From September 2011 we quote from Andrew´s African Adventure as written at his sponsor´s website www.hoopers.co.za
5th September - Tanzania
The original plan was to stop in the large town of Mbeya to resupply, and then shoot straight up to Lake Victoria. The dramatic scenery caused them to reconsult the Lonely Planet guide book and in the end they decided to make time and break the journey in a small town called Tukuyu.
With a little more tourist infrastructure Tukuyu would make a great base for hiking in the surrounding hills. Nearby attractions include Ngozi peak and crater lake, Daraja la Mungu, Kaparogwe Falls, Mt Rungwe and the Mbozi meteorite. With limited time Andrew decided to forgo the world's fourth largest meteorite and the 3km high Mt Rungwe.
Their chosen campsite, Bongo Camping, is actually a community project which raises money for the adjoining school by supplying guiding services. Two of the youths volunteered themselves to show them around. First on the agenda was Daraja La Mungu.
Daraja La Mungu, or "Bridge of God" in the local tongue, is an amazing rock formation that spans the Kiriwa River. It is believed to have formed when cooling lava from the now extinct Mt Rungwe volcano flowed over the water from the river. The result is a striking natural bridge of about 20m.
From here they passed through a military area, and their guides did some quick talking (or perhaps just blamed the stupid tourists) to get them past several checkpoints. This road led them to a pretty waterfall where they stopped for a snack. On the way out they ate lunch at a local restaurant in the village. For the sum total of $1 they got beans, rice and a coke...bargain! Mozza also got his usual royal treatment from the neighbourhood kids.
Andrew’s guides then turned them around and led them towards Kaparogwe Falls, which they insisted were easy to find. Tar gave way to gravel, which gave way to dirt, which then gave way to grass and small shrubs. The local villagers were giving them very strange looks (even stranger than normal), and they were beginning to get a bit nervous as the sun sank lower in the sky. Andrew’s guides were insistent that they would get them there and eventually enlisted the help of some passing kids. This local knowledge led Mozza back out of the grass paths and onto a slightly more recognisable track. Minutes later they arrived at the falls, and they were all very glad they hadn't turned back. Here they witnessed the Kiriwa River divide into several streams and pour over a cave and down into a jungle gorge. It was pretty spectacular! Mercifully the way out was far easier to navigate and Andrew made it back to town before dark.
The following morning Andrew got invited to teach English to the kids in the school adjoining the campsite. Darren and Andrew did their best to further their mother tongue by teaching the room of four year olds to count to ten, identify fruit and sing "Heads, shoulders, knees and toes". Andrew thought they even managed to teach their teachers a bit of English along the way. Andrew thought it felt nice to feel like you've been involved in the community...even if it was to corrupt their future leaders with an Australian accent...
Their final stop on the road out of town was to visit the Ngozi Crater Lake....
(Read more from Andrew´s trip in Tanzania on the web address www.hoopers.co.za).
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