We both slept well last night and recovered from our grueling travel the night before. I woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing at 5am. It was quite a pleasant way to wake up and about the time we needed to wake up any way. We planned to be on our way at 7am this morning. The one surprise we had when we woke us was that we had no power. We woke up a few times during the night and noticed the power was on sometimes and off other times. What can you do? We got ready using our iPhone flashlights. The power did come on a little after 6am. We had a nice breakfast on our balcony at 6:30am before hitting the road. We really enjoyed the Simba Farm Lodge and would 100% recommend it.
We are ready to go on safari
Here is the detail we received from our safari company for our safari today at Lake Manyara National Park: This is a relatively small but diverse park, 120km west of Arusha. The park’s namesake is a shallow, salt lake. It covers a large area of the park, flooding and drying with the seasons and is home to thousands of flamingos and over 500 other bird species. On your exploration of the park you will see monkeys, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, elephant and with some luck, lions lounging in the trees. The park is known for its diverse landscapes; not only open grassy plains, but also primate-filled woodlands and baobab dotted cliffs. You will enjoy a picnic lunch in the park and after a further afternoon game drive, you will head to your accommodation where you can relax and enjoy dinner.
We had a long drive first thing in the morning (~2 hours). We had to drive from our lodge to Arusha. In Arusha we picked up some supplies, filled up the safari vehicle with petrol, and paid for the Covid tests we will take in a couple of days.
After driving around yesterday and today I have some initial impressions of Tanzania. First thing that comes to mind is how quickly the landscape changes around here. Some areas are dry and others are covered with thick foliage. We have seen areas that look like desert with a smattering of trees and occasional farms and settlements. Then there are areas that are lush, green, and dense. Agriculture is practiced in most areas. We see a lot of people tending cattle and goats. We also see crops such as corn, barley, and wheat. We see a few more diverse crops such as banana trees and rice as well. The settlements reminded me of places we saw in rural India. There were mainly groupings of buildings just off the main road. They were mostly small storefronts or houses. The stores cater to locals and both the stores and houses were modest. Tanzania seems fairly rural, but with a lot of people. Even Arusha doesn't seem that developed. It is a huge city, but doesn't have big buildings. Mostly it is small one story stores and buildings. Tanzania is a developing nation.
In the two hours spent Driving from Arusha to the Lake Manyara National Park, we drove through Maasai territory. The Maasai tribe is the largest tribe in Tanzania. These people have lived in this region for a long time. They wear distinctive colorful robes and carry a walking stick. Many of the men also carry a long knife. The Maasai people are instantly recognizable. They are primarily herders and we saw many young children watching over herds of cattle and goats. We also saw their distinctive round houses with grass roofs scattered throughout the region.
Some Maasai kids watching a small herd of cattle
A traditional Maasai village
The first animal we saw on safari was an impala right outside the gates of Lake Manyara. Right now the lake is quite high due to heavy rains. Richard told us that as a result we were unlikely to see flamingos because the water was too deep for them to catch their prey. We were also unlikely to see zebras, wildebeest, and buffalos since many of the grassy areas were flooded. Despite these limitations we had an amazing day. We saw many unique and interesting animals.
At the entrance of Lake Manyara getting ready to head out on safari
Some of the landscape around Lake Manyara
Blue Monkey
Two baboons playing in a tree
Baboon
Troop of baboons following a safari vehicle
Baboon mother carrying her baby
Juvenile baboon riding on its mother's back
Crested Guineafowl
Watching this baby baboon explore this tree was entertaining
One exciting moment was when we came upon a group of three elephants. They were magnificent. We sat and watched them graze and move through the bush. We followed them for a few minutes and parked our safari vehicle near a spot where they decided to cross the road. They walked right by us. It was incredible.
This photo was taken on an iPhone to give perspective for how close these elephants were when they walked by our safari vehicle.
For lunch we had a picnic in the park. Richard packed boxed lunches for us with sandwiches, nuts, yogurt, juice and chocolate.
A large troop of baboons
Southern Ground Hornbill
Black-winged Stilt
Grey Heron
Our safari vehicle
Shortly after lunch we came across a tower of giraffes. They were also incredible. We watched for quite a while as they grazed from the treetops and walked among the bush.
Giraffe
Red-billed Oxpecker on the neck of a giraffe
Look at that long blue tongue
Two Little Bee-eaters
We came across a solitary little elephant. This little guy had a short trunk. Richard explained it was likely caught at some point in a poachers trap causing it to be short. As a result he didn’t have his “fingers” at the end of the trunk. So he used his foot and trunk to pick things up. He was likely solitary because he couldn’t keep up with the herd due to his short trunk. It was sad.
Grey Heron
Black-faced Vervet Monkey
Warthog
A termite mound. We saw these all over East Africa.
Palm-nut Vulture
Pond Heron
Richard heard over his radio that another guide had spotted lions so we headed to that area.
Sure enough we found the lions. On our first pass both lions were sitting the bush. We could see the female fairly well, but we couldn’t really see the male that was sitting in the bush behind here. We went up the road and turned around and this time we got quite a show. Both lions had moved out into the open space alongside the road. We sat there photographing the lions and they couldn’t have been more than 10-15 feet away. Suddenly, the male lion became quite aggressive and charged our safari vehicle he was growling and showing his teeth. Alison was sure we were about to die. I was a bit startled, but then recovered to take pictures. Our driver started the car and pulled forward a few feet. Once the lion was satisfied he had chased us off he went and laid down next to the lioness. Richard assured us no people have been eaten by lions when they were inside their safari vehicle. Still our hearts were pounding.
This was the exact moment Alison was convinced we were going to be eaten by this lion.
The lion would still occasionally growl in our direction. Once he calmed down the lioness stood up and they mated. As our guide said, this is nature.
After the lions we made our way back to the front of the park. We stopped along the way when we came across wildlife. We saw another tower of giraffes, many monkeys, and a troop of baboons. The troop of baboons near the entrance to the park were all lounging and grooming each other, which is a how they socialize and show affection.
Dik-dik
Boabab tree
Sacred Ibis
Rock Hyrax
Sandpiper
Troop of baboons near a Boabab tree
Impala
Black-faced Vervet Monkey
Blue Monkey
Female Waterbucks
After we exited the park we headed to a viewpoint where we could see most of Lake Manyara National Park. It was impressive spread out below us.
Today’s safari greatly exceeded our expectations. Richard is an excellent guide. He maneuvers us into the perfect potion to see the wildlife. He also identifies each species and teaches us about them. He answers all of our many questions: how many of these [insert species] live in Tanzania? Is there population growing or declining? What predators eat them? What prey do they eat? How long is their gestation period? and on and on. Also the safari vehicle is comfortable and reliable. It navigates all types of terrain and conditions. It is easy to see why Lion Kong Adventures is a top rated safari company.
Then we drove to our accommodations for the evening - Eileens Trees Inn. It is quite comfortable. We had dinner at the lodge. Then we sat by the fire to catch up on a few emails and try to sort through a few of our pictures before heading to bed.
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