Tanzania. The never ending grasslands




Africa is the ultimate destination for anyone interested in Nature in its purest form. We had never looked to plan one as the whole process felt daunting. But when two of our close relatives suggested an Africa trip around the same time which worked for us also, it all fell into place for one of our wildest and most adventurous trips.

We finished planning our logistics in a flurry within a few weeks about 5 to 6 months before our agreed-upon vacation dates. After some back and forth we settled on  Easy travels on recommendation from friends who had used their services. It was a good choice as they were very professional and patient in helping us customize the trip to our satisfaction. Finally, it was 6 days of safari mostly in Serengeti, and 1 final day on the beaches in Zanzibar.

Tanzania, the safaris, people, food, grasslands, and nature were all as wonderful as advertised. Our group was 11 people from 9 to 56 yrs. Serengeti, on which we roamed for 3 full days exemplified our expectations of African nature. The other 2 major parks Tarangire with its Boabab trees, and Ngorongoro crater with its unique isolated wildlife were the perfect complements and bookmarked Serengeti. We did a good balance of cottages (Sopa lodge), safari tents (Tortillis, Sametu), luxury stays (Farmhouse), and a final beach resort(Zanziblue) to experience the wide range of stay options. 

From day 1, we learned to expect the unexpected on a Safari. It could be any of the Ungulates like Zebra, Giraffe, or Antelopes which are grazing peacefully or crossing our path but also the famed carnivores like Cheetah, Leopard, or a resting Lion pride of which there were many. The habitat and views ranged from shrub forests to rivers, to the wide expansive grasslands. One of the days was earmarked to witness the great migration of Wildebeests which were on the move. After driving for several hours, our guides found them. We watched enthralled as the huge herds of thousands of Wildebeests moved steadily to their northern grazing fields.

On our final day in Arusha, we chose to have a quieter day with a local plantation visit and enjoyed some locally prepared food. Zanzibar with its beautiful beaches provided the perfect ending to our African adventure as we reluctantly bid goodbye and headed back. 

Images from the trip:

Day 1: Tarangire

Day 2,3,4: Serengeti

Day 5: Ngorongoro

People shots: Tanzania and Zanzibar


Huthridurga Trek : When wet and misty

 

Location: Huthridurga
Date: Dec 10th, 2022
To get there: From Bangalore, go on Tumkur Road, and take the left to Hassan/Mangalore at Nelamangala. Take a deviation towards Hutridurga before you reach Kunigal.
Distance: Apprx 80km. 
Trail type: We were able to do only about a kilometer to the abandoned temple. This part had manually cut steps on the rock with railings for the most part. Rest was easy to walk trails with man-made or organized steps. The final part was a bit steep but still fairly easy.
Facilities: There is a temple with plenty of paid parking hosted by the family staying there. We paid 50rs for our car. Small shops in the village nearby.
MapTrek Start point 

This was one of those constantly talked about but always postponed plans with our Saturday basketball group. Finally, only 4 of us managed to shake off scheduling conflicts and ignore weather predictions (rainy!) and gathered at my house near Thalagattapura around 7am. We carpooled and started off promptly under misty, cloudy, and intermittent drizzle, with rain gear and snacks!

The drive was comfortable on mostly NH roads except for the last 10 or so kilometers. The trek start point is just past a village temple which also provides ample parking space. The family there maintains that and charges a nominal fee to leave your car. Since it was already close to 9am we chose to eat up some of the food we had bought then itself before heading out. I chose to leave my camera behind because of the weather and the threat of heavy rains later. Therefore, our photo shoots had to be with the mid to high-end cell cameras that all of us carried.

So, it was in uncomfortable ponchos and bulky rain jackets that we started up the paved path toward the hills of Hutridurga. However, the ethereal look of the hills shrouded in mist and clouds at the top, wet paths, and washed clean nature more than compensated for the dreary weather. We trudged up the sloping rocks with cut steps with a lot of expectations and energy. Bird watching was minimal with most IDs by calls and little visual activity by Sunbirds, Munias. 

The views were spectacular as we progressed at a very leisurely pace.  Even at 10am, we were the only ones trekking up, understandable as ours was the first car parked and the weather was still poor. It made the trek experience that much more special and personal with invariable photo shoots every 10 steps or so!

After about a kilometer, we reached an abandoned temple structure to the right of the path perched on the edge of the hill. It had a small Kalyani with water. We chose to stop here and go through the rest of our snacks. The place was isolated at that time with spectacular views all around. We stayed there for almost 30 mins, just munching on food, chatting, and catching up with nostalgic, often hilarious stories mostly from our school and college days.

As the weather still did not clear and the higher reaches of the hills remained shrouded in clouds/mist, we decided to climb down and head back. This time we encountered several parties making their way up including a large trek group. Better late than never, I guess. 

We were back at the trailhead by 11am and enjoyed a "productive" photo shoot with the weather clearing a bit and the trail and hills giving us wonderful clean backgrounds. Shortly thereafter, we were back in the car and planning a much-deserved (or not!) lunch self-treat!

As always, when on a trek anywhere, take only memories and photos and leave behind only your footprints. Avoid disposing of all kinds of trash.


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Return to Hutridurga on 21st Jan 2023



I returned to Hutridurga with a larger group and better weather. This time we reached around 9am after stopping for breakfast at Paakshala@solur on the Mangalore highway. As the weather was good and it was a saturday, we found out just how popular this trek was. Parking was almost full with more cars parked outside the village. The climb until the Temple point was still good though not as scenic. We stopped for 10 mins at this place to rest and continued along the path for another half kilometer or so where we came upon a nice flat area of the peak, which turned out to be an excellent spot for picnic and views. We relaxed here for almost 30 mins with various photo shoot attempts before heading back. Reached the parking place before 12 noon and headed back to Bangalore.

Birding was very poor because of the time of day and lack of focus. However we were lucky to spot the vulnerable Yellow-throated Bulbul and a pair of Egyptian vultures.

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Backdoor Climb to Nandi Hills


Location
Nandi Hills
To get there: From Bangalore towards Hyderabad past the airport
Distance: Apprx 50km. 
Date: 2nd July 2022
Trail type: Mostly (90%) manually created stone steps.
Facilities: Some roadside eateries at the trailhead where you can park also.
Map: Start point 

I had never really trekked up Nandi Hills in the numerous times I have gone there since my early childhood. We always drove up and if it was for birding we would just stop along the way at suitable birding points and do most of the wonderful Nandi birding at the top like we did on this trip in 2009. However, this time when a friend invited me to come along on a trek to reach the top via a backside trail, it was quite intriguing and I tagged along eagerly. 

We reached the start point around 6.30am. The trailhead has some parking along the road leading up to it. A lot of vendors selling the usual roadside snacks, if you are up for it, are set up here. We had our packed breakfast and chose to start out without any delay. However, kids had their own schedule and we stopped within 15mins for our first round of treats! There are plenty of spots along the way to stop, take in the views, and have a picnic. We did that around 45 mins into the trek. The trail itself is not very long and we reached the top near the Nursery or Temple pond area in just over an hour. We then spent an hour there taking the bus to the Tipu Drop Point and then back. Climbing down was uneventful and quick and we were back in our cars by 9.30 heading back to Bangalore.

Overall an easy climb that you can do as an alternative to going by the busy main road to Nandi Hills and you get some great views and a workout as a bonus! Briding was very poor as the weather was cloudy and rainy some of the time. 

As always, take only pictures and leave only footprints. Do not leave behind any trash on the trails.