Sep 30 Amazing Boat Trip

A couple of night’s ago we were joined by a new guest in camp. We were told he was here for research but as we became better acquainted we learned that this was not the case. He is a helicopter pilot and working with Tanapa (Tanzanian National Park) to evaluate the encroachment on the reserve by herdsman. This is a huge problem.

We discover that as there is no tax on cattle so they are used as a form of money laundering. These are not poor local farmers grazing their cattle. The plan is to round up and confiscate the cattle so a team of 90 or so rangers has been assembled to do just that. This will be a huge inconvenience to the owners as it will take the best part of a week for them to walk to the corral, pay the fine and then drove the cattle back. The fine is $50 per cow. The money can then hopefully be traced back to source. Very interesting to hear about this operation.

The reason I am relating this is because it is very relevant to what then transpired this morning. We have a two hour drive to the Mkojani River where we shall have a boat trip. We do not see a single person or car on our journey there. This is true wilderness and the nearest town is 100km away.

We arrive at the rangers station where the confiscated cattle have been corralled. They are noisy and unsettled and apparently only arrived here 30 minutes earlier.

Anderson asks if we need to use the restroom. The correct answer would have been “No. We’ll use a bush thank you” The restroom was 3 walls, no door and a smelly hole in the ground, clearly only ever used by the rangers. I held my breath and did the necessary. We declined to use it on the way back.

The rangers trailered our boat down to the river and very nearly squashed the hugest scorpion I have ever seen. At least 6” long.

We clamber aboard, don life jackets, which are very necessary as the river has many hippos in it and it would be easy for one to capsize the boat. Best not to dwell too much on that. I’m sure it will be fine….. Also trying not to think about the numerous crocodiles in the water should the worst happen. The boat is skippered by a park ranger and I am sure he does this frequently and is still alive so that is a positive.

We setoff down river. The reeds are teeming with birdlife. Large flocks of weaver birds throng over the reed beds. We see heron, cormorants, fish eagles, hammerkopf and so much more. A young monitor lizard and huge parent are climbing around in a riverside tree.

A very large and fierce looking hippo is resting in the shallows. He looks unimpressed and then grunts and heaves his bulk out of the water and disappears into the reeds.

We then see the grazing problem first hand as a large herd of goats appear on the riverbank. They are probably not legitimate either.

A pied kingfisher skims the water, a pigmy kingfisher flashes blue but he is too quick for me.

Elephants appear where we were hoping to stop for lunch. They are hostile, charge and trumpet loudly. We are not welcome. Their memories of poaching are fresh and I am glad that I am in a boat on the water. Being this close in a vehicle would be terrifying and dangerous. I have good video of our river trip and look forward to editing it and producing a short film of the day.

We eventually find a safe spot for lunch. We disembark but my foot slips as I climb onto the front raised area. I slam my shin onto a knife edge bar. It is excruciating. My leg goes numb and I think I am going to be sick. I disembark, bend double and wait for the pain to pass. It takes a while. Fortunately there is no long lasting damage. I think I must have hit a nerve centre and have little in the way of a bruise to show for my agony.

We have wraps filled with spiced vegetables and meat for lunch. They are not dissimilar to a spring roll. Tasty and easy to eat accompanied by strong coffee.

We notice discarded illegal fishing nets with extremely small holes and discarded bottles, batteries etc. This is poachers offload. We collect everything. The ranger photographs it, radios in and we set fire to it all.

We then zoom back down river at full throttle. It is so exhilarating, but every so often we need to slow right down as water hyacinth and weeds have spread across the surface, blocking the channel and wrapping themselves around the prop. Periodically the prop needs to be raised and cleaned off.

Elephants are playing in the water ahead of us. We slow down and watch. The older elephants climb the bank. The juveniles are playing and paying absolutely no attention. When the do see us they scramble out of the river on the opposite side to the adults. We are not popular as we are now between the young ands adults. Loud trumpeting, charging and intimidation ensues. We make a purposeful and controlled exit down river.

Our adrenalin levels drop and we watch a colony of open-billed storks. They are always entertaining to watch.

We arrive back at the launching site, thank the ranger for an amazing day on the water and climb back into our vehicle for the two hour drive back to camp. Anderson asks if we need thew restroom again. That would be a resounding no from us both. I reckon it is now well past beer o’clock so crack open a bottle of Kilimanjaro beer as we drive back to camp. As we pass the old airstrip Abderson spots lions under a nearby shrub. They are definitely not habituated and eye us warily. They look unpredictable in their behaviour. We keep our distance. There are six 2 year old cubs. One male with the start of a mane and 5 females. They look very fit and healthy.

This is our lucky day. We leave these lions behind but as we approach the camp we spot the two males we saw last night. Avery handsome and fit young male who has been collared and a very old male who appears to have a huge abscess of some sort on his trunk.

This has been a long day. We arrive in camp at 15.50 and will go out for sundowners at 17.45. A lot of driving for Anderson. We drive up to the hippo to watch our last sunset here.

After a brief stop and just enough time to down our drinks we headed back to camp to see a slide show of the footage on the camera traps we set up earlier in the week. We’ve captured warthog, kudu, elephants, giraffes and impala. Interestingly the temperature showing on the photo below is 38c at 09.52. This was the very hot day when we were stuck in the mud so it must have been well over 40c that afternoon.

We watch the slides and then head off for supper in the bush. Fires are burning and chairs and little tables are laid out by a 2000-3000 year old baobab tree. It is absolutely enormous.

We spend a wonderful evening chatting and joking with great food and good company. Hoho the helicopter pilot always eats with us and has interesting stories to tell. What an absolutely brilliant last day and evening. Usangu is a very special place indeed.