Ben Wilhelmi

Tanzania, some random pictures

 

Just being a bit lazy today, there is no particular theme in the pictures below..

 

I wish I had had more time to stop and see that bush contraption from up close. Needless to stay the engine rattled quite a lot. I would venture in naming a Land Cruiser as a base...

 

 

 

 

 

Xmas in a pajama? Or am I such a fashion ignorant again?

 

The Peninsula area in Dar es Salaam, thronging into the Indian ocean.

 

Women have any job they want in Tanzania, even a president these days, Mama Samia.

 

 

The one and only, the unique volcano of its kind in the world, and active: Oldoinyo Lengai. Rift valley.

The same, another view, here on the right hand side.

 

"Yo Bo wassup" etc....very common in Africa.

 

One of those impromptu fashion windows along the bus stands.

 

 

In cities and towns, the most modern bars and restaurants will be available. Elsewhere such a restaurant will be quite common.

 

 

Aerial photography, Tanzania

This big country is a marvel for a pastime like aerial aerography...

 

Delta on the northern part of lake Natron, where salts mix with fresh water from a river coming from Kenya, Southern Ewaso Ng'iro, Rift valley.

 

Low pass to greet a Maasai walker.

Minimal art?

 

One of those airstrips in Tanzania, along lake Natron, not too far from the volcano Lengai.

A non-perennial lake at the foot of mount Kitumbeine received unusual visitors.

I enjoy looking for various subjects of total different composure,colors and style like this psychedelic spiral of salt in lake Natron...

Versus this same lake natron, another day and welcoming flamingoes slightly disturbed by my approach to land nearby

Old pictures with Flying Medical Service

I'm faffing around through my old pictures from 1999, the year I arrived in Africa, here in Tanzania.

 

One of my first proud Masai warriors posing for me. Impressive guys for a newbie. Greater Serengeti.

 

A village in western Tanzania, Kasulu.

My colleague Steve on take off, Olpirikata, Sanjan plains.

The stunning lake Natron, I couldn't Believe such a marvelous and stunning place could exist. Rift Valley.

Teenagers are the same everywhere.

A Flying Medical Service Cessna 206 on landing.

Me on my first time in the bush, Olaika, Greater Serengeti.

FMS has a knack for the craziest and or most beautiful places to land and operate. Olorbelin, lake Natron, Kenyan border.

My second emergency! This man had been dragged into a brawl with cow thieves. An Arrow landed through his forehead to his lower jaws. He sufefred a momentary speech impediment but sadly lost one eye. I had been in Tanzania for 2 weeks ...

 

Landing with a strong crosswind, Ngaresero, Bottom of the Rift Valley. The mountain is the active volcano Lengai. Another stunning place to operate into.

I was using a great SLR film camera, a Minolta X700 which I still use once in a while.

Aerials, Tanzanie

 

one of the wonders in Tanzanie, the active volcano Lengai. And in the foreground lies the crater Empakai.

 

Artistic sandbanks on the Luwegu river, Selous reserve.

 

Bush fires spread slowly and rarely kill trees. That black surface will turn green at the first drops of rain.

 

Housing on the Indian ocean beaches.

 

Drying lake in the Selous.

 

Off Mafia island during low tide, 2 different views.

 

Siwandu airstrip, Selous.

 

Low tide around Pemba island. Notice the under channel.

Aerial photography, Tanzania

 

Detail of the mangrove, Pemba island.

 

 

Overtaking a competitor over the vast African landscapes.

 

On one frame, let’s admire the volcano Lengai, Mt Kilimanjaro on the horizon, Mt Kitumbeine and Mt Meru. Not everyday that we can enjoy a 100 mile visibility.

 

Dar es Salaam center.

 

Ngwazi airtsrip,

 

A highway crosses some swamp near Ngwazi.

 

Rufiji river and a swamp, Selous reserve.

 

Indian Ocean.

Aerial photography, Tanzania

 

Salt pans, lake Balangida, southern tip of the Rift valley.

 

Monik airtrip, lake Natron. That mountain is the active volcano Lengai.

 

 

Sunrise on the Indian ocean.

 

Luwegu river, southern Selous.

 

Drying Katasunga river, Katavi NP.

 

A dust devil on the burnt Katasunga plain.

 

A reef in the Indian ocean is  by fishermen and their nets.

 

In the Selous reserve, some floods from 40 years ago haven’t totally disappeared. The dead white trees are numerous to tell the tale.

 

Lake Natron, Tanzania, aerials over the years

 

OK OK I’m just a little bit biased over that stunning salt lake located in the Rift valley.

 

 

The salts offer all the rainbow palette but green. About shapes, well there is quite some diversity as well.

 

 

Just to add a little touch and leave nothing to the other lakes, natron is surrounded by an extinct volcano, Shombole on the Kenyan border, and an active volcano, Lengai to the south.

 

 

Another big touch is the presence of flamingoes. Not an exception in the various lakes of the Rift valley but Natron is the only breeding place for them in Africa!

 

 

Aerials, Tanzania

 

Stiegler’s gorge, Rufiji river, Selous reserve.

 

A perennial pond on the southern dormant top of the active volcano Lengai.

 

Just outside Arusha.

 

Lovely early morning out of Dar es Salaam.

 

Elephants in the Katavi park.

 

Pemba shores, Indian Ocean.

 

A pond in the Selous.

Aerials, volcano Lengai in eruption, Tanzania

 

Some various old pictures from 2006/2007, the last time the volcano erupted.

 

 

The highest plume recorded: 55.000ft! It looks like Hiroshima.

 

Even when flying away form the toxic ashes, some particles were invisible in the air and could only be seen after landing. A lot of people complained when the European airspace was closed some years ago after that whatwasthatimpossiblenameagain volcano erupted in Iceland. Well after I have seen these minor eruptions, after 3 engines were lost I understand and support the authorities. If no action is taken and a crash happens, scientists and others will be thrown in jail, especially in Italy.

 

Empakai crater in the foreground, Ngorongoro Highlands.

 

 

 

Ashes covered a wide area making it tough for the few villagers out there.

 

I must have been in a state of grace that day… here is the 2nd plateau of the volcano. The ash layer got so thick or dense for some months that water would be trapped in a pond.

aerial photography, Tanzania

 

Rift Valley, volcano Lengai and a detail of its slopes

 

 

 

 

 

Mt Hanang and lake Balangida

 

 

Aerials in Tanzania

 

Our company flies in the remote bush and also performs island hoping in the Indian Ocean. 2 pictures of Pemba Island.

I should remind my great boss that I have a seaplane license… I’d love a seaplane in those lagoons and reefs.

 

The Rufiji river in the Selous.

 

The active volcano Lengai last month. Active but quite for some years.

 

Some mornings near Dar es Salaam.

 

 

A herd of buffalos in Katavi. 500 heads is common…

 

And these elies a bit further. After South Sudan I feel I’m flying in paradise.

Flying Medical Service, clinics in the bush, Tanzania

 

Flying Medical Service operates 2 Cessna 206s.

An old picture: I had been stranded in a Masai village, Pininyi on lake Natron shores. The problem was a jammed starter. Pat Patten, the manager-founder, had come to rescue me with a new starter. A night in a Masai village can be interesting.

 

A one-legged man leaves the clinic after some treatment on his stump.

 

Babies receive their drop of polio.

 

A nice ‘medical’ hut in the Rift valley.

 

An airstrip near an active volcano named Lengai.

 

In this place, Oleparkashi, the clinic takes place under the wing. Notice the scale hanging from the wing.

 

A man goes home, probably quite disappointed. Nothing we can do for his elephantiasis on the legs.

 

Patiently waiting for the doctor.

 

Another hut, a different view of the volcano Lengai.

 

The last 2 pictures were shot on slide film with my lovely Rolleiflex.

sceneries in Tanzania

 

 

 

 Pupils coming home.

 

 

 

 

 Volcano Lengai in the Rift Valley.

 

B/W aerial photography, Natron and Lengai

 

Rift Valley, Tanzania, here is an aerial view of salt lake Natron and active volcano Lengai.

 

 

 

Aerials, Tanzania

 

Local celeb’: volcano Lengai, an active one.

 

 

Tanzanian air force in Mwanza, some of the Mig 21s (Chinese license, and renamed F 7 Chengdu)

 

 

 

 

outreach clinics in the Tanzanian bush, Flying Medical Service

 

Flying Medical Service  operates on about 26 remote villages. Here is our doctor of the day treating a kid’s wound.

 

A nurse busy with vaccination cards and syringes.

 

Monik, an airstrip on lake Natron. Extinct volcano Shombole above and active volcano Lengai below

 

A one-legged man goes home after a treatment on his stump.

 

Bush airstrips show challenges sometimes minor, sometimes serious. Slopes, altitude, difficult terrain and surroundings, flash floods…

volcano Lengai, photography

 

 

 

 

 

the whole area is peppered by craters of various sizes.

 

seen from lake Natron. The red foreground is lake Natron’s signature, salts, carbonates, alga …

 

Flying Medical Service, Tanzania

 

Flying Medical Service provides various health cares in northern Tanzania and operates in remote areas where roads are usually non existent.

who can see the airstrip on this picture?

 

Easier to spot here, Monik village on lake Natron. The mountain is a volcano, Lengai.

 

The wing provides shade to the doctor and her ‘cabinet’.

 

 

 

Things change, cheap motorbikes have shown up some years ago. This man offers his taxi skills.

 

Women waiting for the vaccination jabs.

 

The nurse is busy weighing the babies.

 

The baby has a more interesting haircut than his mother.

landscape photography, Tanzania

 

volcano Lengai, what a marvel.

playing “Amélie” with a hedgehog fluffy toy.

 

 

a squatted airtsrip…

 

playing soccer near the volcano.

 

 

 

view on lake Natron and another volcano, Shombole.

Flying Medical Service, mobile clinics in Tanzania

Flying Medical Service, a great little NGO for which I flew more than 6 years…

A doctor inspects a baby. It’s amazing what can be achieved with 3 boxes of supplies. The people we treat live far away from any facility and still , from these remote clinics, we rarely fly a patient out to the nearest hospital. The doctors manage to cure most cases.

 

Curious visitors on lake Natron.

 

A medical hut in bricks, the only one in the 25 villages we visit.

 

A Sonjo mother waits with her child.

 

Maasai warriors playing and posing for my benefit, and theirs as they will receive a few prints later. I made a point not to give any money but prints to each model.

 

Women come from a long way to attend the clinics.

 

We get to land in the most stunning landscapes, here in the Rift Valley near the active volcano Lengai

 

I had just flew this man from the hospital back home. He still had difficulties to walk and was waiting for friends or relatives to carry him home.

 

A lone tree serves as a clinic spot.

 

I had had a brake problem so TJ, a former colleague, came to swap planes.

Flying Medical Service, clinics in the bush, Tanzania

 

a doctor chats with a Maasai patient.

 

An active volcano, Lengai. We’ve got  a few airstrips nearby.

 

A man has just received a bag of medicine.

 

a typical Maasai homestead. Miles away from anything like a shop, a dispensary, a road…

 

People coming to the clinic.

 

A mama has just received a vaccination shot.

 

It used to be the real bush out there. Only traditional clothes were to be seen. But if a lodge or a hunting company come nearby and provide jobs, fashion changes quickly or newcomers show up.

Volcano Lengai, Tanzania

 

 

this active volcano lies in the Rift Valley, northern Tanzania. This picture was shot from the air overhead lake Natron.

 

 

 

seen from an airstrip on the other side of lake Natron, 70km away.

 

 

 

view of the bottom.

Tanzanian sceneries

Tanzania is a country of contrasts. Here are some pictures shot in the mythical Rift Valley.

This is the only active volcano in East Africa, Oldoinyo Lengai. Though as said yesterday, Mt Meru near Arusha, is a threat again. Congo and Ethiopa also share the honor to hold active volcanos on their soil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volcano Lengai, aerials this year

 

 

detail of the crater bottom. The dark flow indicates fresh lava. Within a few days, that black tone will turn whitish like the surroundings. Exposure to oxygen…

 

overflying lake Natron on a clear day makes a happy day…

 

 

people in the bush, Tanzania, photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

landscapes, photography in Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bush flying, Tanzania

 

Flying Medical Service has definitely some of the best bush airstrips! Whether for the challenge or the sceneries. Here a flooded strip at Monik.

 

a volcano, Lengai and an active one that is.

 

a bit of low flying in Olduvai gorge.

 

downhill airstrip, one way in, one way out, no discussion. Wind is not a factor really.

 

our new recruit.

 

the advantage of this place is that the strip can be set anywhere, just throw a few rocks (which won’t stay white very long) et voilà.

 

I don’t fly this Herc’, though this is one of the very few big bush beasts I’d love to get a job onto, and watching a C 130 bush take off is always impressive.

 

Rift Valley, just a few small villages, a coupla airstrips down there…

 

time to kick some butts before I can take off from one of the Katavi park airstrips. Animals are common on strips of course, but such a variety, not so much. Zebras, Cape elands and waterbucks all together, what a treat. Even if it meant I had to run and yell like an idiot to chase them away. The other idiots were busy nose-picking somewhere. I won’t give names here but my fellow pilots know which green men I'm referring to.

scenes and people, Tanzania

 

woman caught in a dust devil.

 

 

 

 

 

pinhole picture. I like to experiment once in a while…

 

donkey scratching its back, and destroying our airstrips…volcano Lengai.

 

That pond dries up in the dry season. I wonder how the women cope with the laundry. More water to fetch far away from some waterhole?

 

 

another pond that dries up every year. The herders enjoy the recently dried up bottom while green grass is still available.

Tanzania, bush flying

 

we had some visitors at night…elephant tracks.

 

a colleague came to rescue me after a brake failure, we just swapped airplanes so I could continue safely on the medical tour and the other short airstrips. Notice the brown spot, an anteater hole that I had had just filled up.

 

 

 volcano Lengai far away.

 

wet airstrip…and dry some months later. Same location.

time for the water level to stabilize.

 

 

 

B/W infrared pictures, Tanzania

 

while on a Flying Medical Service tour, I loaded my Leica M6 with Maco IR films and a 89B filter

The Rift Valley, the mythical Rift Valley. Here is the aircraft and the clinical hut at Engoveroni.

 

Herders eyeing me suspiciously…

 

2 opposite views of the active volcano Lengai.

people in line, yes in line!, waiting for the vaccinations.

Flying Medical Service in the bush, Tanzania

 

this is an example of a village we fly to. Judging by the main street, it is easy to guess how remote and somehow forgotten the place is.

 

most of the villages we attend are quite remote anyway, otherwise why bother?

 

Masai women waiting at a clinic.

 

while the clinic is going on, some women come and sell fruit and vegetables just next to the clinic hut. Yes that is a clinic hut…

 

or eggs.

 

polio droplet distribution.

 

 

the doctor at work under the aircraft wing.

 

OK there is room to improve the airstrip (but then where is the fun?) but what a stunning landscape: an active volcano in the Rift Valley….

 

Masai girl, freshly excised,  a status she is proud of and showing off in her special attire.

flying the bush, Tanzania

 

airstrips are for everybody sometimes… wildebeests, gazelles, elephants…and kids.

 

our second plane to rescue. Burst tyre after a little unvoluntary trip out of the airtsrip...

 

Birds, another hazard out there.

 

partially flooded airstrip, manageable though.

 

at the foot of an active volcano, Lengai.

 

airstrip on the slope of a crater, Empakai. I was not drunk, the strip is really sloped like that. About 11% declivity.

 

coming for a low pass in order to check the strip condition.

 

over Yemen but that layer of dust or atmospheric veil can be seen in Tanzania too. It all looks bright and sunny from the ground but once in the air, that ugly 'sea' hampers clear scenic views.

 

volcano Lengai again. Its eruptions can be serious.

like in this case, partially embedded ash cloud. Flying in the clouds might have meant a bad encounter...

aerial photography in Tanzania

flying above such a marvelous country is quite a privilege. Not luck since I chose to come in East Africa 14 years ago (already), knocking on doors , travelling a bit by bus like many bush pilots in the world.

So enjoying my privilege with a camera while flying…. here is a Masai village in the rain season.

 

lake Natron filled up by rains. The salt patterns have momentarily disappeared.

 

here are the famous salts showing off. Colors and psychedelic patterns.

 

 

some inhospitable territory west of lake Natron. This country is striking by its diversity within a few miles.

 

A hedgehog fluffy toy mimicking the dwarf in ‘Amelie’. This is the stunning active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai.

 

A stuck truck in a delta.

 

cattle near a river.

 

a typical big village, Loliondo. No real street planning, no urbanism….just chaos.

Cessna 206, Tanzanian bush

 

the airplane, the pond, the curious Masai kids.

 

normally a pilot sits on the left seat but there was a new pilot to train so I sat on the right seat, gave him a lesson about flying low and I took some shots

here on final just before landing in the Ngorongoro area

 

 

next to an active volcano, Oldoinyo Lengai

 

 

high wing aircraft have a few advantages, the wings provide shade to our doctor and the patients, the clearance is better if the airstrip hasn’t been properly cleared of bush or high grass, aerial viewing of the ground is better.

 

a Masai warrior on his motorbike.

 

the C206 on a sloped airstrip. The Ngorongoro Highlands also offer incredible landscapes.

Tanzania, bush flying

 

the main tree in the village, people love to gather there and chat.

 

A Caravan on take off.

 

Sunset on Mt Meru.

 

One of our Flying Medical Service airplanes facing lake Natron. The pinkish line on the horizon is the typical salt crust on that lake.

 

Another airstrip, Pininyi, on lake Natron. Shombole behind.

 

While on clinics we attract usually mothers and children and sick people. These Masai warriors are just passing by for me. The word has spread out that I give prints for my models.

 

contrast between a dry and a wet season. Volcano Lengai in the distance.

 

A good rain season changes the landscapes quite drastically. There is then a European touch. That is till you spot an elephant or a Masai.

 

That was a serious puncture,wasn’t it?

bush flying in Tanzania

 

A propeller seriously damaged. That was a prop strike with engine running at high speed. Tip: the 3 blades are equally twisted. One blade damaged means the engine was off and the propeller had no inertia. Some pilots have been caught lying...

 

Facing an active volcano, Lengai. Flying Medical Service has about 30 various airstrips to provide mobile clinics. Here is Monik on lake Natron.

 

Pilots will appreciate this sloped airstrip, Engoveroni, at 6500 feet, 400 meter long, 170 ft difference between the ends. Our C206's have a normally aspirated engine

 

Somewhere in the Ngorongoro area, Olbalbal0

 

Landing with a strong crosswind at Ngaresero, the volcano Lengai lies in the distance.

 

yes this is an airstrip.

 

This one is located in the middle of Sengerema village, with houses on each side. Congratulations to the decision makers…

 

Funny little white flowers during the rain season, Olbalbal.

 

Another airstrip but of much better quality than it looks like. The Masai ladies are sheltering from the rain.

 

stormy weather, always lovely to watch and sometimes not so when flying through.

Tanzania, aerial photography

 

Once in a while in flight, I open my window and get a picture. Tanzania is an incredible beautiful country.

Mount Monduli and mount Meru further.

 

A common rainshower over the Serengeti.

 

Colored salts on lake Natron.

 

Long shadows, early morning.

 

The top of Mount Meru at about 15.000 feet.

 

volcan Lengai and lake Natron

 

lake Natron, the only breeding place for flamingoes in the whole Africa. And there are salt extraction projects to trash the place…

 

A Masai village, one early morning.

 

Those holes are boreholes. No idea why in this case they are so close to each other.

 

A bit of the Rift valley, lake Natron.

Tanzania, flying the bush

 

Caravan landing in the hilly area around lake Manyara.

 

Twin Otter landing.

 

Big puncture obviously, on a replacement tyre. I was angry at the Dar es Salaam workshop who had given us that piece of crap which was worse than the previous punctured tyre…

 

Melted battery terminal resulting in 3 days in a hotel waiting for the new battery.

 

typical scene in a park: a Land Rover alongside an airstrip.

 

Sad view in Arusha airport, a lousy pilot trashed this F406 on take off. He could have killed dozens of people, not only his passengers but also the various people in other aircraft or on the airport. He had stopped a few meters short of a big plane being boarded and the fuel station…

 

A Cessna 206 dwarfed by a huge Mil 26.

 

Flying loosely formation with a Cessna 404.

 

Ndutu airstrip quite flooded and momentarily out of service. This strip is famous for being soft when wet. Rains can be intense and change the landscapes within minutes.

 

One of the Flying Medical Service 206’s and active volcano Lengai shot on infrared film

Flying the bush, Tanzania

 

I love bush flying especially last weeks with the rains.

Softened terrain after some rains.

 

Partially flooded airstrip. Last week I couldn’t land on another airstrip and hesitated heavily on a 2 nd one.

 

On final for landing.

 

On a Flying Medical Service clinic at the foot of active volcano Lengai.

 

Looking back towards lake Manyara.

 

I wish I could fly these Hercules C130….One of the few big airplanes with bush capacities.

 

The active volcano Lengai seen from a Twin Otter.

 

Lake Natron in the dry season. Here is Monik airstrip on the western shoreline and an extinct volcano on the horizon.

 

things change in some remote villages. 10 years ago, only traditional outfits would be spotted. Now either western style or common African style creeps up.

Tanzania, human activity seen from the air

 

that gray area is a lava flow from the major volcanic activity in 2007 and 2008. That truck is using the regular track near the culprit, Oldoinyo Lengai.

 

another truck, but this one has some problem to sort out. This a delta on the lake Natron northern shoreline

same truck. I wonder if the driver enjoyed the scenery while waiting for some help…

 

laundry day a bit further in the delta.

 

cows and goats…. to be seen everywhere in Tanzania and further. The country is vast and not barb-wired everywhere like in South Africa.

 

Masai farmers plowing the fields the old way, an ox or and a hoe.

 

Market day in Loliondo, a village north of Serengeti.

 

the person in the river is an adult, a masai man in his bright red clothes but he could have been a 5 year old child as well. Those kids don’t always go to school but they enjoy somehow a great outdoor life. Roaming the bush without a real schedule, meeting friends…