From Arusha to Mwanza

Fancy spending an eleven hour drive through land adjacent to the Serengeti National Park? I know i do.

It might not be the quickest journey from Arusha to Mwanza; it's quicker to travel via Nairobi in Kenya than travel through Tanzania.

Nonetheless

1) i don't want to pay for a transit Kenyan visa
2) nor have to double back (i am due to hit Kenya's crime-filled capital next month) to try to obtain onward visas both for Sudan (i've been warned this can take a month!)and Ethiopia (where i have been told there has been new curbs on both UK and German visitors).
3) i want a cheap safari through the Serengeti

I book a window seat ticket with Bedui Luxury Coaches for Tsh35,000 for what is reputed to be an eleven hour haul. How luxurious or time efficient it is remains to be seen.

Aub's Addition Okay - it did sound to good to be true. The journey normally takes 13 hours but we have a breakdown for almost three hours, and having left the hotel at 5.30am we arrive into Mwaza at 11pm - never the safest or conveniant time to arrive into a new city. As for seeing the Serengeti, this is also a myth. About 5 hours of the journey passes on farming and pastoral land adjacent to the Serengeti. All i see are cows and goats as our driver going heavy-footed on the accellerator on an unsealed track.

After cussing my misfortune of sitting to one of the very few obese locals i have seen on my journey, he takes me under his wing. Jonathon kindly negotiates a taxi for over 20 minutes whilst he waits patiently for my bag to be unloaded. He then finds me a cheap hotel in the town centre, refuses to accept money for the taxi, and then invites me to lunch the following day.

Half Way Through Africa

Bazza, an Australian septuagenarian travellist i meet in Dar Es Salaam informs me that Arusha marks the half way point between Cape Town and the northern tip of Egypt.

He may well be right. I have taken some 3,200 photographs - exactly half of my several memory cards, spent half of my travel savings and i find myself just a couple of degrees south of the Equator.

However incursions in to the Middle East will extend my travels and i find myself migrating westwards heading toward the Rwandan border.

Arusha

Mt Meru - and another holy mountain for the Hindus as the hangout of Lord Brahma

Set under the shadow of Mount Meru (4566m, this large and fast growing town sprung onto the international map by the setting up of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It was here that former Rwandan Prime Minister Jean Kamada entered a guilty plea to cultural genocide and gave information on a number of eminent politicians.

The town itself is a bit of a dirty dump with open drains and sprawling street markets, but does provide a base for organising safaris to a wide number of National Parks in the near vicinity.

Other than that there is not a great deal to do. However it does provide a variety of good eating options predominantly found on Sokoine Road and Dodoma Road.

Green Hut offers burgers, pizza and roast beef from Tsh3000, whilst a similar menu can be found at Dolly’s Patisserie. McMoody’s is a somewhat more sparkly fast food and burger joint with set meals ranging from about Tsh7000.

The precincts close to Shoprite on Dodoma Road offers excellent ice-cream at Ciao Geleti’s and the Stigbuck’s coffee house is very popular too.

I am staying at the excellent Hotel Flamingo with spotless self contained singles/doubles at Tsh25000/Tsh30000 including breakfast and hot water. The staff are exceptionally nice and helpful, and the location very central.

There are plenty of ATMS dotted around town.

It is unsafe to walk on the Old Moshi Road at night and there are pickpockets around the central bus stand.

Electricity seems to be rather hit and miss with daily powercuts.

Lonely Planet claim that the town has the most tourist touts to be found, but surprisingly i am rarely bothered or hassled.

There seems to be a sizeable ex-pat community most of which are affiliated to NGOs.

Post election disorder has been in place with street demonstrations and police in riot gear patrolling the streets so i am kinda trying to keep a low profile.nd

Ngorogoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park

I am currently on safari - more real soon