From Dar es Salaam yet another bus journey beckoned, this time covering a momentous 868 miles from East to West Tanzania. We were heading for the Mbeya region where we would spend a few days before attempting our first land border crossing into Malawi. Mbeya is a mountainous region with two large peaks dominating the landscape and overshadowing the main town. Somewhat traumatised after our last overland experience we tentatively sought out another bus ticket in...

After such an enjoyable time in Kilwa we were slightly sad to say goodbye but as time is always against us we decided to move on down the coast to a town called Lindi which is the gateway to exploring the more rugged southern areas of Tanzania. Lindi itself was not particularly interesting but after finding a place to stay for the night we stumbled across a bar on the beach. It was little more than a few plastic chairs on the sand but the beer was cold and we w...

We stayed in a little lodge in Kilwa Masoko, another small village on the South East of Tanzania. On our first night we were joined by another couple but today we are again the only guests. Our Banda overlooks the ocean and we're treated to the constant rumbling of the waves. It's one of the nicest spots yet and the seclusion is becoming quite addictive. Yesterday was extremely hot and we soaked up the sun in the afternoon. Today we've been on a trip to Kilwa Kis...

We awoke the next morning to find that Kilindoni, the capital, was more than just a few dark streets and found our way to a little breakfast eatery. We tucked into the best chapat (basically chapatti) and meat skewers I've tasted, washed down with black chai (sweetened masala tea) which set us up for a day of exploring. A local boy named Shamy took us under his wing and kindly gave us a tour of the town including a visit to his home to meet his parents. He took ...

Much to my enjoyment we awoke on the 20th to a bright clear morning and Kili was being shown off in all her glory. I am so glad we got to see her as it really is an awe inspiring site, something very humbling as I have never really seen anything like it. One day I would love to come back and make an attempt on the summit but time and money is against us so back we went to Dar. Our next destination was Mafia Island and all its marine park goodness, so after anoth...