Safari
MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK
Part of what makes USAID opportunities wonderful is that, once you arrive, you can add personal time to your itinerary. So… I decide to head south to an area in Tanzania that is not as touristy as the Serengeti area, and offers plenty of wild animals. My destination is Mikumi National Park which covers 1,250 square miles of mostly scrub land, has a scattering of tall trees and water resources throughout.
WALKING TOUR
I went on a half day walking tour with my guide Gerald, and Robert, a park ranger with a rifle. It’s a requirement to have an armed ranger accompany walking tours as people are in a vulnerable position if there is a wild animal encounter. The tour was great even though we didn’t see any animals up close. What we did see were bones, skulls and scat, wildflowers and tall ebony trees. The temperature on the savanna is usually in the high 80’s and humid, and walking under the hot sun can feel exhausting. The day I was there it was overcast with a cooling breeze, and it felt like we could walk all day.
DRIVING TOUR
I also went on a driving tour, where I was safely seated in a 4x4 with an elevated view, that allowed for closer encounters with the wildlife. It was wonderful and I would have loved to sit for endless hours watching the elephants lumber along, and listening to the hippos snorting. Seeing what captivated me, in a photo as a child, come to life was magnificent!
HIKING TOUR
Next up… the Udzungwa Mountains National Park which is famous for its waterfalls. It is part of the Eastern Arc Mountain Range and covers an area of 16,131.40 km². It is also home to the Hehe people.
Isreal, a park employee, was my guide for a hiking tour. We stopped for a swing on an Entada vine, and went to a famous Locust Bean Tree with an outsized trunk to send a message. Each beat, pounded out with a rock or stick, represents a message that reverberates throughout the mountain valley: One beat - I’m here… Three beats - I’m coming after you!
We hiked a 7 mile loop that went to the base of the Sanje Waterfalls and then to the top of the falls for a great view of the valley. There were two more waterfalls above that. As I started the descent from the top of those falls I decided to go fast…
I find that I like speeding down a mountain as it feels like I am a child! Skipping, hopping, jumping free-form as I’m hurtling downwards - adjusting my balance as I go. It’s a practice that involves staying loose, and pivoting… which applies to most of life.
Isreal joined me at the base of the mountain, laughing and saying I am the oldest person and only women to go fast down this trail. At the bottom, we were greeted by a vendor who offered fresh coconut water and jelly meat. What a treat all around!
These tours reminded me there is beauty to be found everywhere, and that people feel great pride when they share - and help others discover - their countries resources.
This trip was short, but will last long in my memory…