travel 2012
Beautiful Game A safari in Tanzania can be a force for good, WRITES EMMA THOMSON
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he Jeep rumbles around the corner and suddenly there it is: Noah’s geological Ark. A 300km² bowlful of pure nature where flaxen lions lie in wait, zebras nibble nervously at the grass and herds of elephant siphon water from the lake. Ngorongoro is the world’s largest unflooded volcanic crater and one of the highlights on a classic Tanzanian adventure. A safari features on most people’s travel wish list, but what makes for a good safari and how can we ensure we’re travelling responsibly? Timing is a factor. One of the best times to visit Tanzania is February to early March, during calving season when predators are on the prowl, but there are fewer tourists and prices remain low due to the risk of rain in late March. Booking with a reliable, responsible tour operator is the next essential. They should keep groups small, arrange for you to stay in locally owned accommodation, eat locally grown food and actively seek out on-the-ground projects to fund. Out on safari, their guides should follow behaviour guidelines set out by Friends of Conservation, which include keeping to designated tracks, observing a 40kmph speed limit and not crowding the animals. Travel company Exodus adheres to all of the above and has worked with ResponsibleTravel.com since 2002 to ensure their trips cause minimum impact on the environment. They also employ very knowledgeable guides. This – along with a good dollop of luck – is the key ingredient of a memorable safari. It’s the difference between just seeing a zebra, or learning that it’s a Grevy’s zebra, identified by the lack of stripes on its underbelly, the largest of the zebra family and an endangered species. However, some travellers, justifiably, question the ethics of driving through the animals’ habitat – surely it’s better to leave them alone? In fact, our tourist dollars bring several benefits. The revenue contributes to the upkeep of the conservation area which provides protection for the wildlife and the experience of seeing these animals up close often spurs visitors to support the likes of the African Wildlife Foundation. This organisation works to conserve Ngorongoro’s critically endangered eastern black rhino,
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travel 2012 once found throughout southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Rwanda, and prevent it from meeting the same fate as the western black rhinoceros, which was declared extinct in November 2011. Indeed, British traveller Justin King reports: “One of the most spectacular and stirring sights during my family’s fortnight in Tanzania last year was seeing a lion take down a zebra. Talk about getting close to nature: you might see that sort of dramatic footage on wildlife documentaries, but to watch it happen right in front of you gives a visceral new understanding of survival in the wild.” Powerful encounters like these encourage tourists to put down their cameras and connect with the animals in a meaningful way. Once you’ve looked into the grandma-like eyes of an elephant you can’t help but become passionate about their fate. The animals aren’t the only ones who benefit. Every year the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority donates over US$100,000, collected from entrance fees, to community projects, schools and hospitals. To ensure they’re doing their own bit to support the local economy, Exodus took Justin King to Mto Wa Mbu, which is half way between the Ngorongoro crater and Arusha. Most operators only pull over here briefly to buy cold Coca-Cola. Exodus, on the other hand, arrange for travellers to spend the day mingling with the villagers, visiting their banana plantations and purchasing locally made crafts and jewellery, an experience Justin described as “Unforgettable- the entire day gave a real insight into the hardships and joys of a rural Tanzanian’s life.” Also on Justin’s itinerary was a trip to Marangu, a Chagga village at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. From here he enjoyed a day’s hike along the well-maintained Marangu trail, where the hawkers calls at the Marabgu Park entry gates are quickly muffled by the dense mist of the rainforest. Not a single shaft on sunlight pierces the canopy and everywhere moss and ferns drip from sodden tree trunks. The silence is only broken occasionally by the distant cackle of a silver-cheeked hornbill and the cheerful “Jambo!” of the porters, who pass by with baskets piled precariously high. Emerging above the treeline, walkers reach Maundi Crater – a flower-rich basin with views of Kilimanjaro’s ice-capped tip. Many of Marangu’s residents earn a living working as porters and guides for groups of trekkers intent on reaching the summit of Africa’s highest mountain. However, during the April–June rainy season jobs are in short supply. To improve things, Exodus joined forces with the Kilimanjaro Guide Scholarship Foundation (KGSF) and established three schools where their guides are taught English, history, geography and wildlife identification during this quiet period. The qualification increases the guide/porter’s employment opportunities, bolsters the local economy, and improves the experience for trekkers. Another project Exodus is involved with is working with Plan UK to install 180 smokeless stoves in nine villages in the Geita district, west of Arusha. Like most rural African communities, the women use firewood for cooking. Collecting it takes a long time – time that might otherwise be spent on education – and has left large swathes of deforestation. Burning it is also detrimental to the women’s lungs and eyes. The smokeless stoves require much less firewood and are faster and cleaner to cook with, a move that revolutionises the women’s health and working day, while also allowing the forests slowly to regenerate. Projects such as these provide tangible rewards for local communities and demonstrate the benefits of tourism. Justin was able to enjoy the sight of Lake Manyara shimmering pink under a carpet of flamingo feathers, reassured in the knowledge that his safari holiday could be a force for good. G
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Way to go Exodus (0845 863 9601; exodus.co.uk runs over 450 tours in 90 countries , aiming for low impact tourism and bringing benefit to local communities. A classic 10-day Tanzania safari costs from £2,549 -£P2,629 including flights A trip combining Kilimanjaro (nine days) and Zanzibar (four days) costs from £XXXX including return flight from London using Kenya Airways. More about Tanzania: tanzania-online.gov.uk
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