A second chance to explore Tanzania

Flag Simple Map of Tanzania

Somewhere in the month of March last year I was planning for my home leave the in May-June and was having a tough time deciding between Namibia and Tanzania. Both had their unique attractions.

Tanzania had so many national parks dotted across its land in addition to charming Zanzibar and the turquoise waters and sandy white beaches of their islands on the Indian Ocean coast - not to mention the star attractions of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the wildlife on the Serengeti plains.

Namibia on the other hand had its own gems like the wildlife at Etosha, the stark landscape on the Skeleton Coast and the Namib Desert. It even boasted the Kalahari Desert and the prospect of hunting with the San Bushmen.

In a dilemma, albeit a one of luxury, I sought advice from my friends on Facebook. To my surprise the responses were all unanimously favoring Tanzania (except one maybe). I have included a snapshot of the responses. It’s a long list but it gives a good idea of the bias towards Tanzania.

Everyone says "Go Tanzania"

Perhaps even more surprisingly then, was my decision to opt for Namibia contrary to all the recommendation of my friends. It was not the non-conformist in me that made me choose Namibia, rather it was a decision made after careful consideration.

Route to get to Tanzania via Mumbai
Map Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

For starters, Namibia was slightly “out of the way” and by that I mean that Tanzania was sort of on the route to India which meant that I could squeeze a visit to Tanzania on my way to India on some other home leave in the future rather than plan a special trip there.

Secondly, getting a Namibian visa was a lot more complicated because Indian citizens couldn't get visa on arrival and Liberia didn't have a Namibian diplomatic mission so going to Namibia needed a lot of time and planning than Tanzania, which I could afford at that time. Tanzania somehow seemed a far more convenient place to visit and this perhaps worked against it because I felt I could easily plan and visit a trip to Tanzania some other time in the future. That was assuming I would still be in Liberia for the foreseeable future.

Arriving on my Ethiopian Airways flight at KIA

Deep down I also felt that Tanzania was more popular (and perhaps more touristy) and much of Namibia’s treasures were understated but actually could hold their own against what Tanzania had to offer. Most of whom have followed me over the past few years know that I always prefer the road less traveled so there in lay the main reason why I choose Namibia.

As I made that decision though, I did have the feeling that I hope I don’t live to regret it...afterall my assignment in Liberia was not indefinite and there was no guarantee if I would get any more opportunities to continue my travels through Africa.

Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA)

Of all of Tanzania’s attractions the one that held the most allure was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. I wondered if I never make it to Tanzania I would forever regret passing up on the chance to climb Africa’s highest mountain. Namibia was fabulous and definitely one of my most exciting travels but I could not bear the thought of living in Africa for some many years and never making it atop Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Fast forward a year and a bit and it was 2014 and luckily I was still in Liberia and had a home leave coming up but things had changed quite a bit on the personal front from the year past (more about it some other day). I had more reasons to spend my time in India than anywhere else which was fine but there was still a small piece of me that wanted to go to Tanzania. Not knowing if I really could make it to Tanzania I booked my tickets from Liberia to India and then back to Liberia via the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania.

That moment when i was debating
whether to check the box for Liberia

I took a chance with my ticket bookings but as fate would have it my stay in India did not get extended so I was driving back from my home town of Belgaum to Mumbai on the 28th of September with the exciting prospect of finally making it to Tanzania. Next stop was the Kilimanjaro International Airport and a crack at taking on Africa’s highest mountain.

Passing through the thermal scanner

Getting in through the airport upon arrival in Tanzania was not without its problems though. All passenger had to pass through a thermal scanner to check for fever related to Ebola virus.

After living in Liberia through its Ebola epidemic I was pretty calm with the health checks but I wondered what the other passengers, most of whom were from the developed world, thought of it.

After the thermal scan we had to fill out a form on our past visits and since I was in the mood to be honest I wrote that I had been in Liberia in the past 21 days. As I handed-in the form a lady scanned it and soon I was segregated until all other passengers had passed through.

After a while of waiting I was asked to fill out more forms with my contacts in Tanzania and a visit to a health care worker in protective equipment who was assigned at the airport but just when the thought started to foment in my mind that I might not be allowed in the country the same lady who had segregated me came up and told me to fill out one last form and I would be free to go.

It was a minor scare but soon I got my visa on arrival and was officially in Tanzania…my 20th African country if I include a couple nights spent in Lagos, Nigeria.