Weekly Photo Challenge: Rare Skies

Our trip across Africa last summer took us to the Island of Likoma in the middle of Lake Malawi/Nyassa. These Islands are close to the Mozambique coast, surrounded by Mozambican waters but part of Malawi nonetheless. We had three great days at Mango Drift, a Backpacker resort.

One of the best things about our time on Likoma were the night skies – devoid of light pollution it gave us an unrivalled view of the night sky. At this time there was a conjunction of Venus and Mars ( the planets appeared close to one another in the night sky), which doesn’t happen all the time. This and the low light gave me a great picture – on a long exposure the two planets shine brightly. Mars appears a deep red and venus white – so bright it casts a reflection on the water – ‘venus light’.

My submission to this week’s photo challenge: Rare.

Those same skies – later gave the best view of the Milky Way I have ever seen – the pictures don’t do it justice.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Morning (on the Road)

A contribution to this week’s photo challenge  on the theme Morning.

A year ago we had just completed a month long tour through from Lake Victoria to Victoria Falls via Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana (including a brief excursion into Zimbabwe and a travel through Mozambique waters). All the photos below were taken during the mornings as we travelled across the continent. You can find out more by checking the link

Day 1- Mwanza Airport

Day 2 – Early Departure -Dar Coach Station

Day 3 – South of Songea

Day 4 – Mbamba Bay Morning

Day 5 – Mbamba Bay

Day 6 -Sunrise over Mozambique

Day 7 – Mango Drift – Likoma Island

Day 8 – Likoma Sunrise

Day 9 – Lake Malawi Morning

Day 10 – Monkey Bay Sunrise

Day 11 – Monkey Bay – Morning Monkey

Day 12 – Arrival at Chilmba Village (Chief’s House)

Day 13 – Zomba Plateau

Day 14 – Zomba Morning Departure

Day 15 – Dedza Pottery

Day 16- Lilongwe Bus Station – Keeping Warm

Day 17- Lusaka Coach Station

Day 18 – Victoria Falls

Day 19 – Chobe Trio

Day 20 – Zip Wire over the Gorge

Day 21 – Coach from Livingstone to Lusaka

Day 22 – Kapiri Mposhi Station

Day 23 – Tazara Train – Breakfast?

Day 24 – Tazara Train & Tunnels

Day 25- Kipepeo Beach

Day 26- Sunrise over the Indian Ocean

Day 27 – Union Cafe – Moshi

Day 28 – Coffee Plantation on Kilamanjaro

Day 29 – Return to Mwanza

WPC – Look Up To The Skies

A submission to this week’s photo challenge :Look Up – looking up to see the birdlife around us in Tanzania and across Africa.

Roller Turn

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Bronze Mannikin

Roller Close Up

Yellow-billed Black Kite in the sun

Swamp Flycatcher

Red Kite

White Throated Bee-eater

Palm Nut Vulture

Black headed Gonolek

African Paradise Flycatcher

Klaas’s Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Black Kite

Red-billed Firefinch

Black and White Casqued Hornbill

Spotted Morning Thrush

Common Bul Bul

Hamerkop in flight

Roller Landing

Little Bee-eater

A Bird a Day in June: Day 22 – Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo

Day 22

of a series illustrating some of the fantastic birds we see here on Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. Many of these are seen in our garden – this was a very rare visitor indeed.

Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo

Other Cuckoos- Klaas Cuckoo

Klaas’s Cuckoo

 

Maniacal Trio

We are very fortunate to see such a wide variety of birds on the compound. One of the quirkier visitors has to be the Eastern Grey Plantain-eaters. These large turacos are not brightly coloured but noticeable larger than most of the visitors to the garden as they perch precariously on the branches. They are vocal too – with loud ‘hoo hoo hoo’ sounds and a chattering call that builds to a maniacal laughter.

Today we had three birds in the garden and for once some good shots of our maniacal trio.

Eastern-grey Plantain Eater

Weekly Photo Challenge: (Uncertain) State of Mind

For my second contribution to this week’s photo challenge on the theme State of Mind I have chosen a completely opposite image to the tranquility of the last one.

In so doing I am perhaps sharing something hitherto unmentioned in this blog and in truth I will not obviously state it even here but maybe one day I will. We remain happy here in Mwanza in lots of ways but not in every aspect. There are big frustrations and even road blocks. Suffice to say the images of the much repaired but obviously decaying road bridge taken in Malawi last summer convey this aspect of life in Mwanza. It used to carry vehicles but is no longer fit for purpose. Not every road runs smoothly and sometimes the road is ahead is rough and perhaps is ultimately impassable, at which point you need to find another road. Personally I am hoping the road will eventually run smoothly again but for now the road bridge is a suitable image.

If this  is all a bit cryptic  – sorry I can’t be more forthcoming!

2015: 6 Countries, 4 Safaris, 3 Waterfalls, 3 Lakes, 2 Rivers, 1 Mountain ….and 2 Mums

What a year it was!

My first full year in Africa – the first year that I did not spend a single moment in the UK. We made the most of the year in terms of travel within Africa.

If 2014 was about moving to Africa then 2015 was about exploring part of it.

We travelled widely within Tanzania, visiting Rubondo, Bukoba, Dar Es Salaam, Mbamba Bay, Moshi (twice), Shinyanga, Tabora and Kigoma.

Kilimanjaro Sunset

Malaika Sunset with Dow

Rubondo Island on the Southern Eastern Edge of Lake Victoria. This island is a National Park, home to Elephants, Giraffe and Zebra which we we failed to see and Hippos and Crocodiles which we most definitely did see. We travelled there in February for a few days. This included a walking safari through the forest as well as a driving safari. The first of four Safaris in 2015.

Rubondo Sunrisw

Rubondo Hippo

Rubondo Croc

We also travelled beyond the borders of Tanzania to visit Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

At Easter we travelled by coach to Uganda, our first trip outside of Tanzania. In two weeks we crossed the country  traveling to Kampala the capital and from there to Jinja, Murchison Falls, Mbale and Entebbe.

Kampala, the capital, was the hub of our journey from where we travelled to other locations, a busy city crammed with cars we spent Easter weekend here, visiting Watoto Church (home of the children’s choir).

In Jinja we encountered the River Nile, which flows out from Lake Victoria heading northward to the Mediterranean. We walked to source of the Victoria Nile though in truth this is just the place it emerges from the lake, the real source of the Nile is located in Rwanda to the south of the lake.  After a leisurely sunset cruise we then followed this up with a more vigorous encounter as we white water rafted along the upper reaches.

Murchison Falls as it’s name suggests is the location of an enormous waterfall where the Nile pours through a gap of a few meters into the Rift Valley. This was our first big waterfall of the year and certainly dramatic. Here also we had the chance to take a Safari into Murchison Falls Game Reserve and to see the many Elephants and antelope there as well as numerous bird species.

Mbale gave us a taste of Uganda off the tourist trail, and a chance to catch up with a girl we knew from home in the UK, working on a Street Child project. It also gave us a an opportunity to visit a second dramatic falls called Sipi Falls, a set of three falls flowing off a steep escarpment (another tributary of the Nile).

Finally on our trip to Uganda we travelled to Entebbe where we visited gardens and a wildlife park and chill a bit before returning home.

Pied Kingfisher

River Nile

Black and White Casqued Hornbill

Shoebill

Jinja White Water Rafting

Crowned Hornbill

Murchison Falls Uganda

Abdim’s Stork

Later in the year we embarked on our multinational four week tour of Africa, accomplished purely on public transport. These countries formed part of our journey chronicled in our blog Victoria to Victoria.This encompassed a journey across Tanzania from Mwanza to Dar Es Salaam, Songea and Mbamba Bay.

This was my (though not Anita’s) first sight of Lake Malawi ( aka Nyassa). Three days here before chartering passage on a cargo boat to Likoma Island and our third country Malawi. From here the Ilala ferry to Monkey Bay and on to Zomba for a reunion with Anita’s old work colleagues and a chance to visit Chilimba Village her home for two years in the 1990’s.

Our journey northward then to onus to Liwonde (another reunion), Dedza and Lilongwe (more reunions) before crossing over to our fourth country of the year, Zambia. Our destination was Livingstone and the Victoria Falls. These immense falls were the third and most impressive of the year. We spent 5 days in Livingstone crossing briefly over into Zimbabwe (5th Country) and then had a day (and a third Safari) in Chobe National Park in our sixth country Botswana. Elephants, giraffe, water birds, kudu and hippos dominated the watery landscape. We travelled the Zambezi river a second great river of Africa.

We came close to but never quite entered Namibia at the near quadripont on the crossing into Botswana where these two countries as well as Zimbabwe and Zambia are separated by a mere 100m.

Roller Landing

Victoria Falls

Our journey back from Zambia (and yet another reunion with former colleagues of Anita) commenced at an out of the way town called Kapiri Mposhi. Here we embarked upon two day  eventful train journey back to Dar Es Salaam through amazing scenery.

TAZARA Train

TAZARA Train

Back in Dar a fabulous day on the beach at Kipepeo Beach gave us rest and a chance to swim in the Indian Ocean. Then a further coach trip (one of many which lasted more than 12 hours) to Moshi. Here we hoped to see Kilimanjaro without  success.

After four weeks we arrive back home an amazing journey complete.

In October we took the car and travelled across to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika, second longest, second deepest lake in the world.   Our third Great Lake of the year. A relaxing week at Jakobsen’s Beach, doing little but swimming and chilling. Our site had it’s very own herd of zebra, lots of bird life and amazing cichlids.

Kigoma Sunset

December saw the arrival of Mum and Mum-in-Law and the commencement of a Safari through Serengeti centered about a balloon trip and some amazing big cat encounters. Not before a return trip to Moshi and a final sighting of Kilimanjaro.

Serengeti Dawn

Not forgetting an excellent Anniversary weekend at Wag Hill (recently reopened again after closure) and a birthday weekend return to Kipepeo Beach.

Little Bee-eater

Slender Billed Weaver

Swamp Flycatcher

Rock Hyrax

Of course these are just the highlights of our team me here with plenty of life going on here locally in Mwanza. All this and more can be found by checking out the blog and our adventures in Mwanza and beyond!

Lakeland

When many people think of Tanzania, they probably think of the Serengeti with it’s arid plains teaming with Wildebeest and Zebra.

… or possibly Kilimanjaro’s snow capped peak.

… or maybe Zanzibar and it’s white sands and azure waters.

All these are amazing places and we’ve been to all three  (though we’ve yet to see Kilimanjaro’s peak personally), but Tanzania is as much defined by it’s lakes as anything else – more so in that much of it’s Western Border is Lake and a portion of it’s Northern Border too.

There are three Great Lakes here : Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyassa (more commonly known as Lake Malawi in the outside world – but not in Tanzania or Mozambeque which share it).

We have been lucky enough to visit all three in the past 15 months – in fact we live next to the largest (Lake Victoria) so we visit that one all the time.

Lake Victoria

Touching Bismarck

Shared Between: Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya

Area:68,800 square kilometers (26,600 sq miles)

Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest freshwater lake by surface area; only Lake Superior in North America is larger.

Victoria is Africa’s largest lake by area, and is also the largest tropical lake in the world.

The lake is an average of 40m deep and its deepest point is 83m deep. It is therefore quite a shallow lake.

Named after Queen Victoria by it’s European discoverer John Speke it is known as Lake Nyaza in Bantu languages.

Sadly the lake’s ecosystem has been decimated by the introduction of Nile Perch and eutrophication. Thus hundreds of native cichlids have been driven to extinction in the past 50 years. The perch have no natural predator and have destroyed the natural food chains which existed. Increased algae have further choked the lake and the drop in fish population has severely damaged the fishing industry here.

The lake looks lovely but you wouldn’t swim in it’s toxic waters. Raw sewage is dumped into the lake by factories and settlements and increases the eutrophication further.

Bilharzia snails are present in high quantities and as a carrier of Shistosomiasis a potentially fatal disease if left untreated. Sadly locals do swim and wash in it, having no choice but to do so.

It’s sad that this massive body of water on our doorstep is so polluted.

Lake Tanganyika

Shared Between: Tanzania, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia

Area:32,900 square kilometers (12,700 sq miles)

We visited this beautiful lake over half term, staying near Kigoma at Jacobsen’s Beach.

It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest.  It is 570m deep on average and at it’s deepest it is 1470m deep. Only Lake Baikal in Siberia is deeper and has greater volume.

It is also the world’s longest freshwater lake.

The name “Tanganyika” means “Great Lake spreading out like a plain”

Located in the Rift Valley the lake is relatively unpolluted. Over 250 species of cichlids live in the lake and 75 other species too.

Fishing is a major industry here and has impacted upon the fish.

No lake in Africa is free of Shistosomiasis but it seems to be low level/ risk  in Tanganyika unlike Victoria. We will take praziquantel to be certain but you have to wait a couple of months.

Lake Nyassa (Lake Malawi)

Shared Between: Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique

Area:29,600 square kilometers (11,400 sq miles)

We visited this lake in the summer travelling from Mbamba Bay in Tanzania to Likoma Islands on to Monkey Bay in Malawi.

It is the ninth largest lake in the world and the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa.

It has a depth of 292m on average with a maximum of 706m.

It’s over 1000 species of cichlids makes it very bio diverse. It has in fact the most variety of species of any lake.

The lake is subject to a border dispute with slaw I claiming the entire lake up to the shore of Tanzania whilst Tanzania claims the border is in the middle of the lake.

It is probable that the lake contains Shistosomiasis and slthough we were assured otherwise and although we did swim in it’s clear waters at both Likoma and Monkey Bay we have taken medication to be safe.

Three Great Lakes – all different in their own way and all part of Tanzania.

Our African Journey

Wehave just returned from our epic journey across Africa – if you did not catch it you van read about it by clicking on any links below.

This is an update to the original as our plans changed throughout the course of our journey.

An epic journey – on public transport throughout – we survived and you can read about it here.

TANZANIA

Day 1 – Mwanza to Dar Es Salaam

Day 2 – Dar Es Salaam to Songea

Day 3 – Songea to Mbamba Bay

Day 4 – Mbamba Bay

Day 5 – Mbamba Bay  and Night Crossing  to Likoma Island

MALAWI

Day 6 – Likoma Island

Day 7 – Likoma Island

Day 8 – Likoma Island to Nkhotakota (Ilala Ferry)

Day 9 – Nkhotakota to Monkey Bay (Ilala Ferry)

Day 10 – Monkey Bay

Day 11 – Monkey Bay to Zomba

Day 12 – Zomba (Chilimba Village)

Day 13 – Zomba (Plateau)

Day 14 – Zomba to Liwonde to Dedza

Day 15 – Dedza to Lilongwe

Day 16 – Lilongwe to Lusaka

ZAMBIA

Day 17 – Lusaka to Livingstone

Day 18 – Livingstone (Victoria Falls)

Day 19 – Livingstone to Chobe National Park (Botswana)

Day 20 – Livingstone

Day 21 – Livingstone to Lusaka

Day 22 – Lusaka to Kapiri Mposhi

Day 23 – Kapiri Mposhi to Mbeya (Tazara Train)

TANZANIA

Day 24 – Mbeya to Dar Es Salaam (Tazara Train)

Day 25 – Dar Es Salaam (Kipopea Beach Resort)

Day 26 – Dar Es Salaam (Kipopea Beach Resort) to Moshi

Day 27 – Moshi

Day 28 – Moshi (Coffee Plantation)

Day 29 – Moshi to Mwanza

Weekly Photo Challenge: Half and Half

A response to this week’s photo challenge :Half and Half

there have been so many glorious sunrises and sunsets on our trip from Victoria to Victoria, and these fit the theme perfectly. This one stands out though because of the angle. It was taken last week at Monkey Bay in Malawi.

Here are some other Sunrises /Sunsets from our trip in Tanzania,Malawi and Zambia over the last three weeks.

Leaving Malawi

Today we say farewell to Malawi.it has been a great 10 days. Anita has introduced us to her home country of old, the place she lived for almost two years, the people she knew; Paul and Helen; Bambo James and his family; the villagers of Chilimba; Saulos and Patricia; the family of Pastor Ndomondo; Sam. All of these name have become faces to me now.

We have enjoyed traveling from Likoma to Monkey Bay to Zomba, Liwonde, Dedza and now Lilongwe. Malawi is a great place with fabulous friendly people. We shall come back some day I am sure. Next stop Zambia! 

 

Anita’s Return

I make no bones about plugging my other blog today as we returned to Chilimba, the village where Anita worked as an NGO in 1992/3. It was a truly special day and I hope you’ll find some time to read it.  

https://victoriatovictoria.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/day-12-zomba-to-chilimba/ 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Weekly Photo Challenge:Symbol of Malawi

A response to this week’s photo challenge : Symbol

A flag is the symbolic representation of a country. Here as we are currently in Malawi, we have seen many a glorious sunrise. The red sun on the Malawian Flag represents the rising sun.