Visit to Stiegler’s Gorge hits a snag

Kudus graze at Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania. Selous is a World Heritage Site and Africa’s greatest wilderness. PHOTO | RUPI MANGAT

What you need to know:

  • The 2,115 megawatt hydroelectric dam and power plant has been carved out of the park and is expected to be completed by 2022.
  • It will be Africa’s largest dam, measuring 1,200 square kilometres, drawing 34 billion cubic metres of water from River Rufiji.

On day three of the road trip into Tanzania, we’re nearly at the gates of the Selous, a World Heritage Site and Africa’s greatest wilderness, more than twice the size of the two Tsavo game parks in Kenya.

I’m beyond excited. I’ve reached my dream destination. Selous the mighty, with the largest herds of elephants numbering 150,000 and 2,000 black rhinos, and lions outnumbering those in any park in Africa — I read in a 1980 guide book.

After 1,000-plus kilometres, driving mostly at 50km/hour because the Tanzanian police take their work seriously, we shot out of the car and to the gate.

Selous’ Mtemere Gate had Selous Game Reserve painted in enormous black letters on a light green wall.

CLOSED TO PUBLIC

The rangers welcomed us and, upon checking our passports, were suitably impressed that we Kenyans had driven so far out to be at … Nyerere National Park. “It’s not Selous?” l asked.

“No,” replied the ranger at the gate. “Some 30,000 square kilometres are for Nyerere National Park and the rest for the Nyerere Hydro Power Project.”

“Oh. Anyway, I’ve come to see Stiegler’s Gorge and the cable cart over it,” I announced happily. It’s a landmark, and you just can’t go there and not see them.

“You can’t go to Stiegler’s Gorge. It’s closed to the public. It’s for the Nyerere Hydro Power Project,” the ranger replied.

“What?” I exclaimed. “We’ve driven 1,000 kilometres specifically to see the gorge.” “It’s closed to the public,” the ranger repeated.

I could feel him say, “Read my lips lady, it’s closed to the public.” But instead he politely said, “If you really want to see it, you must get permission, from the President.”

HYDROPOWER

That was now a tall order. I don’t think Tanzania’s president would have answered my e-mail in a hundred years.

Still, in the eyes of the rangers, we were important visitors from Kenya, and possibly the first to enter Nyerere National Park.

The only consolation was that we were charged as per the Tanzania National Parks Authority rates for East Africans — $5 (about Sh504) per person for 24 hours and $10 (Sh1,008) for the car.

Under the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority, under which the park falls, we would have been charged about $70 (Sh7,060) per person per day.

The hydropower project over Stiegler’s Gorge has been in the pipeline since 1901, when the German engineer, Stiegler, was sent to measure it.

An elephant charged at him and he fell to his death in the 300-foot ravine. The gorge was named after him.

STEAM ENGINE

Plans to build the hydropower dam stalled, with many believing that it would never take off, especially in recent times, due to serious concerns about its impact on the environment.

The 2,115 megawatt hydroelectric dam and power plant has been carved out of the park and is expected to be completed by 2022.

It will be Africa’s largest dam, measuring 1,200 square kilometres, drawing 34 billion cubic metres of water from River Rufiji.

At the gate is another relic, a steam engine from the First World War that was fought in the area.

It was left behind in 1917 by the German forces under General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, who, with just 14,000 soldiers, held the German territory from 300,000 soldiers fighting for British East Africa.

HONOURING SELOUS

On January 4, 1917, Frederick Courteney Selous, a British explorer-cum-hunter- turned-conservationist fighting the Germans on the banks of the Rufiji was shot by a German sniper and died instantly.

He is buried near the spot where he was shot. It was then known as Mohoro Reserve, and was established in 1896 by the Germans. It was renamed Selous Game Reserve in 1922.

The ranger at Mtemere Gate treats us to an exciting hunt: a snake with a chameleon in its mouth.

The chameleon escapes for a split second but the snake’s too fast. It coils itself around the reptile and slowly swallows it. He captures it on his smartphone.

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