Roadtrip to the Edges of Tanzania

During the 14-hour marathon road trip to Mbeya, the highlight was slowing to a stop while passing through Mikumi park as a lioness crossed the road! I was not fast enough with the camera, but she was also clearly on the move, appearing from tall, grassy brush on one side before disappearing to the same on the other! I took it as a good sign for this trip.


I couldnt even plan this if I tried. :)

Else, there were no major events of note. Thankfully, no tire blow-outs. No major traffic jams. No tragic traffic accidents on the roadside. One successful drop-off of large pineapples and other fruits to Deo’s (driver) brother. Even two cassette tapes of music to play repeatedly!


Colorful onion pyramids lined the roads on our trek south!

One of the images of my time in Tanzania I will remember most is from Chalinze. Chalinze is a town directly west of Dar – from there, you must choose your own adventure. North sends you towards Arusha and Mt. Kilimanjaro; South directs one to Morogoro, opening access to the southern highlands. Large coach buses stop in Chalinze as it is a major trade cross-roads for passenger on- and off-load, as well as re-fueling.

The main road through Chalinze serves as a gauntlet, each bus that stops is well-received by a throng of teenage boys and young men sprinting with full effort to sell a random selection of items, ranging from practical to the absurd. This vigor displayed towards each bus – each bus offering a new marketing opportunity – highlights entrepreneurialism far less demonstrated elsewhere in the country. While some might counter that their actions nearly infringe upon desperation, I do not think so. These are young men who have not yet left to try their fortune (or misfortune) in Dar and who have not yet chosen to join the other 80% of the nation’s population involved in agriculture. Instead, they are trying to make it on the margin – literally and figuratively – and their energy is admirable to observe. While Kenya is known for its runners, I wish the TZ government would host sprint trials out here – there’s some talent! The potential for profit – a glimmer of capitalism amidst an entrenched legacy of state socialism lingering from the 1970s – demonstrates a slow but emerging current of change towards a more economically thriving country.

After 13 hours in the car, the town of Mbeya just sorta happens. I might not have known we were here, versus another village along the way, except for the Castle Beer road marker, “Mbeya.” Thank you, South African imported alcohol, for your multi-purpose advertising. The striking aspect to this town is the tangible sense of movement.

Mbeya serves as the intersection of the TanZam railway (Tanzania-Zambia), as well as the last major stop on the freeway running north-south-ish across Tanzania. This creates a center of trade and transport – particularly in these days leading up to Nane Nane agricultural festival. Sadly, Mbeya also leads Tanzania with the highest incidence of HIV (18%), as a result of its location along this heavily traveled trade route. However, despite all the advantages and drawbacks from such movement, Mbeya offers some of the most beautiful vistas I have seen yet in Tanzania. The forested mountains crest into valleys full of light yellow maize fields – the scattered square-ish plots almost look European in their lay-out and residents continue to smile genuinely at strangers. Mbeya is known for its tea and coffee plantations – the fields of green plantings contrast distinctively from the multi-colored fabrics of those farmers and field hands picking the leaves and beans for harvest. While Mbeya lies on the border near Malawi and Zambia, it remains uniquely Tanzanian.