Drive from Amboseli to Karatu

 Wednesday 22 April

Can’t believe that part 2 of our adventure has finished. Head off at 7.30. We are all going to the border to drop us and the other couple off who are also doing the Tanzanian extension, Jason and Melissa from Canada. The rest will then head back to Nairobi.

We leave in a different way to the way we came in. As we head out there is a lot of water covering the track. We are second in line and we are slowly moving through the water logged bits. It is like a causeway in the middle of the swamp. There is a particular muddy section and the car in front slips sideways and gets bogged. It is the same car as last time! We have to take the luggage out of the back to get the tow straps. We edge forward enough to hook up to the vehicle and we pull him out.

There is no place to go but ahead, so he gets up some momentum and gets through. We follow and on we go. There is another challenge with a lot of water and no clear path. Our driver Abdi goes first and we are through.

It takes two hours over unmade road to get to the border, on the way we came across baboons, zebra, wildebeest and giraffes, one standing in the middle of the track until it decided to move on.

At the border by 9.30, our Tanzania contacts are ready and waiting. We start the bored access process and go through smoothly. Unfortunately the Luggs and Johnstones have no visas, even though they have receipts and have paid for them. After 100 minutes they are granted their visas without having to pay extra.

There are two vehicles for this part so we split up into two groups of four, we are with Karen and Ross and our driver is Today! We now drive for another two hours where we stop for lunch. The roads in Tanzania are a vast improvement on those in Kenya. Sealed roads, no potholes, but still speed humps but only through populated areas. The shops and stalls by the roadside look more solid than the ramshackle ones in Kenya. We have a lovely lunch and by 2.15 we are on our way again to Karatu where we will stay the night.

Just after 4 pm we stop at the Tanzanite experience for a rest break and shopping. We are shown a film on how Tazanite was discovered and mined and marketed. They have an exhibition of a mine shaft and how they work the mine and then there is time for shopping. It was very interesting and informing. We continue on and reach our overnight accommodation in another 30 minutes, it is now 5.15 and it has been a long day. The accommodation is lovely and the surrounding area picturesque and dinner was too much food.

Tomorrow we head for the Serengeti which is another 3 hour drive. We have covered a lot of kilometres by road on this tour.

Wifi is still unreliable but should be OK in the Serengeti.