Tazara Train

Chapter Fourteen

The Tazara train is something that I absolutely loathed yet I’d probably take it again if going from East to Central Africa. The train leaves from Dar Es Salaam (on the coast of Tanzania) and takes passengers to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. There are two trains, a slower and older Kilimanjaro train that leaves from Dar on Tuesdays at noon. Then there is the newer and faster express train that leaves on Fridays. I had the displeasure of taking the Kilimanjaro twice. Once when headed to Malawi and later when going to Zambia.

I had a full spectrum of experiences on the Kilimanjaro. My trip to Malawi was in December which was apparently a busy month for the train. I showed up a few days before my Tuesday departure, ready to book a second class ticket, only to find they were sold out until after christmas. There were, however, third class seats available. I needed to get to Malawi rather quickly so I booked it. Having studied Gandi, I was excited for a train experience in the economy seats. This was going to be an authentic African experience!

The train from Dar to Mbeya (still in Tanzania but near the Malawi border) took twenty eight hours. I could have taken a bus and been there in thirteen hours. I took the train because it was a cheaper ticket. Also, taking the bus would have meant lodging in Dar (instead of Kigamboni) the night before the bus left in order to make the 5 AM departure. City center lodging would have been expensive. Sometimes I’m too thrifty though. After twenty eight hours and a sore butt that lasted for two days, I wished I had taken the bus.

Third Class Seating

The train has four classes: first class beds (four to a room), second class beds (six to a room), second and third class seats. To call the thing we sat on in third class a seat would be an overstatement. It was a bench. The bench was about three feet wide and three adults were supposed to sit on it. The free fare for children meant that there were three feet for three adults and however many kids. There was little overhead luggage storage so everybodies bags were jammed by our feet. Across from the bench I was sitting on was another bench of three (+) people. On the other side of our backrest was a backrest facing in the opposite direction. That meant if the other side pushed back harder than your side, you ended up at an inclined angle.

The seats were extremely hard. Luckily I’m pretty limber and I am able to fold up into a ball in just about any situation. I had to squeeze my legs onto the seat and squat, just to relieve pressure on my bum. Those were all of the reasons my twenty eight hours were hell, but now let me tell you about the beautiful human experiences sitting in third class entailed.

I was the only mzungu in the cart which at first meant I got amused looks. However, everybody was going through hell together and it become a bonding experience. A dad tried to get his two girls to lean on him but once asleep one kept falling onto me. I pulled out my sleeping bag and gave it to her as a pillow. The dad was so grateful he gave me an unopened water bottle. At the train stops vendors outside rushed to the window to sell bananas, cassava, G-nuts, bags of cooked rice, and lots more. If someone bought something, they offered a bit to everyone around, including me!

During the last three hours before Mbeya, the train cleared out as Tanzanians reached their destination. At this point a little boy came up to me to touch all of my bracelets. I got out my journal and markers and the two of us colored together. Third class was rough but I was traveling just like the locals which was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. Having already had that experience though, I was quite looking forward to my second class bed when I went from Dar to Kapiri Mposhi.

Second Class Bed

Thinking back to Gandi, I didn’t want to travel first class. Having two less beds in the room didn’t feel like a reason to pay $15 more. This journey took nearly three days. You could do it in two if you took a bus to Mbeya, stayed the night there and then took another bus to Lusaka. However, financially it made more sense to do it all in one go and to take the train.

I showed up on the day of my journey with snacks and books, ready to zone out on a bed for three days. I found my train car only to find two benches facing each other with about twelve people crammed inside. I couldn’t walk into the car. I had no idea where my bag would go. It turned out that second class beds were a sitting room all day. Only at night did they fold up the backrests of the benches in order to make beds.

Still, there should only have been six people per car and my car was way past that. Each car was for one gender so if a family wanted to be together they needed to buy the entire car. This family didn’t buy the entire car. The dad, uncle, cousin and brother were technically assigned to a different car but they were going to spend the day in here with their family. Second class beds were just as uncomfortable as third class seats except for a few hours over the night.

First Class Bed

I did later get a peek at the first class beds and the four beds are there continuously. If you want your own personal space you really do have to give in and pay for first class. That peek into first class also revealed a few caucasian people. Prior to that moment I believed I was the only mzungu on the train. Even though second class wasn’t what I had hoped for, I enjoyed defying stereotypes and segregation.

The view outside the window was stunning. I saw lush mountains, baboons, and tiny villages where kids danced to amuse the train passengers. The train went through all of the untouristy, wild parts of Tanzania and Zambia. It was amazing to see that so much untouched nature still existed.

We arrived at Kapiri Mposhi at 2AM. My usual tactic of walking around until I found a half dilapidated building proclaiming, “guest house” wouldn’t work because: a) my no going out after dark rule and b) guest house owners built barricades behind the front door before going to bed. Not sure what to do at 2 AM, I was relieved to see that the majority of the people getting off the train were immediately pulling out blankets and making beds in the train station. We all slept in the enormous hall, safety in numbers. Make sure you have some bug spray though or you might wake up with malaria! At 5 AM the minivan drivers arrived. They came into the hall calling, “Lusaka!” A free nights lodging, a wake up call, and pick up service, thank you Kapiri Mposhi!