Kisolanza was a campsite that was easy to be in, but we left anyway, knowing that the next few nights would be much more wild and interesting, but also without the well thought out amenities that we\u2019d had the last two nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A small side story. We had a wonderful chat with Nikki, the owner of Kisolanza. Conversation varied widely, and after learning we were from America, she lamented that though she so loved traveling in the US, she wasn\u2019t able to return. \u201cWhy is that?\u201d We asked. She responded that it was because of 9\/11. It turns out that the 9\/11 bombers and\/or their associates were either from, or had spent some time in Iringa, the regional hub just north of here. This meant that it was very difficult, or impossible in her words, to get a tourist visa if you were from the area. She went on to say that right after 9\/11, when nobody really knew what was going on, her whole campsite and all the chalets were booked up by mysterious Americans. They later revealed themselves to be FBI and CIA. They spent about month living there while conducting investigations in the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That tale aside, we had an unhurried morning of packing up, topping off water and settling our tab. Then we hit the road. Note, this is the location of the borehole in the not so famous \u201cJenny Pumps Water\u201d<\/a> video, though sadly that borehole has been decommissioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Tan-Zam highway was pleasantly quiet at our eight o\u2019clock start, certainly the most pleasant highway driving in Tanzania to date. The road continued to have wide shoulders and climbing lanes, making things all very civilized. Except of course the busses, they were still apparently trying to kill everyone with their reckless driving, but at least they stayed true to form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I forgot to mention in my last post that on the way past Mafinga, the town just before Kisolanza, Jenny was driving and was waved to the shoulder by the police. She pulled onto the shoulder, and a policeman came over, beaming a big smile at us and announcing, \u201cYou have been speeding!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n She had been so carefully trying not to speed, but with going in and out of 50 kph zones all the time, some of the signs missing, it is easy to lose track. She apologized, and he was all very friendly. He said that he had a photo of us doing 67 kph in a 50 zone, and that the fine was 30,000 TSH. But because he was such a nice guy, he could let us off for less money but with no receipt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jenny said, \u201cNo, that\u2019s okay, we\u2019ll pay the fine and get the receipt.\u201d He was incredulous. Thinking we weren\u2019t getting that it would cost us more to pay the proper fine, he explained it again. We understood and held our ground, that we would pay the proper fine with the receipt. He curtly said, \u201cOkay, you can go, no fine.\u201d And off we went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re convinced this was a scam. If he did actually have a photo from the radar gun, which they frequently do have, I don\u2019t think he would have let us off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our steady progress munched through the kilometers, and in short order we arrived at Iringa. Iringa is one of Tanzania\u2019s larger towns (a city perhaps?), bustling but also fairly organized. We made a quick dip into town to get a few supplies and then were off towards Ruaha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We wound our way through the hilly outskirts of the city and onto the R7. This started as good condition tarmac, but in not too long switched to gravel. A few villages pass by, but there is quite a bit of open land and empty road, and it feels like we are heading deeper into the wild, which I suppose we were. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jenny and I have been discussing how we feel more relaxed as we get further out in the bush and into the parks, like we can finally exhale. Some travelers may savor the hectic energy of African cities or be unperturbed by the noisy crowds at roadside bus stops and markets, but we find it draining. Not that it isn\u2019t fascinating and an engaging part of being here, and some of the people we interact with are really interesting, intelligent and courteous people. Still the whole exercise saps my energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At home I wouldn\u2019t describe myself as an outdoor addict. In the US you won\u2019t find Jenny and me backpacking or scaling peaks or even camping more than a few times a year. But in Africa we can\u2019t seem to get enough. Part of this is because we are fascinated by the biodiversity, the ecosystems, the animals, and the terrain of these wilderness areas. However we’re also noticing that particularly up here in the hustle and bustle of East Africa, the parks are also where we can take a break from the intensity of the highways and the cities. We\u2019re still reflecting on understanding this, but just a thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the villages and farms fade away, the road gets progressively more corrugated. Parts of it rival the famed horror of the Serengeti-Ngorongoro Road, which I despise, only this is narrower. There are smooth ridges outside the corrugations, but just outside of that is soft sand, so it takes focused driving to stay in the sweet spot. We swapped drivers just before it got really tricky. Jenny was getting the worst of it, but of course she kept us on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually the road forks, but both branches reach the park. Taking the right fork, as suggested by everyone, took us into the Wilderness Management Area (WMA), I assume similar in function to the GMAs in countries further south. We started seeing more birdlife, hornbills in particular, and not long after a lot of elephant tracks crossing the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baobabs were dotted around among otherwise fairly dry scrub forest, and game trails crisscrossed the road, heightening our anticipation. After what seemed like a very long approach road, we arrived at the gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruaha\u2019s entrance is very organized, a pleasant difference compared to Katavi. There are toilets, a small shop that sells mostly snacks and soda, and a large park office to check people in and out of the parks. There are also quite a few nice informational signs around about the Ruaha ecosystem, seasons, wildlife, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rangers at the entrance were friendly and happily checked us into the park. We paid our fees to stay for three nights, but this time, to spare our wallets a bit, we stuck with the public campsites. After getting our permit the ranger asked, \u201cDo you like wild dogs?\u201d Does anyone say no to that question? <\/p>\n\n\n\n We responded that we did, and he gave us detailed directions to where a large pack was spotted about an hour ago. We asked for a map, and but they didn\u2019t have any for sale. He pulled out a battered old copy of a tourist map and encouraged me to take a photo with my phone. This worked well, and we referenced it frequently during our stay, though it didn\u2019t differ much from the Tracks4Africa maps on our GPS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This sort of thing I always find odd. With the sky high fees charged by TANAPA to be in the park, how is it possible that they don\u2019t have any maps to offer, even at an additional charge? Certainly it\u2019s not worth getting worked up over, just one of many tiny mysteries of traveling here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Off we went, on the hunt for wild dogs. For some reason that I\u2019ve forgotten, the name wild dog comes with some sort of negative connotation, so they are sometimes referred to as painted dogs or painted wolves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In not too long we came to the large bridge that crosses the Ruaha river. The river was looking pretty modest right now, with some stagnant pools, not flowing. Unfortunately this has become a seasonal occurrence, the river running dry. Apparently there is a lot of farmland upriver, and the water gets syphoned off for irrigation schemes. In the dry season there is no water left, and the river runs dry in the park, a disaster for the wildlife here. This is another example of the complexitiesof conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a nice picnic site here with interpretive panels, shade and picnic tables, and we got out for a quick snack. Wild dogs are usually sedentary midday, so we hoped they would not move while we had a quick lunch. Pushing on after that, the ranger\u2019s instructions were perfect, and we came across a small bridge and stand of baobab and found 21 wild dogs lazing around in the shade. How lucky can you get, wild dogs in Ruaha National Park an hour from the gate? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The pack consisted of some adolescents and adults that had some particularly nice coloring. We sat with them for a while, but other than occasional resettling in new shade there wasn\u2019t much action, so we resolved to go check out our campsite and return later in the afternoon when they might be more active. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Public Campsite No. 1 came recommended, so we headed for that. Our Swiss friend we\u2019d met at Kisolanza was set up here. We said hello and shared the news of the wild dogs. He was quite excited and headed off in a hurry to go see them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Campsite No. 1 is on the banks of the now mostly empty Ruaha river, set about one kilometer east of the large ranger camp. There are some dubious ablutions and several large fire rings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A couple of those rings were behind bushes and adjacent to the ablutions, which seemed to us an odd spot for a campsite on the river bank, but later it became clear those were there to shelter from the frequent easterly winds. Our Swiss friend had rightly set up in the best spot with a panoramic view of the riverbed. Not far from him was a huge cement fire ring, complete with little cement stools around it, under a large tree. This would have been an ideal site, but it was totally occupied by the large fire ring. We didn\u2019t want to crowd our neighbor, so we found a spot with a view a bit further down the river bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were a few grazers, impala and waterbuck in the riverbed, but otherwise all was pretty quiet game wise. That evening we made a short exploratory loop to the north, not seeing much, and then made our way back to the wild dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dogs had consolidated, and the adolescents were getting restless. A scout vehicle for a film crew was there, and he looked happy, taking pictures with his phone. We always like it when the guides and scouts are taking photos. It means you are at a good sighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After some time a lodge vehicle came, let their guests snap a few photos, and a few moments later they were off. Amusingly the adolescent dogs chased after the vehicle, just like a domestic dog might chase a car at home. How fascinating that this behavior is instinctual; these dogs certainly didn\u2019t learn that behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I understand why the lodge vehicles often only stop for a few minutes and move on. They are on a schedule and also trying to tick off as many species for their clients as they can. But we find that if you are on a good animal sighting, you should stay there. It vastly increases your chances of seeing interesting animal behavior. So we patiently wait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This time we were rewarded with getting to see a \u201cpep rally,\u201d which is when wild dogs start cavorting and yipping after an afternoon of rest, getting pumped up before going on a hunt. They joined their pack mates and began running in circles, more or less, with very high pitched short yips. It didn\u2019t last long but was wonderful to see. Then they loped down to the river, drank from the pools and vanished into the bush. What a nice start to our time here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That night at camp we sat in the darkness of the riverbank and cooked over the fire. The gentle breeze that had cooled the air when we started dinner picked up steam, and by the time dinner was done it was whipping up sand into our eyes. It was time to retreat to the tent. Not that anyone likes getting scoured by sand, but Jenny is in particular not a big fan of gusty winds, and she was getting things wrapped up in short order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had the awning up to protect from an earlier brief rain shower. As I stowed it in the lashing wind, <\/strong>the awning flogged and fought back, full of air. This briefly transported me back to my days at sea, of furling sails in a nighttime squall, taming big bights of billowing canvas and lashing it to a spar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tumbling into the tent we had to zip up all the openings to keep the sand from coming in, and it became stifling hot. Jenny remarked, \u201cThe irony is we\u2019re going to need the fan.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n I had to get up in the middle of the night to relive myself. The wind had died, and the skies were crystal clear. Against the black canvas of the sky white pins of starlight, the southern cross and a thick milky way beamed down upon me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ranger at the gate had encouraged us to visit Serengeti Ndogo (small Serengeti) in the northeast, where sometimes cheetah and even pangolin are seen. A pangolin was a major safari goal of mine, so he need say no more. Unfortunately I didn\u2019t think to ask how often they\u2019re seen. Once a week? Once a year? Once? <\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said that the Mwagusi river was where more game would be, so we spent the day making a large counterclockwise loop. First northeast, along the winding riverbed tracks of the mostly dry Ruaha, then to the confluence of the Mwagusi and Ruaha rivers where there is a sandy dry riverbed crossing. From there we went to Serengeti Ndogo, which proved more or less fruitless for us, a few impala though quite good bird life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So far we hadn’t seen a lot of wildlife. Some waterbuck, impala, a lone ostrich and warthog, but the scenery was excellent. Ruaha is the park of baobabs, and the great trees lined the roads in sections, all shapes and sizes. Tall, thin, fat, short. Some with big holes, others smooth sided with almost purple bark, others the trunk and bark looking like the melted wax of a long burnt candle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It turns out that baobabs actually aren\u2019t trees, they are a form of succulent. They have no tree rings, and when cut or they have fallen, the wood is a fibrous, useless material. But alive they have a myriad of uses. Their seed pods can be eaten by animals and humans, made into medicine and all kinds of other things. Elephants like to damage the trees, whether by rubbing their tusks on them or eating the bark, I do not know. But unlike other trees, a baobab completely ringed of its bark, will continue growing just fine, and will heal the bark if left alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also we often see great big hives of bees in baobabs, with big slabs of honeycomb. Amusingly elephants do not like bees, and these trees appear to be somewhat less harassed by the elephants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Birdlife here in Ruaha was also excellent, and we saw new kinds of rollers, weavers and finches all over the place. Also many birds of prey, which often we struggle to identify. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wandering through this remote and rugged park was a treat. Eventually we worked west from Serengeti Ndogo, and coming to the Mwagusi we started to see more wildlife. The Mwagusi was also dry, small pools of water here and there, but the river was not running. There was enough water though to attract giraffe, zebra, kudu and impala, frequently all hanging out together. Supposedly Ruaha is the only place you can see greater and lesser kudu in the same park, but we either only saw greater kudu, or we are lousy at identifying ungulates. Probably the latter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stuckinlowgear.com\/staging\/1919\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Ruaha-15.jpg?resize=1000%2C667&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nInto the Park<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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