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.