

Although we had seen virtually no game since setting up camp we lied and told the girl we had seen Lions close by earlier that day so she needed to be careful.  She clearly didn't really believe us but we thought at least it might make her and the others think twice before going walkabout again.

The rest of the night passed quietly, thankfully the German camp went to bed early so it was nice just sitting on our own with a drink enjoying the evening, come midnight we retired ourselves to the cosiness of the roof tent.

It was exactly 3am when we were jolted awake by Lions roaring close to camp. From the sound we could pick out at least four individuals, they continued to call until 5.30am when the locals in the German camp got up to start breakfast. We got up 10 minutes later to be treated to a beautiful sunrise and a hot sunny morning.

After a cup of tea we left camp for our first game drive,  the light was stunning and we were keen if possible to find the Lions. There was Zebra and Impala near to camp and a nice Fish Eagle, Saddle Bill Stork, Jacana, Giraffe and Warthog but no Lions, still the scenery was beautiful.  

After the Serengeti, at nearly 4000 square miles, Ruaha is Tanzania's second largest national park, but whereas at it's busiest the Serengeti can resemble Piccadilly Circus, Ruaha is positively deserted, in fact after we left camp we saw just two other vehicles that whole day. 

Ruaha is dominated by the great Ruaha river and at this time of year it's along it's banks that you see most wildlife. Away from the river grass plains stretch out to the mountains which encircle the park, it's on these plains that another feature of the park can be seen, the numerous Baobab trees.

We have loved Baobabs ever since we saw our first one in Botswana in the 1980s,  they are like no other tree with their  strange appearance and sheer size.

When we lived in Botswana Southern Africa was in the midst of a 10 year drought so whenever we saw a Baobab it had that classic upside down look, where the branches look like roots. A bushman legend is the Baobab was so vain that God punished it by casting it down to Earth where it landed upside down and stayed that way for ever.

It is only in the last few years that we finally saw one in leaf  (which doesn't look right somehow) however we had never seen a Baobab in flower until now.

As we drove we came across a big tree, not in leaf but we could see something in the branches and when we looked closely we were delighted to see they were beautiful large white flowers, they looked ever so fragile and out of place on such a big tree but after 20 years this was another first for us, such is the magic of Africa.

The Baobab is considered sacred with many tales about it's powers, if any grow in or near to a village then even though virtually every other tree will be taken for wood the Baobab is left untouched. Legend has it that if you pluck a Baobab flower then you will be eaten by Lion, so even though it was impossible to reach them, the way we live we thought it best to leave well alone! 

The main enemy of the Baobab is the Elephant who love to strip the bark and eat it and the pulp within. In Elephant areas it is common to you see trees badly scarred after being attacked over many decades. Even in towns and cities were Elephants were long ago eradicated you can still sometimes see scars on trees made by Elephants maybe a 50 years or more ago, a poignant reminder of the past.

In 1967 Ruaha's elephant population was recorded as 22,000, twenty years later in 1987 the number, decimated by poaching, had plummeted to just 4,000. The ones that survived did so mainly because they had very small tusks, so sadly nowadays although their numbers have grown to 10,000, supposedly the largest population of any East African park, you don't see the huge tuskers which come with age on fully mature animals of say 50 years or more.

Certainly as we drove around we saw only a few small herds all with small tusks and it is sad that nowadays even these are still under threat from the poachers. 

We decided to drive to the northern most part of the park called Lunda, although some 50 miles away we had heard it was like a mini Serengeti so we thought it might be worth the effort. 

After two hours or so we crossed a dry Donga and decided to stop for coffee, why here? No particular reason, just that it came at an opportune time and it was nice and quiet.

As we drank our coffee we suddenly caught scent of something bad on the wind, the unmistakeable smell of death. It was coming from down in the Donga, at first we couldn't see where, then a short distance away we found it, the carcass of an animal.

In itself this was not unusual as we frequently come across the remains of kills etc but when we looked closely we suddenly realised we were looking at another thing we had never seen before, the carcass of a Lion and an adult male at that!

In all our years of visiting Africa we had never seen a Lion carcass, even the guides and rangers we met said for some strange reason they are very rarely found.

For us the fact that it was an adult male was significant, was it a pride male who had been killed in a fight for his territory or who had died later as the result of his injuries, or a challenger who had failed in his attempt to become King? Even more sinister had it been wounded by trophy hunters outside the park but managed to get away only to succumb to his injuries here, we would never know? 

One thing for sure it had not been dead that long as a lot of the offal and some internal organs still remained and you could see scraps of flesh on the bones, normally all taken by scavengers and Vultures.

We were once told that very few animals will eat the flesh of a Lion, similarly if a Lion kills a Hyena or a Leopard, neither of which they will abide, they will not eat their flesh, why this is so we just don't know?

The carcass was right at the foot of the bank and could not be seen unless you happened to look down at exactly the right spot so it was amazing that within a park as big as Ruaha, we had parked just here and seen a dead Lion for the first time, such is fate. 

We would report the carcass to the park rangers when we next saw them and carried on but the remainder of the drive towards Lunda was uneventful so after 50 miles when the landscape had still not opened out to the great plains which we expected we turned back for camp, we never found out whether we actually reached Lunda or not.

By the time got back to camp it was sundowners and shower time. A lot of people ask us how we manage about bathing in the bush as they tend to think camping means roughing it so it's like when your a kid and you camped in a farmers field in the Lake District or something.

The first difference in Africa is you have something called the Sun which most of the time is hot enough to heat water on it's own! Second if your lucky and you pick your camp spots carefully you can be completely on your own or at least private enough to wash without anyone seeing you and the bonus is you shower with great views all around and more than likely game like Elephants to keep you company.

We carry two solar showers which work great with piping hot water after about 2-3 hrs of sitting in the Sun but we need two things, first a tree with a branch at the right height which is also strong enough to hang them from (each holds 20 litres of water) and second enough undergrowth to provide privacy.

The only practical place at Ruaha to hang the shower was on the trunk of the big Acacia tree we were camped under but this had very little cover. If we had been on our own then it would not have been an issue but we had the Germans to consider so we rigged up a screen as best we could and showered when it was quiet.  In 2007 we finally found a purpose made nylon wraparound curtain for solar showers so now we can shower without any hassles (much cosier too!)

The only time we don't manage to shower each day is when we are camped for long periods in areas where we cannot get water easily, like the Kalahari in Botswana or if the weather is too cold or rainy, even then we boil up water and have a basin bath, we cannot abide going to bed without a good hot wash and a few cold sundowners!

Anyway we digress, after the long drive to Lunda we were pretty knackered, it was all quiet, thankfully the Germans were in the habit of going to bed handy, so we had the night to ourselves sitting by a big fire drinking wine we did the unforgivable... we both dozed off!

First thing I know is Sue shaking me awake, she had been woken suddenly (and thankfully) by the roars of Lions calling very close to camp, I had been oblivious. Once I gathered my senses I dived into the Landy for the spotlight, we didn't have a clue where the Lion where but from the roars we knew they were very close.

Climbing onto Rupert's roof I suddenly caught them in the spot, they were lying on a small ridge behind us, less than 50 yards away, a male and a female, maybe a mating pair, just roaring away every few minutes. We then caught sight of a pair of black backed Jackals running up and down in front of the Lions, the jackal were probably just excited at the prospect the Lions had made a kill but eventually they wandered off when they realised there was nothing to pinch, meanwhile the Lions just kept on calling.

By now the whole of the German camp had come awake and the guide seeing where our spot was shining, shone their light out as well so now the Lions really stood out, the only problem was the Germans wouldn't shut up as they excitedly shouted back and forth to each other from the roofs of their vehicles!

Amazingly, this didn't put the Lions off and they continued to call throughout the night until it was getting light at about 5.30am, of course by then everyone had gone back to bed but we didn't get much sleep. The whole episode had freaked Sue out a bit as her biggest worry has always been falling asleep by the fire and us getting taken by Lion, it happened to a guy in Etosha once when he dozed off at one of the camp waterholes and that place has fences and moats, we have bugger all!

Even so we were up at 6am, as we felt sure we must be able to find the Lions today. The German group were also up and it looked liked they were packing up to leave - happy days! We left camp at 7am and headed to where the Lions were, but not a sausage, we drove along the river in the opposite direction to  yesterday but still no sign, it was getting frustrating that each night we could hear them and even see them but in the daytime it was as if they never existed.

We headed inland and by chance stumbled upon the third public campsite in Ruaha. Away from the river and deep in the bush, it was deserted, again with just one long drop loo but because it was so far from the ranger headquarters this site also had a water tap fed from a big water tank on a bund so we took the opportunity to fill a jerry can and have some coffee.

It was not a bad spot, very secluded, very quiet with loads of trees but here was the problem, like Katavi Ruaha is in a Tsetse belt and Tsetse love areas with lots of trees so within minutes we were under attack, how people camp there is a mystery we were just thankful that at least where we were camped there were no Tsetse.  

We carried on and eventually reached a very picturesque area where a smaller river called the Mwagussi runs. This still had water in places so the whole area was quite green with a fair amount of bird life but the outstanding feature was the many palm trees which grew along the river bank, really pretty.

It's in this area that a couple of upmarket lodges operate so for the first time we saw a couple of other vehicles, open top game viewers from the lodges with their guests dressed in their Out of Africa gear. There wasn't a huge amount of game but it was very peaceful and pretty, we found out later that there are a couple of 'special camp sites' in this area which you can hire if you have the cash, one day we may go back and try one of these.

To Sue's delight we also found a wooden Banana tree, we had seen this once before in Zambia but that was some years ago. Called wooden banana because the seed pods look just like peeled banana's, the pods are highly prized as decorations but as they are very fragile it's a challenge to find one that's fallen and still intact.

We searched but there were none around and we would not dream of trying to knock one off the tree before it was ready to fall, so we would have to keep looking, the encouraging thing was where there was one there must be other's around, so not only was I on scan for Lion I now was under strict orders to keep an eagle eye out for wooden banana's!

Apart from the area around the Mwagussi we had not seen a soul all morning, game wise it had also been quiet with a few small groups of Ele's, the odd Giraffe, Zebra, Impala, Jackal and Warthog plus a decent herd of Eland (Africa's biggest Antelope) near a waterhole.

The one thing missing was the Lions, not a sign of them so we   headed back for home. As we neared the camp there suddenly came a loud grating noise from the engine, jeez not again, what was it this time, we thought after Katavi we had got over all our problems.

When we checked we found the drive belt had started to shred on one side with pieces of the belt lying within the engine and a sharp smell of burning rubber. It was clearly sliding off the pulleys and chafing against something but why? This was a new belt fitted in Mbeya so it shouldn't have gone like this. 

This was a problem as we only had enough US Dollars cash to stay one more night but now we would need to stay longer to check this out so we limped to the park HQ to warn them we might have to stay longer and we could only pay in Tanzanian Shillings, something which was not normally accepted.

The rangers were not too happy with us paying in Shillings but seemed to accept we had little choice. Whilst there I took the opportunity to take a look at one of their Landy's to compare how the belt was running and see if we could get a clue as to what was going wrong with Rupert. 

There was no obvious difference between their Landy and Rupert's, the only thing was the pulley on their tensioner was the reverse to ours with the sharper edge to the outside, which their mechanic thought might be the cause of our problem, I wasn't convinced as the pulley is able to go either way round, but we switched it anyway and fitted a new belt.

Back at Camp we found the Germans had left so we had the  place to ourselves, rather than go out for the late afternoon game drive we decided to chill out in camp so I could check out Rupert. A pattern was emerging in Ruaha where the mornings where sunny and calm but in the afternoon strong winds got up and it became cloudy, a sure sign the short rains were on their way.

That night on our own we heard the Lions again in the distance and a bit later a big Spotted Hyena came visiting the rubbish bins and later a Genet came mooching round our camp, maybe now the Germans had gone and it was much quieter we would get some action.

The Lions roared off and on throughout the night, interspersed with the haunting calls of the Hyena, it was turning out to be a classic night in the African bush. Next morning we were up early, it was lovely and sunny, we would go out once again to try and find the Lions and just hope we had more luck than the last two days.

As we were waiting for the kettle to boil we suddenly noticed movement down in the river bed less than half a mile away, surely it couldn't be,  we checked with the bino's and sure  enough it was a Lioness, at last.   As we looked a big male suddenly appeared from the side of the bank, then another and another, after all our driving around the Lions had come to us!

As soon as the tea was made we jumped in Rupert and raced to where we thought the Lions where, sure enough they had come out of the riverbed and were sleeping in the shade of a tree, six females and five large males. The drawback was we could only park out in the open and although it was only 7.30am it was already very hot,  the shade from the tree was quickly diminishing so we thought it unlikely the Lions would stay put for long and anyway we needed to get going if were to leave the park as planned today.

However, by 9am they had hardly moved but we had to get back to camp to pack up. By now we could see the Lions quite clearly from our camp through the Bino's and more pertinently they could see us!  Now the camp was deserted we suddenly had a whole load of new birds coming around, Guinea Fowl, Francolins, Coucals, Lovebirds, Weavers and Barbets - plus Lions on the doorstep, how could we leave, we decided to stay another night.

After paying for the extra night at the rangers camp and filling our water containers we returned to camp via the Lions, they had moved a bit to wherever they could find shade, one male had even climbed a large termite mound to try and get more of a breeze.  It was past midday and very hot so they wouldn't move if they could help it, we went back to camp for brunch and to chill in the shade ourselves.

As we were sitting down to eat a small herd of Ele's and Impala appeared in the river bed below us so we had a marvellous view for lunch. Two Vervet monkeys also came around to see what they could pinch, they were fearless so we had to have eyes in the back of heads to prevent them from nicking something.

As we were eating a game viewer with an English couple and a local driver from one of the lodges stopped by, they asked did we realise there were 20 Lions just a short distance away? They looked amazed when we told them we had seen them and were keeping a close watch, her last words were be careful, it was only later we wondered if they were talking about the same pride as we had counted only 11?

The day became still and hot, we filled the solar shower while the Ele's browsed below us in the Donga, the Lions were still on the ridge watching us, watching them. Then suddenly at 4pm precisely one of the big males suddenly got up and to our amazement started to climb the large hill behind him and then one by one the other's followed!

Shit no surely this couldn't happen, we had never seen Lion climb such a steep slope especially when it was so hot, worse still they were going where we could not follow, we jumped in Rupert and raced over but by the time we reached the spot where they had been, it was deserted, as if they had never existed, we never saw them again.

Talk about disappointing, all we could do now was to have a shower, enjoy the Sunset and in the morning break camp early to head back to Iringa for the next stage of our journey,  Mount Kilimanjaro and the Kenyan border.