In Dar es Salaam we still organize our visas to travel to Malawi and settle at Sunrise Beach Campsite.

It is a nice place to stay and anyway it will take some days to get all our paperwork for Malawi, like visas and temporary import permit for the car.

The campsite as most of the campsites in Africa is situated directly at the beach. Most of the time there is a backpackers guesthouse with the campsite. Here the tourists share the beach with the fishermen whose boat rest at the sandy beach.

The water of the Indian Ocean is warm, around 28 degrees and invites to bath in the waves. But if it is windy it is not a good idea to swim as the currents are stronger than usual and you might drift out to the ocean.

Sometime overlander tours cross our way with huge trucks and some tourists. These are organized camping trips and last for a week or two and travel through the country with tourists. They stay for one night at the campsite, they cook for themselves and stay in tents or in the truck.

From South Beach it is easy to get to Dar by public transport. From outside the campsite we take a Matatu to the ferry. There we cross the river to Dar and on the other side of the bay we take a tuk tuk to do all the organization of paperwork, shopping and refilling gas for our gas stove.

Dar es Salaam is a rather safe city. Tanzania is Muslimic and rather old fashioned. People are strong believers and so the country overall s very safe.

Queueing up at the ferry is quite disciplined. But when the ferry approaches everybody starts to move, and cars are loaded, goods, people and animals are brought onto the ferry.

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On a wonderful road we go to the largest city in Tanzania. Dar es Salaam is not the capital, as is often assumed, the capital of Tanzania is Dodoma, located in the south.

Soon we reach bustling Dar es Salaam. Dar, as it is called short, is a very modern city with three million inhabitants. It is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. Although it is not the capital, it is the political and economic center of the country, everything is controlled from here, all diplomatic missions have their headquarters here. We do not stay in Dar but go directly to the ferry, which connects the city with the southern beaches.

We will spend a night on the coast, because we want next day into Selous National Park.

First, it is quite good, we are able to race around the 78 km/h, but sometimes worse and deep sandy, and always leads through small villages. I almost run into a little child running around the track,good luck nothing happened. The last few meters before the Hippo Camp we hear elephants, but we do not see them.

We spend a wonderful evening at the river with a perfect sunset and typical jungle noises during the night. The next morning we discover from the campsite, a group hippos bathing in the river.

We learn that the entrance fee proposed into Selous National Park is 180 U.S. dollars per day, which is too much and we return to the coast.

On our route back to Dar we stop along the road to organize a new stove for cooking. It is made from metal and clay and works similar to a barbecue grill with charcoal.

In Dar es Salaam we still organize our visas to travel to Malawi and settle at Sunrise Beach Campsite.

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Passing sisal plantations, we go to the next beach paradise. Pangani Resort. close to Tanga Tanzania. Not too bad here. There are definitely worse places.

We are watching the fishermen with their traditional boats. From a tree trunk, the inside is hollowed out, and thinner trunks are tied on the boat as the boom, which in rough seas, prevents capsizing.

Again, we spend a few days. We had met Karl Friedrich a German, who invited us to Tanga, to show us the city. We gladly accept and make our way to Tanga. Although the city does not look like, it is with 180,000 inhabitants is the third largest city in Tanzania. It is a former German colonial town, what you see today in various buildings.

We stay on the only camp of the city, actually a small hotel with a lawn and a single palm tree that gives us a little shade. We get a room key to be able to use bathroom and toilet. Even the electricity we draw from the room. Curious we examine the rooms. They are simply furnished, two beds and nothing else, but they are clean.

I am fascinated by the flush box of the toilet, apparently a haven for frogs, because there are some of the pretty fellows playing in the rinse water.

Overnight our tire loses air, so it must be repaired. Karl Friedrich organized a mechanic who takes off the wheel, we will take it later in the city to repair it.

We got an unexpected visitor, Karl Friedrich brings the Austrian Theo and his wife Veronica. Theo had worked here in Tanzania and left Austria, and has lived for some years with his wife in Tanga. Veronica brings homemade chapati, which pleases us very much. We sit comfortably under the palm, it’s nice to meet again a compatriot. We chat and exchange experiences, a nice morning.

For lunch we set off with Karl Friedrich in the city, and arrange to meet with Theo and Veronika for the evening. He shows us typical houses from the colonial period, which are typical for their porch on the first floor. Up there it’s pretty cool because the wind from the sea cools there.

The Bay of Tanga is appealing, here’s a larger harbor with ferry to Pemba and Zanzibar.

Karl Friedrich shows us the old German cemetery. It is frightening how many German soldiers died at a young age from malaria.

We want to see the old colonial train station. From here the track goes to Ruvu, a small town in the hinterland. On Fridays there is a passenger train, otherwise only cargo trains operate, mainly due to the port of Tanga.

As agreed, we visit Theo and Veronica. They live with their dogs in a small house, they are not rich, but very hospitable. Veronica is just the cook. As is common in Africa, cooked is on the ground and in the open. She prepares chapati, Alexandra helps her, the mortar is new to her.

Chapati we know, but now she cuts a little something into strips and deep fried it, we do not know what it is, but tastes delicious.

We still spend a nice evening with the two, Veronica gives us even a packed lunch for tomorrow’s trip to Dar es Salaam.

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To explore Tanzanian beaches it is time to drive to the coast. We have heard from a great place, on the Indian Ocean. Beach Crab Resort – there we want to go.

The drive through the Usambara Mountains is beautiful, it is pleasantly cool, so we drive the switchbacks relaxed, through small villages – really enjoy it. The public bus makes a stop here – traders try to sell their goods to the passengers.

From the main road a good gravel road branches to the ocean. We need to go to Pangani town, go there on a ferry. We are the first on the ferry and have to wait a bit.

Interesting is the buzz at the ferry, the pedestrian must leave first the ship, then the vehicles. Everything is done quietly and calmly. No one here knows hectic. Now it’s our turn. Only a few vehicles fit on it. No problem, because the ferry shuttles back and forth, driving time about 10 minutes. And now we are almost there. The flow is pretty remarkable. Here Pangani river flows into the sea. Slowly, the captain aproaches the concrete ramp.

And once again we are in a paradise. The palm trees provide shade, the sandy Pangani beach is doing well on the feet and the sea less than 10 meters away. We decide to spend a few days.

We can not spend the rest of our lives at Tanzanian beaches so it goes on after a few days.

At a stall we buy chapati, which are like omlettes but taste like bread and can be rolled. Delicious breakfast. As always, Tara is waiting impatiently. She loves chapati.

Chapati is not originally an African dish, but it has become a popular food in many parts of Africa due to historical and cultural influences. African chapati is usually made using a similar recipe as the Indian version but may have some variations depending on the region.

In East Africa, for example, chapati is a popular street food and is often made with a mixture of wheat and maize flour. The dough is rolled out thinly, and the chapati is cooked on a flat griddle with a little oil or butter until it is golden brown on both sides.

In West Africa, chapati is sometimes made with cassava flour instead of wheat flour, giving it a slightly different flavor and texture. Some versions of African chapati may also include spices such as cumin or coriander, which give it a distinctive taste.

Overall, African chapati is a delicious and versatile food that is enjoyed by many people in different parts of the continent.

Back on the ferry.

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Usambara Mountains are our next major destination. But before we continue from Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha. In the city itself, we take advantage of the great variety of goods to replenish our stocks.

Arusha is a bustling center with many travel agents and agencies, because Arusha is the starting point for ascents of Kilimanjaro. Many people think that Kilimanjaro is in Kenya, but in fact it is completely in Tanzania but can be seen nicely as well from Kenya.

We have been lucky and see Mount Kilimanjaro. Cloud-free, which is rarely the case. We will stay at its base, on a small mountain road up just before the entrance to the park there is a nice campground. We use the time until the evening to control the oil, air filter to clean and perform minor maintenance.

From Kilimanjaro we head south. We want to stay in the Usambara mountains, but before we camp at the Pangani river.

The camp is again simple but idyllic situated, next to the river, we enjoy the quiet atmosphere, see unusual birds and see Bush babies in the trees.

Over a small mountain road, it goes up to 2,000 meters. With pleasant cool mountain forests, they provide a contrast to the hot, dusty Maasai savannah. We go up to Irente View Point Hotel, where you can also camp.

Usambara Mountains a little bit look like Austria, but no worries, we do not feel homesick. Especially not in the evening when it got pretty cold.

We set up comfortably and meet a guide who we agree on a hike the next day.

With him, we come across a brick factory, where hand-made ​​clay tiles are made. A rather interesting thing.

Our guide shows us a plant whose fruit is used for abortions.

From a rocky outcrop at dizzying heights, we see the Irente View Point Hotel, which was itself built on a rocky outcrop.

In the depth you can see large sisal plantations that were created in the German colonial period. Although sisal is still planted yet, it has lost its imortance because of the nylon fiber.

Our guide finds a Chameleon. Africans fear the Chameleon, because there are so many strange stories around it.

We enjoyed quite a while, the beautiful sunset.

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Shortly after the camp tarmac begins again, we are surprised. Today, we make it to the Ngorongoro Crater. Behind a smelly bus, it goes up a mountain, we stop and enjoy the view of the Manyara National Park.

The National Park was established in 1960, two thirds of the area are occupied by the lake. The area was also the setting for the classic film “Hatari” with John Wayne and Hardy Kruger.

We stay on the camp on the hill, where we also have a great view of the Manyara National Park.

We decide before go to the crater, to make a side trip to Lake Eyasi, there should be Bushmen. First, it goes well on the tar, then gravel. The gravel is getting worse and we are skeptical about whether we make it because our car is in no good condition.

Then a section comes that looks too bad. On foot, we inspect it. We decide to turn around, probably we are having more damage on this route. so we go back.

We drive closer to Ngorongoro Crater and make camp very near the gate to the road up to the crater.

The next morning I go alone to the Ngorongoro Crater. Alexandra remains with Tara back at the campground. Admission is horrendous. 100 U.S. dollars for one person plus car per day. I grudgingly pay and go up.

The scenery is beautiful, but from the view into the crater I’m disappointed, I do not pay the extra 100 U.S. dollars into the crater. The crater is 16 by 20 kilometers and is home to many animals. All animals except giraffes and impalas are represented in the crater.The landscape on the floor of the crater is a microcosm of its own. The heart is Lake Magadi which is the lowest point, depending on the rainy season, sometimes filled,.

The track leads along the crater rim, passing the Grzimek monument. The professor had campaigned for the wild animals. He gave everything for nature conservation. Here he also lost his son Michael in a plane crash.

From the crater rim you have a good view of the Serengeti.

When I return an elephant is on the track, the only animal that I’ve seen in the national park.

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On overland roads for another day. We start again early, now we should make it to Arusha, if everything goes smoothly. But in Africa you can not plan ahead, so many things can happen that can not be calculated. But nothing went smoothly.

Just a quick refuel and we’re back on the road. Worst gravel. This was not expected, our goal for today to get to Arusha, disappears. It is dusty like hell, sometimes thick air inside the car. We see the Mount Hanang, we have not yet come far.

The long-distance bus rush over the gravel, it is a wonder that the vehicles do not break down. We need to slow down, because our chassis makes strange noises.

And then it happens, the lock of our back door broke, the door flies open, what we did not notice immediately because of the noise. And within seconds, everything in the car was covered with red dust. A 1 cm thick layer of red soil was everywhere, even Tara was completely red. Shit happens, but now how to repair.

With a strap, I tie the back door to the bench, which, although not seals, but at least we do not lose the back door. Everything is filthy. This will now become a mega cleaning.

Stop in a guest house in Babati. We look at the mess. It is clear in the morning the door must be welded, but now needs to be cleaned.

Luckily we find a locksmith. The boys go to work immediately. There are a lot of advice – let’s see how long it works.

We continue to fine tarmac, but the joy does not last long, and already we are on a gravel road. Parallel to the gravel there is already a new tar road, but unfortunately it can not be used. On this day again we do not get a far distance, just a few kilometers, turn to a campsite in a small palm grove. We find a good spot, nice in the shade, no electricity, everything simple, but not bad.

We discovered an abandoned vehicle, a Land Rover Forward Control, which would be a vehicle for us, for Africa. We fantasize about it, we could weld a box for sleeping, recondition the vehicle, we are excited about the idea.

But it is not for sale, after the problems we had we would have immediately changed.

Shortly after the camp tarmac begins again, we are surprised. Today, we make it to the Ngorongoro Crater.

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The next morning we are back on the road into rural Tanzania. We want into the Ngorongoro Crater, but must make a detour of several hundred kilometers because of Tara, as we do not dare to smuggle her into the national park again.

We expect three to five days time for the detour. The first day we make it to Mwanza. We hear that one can camp at the Yacht Club.

The view from the yacht club on Lake Victoria is beautiful. We can not enjoy it long, only quickly drink coffee, because today we must travel a long distance. Outside the club, we buy from street vendors or Mandasi, similar to doughnuts and chapati.

The road is good and we are progressing fast. Again and again, huge baobab trees by the roadside.

Half way we supplement our supplies with bananas. They are smaller here than in Europe, but much sweeter, which I prefer. I could eat tons of it.

Central Tanzania is fairly flat and very dry. The area is also very sparsely populated. Tara is bored and hot, she does not like long car rides. We can find a place where she can get out and do her business.

Peanuts are sold at the roadside. We stop. We are immediately besieged by countless hands. Everyone wants to sell his goods. Tara does not like this and is defending the car.

The peanuts purchased are not peanuts, we have absolutely no idea what this is, we taste, not too bad, but do not really know if you eat it raw, or roasted, or if you have to cook the grains. In any case, we can make it on this day to Singida, where we camp in the parking lot of the guesthouse.

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Later it turned out that Tara is a bit better, but we decided to go back to Kenya as in Eldoret we know the vet which is the brother of Raj the owner of the Lodge in Eldoret.

In Kisumu, Kenya it turned out that Tara was healthy again, so we could continue our trip to Tanzania.

The border crossing was once again without any problems, no one cared about Tara, we have not had the Tanzania shilling yet, so we quickly drove to Musoma to go to the ATM to plunder it.

It was out of service, our Kenyan shillings were not changed by a bank, so again back to the border to the black market and back to Musoma, because there is a camping site. Pure stress.

After we changed a flat tire in the morning, we lost air overnight, we continue to drive towards Serengeti. We are not sure if we can smuggle in Tara, so we spend the night once more near the gates at Lake Victoria, to be first at the gate at dawn. The track to the camp is once again muddy, so we struggle on bravely until this idyllic place.

Now, some good advice is needed, which track to take. We detour, which does not always lead to success, this time at least we do not get stuck.

We reached the place with dry feet and really relax and prepare mentally for the Serengeti National Park. A marabou stork shows its best side, but it is really an ugly birds.

We are inside. Tara was quiet at the gate for a change and thus she was not discovered. We had to pay in U.S. dollars which is not so easy, because after almost a year of Africa, our dollar reserves were used up. But as usual in Africa, there is always a way.

Soon we see the first animals. A hyena on morning game hunt.

Zebras, a whole herd, a lonely giraffe and a couple of elephants, what more could you expect.

The scenery is magnificent. We see a vulture and a secretary bird, it has the name because of its head feathers.

And of course baboons. They are not completely harmless, because they are not shy and come to the car and sometimes long in purely because they want to steal something.The Serengeti is a grass and tree savannah and is known in the western world by Professor Grimek, who campaigned for the preservation of the Serengeti. He aroused the interest that boosted the tourism and contributed to the preservation of the Serengeti.

And then, out of nowhere a lioness appears. Lion like to stay in the Seronera Valley, because they have good coverage, rich wildlife and plenty of water. And then we discover a second lioness under a tree. Lionesses are not loners. They live together with other lionesses and cubs. Only the males are solitary. A third shows up, they seem to be hunting. But soon it disappears in the bush.

Further afield, we discover a herd of Thomson’s gazelle, easily recognizable by the black markings on their belly.

We drive on and see the lions again. They are on the hunt. Nearby is a large herd of zebra which are in the focus of the lionesses. A single elephant bull crosses our path. They are dangerous, especially if they are after cows. Perhaps cows are also nearby. We have lost the lionesses, but we run into a herd of zebra that are extremely worried. Likely lionesses are nearby. And, in fact. The lionesses launch an attack. But the zebras are faster, and still on alert.

In a nearby water we see hippos. They lie close together in the water and enjoy the cool water. But we must return. There are still 100 kilometers to the gate. On the way back, we see an even larger herd of elephants.

We make it to the campsite before sunset, although before the gate we had a puncture. Alexandra has secured the area, it could have been a lion in the bush, I changed the tire. Everything went well.

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