Day 1 (Nairobi, KE to Kondoa, TZ)
On Sunday we set off at 8am from home after loading up the car from floor to ceiling. The road south to the Tanzanian border town of Namanga was characteristically free of traffic and well-paved (unlike some of the other major Kenyan highways) so we reached the border in a couple of hours.
The crossing was easy and the officials were very friendly though perhaps somewhat bemused by my plans ('so you are coming back in 3 months? you must be looking for adventure') Having already secured COMESA car insurance (valid across East Africa), there were no additional taxes or fees to pay. I've long been intrigued by the fact that Romanians do not need a visa for Tanzania or Zambia and suspect it might be a relic of Ceausescu's charm offensive among non-aligned countries during the Cold War. Any experts on the topic can correct me on this :)
From Namanga we continued around 400km on a beautiful road to Kondoa, halfway between Arusha and Dodoma. It was easy driving, interrupted only by the infamous Tanzanian police checks, at which we were stopped no fewer than five times. A smile and friendly attitude got us through four of the checks but the last one was trickier. The local constable - armed with a card machine in hand, no less - spotted our large LED lights and gleefully pointed out that they are illegal in Tanzania. A baffling exchange occurred on the the theme of the word 'fine' - 'But sir, these lights are fine in Kenya...' 'yes, is fine, you pay a fine!' But finally, having appealed to the May 1st holiday spirit, we were on our way again without having to take part in the corrosive habit of 'gift-giving.'
SIM card negotiations
We arrived quite late at Amarula Campsite, beautifully located in the hills overlooking the central savannah but with limited facilities.
Day 2 (Kondoa to Iringa, TZ)
Another hard day of driving, this time for 550km across central Tanzania. The roads were excellent and the views beautiful, particularly in the evening light. This time we were only stopped twice by police, the second time in order to wait for HE the Prime Minister of Tanzania to pass en route from Dodoma. The break was a great opportunity to crack open our recently acquired watermelon, which we also shared more widely...
#habeshasavior
Dodoma - the official capital of Tanzania - was quite underwhelming, feeling more like an oversized village than a major capital, even if you include 'constructed' capitals like Abuja. But it was a nice place for a rest stop before we continued southward.
We stayed at the Old Farm House campsite, which had great facilities and very kind staff.
Day 3 (Iringa, TZ to Karonga, MW)
Our third and last 'driving day' ahead of us, we set off early towards the Malawi border. Police checks aside, the journey was easy as most of the road from Iringa to Mbeya, along the Tanzania - Zambia highway, is newly expanded and re-paved.
For the last 100 kilometers south towards the border we were treated with great views of a lush landscape as Lake Malawi came into view. This is also prime banana territory, so we had to acquire as many bunches as could fit into the loaded car (courtesy of Senay, our acquisitive fruit enthusiast).
Tukuyu: banana territory
The Songwe border crossing was a bit of a fiasco due to the constant hassling of money changers, insurance peddlers and other fixers of different specialties. But after a couple of hours we made it through and drove on to our first stop in Malawi at the FloJa Foundation campsite right on the banks of Lake Malawi...
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