Tanzanian Safari

If you've always wanted to go on a safari in Africa, northern Tanzania is the place you've probably been dreaming of. Arusha is lively town with a maze-like central market, great Indian food, and a number of nice hotels to meet all budgets. The best part of Arusha, however, is that it's a great base from which to see the sights of northern Tanzania. The must see places are the Sarengeti Plains, Kilimanjaro, and Ngorongoro Crater. Between the three you'll get your fix of wildlife, spectacular scenery, and... crowds.

I'd balance with some other less-traveled gems: Arusha National Park is home to Mount Meru, one of the most dramatic volcanoes around; Lake Mayara National Park is packed with wildlife; and Tarangire National Park is the place to go if you're dying to watch an elephant nuzzle up to a baobab tree.

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Renting a car would be ideal, but costs a fortune. Hitchiking can be unreliable. Buses can be murder. Depending on your safari agency's vehicle is simplest, but you do sacrifice a little freedom.

Head to Khans in the day and you'll see an auto repair shop, head there at night and you'll see that the grills have been rolled out and the coals are warming. Soon thereafter the chicken and other goodies get tossed on and the party begins. Prepare to eat a lot of wonderfully spicy grilled foods. Prepare to get messy. And prepare to pay the price the day after. You'll be glad you did.

If you're dreaming of climbing Kilimanjaro, the Marangu Route is by far the most painless way to go about it. Although it is somewhat derisively known as the 'Tourist Route', it offers a great chance to see fantastic sights and wildlife while ascending one of the world's highest hikable summits. Plus, you can spend your nights in truly comfortable huts along the way, making the whole experience feel rather refined. The highlight of the route is, of course, getting to the summit, but there is also fantastic scenery, amazing cloud patterns to watch, and great wildlife (we saw Blue monkeys, eland, jackals, etc...). Overall the route is not difficult, and can be made easier by hiring porters to do most of the carrying. The first three days require 7-10 miles of hiking with modest elevation gains (about 3,000 feet) between huts. The fourth day is a killer. It starts near midnight by ascending steeply over 4,000 vertical feet from the final hut to the summit, and then descends 7,000 feet to a lower hut. The 5th day calls for another 7,000 foot jello-leg inducing stroll down the mountain. Despite the massive ups and downs, the only real mountain climbing skills needed on Kilimanjaro are the ability to follow a trail, and the presence of mind to turn around if you get severe altitude sickness. The trip can be made easier by adding an additional ascent day, which both allows for some rest and a bit of acclimitization. This route can get crowded in the high season (Dec.-Jan. and June-Sept.), and I heard that the huts can even fill up. The rainy season offers the thrill of being snowed on in Africa (check out the picture below to see Kili after a dusting), but we had the trail to ourself during this time and still enjoyed great weather!

Mount Meru has some of the best scenery of any mountain anywhere. Watching the sun rise over Kilimanjaro from the summit of Meru is more spectacular than anything you'll see on Kilimanjaro itself. Strangely, Meru is often billed as a warm-up for Kilimanjaro, which I guess it could be, but I actually think its a better overall climb. Sure, you're not climbing the highest mountain in Africa, but you're still scaling a 15'000 foot volcano with a central crater that contains some of the highest cliffs on the continent (its a 4'000 foot leap from the summit to the floor of the interior crater). The climb is also much less popular than Kilimanjaro, which gives more of a wilderness feel to the hike.

The entire climb is within Arusha National Park, so all park fees must be paid before you can start hiking. Also, unlike Kilimanjaro, it is required to hike with an armed ranger at all times. The rationale for this has something to do with charging buffalo, which is good enough for me. Rangers can be hired at the park gate with no advance notification required. There are two huts on the mountain, with the standard climb taking two days to ascend, and two to get back down. The climb can be compacted a bit, our group did the whole thing in 2 days, but it is fairly strenuous.

If you're looking for a good African shopping experience, head to the market in Arusha. Don't get lured into one of the alleys filled with tourist kiosks and convince yourself that you're seeing the real thing. If you're not wading through rotting veggies, you're not in the right place. You can buy just about anything at this market, including great fruit and veggies if you're craving something fresh. It's also a good place to pick up tire-tread sandals if you're craving a pair.

Unknown to most of the world is Oldoinyo Lengai, a 10,000 foot active volcano in the northern reaches of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, near the shores of Lake Natron. It's a spectacular conical mountain that periodically vents steam and ash and is reportedly due for a real eruption any time. The climb is relatively straightforward, but has absolutely no shade and is hellishly steep. It’s a good climb to do in the dark in order to avoid heat stroke. The summit has a fantastic view across the rift valley and also is home to a really cool volcanic crater that spews all sorts of volcanic debris. Conditions in the crater are ever changing, so use caution before heading down into it. The crust is thin is spots and, yes; it could all blow up at any time. This is a worthwhile climb for the adventurous and the volcano-lovers.