Kilombero

We live in the Kilombero river valley surrounded by the belt shaped Uluru Mountains. On the weekends we usually like to go to the Kilombero river on a canoe with some friends and the local fishermen to watch the hippos and the colorful birds. From where we live it’s just a five minute drive through the flood plains where Ifakara rice grows and many happy mosquitoes can breed.

The canoes are very extraordinary: the locals simply choose a large tree and carve the inside out of it to the shape of a canoe. The fishermen have been using this type of boat for centuries. They are very experienced men and can spot a hippo meters away although only the tips of their noses are visible. Hippos are very dangerous animals most accidents in Africa resulting in human deaths are caused by them. Although I like to think that the most dangerous wild animal in Africa is Anopheles gambiae – malaria mosquito. Around this river live numerous birds with colorful feathers and funny beaks. I specially enjoy watching the kingfisher hunt for his dinner. On the high mud banks of the river are many holes where bee-eaters live. It’s lovely to see them squeeze inside and peak out to see us pass by. I haven't seen the crocs yet, although the fishermen always know where they are hiding, in which bush, under which tree, behind which rock… The drought in Ifakara has lowered the water to unprecedented levels, many hippos concentrate in the vicinity of the fishermen villages because of the water shortage. It really needs to start raining or else there will be some dramatic consequences.

We usually take a boat upstream to a lonely sandbank and watch the sunset. In the late afternoon the sun is not as hot and the view of the Uluru Mountains in the rose-tinted light is beautiful. We relax with some beer and sodas while Clara plays in the sand with huge snail shells. She loves it there.