Reaching Mahale by Road: Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!December 19, 2024 Dear Subscriber First Name, In response to my recent newsletter on the chimps of Mahale National Park, I received feedback that it would be nice if I shared more of my behind-the-scenes adventures as I travel across Tanzania to discover fascinating places for you. So, my dear readers, brace yourselves for a muddy, sleep-deprived edition of Shauku Afrika Explorer, just in time for Christmas 😉 Tanzania lies just south of the equator, which means it experiences tropical weather with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. Unlike places like Namibia, the weather here puts a lot of stress on the roads—especially the dirt roads. During the rainy season, dirt roads often become flooded, rutted, or washed out, making travel a real challenge. The roads can turn into impassable mud tracks, and rockslides can block the way, leaving travelers to navigate the unpredictable landscape. Many roads are bulldozed and graded once a year to keep them passable, but this means that travel time can vary significantly depending on when you’re visiting. Especially after the start of the rainy season, it’s advisable to check locally for the current road conditions. When I traveled by road from Mpanda to Mahale National Park, I did just that. Four days before my trip, I called the park and was told the road was in poor condition, but it was still passable if I drove with care and attention. What I didn’t account for were the heavy rains that came just two days before I set off. Little did I know, I'd find myself navigating rockslides, black cotton soil, and worse, as I entered 200 km (125 miles) of dirt road at 18:15 (6:15 PM). I captured the whole adventure in my first Video Log on YouTube. Apologies for the length (23 minutes)—but I promise you won’t be bored for a second.
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