We had a couple of days to recoup from our climb and walk around Arusha before the start of our safari. With the hike done, we could really relax and enjoy ourselves the rest of the trip.
We started our safari and headed to the Tarangire National Park. It’s the dry season in Tanzania, which makes it a good time to visit this park as the animals stay in the park near the watering holes. We saw many elephants, wildebeests, zebras and too many others to list.
We spent the night at the Tarangire Simba Lodge. On the way to the lodge an elephant was ready to push a tree on top of our vehicle. Apparently, he was tired of all the paparazzi (me, taking pictures). The lodge is really cool. They have individual tented cabins. There’s also a pool that has views of a watering hole that the elephants like to frequent. So, before dinner we spent some time cooling off in the pool just watching the elephants.
As was the case with almost every place we stayed during the safari, you are required to have an “armed” guard escort you back to your room at night because of the wild animals. The animals are not fenced in as this is their home and you are the visitor. So, the Masai warrior armed with a long skinny stick was our protection. Just glad I didn’t have to see the stick in action, because I’m sure the stick would be no match for an elephant and I’m certain the Masai warrior would be able to outrun me. The food was good and the staff was very helpful. We also enjoyed the outdoor shower.
Our 2nd day of safari was spent at the Manyara Lake National Park. This park has the Manyara Lake and is a great place for bird watching. It is also the park known for the climbing lions. It is still uncommon for Lions to climb trees, but in this park there is a family that does spend some time in the trees. On the way to the park, we ran into a Tanzanian street fight. The violence…
We saw many more elephants and the next thing you know we were racing through the park. Our guide had gotten a report of the lions in the trees. We got there in the knick of time to see them hanging out in the tree one minute and quickly climbing down the next. It was a highlight for our guide Ally and Josh (owner of Joica Tours) as well. We were told anyone can see a lion on the ground, but catching them in the trees is special. So, glad we got to see that.
The next day was a long drive by the Ngorongogo Crater and on to the Serengeti National Park. This National Park is huge spanning approximately 12, 000 sq. miles. As we drove in to the park we really didn’t see much of anything. The Serengeti is relatively flat and you can see for miles. Other than the typical antelope, which seem to be everywhere our first sighting was a cheetah. As we sat there watching her for a while we all of a sudden noticed that she had 4 cubs. Funny that you can be sitting there watching her and not notice the cubs hidden so well in the grass. As we drove more into the center of the park we saw tons of animals. The park boasts a large number of lions. We witnessed at least 3 hunting attempts by the lions on various animals. In each case the lions failed, but we also saw evidence of one of their successes as the hyenas were chowing down on one of the spoils. (The hyenas are scavengers and will come in after the lions have killed.)
Our lodging for while in the Serengeti was the Kubu Kubu Lodge. This lodge is beautiful with amazing views of the Serengeti. The rooms are well appointed and as it is newly built, they are trying to be more eco friendly. The water there is filtered and drinkable. All the guests, us included, were raving about the outdoor shower. The food was excellent and they offer a wide variety nightly for dinner. This was our favorite accommodation of the entire trip.
Another full day of game drives and more lions, leopards and many others. The Serengeti lives up to the hype as it is truly a special place.
So, guide or no guide for the Serengeti as the do allow self-drives. Well, we were quite happy that we had a guide. As I said, the park itself is huge and you must have a certain type of vehicle to be allowed in the park. Also the vehicle needs to be equipped with extra tires and gas. We saw some breakdowns and flat tires on number of vehicles. Having a guide allows you to enjoy your safari. An experienced guide (which our guide Ally was and his expertise proved its worth time and time again), will know where the animals like to hang out, the guide will also provide you with additional insight in animal behavior. Ally would tell us to look over there the lions are stalking those zebras. Or let’s drive over there the lions will head that way. And they did. Many times Ally would tell us something and say “that’s how it works”. With a guide you won’t get lost on the various park roads and all your permits and accommodations are taken care of. Talk to your guide about what you want out of the safari. After all, this is your safari and a good guide will want to make sure you have a good experience.
The next day we were off to actually drive down into the Ngorongoro Crater. This crater is the largest unfilled volcanic caldera. The caldera itself is worth a visit. When we passed the crater on our way to the Serengeti it was morning and was covered by fog, which is typical. The view was quite different when we came back in the afternoon a few days later.
It boasts a large animal population on its crater floor. The hippos were great. We spent lunch overlooking one of the hippo pools. Another fascinating place to view the wild animals of Tanzania. Will, however, did not like the drive down into the crater nor the drive back up. They are both steep roads with a number of switchbacks. This is the reason that you can only enter the crater with a licensed guide and in a 4×4 vehicle.
We spent the night at the Rhino Lodge, just a short drive from the crater’s ascent road. It’s an older Lodge with a lot of rustic charm. On the chilly nights they’ll light a fire in your room in the small potbelly stove. It warmed up the room quite nicely for us. We were again warned to stay on the Lodge decks and not to venture down to the lawn at night. The wild animals do come up to feed. After dinner, we watched a few waterbucks enjoying the grass.
The next morning we awoke to fog and a left for our visit to the Masai Village and the end of our safari.
The Masai people are a large nomadic tribal group inhabiting most of Kenya and northern Tanzania. We got to participate in the Masai dance. They showed us how they make fire, just by friction using wood. Once they have an ember they nest the ember in donkey dung or dry grass to spark it into fire. We were also invited into a Masai home and watched as the young kids were taught their numbers and the alphabet in both English and Swahili. Once the child is 7, they are sent to a government school to further their education. Really fascinating to see people trying to keep their ancient ways and culture while being surrounded by modern society.
Another great tour through Joica Tours and Ally, the best safari guide.
Another night in Arusha at our favorite hotel the African Tulip. Really this place has become our home away from home.