Sweet Safari Sentiments

I've delayed writing this blog out of fear.  How do I capture in words an experience that surpassed my wildest expectations? It will be impossible to communicate everything so I'm resorting to a Cole's Notes version. It will give you a snapshot of what we did and what we saw, but to truly understand the safari experience you need to take one.  I'm hoping this blog may inspire you.

We began our "long journey" December 31/13 with a flight to Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania.  Safari is a Swahili word meaning "long journey".  Swahili is a fun language and it was amazing that in the course of the next 7 days I picked up more Swahili words than 5 months of Amharic.

Paul and I headed up our group of safari travellers consisting of:  my brother Wayne, sister-in-law Johanna Gabel and our children, Allison, Aleysha, Daylan and Jennifer. Equipped with cameras and lenses of all makes and sizes, we were excited and ready to begin our adventure.

Safari Seekers

After clearing customs (always a treat in Africa!) we headed to Arusha, a city in northern Tanzania located an hour's drive from the airport . Arusha is a typical bustling African city.  It sits below Mount Meru, one of many scenic landscapes you will see when you enter Arusha. Our interest in Arusha was one of anticipation; Arusha is situated close to Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. These unfamiliar names would soon become our safari stomping ground over the next week.

Mount Meru in the background

We spent New Year's Eve in Arusha and it didn't take long for "some" of us to get into the spirit.  The one drawback of starting the party in the early afternoon; midnight takes too long to arrive.  I'm not sure anyone was up to usher in 2014!

The bar is officially open.

No seriously, was it that funny?

Al and Jenn think so!

Pretty Ladies!

Making friends in Arusha

Next morning by 9 am we were ready to start our safari.  We would miss those "late" 9 am starts over the next 6 mornings as most mornings we were up and at breakfast by 7 am to begin our day's safari.

Packing up one of our two safari vehicles

Selfie for the road.

JoJo, smile, we're on our way!

Living the Safari Life in Africa!

The kids are all grown up.....Safari beer in hand.

Lake Manyara was our first stop, but as we were driving towards our destination we glimpsed our first two "animals".  To say we were excited is an understatement! Our drivers stopped so we could get a better view. The giraffe was way too far away for a decent shot, but we were all snapping pics as though this was the first giraffe we had ever seen.  Well in a way it was.  When was the last road trip you took where off in the distance a giraffe was eating the leaves off an acacia tree? The second sighting was actually a reptile and while our truck sped past, Allison in the truck behind yelled stop so she could get a pic of her favourite reptile ever; a turtle.

Pic looks good due to Jojo's amazing camera and lens!

Run Turtle Run. When have I heard that!

After waiting for the turtle to stop running, so Al could get her picture, we arrived at Lake Manyara. Lake Manyara National Park is located around 126 kms southwest of Arusha.  Before entering the park we stopped and unloaded our luggage at Sunbright Campsite where we would be spending the night.  This is considered luxury camping since we were given 4 tents on raised platforms with a private bath and shower attached.  Pretty comfortable accommodations including a dining hall, firepit area and a stocked bar. Side bar:  before leaving Arusha we stocked up on "drinks" for our journey.  We heard that our drivers were joking with other drivers at the campsite about the amount of "drinks" we had brought with us. No, what? 

Pretty setting

Sunbright Campsite

Jenn's not sure??

But wait!  Al, we have our own private bath and shower!

Layout of the lodges

Al, Jenn : the meatloaf!  No, seriously, where's the rum?

So once we were squared away in our tent lodges we had a bite to eat.

Box lunches prepared by Eric, aka Mr Delicious

I should mention that our safari was comprised of two vehicles, 2 drivers (Ray and Alfa) and our cook, Eric.

Ray, Eric and Alfa. Best guides, drivers and cook ever!  

Lake Manyara National Park and its environs is most known for baboons. Wow is that the understatement of the year.  When we saw our first baboon we were all so excited.  BUT after the hundredth one?  Okay, so still excited, especially if you measure that excitement by the number of pictures we all took.  Fortunately the park is also home to hippos, impalas, elephants, wildebeests, Cape buffalo, zebras, warthogs and giraffes. This meant our cameras never got tired of looking at the same animal.  It's hard to describe the excitement you feel as you watch these wild animals roaming freely and proudly.  I don't believe anything can prepare you for the exhilaration that courses through your body as you watch animals you only ever saw at a zoo, in a National Geographic magazine or on the Discovery channel.

Entrance sign at Lake Manyara National Park The essence of what it means to be on a safari

This sign really speaks to the pleasure one derives from the safari experience.  When I look at the pictures we all took during our 6 days I get this goofy smile as I remember the enjoyment I felt simply watching and taking pictures of wild animals in their natural habitat.

Yes, can we help you?

I'm not coming down, so don't bother waiting.

What's happening down there?

Come on and take a free ride.

Giraffe's eye view. 

Giraffe enjoying a morning snack.

Just lovin' it!

Are they white with black stripes Or black with white stripes? One of life's mysteries

Afternoon stroll.

Pumbaa, where are you going?

Cape Buffalo don't mind sharing the grassy plains.

Lake Manyara National Park consists of 130 sq miles of arid land and forest.  It has a lake as the name implies covering around 77 square miles, but since we were there during dry season it was all but nonexistent.  The wonders of this relatively small park is the high concentration of birds, including flamingos and wild animals.  It exceeded our expectations. We had already seen 2 of the big 5 game animals, namely the Cape buffalo and the African elephant and this was only our first day. Still on our list was the lion, leopard and rhinoceros, but personally for me, seeing the zebras and giraffes topped my wish list. 

The next day began with an early breakfast  prepared by Eric, aka Mr. Delicious.  This nickname was one that Eric certainly earned as we really enjoyed all of his cooking. We continued our journey along the East African Rift towards the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. Ngorongoro Crater was our destination; the world's largest inactive (phew!), intact and unfilled volcanic caldera.  And let's not forget the spectacular view.

View from the rim of Ngorongoro Crater

Me and my Schweet Girls

Paul and his kids

 From this lookout you gaze at the magnificence and size of the crater (caldera) below.  You drive down 2000 feet to reach the base of the crater which covers 100 square miles.  The Ngorongoro Crater includes most of the animal species found in East African.  Although the crater is considered a natural enclosure, still some animals (wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo and elands) are known to migrate during the wet season. It's a long way up and out of the crater, but they do it. There are lots of water sources in the crater so it's an ideal habitat for black rhinoceros, hippopotamus, wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo,  the common eland and Grant and Thompson gazelles. We saw them all and then some. There were lions, hyenas, warthogs, and birds of all shapes and sizes including some I could name like ostriches, Crown crane and flamingos.  It took us around an hour to drive from the rim of the crater lookout to the base.  Along the way we stopped to snap pics of animals grazing or walking through the forest.  We were on high alert for lions as they are known to lounge in trees since during the day they are pretty inactive and lazy. Unfortunately we didn't see any in the trees, but later amid the grassland plains we spotted a gorgeous male lion doing what lions do during the day; sleeping, looking about and then back to sleeping.  And might I add, he looked so majestic doing it!! Let's let the pictures speak for our experience in Ngorongoro Crater.

It's a zebra grid lock. Spread out a little.

Grant gazelles

Black rhinos enjoying the rain.

What's happening?  Is it still daytime?

It must be because my eyelids are getting heavy. 

Ah, that's better. Time for a power nap.

Hyena on the prowl. Aren't they always?

Cape Buffalo posing for a picture. Smile. THEY are smiling.

I'm going, you coming or not?

King of the Beasts. Mufasa or Simba? You be the judge.

Jenn:  taking it all in.

Zebras and an Eland, oh my.

Ah, what are you two doing?

We're wildebeests, it's what we do.

JoJo said I looked like a Can-Can Bird, but I'm a Crown Crane

Not all ostriches put their heads in the sand. He's checking us out.

Warthogs vying for the same blade of grass.

Thompson gazelles: so fast and so many.

Pardon me!

Paul we've got company behind us. 

Sister/Sister

Sister/Sister/Sister

Gangs all here. Let's go for a safari

That concluded our day at the crater as we happily made our way back to our campsite for the night. The tents were all set up and waiting for us. We all put on hoodies and running shoes as the temperature dropped once the sun set. It was a stark contrast from the warm sunny day. As the evening wound down we all found our way to our tents.  I remember falling asleep almost immediately since we had a 6 am wake up call next morning.  I woke up to the sound of crunching outside the tent. I didn't know what it was but it was too constant and repetitive to just be someone or the campsite guard walking by. I turned to Paul asking if it was time to get up and by the way, "what is that sound?"  Paul was so calm when he responded, "It's just some animal, probably a Cape buffalo."  No, what??  At that point the crunching sound seemed to get louder and then I heard some grunting sounds and the sound of heavy breathing. A Cape buffalo was behind the tent and the only thing separating us from him was a canvas tent. I lay there and could almost feel its breathing coming through the tent. Here's a fun fact. The Cape buffalo is among the most dangerous animals in Africa and from the sound of it there were a number of them grazing outside our tents.  I remember pulling up my sleeping bag over my head and whimpering, cuz yeah, that was going to keep me safe!!  My girls were in the tent beside Paul and me and of course when Al and Jenn realised what was out there, Al jumped out and snapped a picture.  

Cape Buffalo outside our tents. Real live footage. No photo shop here!

Is this a face you'd want breathing down your neck?

It was at this point that we heard Wayne, who was in a tent with Daylan, call out rather uncharacteristically, "Oh s#*#*t"!  Desperate times I tell you. We didn't find out until next morning, (I was certainly not getting out of my tent), what Wayne and Daylan had seen.  Apparently Daylan was also curious about all the movement outside their tent.  When he looked out he couldn't believe what he saw eating and lumbering right past their tent.  He called to Wayne to come and have a look just in case this was just a case of too much rum and coke.  Wayne looked out and yes it was still there.  An elephant was systematically making its way through our campsite.  Talk about bringing the safari up close and personal.  I knew there was a reason that I am no longer keen on camping! Equally funny note about that night was that JoJo and Aley slept unconcerned through it all.

Well after all that excitement it was hard to get back to sleep, but most of us did and morning came way too early.  We had breakfast and by 7 am we were back in the vehicles on our way to Serengeti National Park. 

Day 3 of our safari was all about my most favourite animals: zebras, giraffes, goofy wildebeest, Thompson gazelles and elephants. The day was hot so it may have been why we didn't end up seeing any lions. The Serengeti is renowned for it's large lion population, but I guess they were all sleeping.  As we arrived at the gates of Serengeti National Park it all felt so surreal.  Likely everyone has seen the Serengeti on the Discovery Chanel or on the pages of National Geographic, but here it was right in front of us.  When I think safari, the Serengeti immediately comes to mind.  We had already seen lots of animals during the past few days, but the excitement and anticipation of seeing them roaming freely throughout the 12,000 square miles of  Serengeti National Park was alive and well. The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region of Africa. It stretches from northern Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya. It hosts the largest land mammal migration in the world. It's considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa and one of the Ten Natural Travel Wonders of the World.   AND we were there!  Serengeti (Serengit)  is actually a Masai word for "Endless Plain" and I can't think of a better description.  

Excited? Nah, they do this everywhere they go.

Keep trying, Al.

Serengeti here we come.

Keep Calm and Safari On

The sign above used to be straight, but that was before all the jumping.

Once we got Al and Jenn to stop jumping, we motored on down the road that cuts straight (who am I kidding) through the Serengeti. The road is far from straight or smooth as it meanders through forests, grasslands and woodlands and around swamps.  It was absolutely wonderful. The animals could care less about the condition of the road.  This is their home and we were lucky enough to be able to share their space  for a short while.  Some of us found the road rather bumpy, but Paul remarked that by African standards this was a "pretty good road". Tell that to my brother Wayne or to Daylan who's back was killing him.  We all survived and regardless of some of the hardships we may have endured, the safari was well worth it. 

View from the top

Serengeti National Park

Endless Plains"

The long and winding road

Day of the Jackal

Thompson Gazelles

Hyena Lookout

Hello there Big Guy

Family portrait

Crocs

Which way are you going? D'oh.

Never look back!

Zebras and Wildebeest, often roam together

Giraffes tower over the grassy plains

Everyone just doing their thing

So many wildebeest

Ah, Baby LaLa

That's us in the truck. How cool is that?

He continues his trek right in front of us.

Yield to traffic.  It's their world.

I want to thank all the photographers that helped "tell" this safari story.  My blog story is a compilation of many of the pictures taken during this safari.  Hope you enjoy looking at our pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them.

My next blog will continue our Tanzanian adventure as we make our way to Mwanza. Stay tuned.