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Tanzania is one of Africa’s top wildlife safari destinations. Wildlife lovers have a choice of two very different safari routes- referred to as the northern and southern circuits. The contrast is most obvious in the topography, habitat and climate. On the northern Tanzania safari circuit, which I have talked about in another article, you visit such renowned wildlife havens as Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara. The southern safari route is anchored on Dar es Salaam, and covers Ruaha, Mikumi, Udzungwa Mountains National Parks and the Selous Game Reserve.

The southern circuit is more discreet, less accessible and has fewer visitors. Adventure lovers and those who seek closer contact with some of Africa’s most complex ecosystems will be rewarded. Here you can view game in a variety of new ways- walking, riding and boating. If you have not had the privilege of getting up close to wild animals in their natural habitat, it is an exciting and refreshing experience. For this encounter, the park authorities require that an armed ranger escort you. It is therefore not as dangerous as it may first appear.

Mikumi National Park is the most accessible of the southern game sanctuaries. It is 283 km to the west of Dar es Salaam - Tanzania’s coastal commercial capital. Occupying 3,230 sq km, it carries a variety of wildlife including elephants, lion, giraffe, impala, warthog, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, hartebeest and eland. Wild dogs- considered an endangered carnivore species -are found here in good numbers. Other resident animals are crocodiles, hippos, and monitor lizards. Birds are most plentiful in the wet season when up to 300 species gathers here.
Many of these are Eurasian migrants, exercising to the full, the freedom that comes with wings.

The Mikumi flood plain is the dominant feature of the park, which is bordered on one side by the Uluguru Mountains and on another by the Lumango range. Mikumi forms the northern border of the Selous Game Reserve and is part of a vast wilderness ecosystem covering 75,000 sq km. Open grasslands stretch on the plains, while the miombo woodlands cover higher ground.

The park is accessible year round- unlike some of the sanctuaries in the southern circuit. To get to Mikuni from Dar, you spend 4 hours on road or 1 hour by air. Budget travelers take a bus ride to park gate, from where game drives are organised. There is limited accommodation at a few luxury lodges and tented camps and at 3 campsites. If you find yourself in Dar on a weekend, this is where you head to see wildlife.

The 1,990 sq km Udzungwa Mountains National Park is 348 km west of Dar and 65 km southwest of Mikumi. The mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains that fall southeast of Kilimanjaro. The park is unique in Tanzania, having been created primarily to conserve plant life. The pristine mountain forest habitat hosts numerous rare plants. There are six primate species, out of which two species are endemic - the Iringa red colobus monkey and the Sanje Crested Mangabey.

At the plateau area, you find elephants, lions, hunting dogs and buffalos, though not in as large numbers as in some of the other Tanzania parks. Birds also do well here, and indeed the park ranks as one of Africa’s most important bird conservation areas. Scientists have in recent times come across at least four previously unknown bird species. The best time to visit is over the dry season between June and October. The hiking trails over the wet season are slippery, which can be quite a nuisance.

The Ruaha National Park is rightly named after its lifeblood- the Great Ruaha River. Occupying 12,950 sq km, it is Tanzania’s second largest national park and its biggest elephant sanctuary. Home to numerous crocodiles and hippo, the Great Ruaha draws many thirsty waterbuck, leopard, buffalo, reedbuck, wild dogs, lion and hyena to its banks. Plain animals such as zebra, greater and lesser kudu, sable and roan antelope, impala and giraffe are found on the plains stretching from the rivers edge.

The topography is agreeable to hiking and walking safaris are allowed. In wet season months of March to April and October to November the bird population peaks and the park has over 370 bird species, including some Eurasian migrants. The flora is very diverse and over 1650 plant species flourish here. The Ruaha has the unique distinction of having plant and animal life found in both eastern and southern Africa. The climate here is hot and dry and temperatures can reach 40

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Once described as the most famous place on Earth that no one has ever been to, Cape Trafalgar near Cadiz in Southern Spain finds itself centre stage in 2005. On October 21st this year, two hundred years will have passed since one of the greatest naval battles in history took place in the seas around the Cape - The Battle of Trafalgar.

Fought between the British Royal Navy under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Franco-Spanish fleet headed by French Admiral Villeneuve, the Battle of Trafalgar was a pivotal moment in the long-running Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Napoleon was planning an invasion of Britain but to achieve victory he knew that he had to gain supremacy on the high seas. Although greatly outnumbered, Nelson pulled off a dramatic victory over Napoleon’s fleet at Trafalgar, employing innovative maritime warfare tactics to surprise the enemy. This shattered Napoleon’s dreams of a British invasion, forcing him to switch focus to a ‘continental strategy’ and ultimately bringing him to defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

Nelson though was to lose his life in the fray. He died aboard his beloved Victory battleship shortly after Villeneuve’s fleet was defeated. To this day, Nelson is still recognised as one of Britain’s greatest war heroes, his most famous memorial being Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, London.

Cape Trafalgar in 2005

Today, Cape Trafalgar is an unassuming spit of land that juts out into the sea. Its sandy windswept shoreline leads down to a lighthouse at the head of the cape from where spectacular views of the coastline between Conil and Barbate can be enjoyed. Whether you’re a sun worshiper, watersports enthusiast or just want to gaze out over the waters where Nelson grabbed his famous victory, Cape Trafalgar truly is an inspiring place to visit.

Getting to Cape Trafalgar

Cape Trafalgar is easily accessed off the main N340 Highway between Cadiz and Gibraltar. From Vejer de la Frontera take the CA-2141 or CA-2143 towards Los Canos de Meca. The Cape is then within easy reach of the town centre. Car hire can be booked in advance for pick up from Cadiz, Gibraltar and many other cities in Spain by visiting http://www.your-carhire.com

Seb Jay is a freelance writer specializing in the origination of web content for http://www.your-carhire.com

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The pros and cons of hitchhiking? Pro: cheap. Con: dangerous. It’s convenient, but unpredictable. No car repair hassles, but the hassle of standing in the rain, waiting hours for a ride. I hitchiked 20,000 miles when I was young, sleeping under bridges and fighting off sexual predators from Canada to Mexico. I loved it, but I wouldn’t consider hitchhiking as a primary mode of travel ever again.

There are still times when I put out my thumb. The most recent was in the mountains of Ecuador. My wife and I were visiting Las Cajas National Park, hiking along ancient Incan rock walls. We missed the bus back to Cuenca. There may have been another one coming, but we didn’t want to wait until dark to find out. Out went the thumb.

To hitchhike is “Ir a dedo” in Ecuador; to “go by finger.” The third vehicle to pass, stopped for us. It was a meat delivery truck, and we were in Cuenca in an hour. When the driver refused to take any money, we left him with a large avacado.

If you ever consider hitchhiking in other countries, ask the locals about it. In Ecuador, for example, I’ve been told you can’t get a ride in the southern part of the country. Also, in some areas it’s customary to at least offer something for the ride.

Hitchiking In The United States

The pros and cons of hitchhiking are obvious, and the balance is on the side of the “cons.” It’s difficult to get a ride now. However, it’s still legal in most places in the U.S., except on freeways. The point on the entrance ramp where you cross the legal line is decided by the police officer that tickets you.

At sixteen, I was stuck for hours on a Montana highway. A nice old lady picked me up and explained why I couldn’t get a ride. On that same stretch of highway, a few years before, the police found a hitchhiker cooking a driver’s heart over a campfire.

Ten years later I caught an item on the news: They were releasing the canibal hitchhiker, now that he was sane. You can see why drivers may be hesitant to pick up hitchhikers. The lesson? Try not to look like a Psycho killer when you hitchhike.

One circumstance it may be useful to hitchhike, even if you never have, is when you need to return to your car after backpacking. Trails often come out of the wilderness in a different location than where they start. Since there probably won’t be taxis there, hitchhiking could be your only way back to your car.

This is relatively safe and easy, in these circumstances. National Parks like Yellowstone are almost the only places we’ve even seen hitchhikers lately, and drivers are comfortable picking up people that are obviously backpackers.

Hitchhiking Safely

Follow some basic safety guidelines. Be prepared for many possible circumstances. Have rainwear, in case you can’t get out of the rain. Have food and water, since you never know how long you’ll wait for a ride. Bring warm clothing if cold weather is possible. Also, always have a highway map with you.

Use intuition and common sense when hitchhiking, and don’t be afraid to say no to a ride. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken a ride with that cocaine-snorting guy in Idaho when I was sixteen. Then again, maybe my intuition wasn’t so bad. He turned out to be a decent guy, and brought me hundreds of miles closer to home.

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. To read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com

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