Tri Tapio Pitkänen johti kahdeksan hengen vaellusryhmää marraskuussa 2001.

Ecotravel:

Vuosina 2001 ja 2002 Seuralla oli Tapio Pitkäsen ideoimana ja alullepanemana ekomatkailuhanke Livingstone-vuoriston alueella eteläisessä Tansaniassa. Hankkeessa pyrittiin selvittämään olisiko mahdollista lisätä alueen ihmisten toimeentulomahdollisuuksia lisäämällä ekomatkailua.

Hankkeen puitteissa kartoitettiin polkuverkostoa, koulutettiin oppaita ja laadittiin opaskartta. Kehitettiin myös melontareittejä joihin lahjoitettiin kanootit ja muut välineet.

Seuraavassa Tapion englanniksi kirjoittama artikkeli (Taarifa 1/2002) Mababu-Utengule vaellusreitistä.

Ecotravel in the Livingstone Mountains

Mababu-Utengule track

The paddy fields of Kyela District are only at 10 hours´ walking distance from Makete District´s steep slopes of wheat fields - bright yellow and ripe for harvest in every November. These scenic places are connected by SANGA TRACKS. Mababu - Utengule track is popular and beautiful.

- Distance 10 km
- Start altitude Mababu 850 m
- Goal altitude Utengule 2100 m
- Recommended starting time 04 am

The track is a steep path about 4½ hours until a short passage of rainforest. Soon the scenary opens as a valley surrounded by steep cultivated or grassy mountains. A few spots of planted forests are along the path. The track crosses several times a small river. The water looks clean, but it is safe when treated or filtered. Walking in the valley is easy but sunshine may dry up even tough hikers. So be prepared before the last mountain, climbing of about 3 hours. Comfortable walking distance in hours (total) on Mababu-Utengule track is 9 - 10 hours including about 3 pauses of 20 -30 minutes.

Mababu-Utengule track is marked by 8 wooden poles. The top of the pole is painted blue. At the Utengule end the path has the north and the south branch to join the Utengule - Bulongwa road. The south branch is near to Utengule Dispensary and Church. At the north branch it is only 300 m to Gabriel Sanga´s kiosk serving soft drinks.

Mababu is a village with primary school. You need a guide to find the beginning of the track. Mababu is 9 km from Matema Miniconference Centre, the nearest accomodation by the lake Nyassa. There is no regular bus service from Kyela to Matema, but some minibuses go weekly for Friday/Saturday Matema markets. Scandinavian bus makes Dar es Salaam - Kyela in 12 hours, daily.

Utengule is a village with church, dispensary and large primary school. It is about 15 km road to Bulongwa village and Bulongwa Church Guest House. There is daily bus service from Bulongwa to Njombe and further to Iringa. Bus leaves around 2 am. It takes 4-6 hours to reach the tarmac road at Njombe. The same bus continues to Makanbako and to Iringa.

It is important to greet the walkers on the track. You will be easily recognized to come from the paddy field if you use kinyakyusa greeting: UGONILE / UGONILE NDAGA, repeated NDAGA UGONILE. If you are asked "What about your work/walk?" UTWA MBOMBO, please answer "ok" TUNUNU. You will be considered to speak fluently kinyakyusa which is spoken by about ½ million people in Mbeya region. Kinyakyusa is one tribal language among 120 other in Tanzania.

Dr. T Pitkänen

Kuvia retkestä:

Kaikki kuvat ovat Sinikka Mäkelän ottamia

Rauhoitettu puu Tukuyussa.

Kraaterijärvi Tukuyun lähellä.

Matema Beach.

Matema Beach -mökki.

Mateman kyläkauppa.

Polku Matemassa.

Vuorolinja-auto Bulongwassa.

Bulongwa-joki.

Rinneviljelmiä Bulongwassa.