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Kitolu Plateau and Kipengere Range

One Year Africa: Living as a Vagabond in South-Tanzania Part II: Kipengere Range

Maarten de Boeck
2006-05-01 18:14:05

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Gazing at maps I let myself lead by the euphony of geographical names. I had studied the maps of the countries I planned to visit, especially the map of Tanzania. Names of places like Mbizi Mountains, Livingstone Mountains, Kitolu Plateau, Kipengere Range captured my imagination. I wondered how it would be to wander around there.
They were the places I definitely had to go to and once in Tanzania I did so. I really wanted to be there. I wanted nothing less than to penetrate in the heart of each of these mountain ranges, transforming the idea in tangible reality. I had in mind wandering around as a vagabond, everything I needed should be in my backpack. At night I would sleep in the bush, camping or bivouacking, a romantic idea, in the true denotation of the word.

I pitched my tent on the Kitulo Plateau.
I wrote:
"A place of silence, deep silence. I love silent places.
Nobody knows I am here, nobody knows how it is to be here; to watch the surroundings, to listen to the silence, to enjoy the last sunshine, to cook a meal, to sit lonely in a tent, to feel a certain satisfaction doing so.
It is a lonely experience. It's only me. I don't know whether that's good or bad? I don't know whether there should be someone to share this with? Then we could have talked. Actually I don't want to talk, I want to listen to the silence.
Only I know how it is to be here and will remember, nobody else will."

I had travelled to the Kitolu plateau by car and truck from Mbeya, passed places as Njombe, Kipengere, Ikonda and Makete. I was about to embark on part two of my vagabonding journeys in the South- Tanzanian mountains. I had in mind to tackle a challenge.
I wanted to walk to a small village named Kipengere, sixty-four kilometres in bird's-eye view, ...