Travel stories

Back in my beloved Tanzania

Finally, after 43 years back in my beloved Tanzania!

We have made plans to go back several times, but they were always torpedoed by health problems.
On the advice of previous travelers, we contacted Explore Tanzania and had a conversation with Marloes. She had a good feeling for us and made a nice proposal to cross a number of parks and finally arrive in Ndala, where I worked as a tropical doctor in the mission hospital.

It became a perfectly organized safari with our regular driver/guide Kennedy and with our “own” Toyota jeep. What a great guy and incredibly good driver we had. Kennedy read the roads very well, as if he knew all the holes and gaps! And besides being a good driver, he saw almost all the game before we did, while also talking to colleagues on the radio about the spotted game. Talk about multitasking!

After a day of acclimatization in Katambuga House near Arusha with, among other things, a fantastic “pool lunch” and a beautiful view of Mount Meru, we really went on safari, starting at Tarangire National Park. We had a beautiful view from our luxury cabin in the Tarangire Safari Lodge on top of the escarpment to the valley below, where entire herds of elephants and buffalo roamed.
During the tour through the park we also saw countless elephants, both solitary bulls and herds with young ones. An angry bull started pushing against our jeep and grabbed the antenna, which, when he let go, bounced against his head. That was our salvation, because he walked away. A dead elephant was completely eaten by vultures and hyenas. The second day in Tarangire brought us to a lioness on a tree branch, who only had eyes for the zebras and wildebeest further away and did not care about all those cars around!

On to Lake Manyara National Park with (too) much water in Lake Manyara, so there were no flamingos. Unfortunately we didn’t see any lions in trees, although they should be here. The stay in Migombani Camp was a well-equipped tent and again a great view of the area. You can also camp here with your own tent.
Just before the Ngorongoro Area we spent the day in Mto wa Mbu, where we drank banana beer and spent the night in the Farm House Valley Lodge in Karatu.

One day in the Ngorongoro Crater is not enough! What a beautiful place with so many animals.
Just outside the crater is the Ndutu Safari Lodge, where we spent the night. Beautiful thatched accommodations and excellent food, under the watchful eye of the genet cat on the ceiling beams.

The last park was the Serengeti, with vast plains, lots of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles preparing for the great migration and of course the hunters, especially lions, in large numbers!

After all these safari trips through the parks, the journey continued to Mwanza on Lake Victoria. After an overnight stay in the Tilapia Hotel, we went inland, on our way to “my” old hospital in Ndala, just above Tabora. There we were welcomed with open arms by the nurses and staff. The hospital has certainly changed, yet a number of things are not or only slightly different from back then. The diseases are comparable to back then, although AIDS has been added; incidentally with a well-functioning outpatient clinic, with sufficient staff and medication.

Very important for me were the meetings with colleagues from the past, all now retired, but in good shape. We talked a lot, hugged and took pictures. And then you have to go again and of course the time was too short!

The last days in the Africa  Amini Hillside Retreat in Momella were also special, it is an extensive school complex with clinic, founded by an Austrian mother and daughter, where many children are cared for and learn up to and including secondary education at a reasonable level. In addition, the stay was also great in a private house where the meals were brought! To our surprise, we also met Marloes and Jennifer from Explore Tanzania there, who were making an inspection trip!

On our last day we tried to see Kilimanjaro again from the viewpoint behind our accommodation and suddenly stood literally eye-to-eye with a giraffe, who was just as scared as we were! We were able to take a lot of pictures.

In the afternoon we were taken by car to the airport in Arusha and after a long flight we landed at Schiphol on the 19th day of our trip.

What a trip that was and what adventures we had!
Africa and especially Tanzania will forever be in our hearts!