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Trekking the Crater Highlands of Northern Tanzania
Magnificent scenery, with a biodiversity far greater than Europe, a wildlife that is unique in the world, cultures that are vibrant and varied, and above all, people that own little and share everything. This was my first impression of the eight African countries that I travelled through in the seventies. I made only one pledge as I returned home to start my career and family, “I’ll be back”. Now the children are of age and our finances more certain, I can afford the occasional break in the continent of my choice. But where to start…
The Maasai had long held my interest and the Ngorongoro Crater is a legend that I just had to see. With a little research and planning I was able to organise a most wonderful tour for myself and two friends.
We flew out to Nairobi where I reminisced, for a few hours, on the terrace of the New Stanley, whilst waiting for the bus to Arusha. Early afternoon we were on our way, passing the Ngong Hills, heading south towards Namanga, with Meru looming up towards us, its head in the clouds. Peter met us as we disembarked at the hotel in Arusha. He handed us maps and the itinerary and explained that Nixon would pick us up in the Landrover in the morning.
Nixon brought us safely to the tent camp just outside the small town, Mto-Wa-Mbu. The staff greeted us like royalty at the gate, with refreshments on the house and a promise of a genuine service. The comfortable tents, equipped with mosquito nets, essential in the proximity of lake Manyara, were a welcome sight after the long journey. A refreshing shower, and a beer on the veranda before an excellent dinner was a great end to the day.
Waiting patiently for us on the following morning, after an early breakfast, was Nixon. He took us on our first safari into Lake Manyara National Park. A small reserve, but packed with interest, it lies perched on the escarpment of the Rift Valley, which is adorned by beautiful trees, including some amazing Baobabs. We saw hornbills, bee-eaters, rollers, elephant, buffalo, hippo, impala, giraffe, gnu, zebra and many more. As we drove up the escarpment, towards the evening, we looked east and saw mount Meru above the clouds, over one hundred and fifty kilometres away.
The next day we drove high up, over the ridge of the valley, passing banana plantations, coffee and many interesting villages, full of friendly people. By midday we had reached the first viewpoint over the Ngorongoro Crater, having driven up through moist, semi rain forest. A wonderful sight! We camped for the night but for the less adventurous there are beautiful lodges. The next day I shall never forget, an experience of a lifetime. See the crater for yourself - no words do it justice. Yet Nixon’s words were knowledgeable and caring, a modern African with a love of nature and tradition…
The following days were a highlight even beyond the wonder of the crater. We began our walking tour with John, a Maasai guide and Ranger, employed by the Crater Highlands Park Authority. Our hike started in his village, Nainokanoka. On that evening, after climbing Mount Oltomi, which feeds the Ngorongoro wildlife with a constant flow of water, we hit on another jackpot! John had invited us to a private Boma (Maasai settlement) for an evening of celebrations – a wedding and the ceremony where young girls choose their husbands. There were four of us, John in his traditional costume and a rifle in his hand, Imran and I in the middle and another Maasai behind. We jogged about five kilometres across the bush in the dark, only stopping to take care where buffaloes lurked. At the Boma we were welcomed by all and were able to join in and photograph the ceremonies, mostly in the dark, and later in the hot, smoky huts. Their music and dance was wonderful. The head of the family was proud to have entertained us. He has a large family, a prosperous Boma, and is a representative in the local government.
On the next morning began our longest, toughest trek, about 27 kilometres, out of the green, bush like plateau where zebra and buffalo grazed, down towards the Bulbul depression. The hollow was filled with a white mist, enveloping the dry savannah below. It seemed very close but it was noon before we approached it and as we descended the long slope the mist lifted and evaporated into nothing, leaving a glorious, deep, blue sky.
We passed gazelle, wildebeest, and Kora Bustards, but we were not blessed with the sight of lions, as we were in Ngorongoro. It was very hot down in the depression and we sat on a flat grey stone, drank some water and ate the sandwiches that Daudi had prepared in the morning. We would see him, Nixon, the jeep and our tents at our destination in the evening. They must travel on the piste and tracks to the rim of the Empakai Crater.
We met Maasai on the way, they had fetched water from Empakai. We had a long winding ascent around the south and eastern edges of the volcano, up to the highest part of the ridge in the north-east, to our camp, three thousand meters high. About two thirds of the way up, on the south eastern rim, our exhaustion was rewarded by our first sighting of our prime target, the holy Maasai mountain, Oldoinyo Lengai! Over 2800 meters of very steep volcanic dust. That drove us on to our camp with motivation!
The view down into Empakai was amazing, the shores of the lake tinted with pink flamingos. We sat at the camp fire that night, enthralled by John’s explanation of the ceremonies we had seen the night before and of other Maasai customs. It was with sadness that he departed on the next day, his job done. We were at the northeastern border of the Crater Highlands Park, at the edge of John’s jurisdiction. Bura, our new guide, would take us the rest of the way with Daudi, and a pack of mules to carry our water and food. Nixon would meet us in two days, the jeep has no place in this corrugated, soda channelled, uneven territory.
A day of beautiful views coming down the Empakai slopes, through Nairobi (Sweet Water) Village, into the acacia forests, where porcupine drop their quills, blue vervets chatter in the trees, and hyenas howl in the night, brought us closer to Oldoinyo. Yet more splendour was to come as we approached the west side of the holy mountain, as we walked over the gentle, yellow, ripples of the Rift Valley shoulder. By late afternoon we were at base camp, seven hundred meters above sea level, ready to begin our climb at two in the morning
Five hours to the top, a climb of 2100 meters, to get to the hot lava pools in the dark, to see them glow orange, was not to be. The sun arrived before us! We warmed ourselves, sitting above the green molten lava, as the wind behind us was very cool. The view, going down, above lake Natron, is fabulous, to the east and north the Rift Valley, and Serengeti in the west. It is a tough descent, and advisable to start early, to be down before the afternoon sun is at its hottest. We made it by two!
The jeep had arrived by the time we got to base. Nixon took us just those few miles to the tent camp on lake Natron where we enjoyed our first shower since Manyara, and Daudi’s cooked lunch. It had been a fantastic time and now we looked forward to a rest in Zanzibar, but that is another story!
Once again the hospitality of the people had been extraordinary. Their love for their land and life style was passionate and caring. With people like them Africa can advance forward and yet still remain Africa.
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