Nairobi - Kenya & Mahale - Tanzania

After the long drive from the Mara we were pretty tired on our first morning back in Nairobi, however, we couldn't relax as we only had a couple of days before we were off again.

The first job was to print out probate forms which had been sent via email while we were in the Mara, these had to be completed and sent back to the UK asap so Mum's estate could be wound up, a poignant reminder if we needed it of last months sad events.

Then it was out and about in Nairobi, first a battle through the worst of Nairobi's traffic to get our gas bottle refilled, a five minute job in the UK here it took two hours, then onto a variety of shops. By the time we got back to Indaba it was early evening and after all the exertions of the last few weeks we were feeling totally knackered so after dinner went straight to bed.

The next day we did some more shopping, visited the Elephant orphanage then went for lunch at the Norfolk, Nairobi's oldest and most prestigious hotel. We like to go there when we can as the food is great and the atmosphere is pure 'Out of Africa', the place where early white settlers like Karen Blixen first stayed when they arrived in Nairobi.

After Nairobi we wouldn't be anywhere near such a place for many months so we liked to make the most of it while we could. For those who have hardly if ever been to the third world or lived in wilderness areas then it is probably hard to imagine how much you cherish these opportunities.   

After a very nice lunch it was back to the chores and more shopping before heading back to Indaba again for around 7pm, just time to pack the provisions away in Rupert in readiness for our departure for Tanzania in the morning.

Up at 6.30am we packed our last few things and after a cup of tea said our final goodbyes to everyone at Indaba, We had been here off and on since July, including the unplanned sudden trip back to the UK for Mum's funeral, when Indaba had helped us greatly, so it was quite sad to be leaving especially as we didn't know when or if we would be back again.

Our destination today was Arusha in Tanzania, the safari town which mainly caters for the northern circuit of Tanzanian game parks.  We would be there for just one night as the day after we would be travelling to a place we had wanted to visit for many years, a special place so remote that the only way to get there is by plane and then boat - Mahale, famous for it's Chimpanzees. 

The drive to the Tanzanian border was uneventful but it still took three hours to reach the border at Namanga. Exiting Kenya took just 15 minutes, almost a record then it was onto Tanzanian immigration. Our Tanzanian visa's were still unexpired but we were worried the immigration official might notice the Kenyan exit stamps when we left to go back for Mum's funeral and claim this invalidated our right to re-enter Tanzania free of charge as you are only allowed to do this providing you haven't left East Africa i.e. Kenya or Uganda.

If they picked up on this then we would be charged another $100 so as they looked at our passports we held our breath but luckily they didn't notice so we were stamped back in the country and after paying our road tax off we went to Arusha. It was hot, sticky and sunny and as we drove the landscape was very, very dry and dusty with the wind creating dust devils racing across the land, quite different to Kenya.

We were flying to Mahale with Flycatcher Safari's a small  Swiss/Tanzanian company based in Arusha and Geneva. We would be spending the night at their guesthouse in Arusha where were we would also leave Rupert while we were away. We would be away a week so would have to move all our perishables and frozen food into Flycatcher's freezer for the duration as Rupert's batteries would not be able to sustain our fridge and freezer for that long without running the engine. 

Arusha is not a town we visit that often so it took us a little while to find Flycatchers place, once there we were met by Abdul who manages the Tanzanian office and Sarah the guesthouse cook. After transferring our perishables into Flycatchers freezers we had dinner, packed our bags and had an early night as we needed to be up before dawn for the journey to Mahale.

We rose at 4.30am having not slept too well worried we would oversleep! Sarah was already cooking breakfast for us, bless her but at this time of day neither of us were that hungry. At 5.45am the Flycatcher driver arrived to take us to the airport, in the vehicle already was another couple who presumably he had picked up from one of the hotels in town.

Flycatcher also has camps in the Serengeti, Katavi and Ruaha so it was possible this couple were going to one of these and not Mahale, we quietly hoped they were for as a far as we were concerned the less people at Mahale the better. It was dark and drizzly outside and the roads were almost deserted so by 6am we were at the airport and at 6.15am we were taking off. 

At first we were flying through the thick cloud but once we got through that we were in clear blue skies with a lovely sunrise. Then not long into the flight we saw ahead what looked like a thick black cloud, it was only as we got closer did we realise it was smoke, but we were thousands of feet up, where could it be coming from?

The pilot shouted at us that it was Lengai, a Volcano which had been dormant for years, this year it had erupted back into life. We knew it must have been unusual because even the pilot who flies this route almost daily was also taking photo's.

Lengai's full title is Ol Doinyo Lengai which in Masai means 'Mountain of God' today at least it was certainly living up to it's name, what a start to the day!

An hour later we landed at Lobo in the Serengeti, as we landed the pilot said we were only stopping to pick up two more passengers and just had time for a quick visit to the loo (a hut in the bush), before we were off again and he wasn't wrong as in his eagerness to get away he nearly left without Sue!

We were in a 12 seater Cessna so now with just six of us we had plenty of room to spread out. At 9am we had a quick stop at Tabora, a small town founded by Arab Slave Traders, in order to refuel  then we were off again on the final leg to Lake Tanganyika.

Finally at 10.45am we touched down at Kalilani, a small village on the shores of  Lake Tanganyika, we had been flying for a little over four hours but our journey was in no way over yet, we still had a three hour boat trip to look forward to!

We were met by a very young looking White Tanzanian called Simon who would be our guide for the next few days. The first task was to fill in the arrivals register then we had a short walk to the jetty to catch the boat which turned out to be an open topped Dhow, we hadn't been on a Dhow since our days in the Middle East some 30 years ago so this was a nice surprise.

Already on board was some locals and children who were getting a lift to their village further down the lake, just ourselves and the couple who had come with us from Arusha were going to Mahale, the other couple who we had picked up at Lobo had stayed on the plane and gone onto Ruaha.

After loading our bags and the provisions that had come on the plane we headed off to Mahale. Kalilani is remote, to the North is Ujiji where Stanley found Livingstone in 1871, then Stanley had to trek for months on foot, today it is hardly different as still no roads exist to Mahale. 

Initially aswe followed the lake shore there were a couple of settlements which we were told were inhabited by refugees from the Congo but pretty soon all human habitation ceased and all we could see was thick forests.

The scenery was dramatic to say the least, for mile after mile forests tumbled down to the lake shore with mountains behind, eventually after 45 minutes we arrived at the park headquarters where Simon got off to go and pay the park fees and the locals who had hitched a ride got off.

We had reached the park boundary but we still had some way to go till we reached Flycatchers camp. By now it was around midday and the Sun was burning down added to which the Dhow had absolutely no shade so the other couple who had only flown out from Switzerland the day before were starting to suffer.

Eventually Simon returned and we re-commenced our journey, at times across the lake we could just make out land, the Congo, the heart of darkness, we had been there once when it was called Zaire, a very threatening experience it is not high on our list of places to re-visit.     

Finally we rounded a bend and there was Flycatcher's camp, the setting was absolutely stunning, set on a lovely sandy beach with thick bush behind and the mountains rising in the distance and as far as the eye could see not another soul around, we could certainly hack this for the next few days.     

The camp has five tents spaced out overlooking the lake and apart from the Swiss couple we had it all to ourselves. After being taken to our tent we just had time to freshen up before heading back to the mess tent for lunch.

Our itinerary for the rest of the afternoon was supposed to be relaxing by the lake but over lunch Simon, our guide, mentioned that while he had been meeting us the Chimpanzees had moved down from the mountains to the research station which was quite close by so if were interested he would check with the rangers to see if we could go and see them.  

If this came off then it would be a real bonus as we were only due to visit the Chimps twice while we were here and as visit's are strictly rationed to safeguard the Chimps we didn't hold out much hope the Rangers would agree to this.

After lunch we took a mug of tea back to the tent and had just settled down with a good book when Simon appeared, the Rangers had agreed we could go to the Chimps so we needed to be ready to rock and roll in 10 minutes!  Having eaten so much we were more in the mood for a rest than a trek but we couldn't miss the opportunity so we quickly saddled up.

We headed into the forest in search of the Chimps, it was very, very hot and humid so the going was tough but pretty soon we came across a very large hand print on the track.  30 minutes later we found six Chimps in a Lemon tree eating the fruit, we were close to the Japanese research station and four Japanese were already there filming the Chimps and making notes.

The Japanese have been researching the Chimps here since the 1960s and unusually were instrumental in getting Tanzania to declare Mahale a national park, at 1,613 square km it is the larger of Tanzania's two Chimpanzee reserves, the other being Gombe Stream run by Britain's Jane Goodall.

Before starting out we had been given surgical masks to wear once we encountered any Chimps, this is mandatory to safeguard them from catching any diseases as germs like the common cold have been fatal to Chimps in the past. 

Orlando our ranger told us to squat down on the track to watch the chimps in the tree just above us. With everyone wearing masks it looked like a scene from an operating theatre and the masks made us even hotter so within minutes everyone was pouring with sweat.

It was the first time we had seen Chimps in the wild so we were very excited at being so close to them in their natural surroundings but better was to come, suddenly the ones in the tree started whooping like mad and there was great excitement as they jumped about in the branches.

The narrow track where we were sitting bent out of sight and Sue & I were the furthest from the bend so we couldn't see what the others could see, suddenly Orlando shouted that Pim the Alpha Male Chimp was coming and to slowly stand up and move to the side - easier said than done when your squatting with camera's all about and bedlam taking place around you.

Simon had told us that Pim did not like humans so if we met him not to look him in the eye as in Chimp society that is construed as a challenge and bearing in mind an adult male Chimp can easily rip your arm off we didn't want to be squatting down when he walked by.     

However, Pim was too quick and within seconds he was on us, Sue just managed to scramble up in time but I had to stay squatting and continue filming. By now the howling of the other Chimps was deafening as they saluted their leader,  it was incredibly exciting being just a few feet from him as he stalked past.

He was huge, much bigger than the Chimps in the trees and he looked immensely powerful.  I kept the camcorder to my eye and thankfully he looked neither left nor right as he strode past but then he suddenly stopped, planted himself down very close to me and started to calmly peel a lemon!

Orlando and Simon were hissing at me to move away but before I could do anything Pim stood up and was off down the track. We were given the choice, stay here with the rest of the Chimps or follow Pim. The Swiss couple chose to stay, we chose to follow Pim, believing the rest of the Chimps would eventually follow him anyway.

Off we went with Orlando after Pim while the Swiss stayed with Simon under the lemon tree. Rounding the next bend we found Pim sitting on the track still eating his lemon and as we thought very soon the other Chimps were coming behind us, now we were surrounded with Chimps in front and behind us so we didn't know where to look next, wonderful.

However, Pim was off again leaving the track to go in the bush, he disappeared whooping loudly and next we heard stones being thrown and branches hitting trees, something or someone had seriously pissed him off.

A male called Darwin was lying on his back watching us intently,  he is known to be a deep thinker and curious about humans,  we have been close to Gorillas but Chimps being our closest relative in the animal kingdom, it was a magical feeling gazing into his eyes and wondering what he felt.

By now we had been with the Chimps for just over an hour, the maximum allowed, so it was time to leave them for the day and head back to camp. We didn't mind as it had been a fantastic experience which we knew had been special when Simon our guide started taking photo's.

Later he told us it was the best sighting he had had since his arrival in July, it seems many visitors are restricted to watching the Chimps in the tree tops or are very brief as the Chimps move higher up the mountain disappearing into the thicker bush,  some unlucky visitors even travel all the way to Mahale and don't get to see them at all so we felt very privileged, especially  as we were not due to visit the Chimps till tomorrow.

As the Sun went down we headed back to camp for a well earned drink and a swim in the lake before dinner, watching the sunset with G&Ts in hand it was a perfect ending to a perfect day. 

Next morning we awoke to the sound of one of the staff delivering hot water to our tent for a wash, then it was time for breakfast before heading off into the forest in search of the Chimps. Even though they had been close to camp yesterday they could have moved into the mountains by now, so we knew we would be lucky if we found them as quickly today.

As it happened by 9am we came across a small group of Chimps, still in the treetops were they had spent the night. Clearly Chimps like Humans like a lie in, however, unlike Humans each makes it's own bed each night and they never re-use an old one!

Walking ahead of us were some Japanese researchers, to us it is unclear why they study the Chimps, certainly as a nation they are hardly renowned as conservationists, Whales & Dolphins being a case in point however to be fair their presence has helped safeguard Mahale.

Simon confirmed the rest of the troop had moved into the Mountains, probably to hunt and this time we couldn't follow them so we settled down to watch the ones in the trees. Once again we had the surgical masks on so it was stifling but this time the Chimps stayed in the trees and after an hour our time was up so we left them.  

We didn't need to go straight back to camp so we went for a walk in the forest. There are other Monkeys who live here, namely Red Colobus, Red Tailed Monkeys, Yellow Baboons, Blue Monkeys & Vervet Monkey's, all of which are hunted by Chimps from time to time. Leopards are the only other predator in Mahale but they are rarely seen.

Unlike the Chimps though these other Monkeys stick to the trees and move very quickly so they were hard to see clearly, then we suddenly came across a small troop of Yellow Baboons on the track in which was an Albino baby, first we had ever seen. Unfortunately as soon as they saw us they ran so we couldn't get a photo but we wondered how long the baby would survive given Albino's stand out to predators and suffer in the sun. 

As we walked we saw many stunning Butterflies, large Swallowtails, Monarchs and others which we didn't know, yet again we wished we knew more about the insect world.

Back at camp for midday we enjoyed a shower then lunch of fried chicken, chips and salad with delicious home made mayonnaise, considering how basic the kitchen was the food Stanislaus the cook produced was great.

After lunch it was time to relax with a book, Simon was planning a snorkelling trip for around 4.30pm which Hans and Gratiziana the Swiss couple were going on but we decided to just chill out in the lake. As we lay in the water the view back to the beach was spectacular, idyllic, soon it was time for a sundowner on the beach.

As we sat G&Ts in hand we heard a splash, something was moving in the water a little further up the beach, but we couldn't make it out, was it a fish, a snake (the lake contained Cobra's) or a Crocodile, we went closer to investigate and discovered it was a Croc less than 50 metres from where we had been swimming just 10 minutes earlier!

Just then Hans & Gratiziana arrived back from their snorkelling trip and we pointed out the Croc,  Hans was shocked that Crocs existed in a lake where he had been swimming all afternoon, from then on he never entered the lake again.