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TANZANIA 25 June to 25 July Things haven't improved much at the Zambian/Tanzanian border posts during the last nine months! They're still as chaotic as ever. One has to have experienced it all to understand what it's really like!! Travellers on foot, in coaches, in vehicles, abandoned vehicles (owners unable to pay import duty or taxes), huge semi-trailers and b-doubles all trying to traverse the narrow road and so-called entrance barriers; truly unbelievable! Your vehicle has to be guarded when you leave it to go through the formalities and you need an agent's assistance to get through all the red tape and paperwork that is involved with getting your vehicle into the country. A couple of hours later we were back on the road again and heading to our usual first stopover, and on our way back from a wonderful stay in Tanzania. MBEYA June 25 and July 25 This is a nice town which has several hotels, markets and the usual type of shops associated with Tanzania. It also has a great internet shop in one of the local travel agents. Accommodation and dining: Once again we stayed at the Mt Livingstone Hotel; for the past couple of years we say we're going to stay somewhere else - we tried the Mbeya Hotel once and that wasn't a very happy experience - but always seem to get back to the Livingstone. Our spacious room was equipped with a flat screen TV, en suite (bath, which is nice and relaxing) and comfortable seating. We paid TS65,000 a night which included breakfast.The dinner menu is extensive and the meals very well prepared. And the bar area offers everything but wine! Walking around the town we found a new dining experience for lunch; the Sombrero situated in the main CBD, which serves pizzas, burgers and light meals. IRINGA June 26 to 28/July 23 and 24 Iringa is one of our favourite towns in Tanzania: it's easy to get around, has a great market place and shops and altogether has a nice 'feel' about it. There is an i-cafe just down the road from the Isimilia Hotel (Iringa-net) which is preferable to the facility at Neema Crafts as it is far too slow and sometimes non-existent. Accommodation: We have stayed at the Isimilia Hotel for many years. The rooms are very basic but have en suite facilities and are affordable at TS20,000 a night including breakfast. The hotel is also within easy walking distance the CBD. I wouldn't really suggest having lunch or dinner there as the food is fairly 'ordinary'! Dining: We had lunch every day at Neema Crafts in their new premises just off the main street. Neema seems to be a meeting place for tourists and has a varied menu with reasonable prices. It's a must to visit and tours of the actual craft section can be organised. On our June visit our usual restaurant for an evening meal, Lulu's, was closed so we ate at the Hotel Rhuana just across the road from Lulu's, and very nice it was too. Lulu's was open again during July so we were happy to dine there and renew acquaintances with the owners. MOROGORA June 29 and 30/ July 9 and 10/July 22 It was so good being back in Morogora and to meet up again with our friends Michelle and Jean (and the doggies) at the New Acropol Hotel. We seemed to arrive,leave,go back, leave, go back and leave! It took a long time to drive from Iringa to Morogoro as there were roadworks from Iringa to Mikumi. Accommodation and dining: As always, we stayed in our favourite Tanzanian hotel, the New Acropol Hotel which is just a short walk to the main shopping area. We occupied several different rooms during our comings and goings, but all were spacious, had an en suite, and contained beautiful antique furniture. We paid TS65,000 a night which included breakfast. The dining and bar areas are full of memorabilia and magnificent old prints of days-gone-by in Tanzania and Zanzibar. It's nice to sit outside on the verandah, have drinks and watch the world go by. We had all our meals, except one, in the hotel and chose from an extensive and reasonably priced menu. One lunch time we dined at the Morogoro Hotel and had a tasty meal. On the way to Morogoro we had lunch at the Tans-Swiss Resort just outside of Mukumi. It was a little pricey!! DODOMA July 1 Dodoma is the capital of Tanzania so a pleasant stopover on our way to Mwanza. It is an interesting drive from Morogoro and the road is in excellent condition. The city didn't have the 'nice feel' about it that the previous three towns had so we didn't wander around too much Accommodation and dining: There are lots of places to stay here, but the New Dodoma Hotel was recommended.The place was packed due to a political rally so we were lucky to get a room. On our return after staying in Mwanza every hotel in the city was booked out so we kept on going to Morogoro. Our room was pleasant, with an en suite, TV, tea making facility, but it was a little noisy! We paid TS80,00 for the night, which included a very strange (to us) breakfast of mashed potato, battered fish and something scrambled! There is a Chinese restaurant in the hotel so we had a very nice evening meal there. It had an extensive menu and was reasonably priced. |
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| SINGIDA July 2/July 8 Leaving Dodoma on the way to Singida we struck a 20-kilometre detour road, and what a horrendous stretch of road that was!! Apart from that, the countryside is quite dramatic and different to what we had seen in the past few days. It's certainly not tropical! Accommodation and dining The hotel we stayed in on a previous trip had closed down, but we found the Country Inn & Suites on the picturesque Singindani Lake shores. The suites are new and very comfortable, with TV, tea/coffee making facilities, en suites. The room we had on our first night cost TS40,000 and the one on our return was slightly larger and cost TS50,000, including breakfast. The dinner menu is limited and the food was really unpalatable. Keith, who has a cast iron stomach, managed to eat his meal but Anne could not force hers down! MWANZA July 3 to 7 The road through to Mwanza was certainly better than it was when we travelled it in 2006 and nearly wrecked the vehicle! It was nice to be back in Mwanza and to see Lake Victoria, the second largest lake in the world and biggest in Africa. There is an i-cafe just near the New Mwanza Hotel.. Accommodation: New Mwanza Hotel July 3, 4 and 5 The accommodation is reasonable with good-sized rooms containing an en suite and TV. However at around US$100 a night it's a rip-off. Renovations wwere going on whilst we were there, so with that noise and loud music from the adjoining casino the stay was not very relaxing. The tarrif does include breakfast which has a variety of dishes and the dinner menu is reasonable. And there is secure parking! Three nights there was enough and we moved to ... The Midland Hotel July 6 and 7 During our walks around Mwanza we found this hotel: it's new, spotless, has a delightful lot of staff, a nice bar area overlooking the lake and town, and even a beauty salon. Anne had a nice facial which cost around TS10,000! We paid TS40,000 a night, which included a buffet breakfast, which is really great value. It's highly recommended. Dining: If you are looking for superb meals in Mwanza then go no further than the Hotel Tilapia. Set right on the shores of Lake Victoria it's very popular with tourists. From the main restaurant there is a magnificent view of the lake. The menu is extensive and very reasonably priced. It's well worth a visit; we had three meals there and enjoyed each one. A great atmosphere. We also dined at the Chinese restaurant which is also set right on the lake's shore, just down from one of the town's best-known landmarks, the Bismark rock. The meals there are very tasty. TANGA July 11 to 13 From Morogoro we travelled through to Tanga. Along the way were picked up for speeding (didn't see the speed limit sign) and then a stone chipped the windscreen. We'd already booked the Hilux in for a service at Lal's garage, 027 2644007, so Mr Lal was able to organise a new windscreen for us. The garage is tops and won the 2010 DT Dobie award for the best performance in 2010. Tanga is a very laid-back town and nice to visit. Another of our favourite places! Accommodation: Like last year we stayed at the Mkonge Hotel which is very comfortable with spacious rooms, TV and en suites, situated right on the harbour with great views. We paid TS120,000 a night, including a buffet breakfast, which is rather expensive. Don't even try the internet as it is painfully slow and costs a lot! Dining: We ate at the Tanga Yacht Club which serves deliciious and inexpensive food which is served on a large deck overlooking the harbour. Very, very pleasant and well worth a visit. At night we just had a light snack at the Mkonge. PEPONI BEACH RESORT July 14 to 16 What a huge disappoiontment! We stayed here in 2008, in a lovely spacious banda overlooking the ocean and were so looking forward to this year's visit. On arriving we found our accommodation to be a caravan, which was absolutely, absolutely filthy with threadbare sheets, mice dirt in the cupboards ... just awful. Having said that, the meals are really great and the walks along the beach so relaxing and happy. To top off the bad things about the stay, we organised for all our washing to be done on the last day and when we went to pick it up in the morning before we left, our clothes had just been washed and were still soaking wet. I tell you, we weren't happy!! DAR ES SALAAM July 17 and 18 Driving in Dar es Salaam is not for the faint-hearted!! But we managed to arrive at our hotel safely and with not a scratch on the Hilux! As we planned to spend a few days in Zanzibar we caught a taxi to the wharf on the 18th to buy tickets on the ferry for the next day. This area of Dar can be quite daunting, however we managed to get tickets on the so-called 'fast' ferry (which isn't really that fast and is usually late) without too much bother. The tickets cost around US$60 each plus US$5 each port tax. Accommodation and dining: Once again we stayed at The Slipway which is situated right on the water. Whilst a little expensive at TS155,000 a night it really is worth it: the rooms are spacious and clean, with TV, en suite and a wall safe. And the complex also houses a variety of boutiques, restaurants and a supermarket. If you're looking for souvenirs then the market place adjacent to the Slipway is less expensive than in the boutiques. We breakfasted outdoors at the Classico Caffe and dined at The Terrace a very reasonably-priced Italian restaurant which specialises in pizzas and overlooks the Indian Ocean. A new luxury hotel, the Double Tree, is next door to the Slipway so we couldn't resist a visit. It really is quite spectacular! ZANZIBAR July 19 to 21 We left the Hilux under guard at the Slipway and caught a taxi (and booked it for the return trip) to the harbour. There is now a very nice new ferry terminal at Dar where you are able to wait and also have a snack: much better than the old facility. As usual the ferry was late but we were soon aboard for the three hour trip to Zanzibar; a most uncomfortable trip for Anne as she is not a seafaring person, hates being on water and has a panic attack which brings on nausea. Next time we go to Zanzibar I think it will be by air from Tanga!! A passport is required for Zanzibar and a document to show a yellow fever vaccination. And while you are strolling around call in to Memories of Zanzibar in Kenyatta Road for some retail therapy or go in to the some of the tiny shops in the main area of Stone Town. STONE TOWN Accommodation: Having very little luggage, just a back pack each, we walked along the harbour to the Shangani Hotel which is situated in Kenyatta Road almost opposite the post office. (Don't post mail from there because it probably won't get to its destination). It's a mid-range hotel and the rooms are adequate, with an en suite, fan and air conditioning. We paid US$75 a night which included a cooked breakfast taken on the rooftop overlooking Stone Town and the Indian Ocean. If you ask one of the waiters he will point out where the infamous Arab trader, Tipu Tip is buried! Zanzibar is a magical place where you can wander around, even at night, and feel quite safe. The locals are friendly. We didn't do a spice tour or go to the beach resorts as we've done all that on other trips. It was just nice to walk around Stone Town. Dining The Monsoon restaurant serves a nice, reasonably priced lunch and Mercury's Restaurant overlooking the ocean is an absolute must as is La Fenice Italian Restaurant and the Ice Cream parlour just around the corner from there. There are numerous places in which to dine. |
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