Our Honeymoon - 5 Weeks in Tanzania
Some people go to luxurious places on nice island in tropical locations for their honeymoon. Seems we are a bit different. We pack our small tent, rent a 4x4 Toyota Landcruiser and go camping for almost 5 weeks in the African bush with little to no luxuries things such as showers or even toilets ... but we enjoy every minute of it!
In 2005 we come the first time to Tanzania. Our focus is around the northern parts of the country. Of course we have to see the main tourist attractions including the Kilimanjaro or the Serengeti. However, there are plenty of other things to do if you take the time. To wash off the dust we spend the last days on Zanzibar.
Cultural Tourism is the key word that we were looking for. This is an approach where you can go onto tours organized not by foreign tour operators but by the local communities. Showing tourists the area they live in and aspects of their daily life. Now we know why bananas have that distinct shape and how the beer tastes that is made from them. It doesn’t look very good but the taste was not that bad at all.
Places We Visited
Dar Es Salaam - Lake Manyara National Park - Mto Wa Mbu - Serengeti - Ngorongoro Crater - Karatu - Paradise Garden - Lake Eyasi - Hadzabe - Tatogo - Iraqw - Kilimanjoro Region - Marangu - Chagga - Arusha National Park - Mount Meru - Maasai - Zanzibar - Stown Town - Spice Tour - Kendwa Rocks
Our Stories
Situated in the Arusha area this National Park is famous for its population of flamingos. Ernest Hemmingway once apparently said: "The loveliest I had seen in Africa!"
Lake Manyara NP
15 May 2005
Dar Es Salaam for us is the entry in Tanzania with its international airport. The city itself is a mix of traditional African chaos, a great fish market with almost no tourists and first signs of modernization.
Dar Es Salaam
11 May 2005
On our way to Serengeti we stop in a small village. In Mt Wa Mbu we want to explore the local cultural tourist offerings off the beaten track.
Mt Wa Mbu
16 May 2005
Some people call it a zoo and now we know why. You can't move more than a few meters without seeing the next animal. We even manage to get into the crater with our own car which is not very common.
Ngorongoro Crater
21 May 2005
For most people this is just the last pit stop before heading further to the Serengeti. We ended up spending a whole week here in total. Not because there are some main attractions but more to get to know the local people.
Karatu
23 May 2005
Together with Mount Kilimanjaro the Serengeti is the most known tourist attraction. We are visiting in low season and have it almost to ourselves. Clearly one of the highlights of our trip.
Serengeti
17 May 2005
We take a short flight to Arusha where we pick up our 4x4 Bushcamper for the next month. Our first stop is Arusha National Park with the objective to climb mount Meru and do a hiking safari.
Arusha NP
30 May 2005
Climbing Kilimanjaro is too touristic for us. At the same time we have to visit the region while we are there. Instead of climbing up we explore the different tribes and how they live in the region.
Kilimanjaro Region
28 May 2005
Before we leave the mainland we make one more stop. This time we want to visit a Masaai Boma. Mama Esther is our contact point in Manduli.
Masaai
02 June 2005
