Tanzania, Africa

After breakfast I packed by bags and headed to the lobby to meet my tour guide. Along with him was a girl from Peru and a guy from The Hague. Margo was 29 and from Markham Ontario. She quit her job as a tour operator in Peru where she lives with her husband. Guido, I know not what I thought was a Dutch name, is from The Hague Holland and is touring Africa and parts of Asia for 6 months as he just finished university. Our driver is Ricky from Tanzania of course.

Within an hour the three of us are getting along like we have known each other for years. Both Margo and Guido had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro within the last week. They both said it was an incredible experience. I am now thinking that I should have taken the opportunity to do the same. However it would have taken an extra 6-7 days that I didn’t have.

We stopped at a supermarket to pick up snack food for the safaris and then off we went. The drive took about 3.5 hours to get to the safari region. Margo and Guido were scheduled to stay at a camp site at one location and I was staying at a lodge at another location. All three of us booked through 3 different travel/tour companies. I guess when each one only has one person they call each other and that way they save money by only using one car and one driver/guide.

It was amazing to drive through all of the villages. They were much like the ones I had seen and described when I went to Uganda. The big difference is that there were Maasai tribesmen everywhere in their traditional dress. They have been wearing the double blanket Maasai dress for years. They also decorate their ears and necks for both men and women. Even the boys who were Sheppard were wearing the traditional dress of the Maasai. Read about them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai

In Tanzania the people speak Swahili and English. I was very taken back to hear how well the Maasai spoke English. It turns out that only the men are permitted to learn and speak Swahili and English. The women are only permitted to speak the Maasai language. More on them later.

Tanzania is much like Uganda. They both drive on the left side of the road. The laws or lack thereof are similar as is the driving habits.

The rainy season is short, from March to June with the remainder of the year having normal amounts of rain similar to a summer in Vancouver BC. Everything is a lush green here much like Uganda. I am now located on the S/E side of Lake Victoria whereas when I was in Uganda I was on the N/W side of the lake.

Many travelers come here to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as it is the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 metres or 19,341 feet (the Uhuru Peak).[3] Mount Kilimanjaro is considered to be the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, rising 4600 m (15,100 feet) from the base. I will have to climb it next time I am in Africa!

After the climb many of the travelers will travel to the tropical island of Zanzibar located of the Tanzanian coast in the Indian Ocean. It is known for its white sand beaches and cheap prices. Again this is something I must do on my next visit.


I am staying at the Bristol Cottages Hotel while in Moshi. This hotel is a nice jewel in the middle of a busy little town. The rooms are nice and the meals are quite good.
Tanzania is surrounded by several countries including Kenya to the north, where they share the Serengeti and the annual migration of the wildebeest. To the south is Mozambique Zambia. West is Congo and Rwanda.