Views of Africa - Diary entry #9

24 October 2003 - The best and most expensive zoo in the world

Whenever we spend more than a night or two in the same place we prefer to use the small ground tent we brought along. This gives us the freedom to drive around without having to fold down the rooftop tent every time. It is a great system, except if it rains when you want to leave! As luck would have it, it poured buckets on Friday morning so instead of a quick getaway we had to dry out the tent first as we would not be using it for a while again. At least we could use the rain as an excuse for a late sleep-in. While waiting for our tent to dry I watched a Swiss chap doing an overland trip on a motorbike trying to change the rear tyre. Trying is the correct word because he just could not get the thing off the rim. The German Aid boss then stepped in and assisted by driving his Landy over the tyre, and the tyre still did not come off! After a couple more attempts it finally did come off.

By the time we filled up, changed money and popped into the internet cafe, it was lunch time so we went to the Patisserie again for lunch. Afterwards Isla navigated us nearly halfway to Kenya before turning around and driving all the way back to Arusha and finding the correct road to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Just out of town we stopped at the Cultural Heritage Centre but the place is big, has too many curios to look at, all nice and neat and expensive, and is simply overwhelming. Just a little further along the road are TANAPA's offices (Tanzania National Parks), where we stopped to get booklets on some of the parks we thought of visiting. The booklets are not cheap (US$10 for each of the new ones) so we only bought the old (and recommended) guide book to the Serengeti National Park for half the price. Cheapskates!

More grass than we had seen in a month at Twiga Campsite and Lodge

Isla and I always try and do things a little differently so instead of doing the standard Ngorongoro and Serengeti combined tour we decided that we had to see Lake Natron in between and enter the Serengeti from the north using some of the remote tracks south of the Kenyan border. The map we were using showed a few small tracks so it could be done. So the first stop was Mto Wa Mbu, about 140km from Arusha along a newly tarred road. We first checked out Migunga Forest Tented Camp, a mid-range camp but they advertised camping on their signboard. The camp site was new, without grass, and ablution facilities not operational yet, so at US$5/person was not good value yet but the setting is great under large yellow fever trees next to Lake Manyara. Perhaps a place to keep in mind for the future. The day was marching on and we did not really feel like looking at too many camping places so we ended up at Twiga Campsite and Lodge in the middle of Mto Wa Mbu. Place is nice but very popular with overlanding trucks and tour operators. I negotiated a reduced price with the owner and set up camp on the best lawn we had found so far on our trip. I cooked us a great beef stew and spent a lovely evening watching the other tourists.

The next morning we left a little later than usual to head off to the Ngorongoro Crater and get the most of our 24 hour permit (we thought). As you leave Mto Wa Mbu the road climbs to the top of the Rift Escarpment with clear views of Lake Manyara and the surrounding forest. We briefly stopped at one of the other camping options in the area, the aptly named Panorama Campsite. Very dry and dusty, but not bad, will be better when they open the new kitchen and bar area, but even with a negotiable rate our first choice was better value for money. The new tar road, funded by the Japanese government, only went half way to Karatu, thereafter it was the usual dreadful gravel road with roadworks thrown in. It had rained the previous day so there was mud in places, and passing through Karatu was like going through a dirty and remote village rather than around the corner from one of the country's premier tourist attractions. On the way to the park gates we made a few notes of the various camp sites in the area in case we decided to sleep outside the park and save the expensive camping fees charged inside the park. Because the fees in Tanzania's national parks are charged per 24 hours, our plan (which we thought was clever) was to enter the park at mid-morning so that we could spend the rest of the day down in the crater, then decide whether to camp inside or just outside the park, and go down into the crater again first thing in the morning to make the most of our 24 hour permit as well as the crater fee.
The fees (for foreigners) for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are as follows:
$30/24h person entrance fee
$30/24h vehicle fee
$20/person/night camping fee
$15 "crater service fee" per vehicle to go down into the crater.

The famous crater is just one of a number of areas within the greater Conservation Area but the fees are so high that virtually nobody goes to the other places. It is a pity because we would have liked to have visited the Empakaai and Olmoti craters too. At the Lodoare Gate the official asked if we wanted to go down to the crater floor, we asked how the permits worked, we handed over our money and drove in. The ascent to the crater rim is rather steep as the road climbs 450m so by the time you reach the viewpoint at Heroes' Point the view of the crater below is WOW!

The WOW view of the crater floor 500 metres below

The safari operators work to a schedule at the picnic site...

...so if you wait a little you have the place just about for yourself

Isla was surprised to see how "small" it was, whereas for me it was just like I thought it would be. The sun was shining brightly and the view clear after the overnight rain. Isla was quite right though because from high up the crater floor does look a little small but once we took our binoculars and scanned the crater floor for animals you begin to realise exactly how big it is. We must have spent longer than most people at the viewpoint, but finally being there was quite a special moment. Then it was time to look for the descending road into the crater and get to the animals and birds. First we quickly stopped off at the park headquarters to check on camping options: it would be no problem to pay later if we decided to stay the night in the public camp site, or we could leave before the gates closed and re-enter the next morning until our permit's expiry. At the top of the descending road we had our permit checked and signed the register. The road down is quite steep and a little rough, no wonder only 4x4s are allowed down there. Once at the bottom the crater floor is huge. We drove around all day and did not explore all the parts, but we surely tried! For all that money we were going to make the most of our game and bird watching.

For lunch we went to the Ngoitokitok Springs picnic site, where the black kites are notorious for their ability to snatch the food from people's hands. We knew about this so thought that by being a little watchful this would not happen to us. Yeah right! These kites are so fearless that they swoop on you even if you protect your food and try to swipe them. Isla fell victim almost straight away and as I tried to warn her to be more careful I got caught too. Thereafter, we ate our tuna sandwiches in the car! The Ngoitokitok Springs picnic site is the most popular and when we arrived the place looked like a safari operator car park. With so many visitors using the site it was truly disgusting to see how the authorities simply could not care less about keeping the ablution facilities working. Never mind that the facilities do not get cleaned, there was not even any water, and this despite that there are springs a stone's throw away.

The Ngorongoro Crater is not quite "animals all over the place" like some people say, but if you drive around you will have a good show. Besides the elephants, buffaloes and many other "usual" animals we had our first sightings of Grant's and Thomson's gazelles, the white-bearded variety of blue wildebeest, and the Defassa waterbuck. Our funniest was a startled golden jackal that was sleeping in the shade under a small bridge we drove over, and a pack of very hot spotted hyenas that were trying to stay cool in a pool of mud. Although there are supposed to be plenty of lions around we were not lucky enough to see a single one. In between looking for animals we entertained ourselves by looking for the many birds to be seen in the crater. Our trip bird list got a real kickstart after starting off very slowly in Malawi. Never a dull moment. Almost too soon it was time to leave the crater. You are supposed to be out of the crater floor by 6pm and we gave ourselves 20 minutes to get up via the ascending road, which is just as steep as the descending road. By now we had decided to stay and camp at the Simba public camp site because the drive from the crater rim to the gate takes about half an hour and even if you stay at the one of the nearest camp sites outside the park, we would still waste a lot of time getting there in the morning. The Simba camp site is set near the rim of the crater but you cannot see down onto the floor. Also, it is used by all the budget safari operators so it can get pretty crowded. Facilities are basic (cold showers and dirty toilets) and for $20/person really poor value for money. On top of that, we got moved around because we could not park on the grass as it is only for tents, then the attendant showed us where to park our Landy on the edge of the grass, then later the guard wanted us to move, so I told them all to leave us alone and find something else to do. They listened and we spent the evening in peace.

Left: our startled golden jackall Centre: the muddiest hyenas we have ever seen; Right: a buffalo herd with a background like no other

Left: our startled golden jackall Centre: the muddiest hyenas we have ever seen; Right: This one you will not find in South Africa

Daybreak at Simba public camp site on the crater rim

Lake Magadi in the early morning

The following morning the permit-checker came around and we paid our camping fees, but then we were told that the crater service fee is per descent! Arguing with him would not help, and it was a Sunday so the headquarters were closed. So we finished our packing and headed off for the gate at the descending road to see what this was all about. After all, the day before at the gate, when I asked the official how the permits worked, he did not say anything about the crater service fee being per descent. At the gate, the man that was supposed to be in charge and on duty was still sleeping in the office and his accomplice had to get him out of bed. What a job he has, I thought. Once up and dressed, he mumbled the same story. Funny thing is that he kept on repeating that the permit is for 24 hours, so every time I asked him to show me where on the permit does it say that the crater service fee is charged per descent and not per 24 hours, he could not do so. His attitude sucked so I wanted to report him to whoever was around on a Sunday but he then refused to give his name and position. I went back to the Landy to get the digital camera and take a picture of him but by that time Isla intervened and we decided to drop the matter for the moment. The authorities will be receiving a formal letter of complaint when we get home. Yes a little late, but I was not impressed with some of the officials' attitude that we have lots of money so we should just pay up for anything. Our plan, which we thought was clever the day before, had backfired.

So what to do? We had a few hours left on our permit, so we decided to head off to Oldupai Gorge, where the Leakeys unearthed the remains of modern man's (and beast's) oldest relatives. On the way to the gorge the road goes past a few Maasai villages, complete with Maasai waiting next to the road for tourists to stop and photograph them, for a fee of course. The discussion of tradition vs money kept us busy all the way to Oldupai. We had learnt earlier in our stay in Tanzania that the Maasai have been given permission to lead a traditional way of life. This extends to land, laws, and even that their children do not have to go to school. So we thought it questionable that they want to remain traditional and yet wait to pose for tourists for money, all kitted out in their best warrior paint jobs. We have a policy of not paying anybody for their photo, so we simply drove past all of them.

The map we bought was not very accurate and the museum was further than indicated, which meant we would be tight for time. There is an entrance fee to view the museum (Tsh3000/person), but thereafter you can visit all the diggings sites at your leisure. We only had time to wonder around the museum, which proved to be well worth the drive. It is well laid out, with informative text everywhere, and good exhibits or copies thereof. It was a pity we did not have more time so could not explore the diggings sites. Seriously thought-provoking stuff in there. It kept Isla and I talking for hours afterwards. Well, not all the time: we were running late and it was a time-consuming drive back to the crater, then it was full speed downhill to the gate.

Oldupai Gorge, what secrets are still waiting to be unearthed?

All considered I drove quite well, including when I had to overtake a petrol tanker on the curvy bits just before the gate. We made it to the gate with just 2 minutes to spare. We had been warned that they take the 24 hours quite seriously and there was no way we would pay another $90 for being a couple of minutes late. Lesson learnt: if you don't have tons of money and you want to spend your time in the crater we recommend you camp at one of the camp sites near the Lodoare Gate and go in as early as possible (gates open from 6am to 7pm). You can then leave the crater floor by 6pm and still be out of the gate before it closes. Now that you are charged for every descent into the crater floor, and because the Simba public camp site is really nothing special (and at $20 each it is not good value for money) we are not sure if there is any benefit in staying in the park overnight. You can perhaps put the money saved towards a second day in the park?

Once out of the park we took our time to drive back to Mto Wa Mbu, stopping at a few of the curio shops to see what they have. Prices are seriously in the mzungu range but some items had interest value. We reached Mto Wa Mbu by lunch time and we went to set up camp at Twiga again. It was nice to simply relax, continue our discussion about the finds at Oldupai Gorge, and take another look at the route we had planned to get to the Serengeti National Park via Lake Natron. Later in the afternoon we went for a walk up and down the main road, much to the amusement of the local curio sellers who tried their best to sell us a couple of things but without success. We also had a discussion with the youngsters running a cultural tourist programme which takes tourists to some of the interesting areas around the town. Isla and I were quite keen to go on the papyrus lake tour, and based on information in our guide book it should have been reasonably priced. However, these guys' success has gone to their heads and they have more than doubled their prices. For the two of us, the cost of a tour went up from $9 to $22, and the bicycle hire went from $2 to $5 each for the day. Their reason was that now that they were established they could charge more. I thought it was expensive to pay for their cell phones and keep up the image around town. So we had a discussion with them about pricing and the right and the wrong ways of doing business, after which they offered us a tour at a reasonable cost but by that time we had decided that they did not deserve our business.

In the evening the camp was far quieter than the previous night but we were treated to a soccer match between a bunch of Spaniards from an overland truck. Unfortunately for the driver, he was invited to join them and promptly hurt his foot. I wondered who would drive their truck the following morning? I cooked us another great stew before the rain came and forced everyone into their tents.

Diary entry summary:

Camp sites/places to stay:

Place	GPS position	Costs	General comments	Our rating (*)
Twiga Campsite and Lodge	S3.37400 E35.86505	TZS5000 / person	Good place for a night or two: (I) average ablution facilities; (II) grass, shade, some shelters, rubbish bins, braai/cooking areas, water taps, wash-up facilities, no table/bench; (III) grassy area with trees; (IV) good value for money; (V) bar, restaurant and shop.
Simba public camp site	S3.22841 E35.48969	USD20 / person	Ok for a night: (I) poor ablution facilities; (II) grass (cannot park on it), no shade, no shelter, no rubbish bins, no braai areas, water tap, no wash-up facilities, no table/bench; (III) large grassed area near the crater rim but cannot see below; (IV) poor value for money; (V) none.

(*) stars represent (I) ablutions, (II) camping facilities, (III) setting, (IV) overall value for money, (V) anything extra that warrants an additional star