A Journey Through Tanzania’s Wild Heartlands

From Dublin to the Foothills of Kilimanjaro

The journey to Tanzania began in Dublin, marked by the typical trials of international travel. A series of minor but frustrating delays, including a collision involving a terminal bus and a technical issue with the aircraft, led to a 90-minute late departure from Dublin. The layover in London provided a chance to connect with a travel companion before the overnight flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The seven-hour flight proved sleepless, a common experience in economy class, especially on a full flight. A subsequent four-hour wait in Addis Ababa preceded the final leg to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. A brief hour of sleep on this last flight was all that exhaustion would allow.

Upon landing in Tanzania, passengers arriving from Ethiopia were required to present proof of Yellow Fever vaccination. After navigating immigration and a moment of anxiety at the luggage carousel due to a number of identical yellow duffel bags to the one I’d brought, the transfer to the lodge began. The transport was a Land Cruiser, surprisingly converted to run on electricity. A short distance from the airport, a stop provided a view of Mount Kilimanjaro, its scale proving more immense than anticipated. The first base for the trip, Arumeru River Lodge, was a 40-minute drive away.

Acclimatisation in Arusha

The day following arrival was designated for recovery from the long journey. Much of the day was spent relaxing in the gardens and by the pool of the lodge while awaiting the arrival of the three other members of the tour group. The rest of the party, who had flown from London a day later, arrived in the afternoon, showing similar signs of travel fatigue.

The first full day of activities commenced with a trip to Lake Duluti, a collapsed volcanic caldera fed by an underground aquifer. While the rest of the group took a canoe trip on the lake, a walk up a nearby hill with the guide, Godfrey, was the alternative I chose to protect camera equipment from a potential mishap on the water. The afternoon included a visit to the African Arts and Heritage centre in Arusha, a large retail space for souvenirs and local crafts, which seemed a premature stop given a return to Arusha was scheduled for the end of the trip. Later, a walk through a local forest under a hot and humid canopy offered sightings of numerous Colobus Monkeys and a pair of Sykes’ Blue Monkeys. The walk was unexpectedly rerouted when high water levels made a river crossing impassable.

Tarangire National Park

Leaving Arusha, the journey continued towards Tarangire National Park. The transition from tarmac to the rough, unpaved roads within the park made for a jarring ride. Wildlife sightings were immediate, with elephants and a large male lion spotted near the Serengeti River. Tarangire is renowned for its elephant population, a fact supported by numerous sightings throughout the day. A radio call alerted the group to a lioness sighting, leading to a convergence of roughly 20 vehicles. Our positioning was fortunate, as the lioness passed within a couple of metres of the truck. The day concluded with sightings of giraffes, warthogs, and ostrich en route to the Maweninga tented camp. An unsettled stomach, possibly from the bouncing journey or a delayed lunch, led to skipping dinner for an early night. The sounds of the surrounding wildlife, including a hyrax on the tent’s balcony and roof, filled the night.

The next morning’s game drive brought sightings of ostriches and two lions by the river with a recent kill. While the lions were obscured by long grass, attention shifted to a pair of cautious hyenas approaching the slaughtered buffalo, further up the hill. The hyenas eventually began to scavenge, offering a graphic display as their mouths and necks turned red with blood. By late morning, the group departed the park, stopping for lunch at the notably luxurious Gibbs Farm, an organic establishment with extensive gardens and a coffee plantation. After a tour of the farm, the journey continued to the next lodge, situated atop a hill.

Cultural Encounters at Lake Eyasi

An early start, with breakfast at 6 a.m., preceded a drive to the Lake Eyasi region to meet the Hadzabe tribe, a community of hunter-gatherers who have maintained their traditional lifestyle for millennia. Upon arrival, the men of the tribe were found around a fire, preparing a breakfast of barbecued hyrax. Communication was facilitated by a local guide who could translate their click-based language. The tribesmen displayed their hunting arrows, which ranged from simple sharpened sticks for birds to barbed, metal-tipped, and poisoned arrows for larger prey. A walk into the bush to hunt with them followed, resulting in the capture of a couple of small birds, which were promptly prepared and cooked over a fire. The encounter felt authentic, and we were given a chance to try our hand at archery with the tribe’s powerful bows.

A short visit was also paid to the women and children of the tribe before departing to meet the Datoga tribe. Originating from Ethiopia, the Datoga are skilled metalworkers who recycle scrap metal, such as old nails and car parts, to create items like the arrowheads used by the Hadzabe.

Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Grumeti

The itinerary then moved to the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage site nearly 20km in diameter. The initial drive around the rim was obscured by low cloud, but the descent into the crater revealed a vast landscape of grasslands and a large salt lake, all enclosed by the steep crater walls. The crater floor was teeming with wildlife, including elephants, hippos, and several lions. Black rhinos were present but only visible from a great distance. Lunch was served under a tent set up by the lodge staff, as rain fell on the opposite side of the crater, suggesting its own micro-climate. The journey continued out of the crater and across the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Olduvai, a Maasai area. The night’s stay was disrupted by strong winds that caused the tent to flap loudly, making sleep impossible, which was unfortunately compounded by a bout of illness.

Feeling unwell after a sleepless night, the journey pressed on into the Serengeti. The name, meaning “endless plain,” aptly describes the vast, disorienting grasslands punctuated by occasional rock piles known as kopis. The day was rich with big cat sightings, including several prides of lions, a mother cheetah with her two sons, another solo cheetah, and two separate leopards sleeping in trees. A host of other animals like gazelles, wildebeest, and giraffes were also seen. The long, hot day concluded at Togoro Plains, a tented lodge that stood out for its quality of accommodation and food. As the camp was unfenced, an armed ranger was required to escort us to and from the tents after dark. After the previous difficult night, sleep came easily.

From the Serengeti, the tour moved into the Grumeti Wildlife Management Area. After settling into the lodge at Grumeti Hills, an afternoon game drive located the Great Migration, a vast procession of wildebeest stretching as far as the eye could see.

The following morning offered a different perspective with a walking safari. Accompanied by an armed ranger, the group walked on foot through the bush, the noise of the party likely deterring most animals. The walk concluded at the Grumeti River, where a bush breakfast had been prepared. A couple of baboons lurked around the edge of the breakfast area, obviously familiar with the event and looking to grab any leftover fruit. A subsequent game drive yielded a remarkable sight: two separate herds of elephants, totalling a couple of dozen individuals, converged at a waterhole and proceeded to play in the mud close to the vehicle. While others went on another afternoon game drive, I opted for a quiet afternoon spent relaxing in the tent, which offered a view over the plains below. The day ended with a night game drive, which located three lions with a wildebeest kill, and numerous eagle owls.

Return Flight

The final day involved packing up and heading to the Ikoma Fort airstrip for the flight back to Arusha. The runway was short cut grass and the aircraft a small, 12-seater Cessna, offering a clear view of the pilot at work. A bumpy 20-minute flight at low altitude led to the Seronera airstrip in the Serengeti for a brief stopover. The second leg, a 50-minute flight to Arusha, was smoother as the plane flew at a higher altitude. Upon landing, we returned to the Arumeru River Lodge for lunch and to wait for the flights home.