What a rush to get going. We promised friends that we would meet at Punda Maria in the Kruger Park on the evening of 13 September 2015 for the start of our Africa safari.
The following morning we journeyed via Pafuri into Mozambique, crossed an ankle deep Limpopo river and headed for Chicualacuala and then into Zimbabwe, Gonarezou National Park.
We spent 5 days travelling through Gonarezou and were pleased with the roads, camping sites and natural beauty. We saw a fair amount of game close to the rivers although elephants were a bit skittish.
After a week our friends returned to South Africa via Beit Bridge and we headed to Mutare. The Bvumba mountains offered some spectacular views. If you visit this area Tony’s Coffee Shop is a must. The treats are decadent but expensive. Hey you only live once!
Onwards to Nyanga where the Honde Valley tea plantations and escarpment made the trip worthwhile. The area abounds with large granite outcrops but the Nyanga National Park was disappointing.
Via Marondera, Mutoko and Nyamapanda Border Post we headed for Tete. Crossing the mighty Zambezi river and passing through the notorious Tete Corridor took us to Blantyre in Malawi. We first headed south to spend a few days hiking in the Mulanje Mountains. A strenuous 5 hour hike followed by a refreshing swim in a cold mountain rock pool below a waterfall.
From here we headed north to Liwonde National Park on the Shire river into which lake Malawi drains. A pleasant surprise ….. a small reserve but contrary to what we had read a lot of game and water birds along the shoreline. Lake Malawi is impressive, we found the water clean and spent a few lazy days swimming, snorkelling and enjoying sunrises and sunsets. We had a delicious fish braai traditionally prepared on Thumbi West island. There are numerous good camp sites along the lake, all offering well stocked bars and good food in their relaxed restaurants. Malawi is very rural and poverty abounds. A bicycle is for transporting three people or 4 cases of beer or even a pig. The bicycle in Malawi is the SA equivalent of a bakkie.
We crossed into Tanzania and headed for the north east coast. One is immediately aware that Tanzania is more affluent, the ground is more fertile and the climate sub-tropical. The bicycle is replaced by a motorbike. Driving through Tanzania is difficult, there are many trucks on the road and every village you pass involves rumble strips, speed humps and very vigilant traffic police. Two fines and one bribe had me on my toes whilst driving. There is no grace, if the sign says 30 kmph that is exactly what it means. 1 km over and you will receive a fine. The north east coast of Tanzania was great warm clean water and reasonable snorkelling. Serengeti beer drunk cold is a winner!
The drive up to Mombasa was uneventful. Mombasa is a large city full of Tuk-Tuks (3 wheeled motorbikes used as a taxi or bakkie), cars and trucks. The old part of the city is very interesting. Cars, trucks and Tuk-Tuks jostle for position but somehow the traffic moves and everyone is patient. The drive up to Nairobi is on a very busy road with some sections in poor condition and undergoing reconstruction. I have never seen so many trucks and buses. From Nairobi we visited the Masaai Mara Reserve and Amboselli National Park. Both were very dry as the usual October / November rains were late. Game viewing was excellent. The biggest difference between game reserves in East Africa and South Africa is in East Africa the herds of animals and flocks of birds are much larger. A herd of 1 000 buffalo is not uncommon. We estimated we saw around 15 000 wildebeest on the Mara plains heading for Tanzania.
Our vehicle awaits us in Nairobi while we take a break in SA to arrange Visas etc. I am missing my sundowner … Tusker Beer in a large bottle ! Got the T shirt too. The journey continues on 16 December 2015 north to Sudan and Ethiopia. We return to SA in the middle of March 2016.
In conclusion we enjoyed our first 7 weeks away. Purchasing fresh vegetables along the route was easy. Diesel was freely available. ATM’s provide easy access to local currency. Border crossings take an hour and no bribes were asked for. People are friendly, most notably in Zimbabwe and Kenya. No serious issues with the Unimog other than brackets fitted by me, we experienced no crime but were careful not to camp in grounds if we were the only campers. Moggie attracts a lot of attention wherever we drove. On our travels we met a number of Germans, Dutch and French but very few South Africans. We have made some good new friends and look forward to meeting them back in SA.
