Kilimanjaro

Early start to the day... breakfast at 6:00 with pick-up at 6:30am. It turned out to be a hurry up and wait situation. An accident and subsequent traffic tie-up delayed our driver, who had had an early start himself, driving all the way from Moshi to Arusha to get us! Hakuna matata - no problem. Rouse managed to find another new bird to add to the list while waiting in front of the hotel. I think the bird was attracted to the palm trees on the hotel property.

Palm Nut Vulture

So... on the road just after 7:00 am. Our driver, Sabas, was friendly and excited that we are birdwatchers. He is studying birds and pursuing a certificate in professional guiding. It was a 1-1/2 hour drive to Moshi where we picked up our guide, Nteze. We stopped to buy bottled water. The market was bustling! I managed to get a few photos. Pineapple is in season!

Then, another hour to Marangu Gate, Kilimanjaro National Park where we registered for our day trek to Manyara Hut, #1 base camp on that particular route to Uhuru Peak, the highest point on Mt. Kibo, Kilimanjaro. Alas, we had only one day on the mountain... 8 km up and 8 km down, about 10 miles in all.

It was a nice trail, through a beautiful old forest... lush and green, lots of ferns and moss, tropical plants, waterfalls, gigantic trees, beautiful flowers.

We made it!

Our guide, Nteze, celebrated with us.

The White Naped Ravens looked on. They won the prize... #200 on Rouse's bird species list for this trip!

After eating our lunch, we hoofed it on down the trail. Our driver, Sabas, was waiting. In response to an earlier conversation, Nteze and Sabas announced that they would like to stop and get some banana beer for us... a local fermented drink, made from fire-roasted millet and bananas. Now THERE's the advantage of using local guides! It had a thick, chunky-with-millet texture, a pleasant smokey taste, a hint of banana, reminiscent of beer. All in all, not bad! We sipped out of a communal cup... more like a bucket. The drink is served "bigi" out of cups as large as popcorn tubs!

To top it off, the clouds cleared, and as we left the area we actually saw the top of Kilimanjaro... Kibo, as well as sister peak, Mawenzi.

The markets at Moshi were teeming with local residents socializing and doing business. We dropped our guide at "his" coffee bar (did he own it, or was it his favorite place to visit with friends?) in Moshi before the long ride back to Arusha. Bonus, a rainbow over the mountains, right at sunset!

What a day. We were pooped! Just enough energy left to eat dinner at the hotel, enjoy a hot bath/shower, and drop into bed.