Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 6

Cultural Hike through the Usambara Mountains:

After I finished my Mt Kilimanjaro hike, I met Gabie in Moshi where we camped for one night. And the next day we were off to the Usambara Mts... just enough time to do laundry, shower, and get a bowl of ice cream in town :)
We were off to do a cultural tour in the Usambara Mts that included a 3 day hike from the town of Lushoto to Mtae with our 1st female guide Christina. We headed out of Lushoto on small foot paths, and once again it was great to have a guide to help navigate through the network of paths. On this first day we hiked through the Magamba Forest Reserve through dense forest. Christina was great in pointing out the indigenous plants used by traditional healers for medicinal purposes.

Towards the end of our first day, we passed through a village where there was a group of women singing and dancing. Our guide asked the women if we could join and take photos. The women were very welcoming and allowed us to take photos. It was such a spontaneous, warm and wonderful experience!





Here the women are trying to teach me to dance...my efforts made them laugh.


That evening we stayed at a Catholic Convent in a beautiful, peaceful valley outside the village of Emao. The sisters made us tea and shared there homemade bread with us.

The next day we hiked through the Shagoyu Forest Reserve and saw more 2 story homes - these are more prevalent in this area, than the other places we have visited in Tanzania. Near the village of Shunga we visited a local pottery that is run by the women of the village. They demonstrated the whole process of make in the cooking pots - from pounding the clay, forming the shape of the pot in which the maker walks around the pot instead of having the clay on a rotating wheel, to baking in the sun. These pots are then sold in the local markets.

After we left the pottery we continued on to the village of Mtae. This village is located on the side of the Usumbara Mts. with incredible views to the west of the Tsavo Plains and the Pare Mountains.

On the last night we camped at the Irente Campground - a wonderful site that probably has the best views! Sitting on the edge of Irente Viewpoint:

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 5

Mt. Kilimanjaro -(Highest mountain in Tanzania)

Who says you can't celebrate your birthday all year long. As most of you know, I turned 40 this year. And as a present to myself I decided to hike to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I took the Machame route, also known as the "Whiskey route", and the hike took 6 days. I decided on the Machame route as I have read that it is a bit more scenic than the Marangu route, and I was very happy with my decision. We slept in tents and stayed at fantastically located camp sites and the trails offered fabulous views all along the way.
The hikes were easy ones however the hike to the summit was a difficult climb for me. I did fine with the altitude...however it was the cold that really got to me and caused me the most problems. I can say, without any doubt, that this was the coldest I have been in my entire life! I made it up to Stella Point for the sunrise views and since I could not move my fingers at this point in the climb I do not have any photos. But thankful for solar heat, I did thaw out after an hour in the glorious sun and got back to the task of the day - the top of Uhuru Peak! From Stella Point it was about a 45 min hike to the top and the views were spectacular due to the great weather. The wind that had tormented me just hours before had subsided and we stayed at the top for about 30 minutes enjoying our reward.

Photos during the hike up the mountain:

Morning tea in the tent at Shira Camp with Kilimanjaro in the background.
View from the Shira Camp of the afternoon clouds coming onto the Shira mountains.

Me with the peak of Kilimanjaro in the background.

Our guide Rasta and me in a forest.

Views from the top of Uhuru Peak - Mt. Kilimanjaro:

Glacier with Mt Meru in the distance.

I was happy to see the many glaciers at the top of Kilimanjaro.

On top of Africa - Uhuru Peak 19,340 ft.

On top of Uhuru Peak with Mt Meru in the distance.

Mt. Mawenzi, the second highest summit of Kilimanjaro @ 16,889 ft

Road Trip in Tanzania - Part 4

Ngorogoro Crater Highlands Trek:

The next part of our exploration of Northern Tanzania (aka - the outragously expensive part of Tanzania) was a 4 day trek through the Crater Highlands. We started out driving from Arusha with the tour company and went through the Ngoragora Crater the afternoon of our first day. This was one of many highlights on this trip. We dropped down into this enormous crater and saw so many animals in this one beautiful and amazing place. Here is what I saw on our safari drive through the crater...

Elephant:

Ostrich:

Lions:

Hyena with pups:

Cheetah:

Zebras:

Warthog:

Wildebeast:

Then we were off to the first night of camping - on the rim of the Empakai Crater. It was surprisingly cold, but the cook made a delicious dinner starting with soup to warm us up. Then they set up the tent for us and washed all the dishes. I am getting spoiled with this style of "camping" here and I feel sorry for the folks that camp with me when I return to the states...'So who is going to put up my tent for me?'

The next morning we took a hike down to the the floor of the small crater to see the flamigos on the lake.

On the hike through the crater highlands, we were actually walking through Massai country and came across many of the Massai living in this remote area.
Below is a picture looking down on a boma, which is the area where the Massai live. At night the cattle and other animals are put into the circular enclosure for protection from the predators, such as lions and hyenas. And the Massai live in the thatched roof huts:

A Massai man with Ol Donyo Lengai volcano in the background.

Many of the women and children collect wood for cooking. Here are three young girls we passed who stopped to watch us as they were carrying their loads.

Here are two young boys taking care of the cattle.

At the end of our 4 day hike we were rewarded with a fantastic and refreshing waterfall...