Tanzania 2001 - Even MORE Animals

Zebras

We saw zebras in many locations, but didn't get really close to them until Ngorongoro and Serengeti. At one point we were so close to grazing zebra that we could hear the grass crunching between their teeth as they pulled it from the ground.

In Ngorongoro a freshwater stream feeds the saltwater lake. Zebra and other animals come there to drink and cross back and forth.

We saw thousands of zebras on the Serengeti.

Zebras often travel in single file, beating a narrow path into the grass.

Wildebeest

A male wildebeest likes to claim a small territory where he waits for females to wander by and tries to persuade them to stay with him.

The wildebeest all give birth at about the same time in March. The babies were saw were all about three months old.

Like zebra, wildebeest often travel in long lines. Here a group travels across the Serengeti.

Gazelles

Thompson's gazelles are nicknamed "Tommies". They are active and have constantly flicking tails.

Grant's gazelles are larger than the Tommies, and lack the side stripe.

Birds

We saw many interesting birds. This is a kori bustard.

These colorful birds are known as superb starlings. We saw them everywhere we went. At the Serengeti picnic area they were very assertive about begging for food -- or just taking it from people who weren't alert.

An Egyptian goose finds refreshment in the Ngorongoro Crater.

An ibis looks for frogs and other tidbits in the marsh at Arusha National Park.

A lilac-breasted roller in Tarangire.

A crowned eagle in Tarangire.

Little birds among the acacia thorns.

Ostriches

This ostrich seems to have gotten his legs tangled.

This young ostrich still has its baby feathers. It is almost as tall as the adult.

Assorted Creatures

Jackals generally kept their distance from us. We would sometimes see them looking for small rodents in the grass.

A crocodile waits in a small water hole, hoping something thirsty will become his lunch.

After napping all day, this Serengeti cheetah enjoys a good yawn.

Their huge tusks are excellent defensive weapons, not used for hunting. Warthogs eat grass.

When the grass is short, their necks aren't long enough to reach down to it, so they kneel.

A hartebeest in Ngorongoro.

We never got close to the buffalo -- a good thing. They are known for their bad tempers, and they certainly have the ability to inflict great damage on a safari vehicle. They always manage to look a bit sullen. As Hassan said, "These guys never smile."

A hippopotamus prepares to enter a pond on the Serengeti.

This snail, outside our room at Arusha, was about four inches long.

This is the female aguna. We saw many of these small lizards at the lodges and on the rock outcroppings of the Serengeti.

This is the male aguna. We didn't realize they were the same species until our guide explained it to us.

Tanzania 2001 - Ngorongoro Crater

This was our first view of the Ngorongoro crater, standing at a popular vista point before turning up the road to our lodge.

This hyena and his pals were very comfortable resting in the road a few feet from our vehicle.

Lions love to nap.

The bright red coloring of this male ostrich indicates he is ready to mate. Unfortunately, there were no females nearby.

There is not much left of this buffalo, probably killed within the last week. As time goes by the bones will be gnawed and scattered, with only the skull left to mark the spot.

The zebras like to pause for a quick drink before crossing the stream.

In the distance, three rare black rhinos graze quietly. They are about the same size as buffalo.

These two playful zebras engaged in some mock wrestling.

Flocks of flamingos enjoy the lake.

Wildebeest head for greener pastures.

A baby zebra stops to wonder what we're doing.

There are not many large trees in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Travel Diary

Sunday (June 3) - Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro

Steve: After the usual breakfast of fruit, omelettes, meats and juices, we left the lodge at 8:00 AM to go to Lake Manyara National Park, home of the famous tree-climbing lions. Upon entering the park, we immediately saw huge groups of baboons of all sizes and ages. Some were eating, some were grooming each other. Quite the little society!

We saw an elephant with a damaged tusk. He probably broke it off on a tree or scraping some rocks. More impala, giraffes and zebra, but we were really looking for leopards and lions - love them cats!

We found some warthogs, who finally didn’t turn away and run when we tried to take a picture. Only the good folks at Disney could make an animal this ugly so popular. Oh well, Hakuna Matata!

After a while, on the road near the lake, I saw a leopard run across the road. By the time I could say anything, he was gone so Rosemary never saw it. What a great looking animal.

Later, we spotted a black-backed jackal on a side road and got a good picture. At one point, we saw a dik dik, the smallest breed of antelope. He kept moving back and forth, as if he was trying to get through the brush but couldn’t. Got a couple of shots of him through the leaves.

At last, we got a good view of a leopard, lying on top of a toppled tree trunk. Snapped a couple of pictures and ran out of film. Changed rolls and got a couple more shots as he climbed down and disappeared behind the tree. This was easily the highlight of the morning.

We saw some vervet monkeys and blue monkeys, a few storks, a giraffe sitting on the ground, some miscellaneous birds, a couple of monitor lizards and a crested eagle.

Unfortunately, we never did see any lions, either on the ground or in the trees, but I’m sure we will see them later in the trip.

Back to the lodge for lunch, which was the best meal of the trip so far. After lunch, we hit the road to go to the Ngorongoro Crater (hereafter "NG2"), the crater so nice they named it twice. Drove through farmlands and a small town, where the road was blocked by a procession celebrating the local bishop’s 50th birthday. Someone told us that, as a gift, his wife was taking him on a trip to California.

Rosemary: A drive over miles of incredibly bad road to Ngorongoro. It is beautiful here. At a higher elevation, and cool, so there are no mosquitoes!

Steve: We arrived at the entrace to NG2 National Park and saw about 15 vehicles waiting to get in. We knew it would be crowded, since everyone we overheard at Lake Manyara seemed to be going there. A few miles ahead was the first place you could get the first glimpse of the crater from the edge, so everyone stopped to take pictures.

The first look at the crater is an awesome experience. It seemed to be larger than theSan Fernando Valley at about 100 square miles, and it had a large lake in the middle. The unique thing about NG2 is that most of the animals don’t leave the crater due to not liking to climb the steep walls. We are told that it is an unbelievable adventure.

Our home for the next two nights is the Sopa Lodge at NG2, the same hotel chain as we stayed in Tarangire. The lodge is perched on the edge of the crater at about 8,000 feet. The view is breathtaking and our room has a small sunroom where I can see much of the crater while writing this journal. Hopefully, the food here will be better than at Tarangire. We will leave at 8:00 AM tomorrow for a full day of viewing on the crater floor, taking a picnic lunch so that we don’t have to drive all the way back to the lodge.

We went to the bar before dinner for a drink. Because of the altitude, we actually wore our jackets for the first time. The bar was cozy, with a fireplace and snacks for "happy hour". Dinner began at 7:30 and, unlike our first two hotels, there are a lot of people staying here. This is one of the two larger lodges in the area, and NG2 is a popular spot.

Rosemary: Watching the sunset from the bar of our safari lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, drinking white wine and listening to American pop music ("What if God Was One of Us"). I'm exhausted, looking forward to some sleep (luckily everyone goes to bed early here).

Steve: Dinner was very good (for a change) and as an added bonus, the staff performed some African songs in a manner similar to Ladysmith Black Mambazo. We went to bed around 9:30, hoping not to be kept awake by a group of school children who had to pass our room to get to their own.

Monday (June 4) Ngorongoro Crater

Steve: We had a good night’s sleep, partly because of exhaustion and partly because, due to the altitude and drop in temperature, there are no mosquitos.

After a good breakfast, we descended into the crater. We saw a couple of elephants in the highland jungle, then encountered the first of many wildebeest (or gnu). Over the course of the day, we must have seen at least 1,000 of them. Unlike the wildebeest on the plains, these do not migrate, but live in the crater all year round. Several other firsts today - Thompson’s gazelle, hartebeest, black rhino, a brief look at a serval cat and (drum roll please) LIONS!

Rosemary: First thing, hyenas, just snoozing in the road. We drove right up to them and took their pictures while they calmly watched us.

Steve: Surprisingly, when they are not ripping at your flesh, they are fairly attractive and somewhat dog-like in nature.

We saw our first lion fairly soon. It was a female napping in an open area. We and another jeep were no more than 10 feet from where she was sleeping. Even while asleep, you could sense the power of the beast. As more vans arrived, she awoke and walked to a nearby rise, where she promptly lay down to sleep again.

All over the crater we saw large groups of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle (both Thompson’s and Grant’s), waterbuck, buffalo, with smaller groups of warthogs and the occasional jackal.

Rosemary: So many wildebeest! Many zebras and gazelles. The flamingos eat in the saltwater lake, but go to the section where fresh water flows in to bathe.

Steve: The crater was crowded with many tours, but in some ways that was a plus. The drivers exchanged info via short-wave radio and a van that was stopped sometimes indicated some unusual game. One of these times, we saw a couple of jeeps parked in front of this little mound of brush. Only when we got right up to it did we realize that there were between six and ten lions hiding and sleeping, with young males and young females. They didn’t seem to be lying in wait for any prey, but merely resting. In fact, when we passed the same spot about four hours later, they had spread out to nap in small groups of two or three each. Later, from a distance, we saw three male lions napping in a dry creek bed.

We had a box lunch at a picnic area overlooking a lake full of hippos. All we could see (mostly) was their ears, eyes and nostrils.

After lunch, we went to look at a black rhino we had seen on the way and then saw a group of three of them a great distance from the road. Black rhino are very rare and only 25 of them live in the crater; we’ve seen four of them.

We saw a serval cat in the road ahead, but as we tried to approach, it ran faster, finally disappearing into the brush. Still, an unexpected surprise, which made us the envy of all the other tourists we told.

After a full day of driving, we went back to the lodge, tired as usual. Riding around in a Jeep doesn’t sound like it should be tiring, but the roads are very bumpy, so the ride is a constant struggle to stay in your seat, plus all the standing up and sitting down in order to take pictures.

We saw fields of pretty flowers blooming in the Ngorongoro Crater.

 

Tanzania 2001 - Arusha National Park

A woodcarver creates souvenirs at the Cultural Heritage workshop

We stayed in a round hut among lush green landscaping.

In the trees we saw black and white colubus monkeys. A bit shy, they would peek at us from behind the foliage. Often we could not see them, but could hear them calling to each other.

We climbed to a viewpoint where we could see cape buffalo grazing in the crater below.

We saw many beautiful birds wherever we traveled.

The animals we saw on our first game drive included giraffe, buffalo, warthogs, bushbucks, waterbucks, red duiker, hippopotamus, zebra, black and white colubus monkeys, blue monkeys, black crested eagle, flamingos (both greater and lesser), royal crested cranes, egyptian geese, oxpickers, spoonbills, red billed duck, dwarf mongoose, striped frog, baboons, hornbills, francolin, sacred ibis, and butterflies. 

The park borders farms. When the animals wander out of the park, the farmers chase them away. So they tend to be a bit shy. Often we would get a glimpse of an antelope getting a glimpse of us a second before disappearing into the forest.

Of course, we fell in love with the giraffes. They gazed at us calmly with huge, long-lashed eyes. Their height enables them to nibble on trees that no one else can reach. They love acacia trees, which have incredible thorns; their prehensile tongues and flexible lips let them delicately reach between the thorns for the tasty leaves.

In Arusha, we saw many giraffes on or near the road. We were able to get very close, sometimes within 15 feet of them.

We saw hundreds of beautiful butterflies all through Arusha.

Beautiful scenery was around every bend in the road.

Arusha is a relatively small park; unlike other places we visited, it was possible to see nearly all of it. When we reached this sign, it was time to turn around and go home.

We slept under mosquito nets.

Travel Diary

May 30 (Wednesday) Arusha National Park

Steve: We woke at 6:00 AM from a fitful night’s sleep, showered and went to the dining room for breakfast. As we were seated, the staff knew our names and welcomed us as "Steve and Rose". Apparently, this is how our travel documents read, so it was a continuing theme through the trip for Rosemary to be called "Rose". (Editor’s note: kids, don’t try this at home.)

Rosemary: Sometimes I am respectfully called "mother", which is a typical way to address a married woman, who would also be known by her oldest son's name ("Mother Max").

Steve: Breakfast was buffet, as it was at all the lodges we stayed at, with some juice, fresh fruit, omelette bar, breads & breakfast meats. We met Hassan at 8:00 AM and drove to Arusha National Park. On the way, we drove through the local weekly marketplace and saw produce being brought in from around the area, much of it balanced on the heads of the local women.

The day started cool and overcast and warmed later on, but we never got the full African heat we were afraid of.

Wildlife in Arusha National Park is protected from hunters, as was the wildlife in the other national parks we visited. Sometimes, however, the animals leave the park and raid the local farms. There are also game reserves where hunting is allowed. Hassan told us he used to lead game drives for hunters but quit because he didn’t like seeing the animals killed. He must have been good at his job, though, because he has unbelievable eyesight, being able to spot animals a quite a distance as he drives.

Rosemary: The lodge staff told us that if we need a wakeup call to let them know and they'll knock on our door. There are phones in the rooms, but apparently they don't actually work. (We brought an alarm clock.) Got up at dawn to the sound of birds I'd never heard before -- and roosters!

It was market day. People sell fruits and vegatables, displayed on the ground. They carry large burdens on their heads. A mixture of traditional and modern dress, some in full traditional clothes, others fully western, but most combining elements, with women wearing colorful fabric as a long wraparound skirt, often with a western-styled blouse or sweater on top.

There is a real flush toilet at the gate to Arusha National Park. But the elephants broke the water pipe, so it was off to the pit latrine instead.

Steve: This was an excellent day for viewing wildlife. The forest was lush and the land was covered in greenery. We drove around Large & Small Lake Momella, up Leopard Hill and through much of the park. We could see much of Mt. Meru [pictured, right] but Kilimanjaro was covered in clouds, so we never got a good look at it.

While hiking up to a vista point, we got attacked by safari ants, which are very quick and love to hide in your socks and pants legs. No one got bitten, but they were annoying and it took a while to get them off our legs.

Because there is no hunting, the animals are not as afraid of humans or vehicles, so we were able to get up pretty close to some of the animals. On our first day we saw:

baboons (many with babies) black & white colobus monkeys black crested eagle blue monkeys bush buck cape buffalo egret Egyptian geese flamingos (two kinds) francolin (bird) giraffes

hippos hornbills red billed duck red duiker (a type of deer) royal crowned cranes sacred ibis spoonbills striped frog warthogs water buck zebra assorted birds

Rosemary: Lush vegetation, the forest very dense. Thick moss on the trees, sometimes so thick more plants take root in it. Always bird calls and insect sounds, monkeys calling, buffalo grunting.

The hippos were out of the water, unusual for them during the day, but today there was cloud cover so they grazed at the edge of the lake. They all set down in a close group.

Lots of giraffes, sometimes very close to the road. They have big eyes and long lashes. Sometimes they will stop to look at us.

All the animals are shy. Baboons quickly vanish into the bushes. We saw where elephants had recently trampled the grass and eaten, but no glimpse of the elephants themselves.

The narrow road is mostly just a muddy wheel track. A "traffic" jam was caused when three vehicles stopped at the same viewpoint. But for the most part we saw very few other vehicles, and we had plenty of time and peace to see what we wanted. Exhausted by the end of the day, we were falling asleep sitting up in the car on the way back to the lodge.

Steve: After a long and tiring day, we went back to the lodge for a short nap before dinner.