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14 January 1999

The Kingsmill's Trans-Africa Overland Trip, Part 9: Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya

Geoff Kingsmill
2006-04-25 21:12:17

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Christmas Eve we arrived in Arusha. On the way we saw Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, but were disappointed that thick clouds obscured the summit. Arusha is a dusty town and the streets are a maze of potholes and have to be seen to be believed. This is the gateway to the Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti NP! We had a quiet Christmas and enjoyed the Plum Pudding we had brought from Australia. We camped at the rear of Le Jacaranda hotel and Su-lin made friends with the French owner's daughter. They had a great time playing minigolf.

Next we headed to Ngorogoro Conservation area. On the way we stopped for a toilet break and noticed a small oil leak coming from Troopie's transfer case. When we arrived at the Safari Junction camp just outside Ngorogoro we checked the transfer case oil level and found it full so obviously the leak was very small. As the Ngorogoro park fees were very expensive (US$105 per day) we arrived at the entrance gate just before the 7am opening time. We could have slept in another thirty minutes as the rangers arrived late. We paid our fees and picked up our compulsory park guide and went down into the crater. The crater was very impressive. After a steep drive down the crater rim we saw an amazing number of animals in such a small confined area. We saw wildebeests, cape buffalo, zebra, hyena, warthog, gazelle, elephants, hippos and lions. There was a fantastic thunderstorm which added to the excitement. Mid afternoon we ascended to the top of the crater and dropped off our guide.

The roads in Tanzania are mostly bad, however nothing can prepare you for the roads between Ngorogoro and Serengeti NP. It is amazing that such a world renowned NP can have such bad roads. The roads took their toll on Troopie’s roofrack and once again the front passenger roofrack mount fractured. We had a fantastic time in Serengeti NP watching six young male lions basking in the setting sun on the side of the road. ...