Hiking in Uluguru Mountains

This past long weekend (Friday was Zanzibar Revolution Day, a statutory holiday in Tanzania) I tagged along with a group heading out of the city to Uluguru Mountains to hike and camp. The tour was arranged by Afriroots (http://www.afriroots.co.tz/) an outfit that works with local communities to promote responsible tourism and it was so much more than I had expected!

It took us only a few hours to arrive in Morogoro from Dar es Salaam but this part of the country is so lush and green and the air is so sweet that it felt like we had traveled much longer.

I’m not sure I have ever been so sweaty as we hiked up to our campsite – my t shirt was drenched from the exertion and humidity but after reaching our campsite, which was nestled beside an old abandoned colonial German house the mountain breeze soon cooled us off!

The mountains are in fact home to the Luguru tribe who mostly support themselves through farming along the sides of the mountain. As we sweated our way up the steep and narrow trail people would appear out of nowhere carrying lumber or produce on their heads. It made us feel a bit silly huffing and puffing with just our daypacks!

The next day I opted to do the 6 hour hike to the top of the mountain. It was fairly steep and quite a workout for the legs! Unfortunately it was too misty at the top to enjoy the view but we came across a number of natural waterfalls along the way and enjoyed a weary lunch at the top.

That night back at our campsite we enjoyed a lovely campfire and incredible stars and I went to sleep exhausted. As I drifted off to sleep I could hear a faint drumming coming from far off in the distance. The next day as we made our way down we came across the source of this drumming – villagers STILL celebrating the new moon from the evening before. It was a magical moment as I joined in the dancing with some of the women.

It was wonderful to enjoy a weekend away, surrounded by gorgeous landscapes and good company….even if my legs are still sore!

An Unforgettable Christmas

December was a whirlwind of a month what with being in Nairobi and then back in Dar and then off to Arusha for the National AIDS conference. The holidays just sort of crept up on me and all of a sudden I found myself in the Dar es Salaam airport waiting to board my flight to Zambia.

I was lucky enough to make this trek with a friend and former volunteer I met here in Tanzania, along with her cousin (who both made the trip from Canada), my housemate and another friend from Dar. Chris, the MEDA intern from Mozambique also met us in Zambia to share the Christmas holidays.

Although we were all a bit skeptical of this new flight route and the booking process (which was trying) and the price (it was very cheap) we ended up arriving in Lusaka with no problems and just like that I was enjoying my first Mosi (the official beer of Zambia) at the hostel we were staying for the night.

The next morning we were up early and off to the bus station to make the 6 hour trek to Livingstone, the Zambian home of Victoria Falls. Although the bus left over two hours late it was another smooth trip to Livingstone where we checked into a great hostel and had ourselves another Mosi (we were on holiday after all!).

The trip to Livingstone was more than I ever could have imagined. Our first day we took in the magnificent falls which included a breathtaking hike/swim across the crest to a pool where we peered over the edge.

On Christmas day we spent the afternoon at a nearby orphanage where we sang and danced with the children, brought presents and shared a huge traditional African meal. It was nice to have been so far removed from the commercialization and rush of Christmas this year and really appreciate the things that matter - good friends, smiling children and a lovely meal. I was also able to speak with my family that evening (while swinging in a hammock by the pool I might add) so all in all it was a great day – truly a Christmas to remember.

After a bit of a late night singing by the pool with a guitar and some new friends from the hostel I got up early on Boxing Day to go white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi River. The trip was an incredible, terrifying, wonderful adventure and once I got over the feeling of dread that came over me after we flipped on our first rapid I ended up having quite a bit of fun.

The next day I was done with extreme sports and instead watched my friend bungee the second highest jump in the world. Watching and then speaking to her afterwards confirmed for me that I have no interest in ever bungee jumping. After a bit of a lazy afternoon we all boarded a boat for a beautiful sunset cruise on the more peaceful upper portion of the Zambezi choc full of hippos. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and our guide/driver/bartender was great fun leading us in various traditional songs and making the two hours fly by – heck we didn’t even care that it rained!

Our last night in Livingstone a few of us ventured out dancing and then wearily climbed on the bus the next morning back to Lusaka where we had to say goodbye to Chris and Zambia. The next morning we were on our flight back to Dar.

However, the holiday did not stop there! After a night to unpack and repack we were up early and on the ferry heading to Zanzibar. The island never seems to disappoint and we spent a lovely few days enjoying the sun, sand and surf. Nothing beats ringing in the New Year while dancing barefoot in the sand! Whew, just typing this up makes me tired!!

I have to thank my travel companions who helped make this trip as incredible as it was and for making me laugh longer and harder than I ever could have imagined over one week – one of the best Christmas gifts ever. Happy New Year!

Now back to work…