Tarangire National Park and Farewell to Tanzania

Rising early we headed off towards our last safari park on this leg of the trip at Tarangire National Park.  This large park is bisected by the Tarangire River and boasts 550 species of birds, the largest in the world.  There is a large number and variety of animals found here but this park is famous for the fact that it has the largest concentration of elephants in the world.  As these gentle giants are favorites of Eric's and mine this was much more exciting than the birds though we must admit that the birds here are beautiful and very photo worthy.

As we entered the park they sprayed each vehicle for treatsie flies which should have stood as a warning.  Luckily we kept covered and carried our own spray.  Not long into the park we came upon our first elephants and one was a nursing mom. Does not get more tender than that.

Brought tears to my eyes!

Elephants of all sizes 

Our guides had eyes in the back of their heads and could spot birds from afar.

The park has amazing scenery and has quite a large concentration of Baobab trees which are massive and picturesque.  The bark on the lower part of the tree has been rubbed of by the elephants and it is quit dramatic to see.

Baobab tree

Bottom of tree rubbed by elephants

The landscape is also dotted by giant termite mounds which rise from the ground like some hobbit home.

We were treated to quite a few giraffe but the star of the show were definitely the elephants.

We came upon a large herd which had several babies and many adults and spent the good part of an hour observing their behavior.  When we first arrived one of the babies was visibly upset about something and the adults surrounded it to calm it down. We watched a couple of the big adults exchanging trunk greetings of some kind.  There was a tree just at the rear of our vehicle and several elephants stopped at it to give themselves a good rub.

Gathering around the baby

Rubbing against the tree

Trunks waving

Several of the young males were engaging in one on one play fighting which would go on until one of the larger females would step in and break it up. It was fascinating to watch.

At one point one of the females approached the rear of our vehicle and looked quite angry at us.  We were after all in her home. After deciding we were no threat she backed off but it did make one step back a bit to see what she would do.

Deciding if we were friend or foe

It was such a privilege to observe these magnificent creatures and I feel so lucky to have been a guest in their home for this very special time. With a magnificent sunset to accompany us we set off to our lodge to contemplate another perfect day.

Leaving the lodge the next morning for our return to Arusha a herd of elephants was grazing outside the dining room and as a final farewell three of these gentle giants crossed in front of us as we made our way out of the park.  One of them stopped to give himself a spectacular red dust bath as if to say here there is one more thing for you to see in this magnificent country I call home.

A grand finale on our last safari drive in Tanzania.

Farewell to our guides who so expertly and generously shared their knowledge and love of their homeland with us and in doing so took us on an experience that shattered all our expectations!

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is is a deep volcanic crater which is the largest un flooded and un broken cardera in the world which is one reason it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is 600 meters deep and 600 square kilometers in size and is a breathtaking natural wonder.  The crater floor has vast expanses of plains, woodland, forests and lakes and the density of wildlife inhabiting the area is outstanding.

Mist coming through the trees on our descent down into the crater.

Cape buffalo having a hard time waking up and a bird resting on his back

Zebra grazing in the fields as the mist dissipates and the sun comes out

Traveling down the road in the early morning silence we spot two male lions.  Stopping to watch them we are thrilled when they are joined by two more the four of them do a bit of wandering at times passing within arms reach of our vehicle.  With all the open space around I do find it a bit surprising that they would not avoid us a little more but I must admit it truly is a thrill though I did close my window before standing to view through the open roof.

Lion approaching our vehicle 

Brothers resting right to our left on the roadway

He definitely looks like he is aware of his surroundings

Each and everyone of these Kings is majestic in their own right.

As we travelled further on we passed herds of Cape buffalo,zebra, wildebeest and passed a lake that was dotted with literally hundreds of flamingos

But the adrenaline was about to be put through the top.  We pulled up to a pond just at the precise time that a pack of hyenas was taking down a wildebeest.  It was rather gruesome but riminding oneself that this was the circle of life and nature at work it was fascinating at the same time.  As we watched the hyenas called and more of them appeared and they literally tore at the fighting wildebeest.  He gave a good fight but they were tearing pieces off of him before he mercifully sunk below the surface of the water.

Hyena numbers kept increasing.

All of a sudden as we watched this nature show the hyenas dashed from the water and we saw four lions approaching the pond planning to take the meal from the hyenas.  The hyenas retreated some distance but kept a close watch on the lions.  The lions spent a long time looking for the kill and we saw the female enter the water twice to no avail.

Water is not a lions favorite environment and she did not find the wildebeest .

After watching this amazing show for quite some time we moved on but when we circled back later on the lions had also moved on and the hyenas were back in the water with their meal.  Many come to Africa with the soul intention of seeing a kill. It was not on our list yet we have seen two and I have to say it has certainly added to the excitement of our unbelievable experience.

Lazy hippo almost opening his eye for the camera.

Beautiful created crane, the national bird of Tanzania and Uganda.

Hungry from the excitement we went to the designated picnic site which is one of the only places where you are allowed to get out of the vehicle.  There were dozens of safari vehicles there and we all did a little walk around to stretch our legs.

Eric at lunch stop looking for hippos in the lake.

Lots of vehicles.  There was a large group of kids there playing in the field after there lunch.  As we were leaves we were shocked to find two lions just up on the hill behind the washrooms feasting on a fresh kill.  A little close for comfort.  We are told they prefer animal meals.

The Maasai are allowed to bring their livestock down into the crater to drink but not to graze and do so every day.  We were treated to so many animals it was a virtual feast for the eyes.

This baby Cape buffalo was so tiny and cute compared to the rest of his herd.

These female ostrich seem to be preening for attention.

I do believe this wart hog is so ugly that he is rather a handsome specimen.

Of course our days all seem to be filled with wonderful surprises and as our time in the crater was coming to an end we encountered a large elephant who was quite wet. As we stood and watched and snapped photo after photo he proceeded to give himself a dust bath to protect himself from the sun and insects. What a special way to end our visit in this very unique place.

One can see he steep sides of the crater in the background.

The road leading out of the crater was very steep and the drop off on the one side was most unpleasant for some.

Farewell to the Ngorongoro Crater

Our arrival at the Ngorongoro Oldeani Mountain Lodge was wonderful with Maasai singers, beaded necklaces, special drinks and a warm welcome from the assistant manager. It is a magnificent new property and there were only 17 of us staying here and we were treated royally.

Eric and the singer dancers.

Birds right outside our sun deck.  The hospitality of all the African people we have met so far has been outstanding. Everyone is so friendly and so proud of their country and they do their jobs with pride.  We return each day dusty and tired from the safaris but we have permanent grins on our faces and that is why we came!

Visit to Maasai Village

JWe left the Serengeti anticipating a much less dusty ride as we had had a substantial rainfall the previous evening. This theory proved true but it did provide other challenges.  To get the morning off to an exciting start we got into the midst of a wildebeest and zebra migration.  They crossed in front and behind us and the line of animals stretched in both directions as far as the eye could see.  This certainly has been an amazing time of year to be here. Expecting to see a few of each animal there have been some that we have literally seen thousands of.  It truly is an awesome experience and each sighting is truly wonderful. I now understand those who told us that Africa calls you back.

Migration 

One can not capture the sheer number in a small camera lens

Carrying on further down the road our guid George stopped and put the vehicle into four wheel drive as the road got muddier but with great confidence in his driving we thought no problem. Unfortunately the two large trucks up ahead were not so lucky and as these were one way ruts it took some creative driving and even some time on the grasslands which is technically not allowed to get around.  One is not allowed to get out of a safari vehicle while traveling on the Serengeti which I was quite relieved about as there were fresh lion tracks in the mud beside where we were stopped.  One never knows what is lurking in the grass.  

Very deep mud and no tow truck in sight

Leaving Serengeti National Park we were beyond excited to encounter two of the most majestic male lions we had seen.  They were huge and had gorgeous manes. One was even kind enough to do a walk around for the star struck tourists.

The colours in the mane just glowed

I understand why he is called the King

Driving along we stopped at the Olduva Gorge which I will let the picture tell about

The Leakeys started their studies here in the early 1900s and today archeologiststs and students come from all over the world to work at the digs here to try and uncover more information on evolution. It was very interesting to see what fossilsand discoveries that their painstaking work has uncovered.

We travelled on and went to visit a Masai village.  Leopard Tours pays for our group to have this privilege and we were treated to a full tour.  We were greeted by one of the Chiefs sons who explained that the Masai are a Nomadic people who move their village as it becomes necessary.  The village consists of one family and this one belonged to his father who had 14 wives and 60 children.  His sons would then bring wives from other villages and the family would keep expanding.  We were greeted by the men and women of the village with some singing and dancing which was quite special.

Greeting party

Masai dancing

The entire village is surrounded by a fence built of sticks and brambles to keep out the wild animals and all the livestock are brought into the compound each night.  It is the males job to tend to the animals and they are taken out during the day to graze and find water.  At the age 18 the males become warriors and they all carry a spear to fend off wild animals.  The women build the huts in the village from acacia branches and cow dung.  They are very low and even I had to crouch so not to bump my head. There is a cooking fire in the center and two beds made from cow hides, one for the mother, and father when he is there and one for all the children.  The Masai people bath only once a month and it is probably for this reason that they keep their heads shaven.  The only ones we saw with hair were the occasional warrior who had dreadlocks.  Once a child has their adult teeth two bottom teeth are pulled so if they get lockjaw they will be able to be given medicine.  Most all of their medical needs are attended to by old traditional ways.  

Inside the village

Inside the hut with lunch cooking over the fire.  The diet of the Masai consists of only porridge,meat, milk and blood.  They bleed the cows for the blood by cutting an artery with a spear and then patching it.  We were very grateful they did not offer to share a meal.

Eric sitting on the bed holding our warriors mahogany pole

A Masai bedroom.  The inside of the hot was extremely hot, smoky and claustrophobic.

The Masai tradition has changed to burial of the deceased but in the pass the would sacrifice a cow when a member of the tribe died and lay the deceased and the cow together in the field.  The reason for this was that the cow body would attract the scavengers and both bodies would be eaten.  Definitely a green option.  We visited the kindergarten where the children sang to us and demonstrated their counting skills.  We then sang If You Are Happy and You Know It to them and they enthusiastically joined in with the actions. Was rather humbling to see the conditions they live in and the ground in dirt of their clothes.

This is the school.

The class. Notice how difficult it is to tell the boys from the girls

The women of the village do a lot of bead work which they all adorn themsevles with and they also have a market of sorts set up which they sell to the tourists.  When asked what they need the money for as they claim to live from the land they use it for fabric and some cooking utensils.

Masai woman selling her beadwork 

The women love their jewelry 

Colourful gathering outside the house.  When it rains the women must cover the house with cow hides so that it maintains its integrity.

Masai real estate

Leaving the Masai village we had a bit of a harrowing ride along the top of edge of the Ngorongoro Crater to the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge where we hit the bar to calm our nerves.

First view of the Ngorongoro Crater,a World Heritage Site, through the mist.

Richard kissing the ground on our safe arrival at the lodge.