Tanzania

After Rwanda Mark and I decided that we would take the quick way through Tanzania (distance wise) so that we could get to the Zambezi as quickly as possible. The “quick” way was via the western outback of Tanzania along the Lake Tanganyika and definitely off the beaten path.

From the Rwandan border we drove about 100 km on pavement before we turned west towards Burundi and Lake Tanganyika. We continued on a nice dirt road until just south of Kibondo, where we decided to try our hand at bush camping. We made a pitiful fire (the wood was wet) and made a gourmet meal that consisted of ramen and baked beans. We were a little nervous about sleeping in our tent but no people or wild animals bothered us.

We woke up in the morning refreshed and made our way to Kasulu, where our true off-roading adventure began. The road from Kasulu to Uvinza was slow but very manageable dirt. The land was lush after the rains from a couple days before and a few puddles still remained on the road. Once we crossed the bridge outside Uvinza the road went to shit. It began with a crazy uphill rock climb over boulders which we managed. But once we reached a plateau we had to go through about 20 large puddles, some of very deep. We easily managed to cover Marvin (our car) in mud. The next couple hours on the road were stressful… slow driving but stunning scenery. Our sturdy Marvin Toyota was holding his own in 4x4 mode. We climbed up and over a small mountain range and on the way down the road took a turn for the worse. It was muddy sand, they were repairing one side of the road and it was mainly large semi-trucks deriving on the road. This led to Marvin grounding out on the big bumps… a little worried about our front differential not having enough clearance.

Mother Nature then decided to play her wild card and sent a crazy storm our way… as if we didn’t have enough to worry about. As with most storms here in Africa when it rains, it rains hard… the road had two rivers running down it. Mark kept the Hilux in 4x4 and we were cruising……nice driving Mark! Then it really started to rain… so hard we couldn’t see a thing even with the wipers on full speed. By this point I was already gripping the handle above the door, fully scared of sliding into the ditch. We found a flat section that was not under water and pulled over to wait out the storm. While we were stopped, Mark decided that he would strip and take a shower in the rain… shampoo and all! Finally we were able to get going again and we reached Mpanda just as it was getting dark. It took us 8 hours to drive from Kasulu to Mpanda, a distance of 267 km.

After a good nights rest and some food, we were off for the next stage in the journey. The first section of road took us through Katavi National Park. Right at the entrance we crossed a river that was chock full of hippos… so many that at first Mark thought they were rocks! Driving through the park we saw some vervet monkeys, impalas, enochs and some baboons but the main highlight was the giraffes. Super cute, just flipping their ears at the flies and checking us out.

Just when we thought we were through the worst of it Mark stopped for a pit stop, looked under the car and found oil was slowly leaking. It is amazing how quickly a perfect day can go to crap… the Tanzanian days were full of ups and downs. The next couple hours were very stressful, we drove through a couple small villages but none of them had any oil to sell. We decided to push on to Sumbawanga, a city about 65 km away…….we made it!

The next morning we had the crank shaft oil seal replaced in 4 hours and for $30, a job that would have took a few days and heaps of cash back at home. It’s amazing what 10 hands in an engine can do.

So back on the road by lunch time… this time we were heading to the Zambian border. Only 120 km to go and we would be on paved road, no problem we thought. But about 5 km from the Zambian border we come around a bend and find the road blocked by 4 semi trucks slipping in the mud. One of them had slid into the ditch and the others were helping to pull him out. It was very muddy and the road was slick and it didn’t help that it was raining. We had to wait a while and then we had to do some crazy off road driving to make it around them.

So finally we made it through the Tanzanian border and arrived on the Zambian side. It turns out the border officials do not work on the weekends at that particular border. Mark and I were not going to camp by the border until the next morning so we took the advice of a local and drove on to Muplungo and go to the immigration office there. Now we are in Zambia, ready for our next African adventure…….don’t ever take pavement for granted! We plan to hang on the tarmac for a good stretch.

Rwanda

So we drove from Kampala, Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda in one day. We were worried we might have problems at the border due to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda… luckily there were no issues. The drive was super beautiful and the road was surprisingly good. Early the next morning we took off to do a loop around SW Rwanda. First stop was the drive to Kibuye on Lake Kivu. The drive was beautiful, paved and going up and down terraced Rwandan hillsides. There were people everywhere… nowhere except the national park did we get away from a huge population. I read somewhere that Rwanda has one of the highest population densities in Africa… it definitely felt like it. Lake Kivu was stunning… and looking across you could see the mountains of The Democratic Republic of Congo.

After asking directions about 5 times (and getting the wrong answer 3 times) we started south down the dirt road along the lake. This road was super beautiful but the going was really slow for part of it… an off road practice ground for what was yet to come in Tanzania.

Next we headed to Nyungwe National Park to check out the Angolan Colobus monkeys. I also wanted to see the chimpanzees but they were currently not in the area.

On the way back to Kigali we stopped in Gikongoro to check out a genocide memorial. It was at a technical college where 50,000 people were killed in 1994. The memorial was a couple of mass graves and then a third mass grave was dug up and the bodies were preserved in lime. The rooms in the collage became their tombs. It was horrific. An amazing and poignant reminder of what had happened les than 15 years ago. One can only hope the people of Rwanda can overcome their hatred so this doesn’t happen again.

Nile Freestyle Festival

The past couple weeks Mark and I have been chilling on the White Nile River in Uganda, dividing our time between campsites at NRE Bujagali falls and the Hairy Lemon about 40kms downstream. We came to the White Nile looking for big water kayaking and amazing play waves, and that is exactly what we found. Our days have been filled with paddling trips down the river, playboating sessions on world class play waves, sitting in the shade, chatting to friends and enjoying the Nile party atmosphere.

Sunset on the Nile

Mark on the Nile Special

Waking up to monkeys outside the tent.

The Nile River Festival began on November 30 with the Big Air Competition. The water was up and the Nile Special wave where the competition was to be held was prime. 44 men were competing and 14 ladies. Mark paddled fantastic but the competition was fierce and he did not advance into the semi finals. I managed to scrape into the finals by the skin of my teeth and then put together a couple of solid rides… to my surprise I came out on top.

Not sure where this boy picked up his costume

Nile Special – Big Air Competition

Watching the Ladies Semi Final

Saturday was a grueling day… 45 kilometers of big water rapids, mixed in with long flat water sections, all run in a playboat. We divided into teams of two and paddled hard for just under four hours (fastest time was circa three hours) to try and come up with the down river race title. Mark and his partner Lochie battled against 14 other teams and came out in fourth position. My partner Robyn and I ended up in 3^rd out of 6.

Sunday’s race consisted of paddling the first four major rapids of the Nile river, running up a hill with your boat, getting on a bodaboda (50 cc motorbike) with your boat and paddle, racing back to camp, running through an obstacle course of rafts with your bodaboda driver and on reaching the finish line, you and bodaboda driver had to funnel a beer. What fun! Paddling through the rapids was hard enough, the run up the hill was backbreaking and then I had to hold on for dear life while my bodaboda driver flew back to camp site. Next was the crazy obstacle course of rafts that was slippery due to the soapy water on them… my bodaboda driver helped pull my exhausted body through the obstacle course and the next thing I knew I was down on my knees gagging down a funnel of beer to come in 4th place. One of the best races I have been in. Of course the party afterward was epic, going late into the night.

Michelle about to run Bujagali Falls

Ladies Down River Race

Michelle with her beer prize