Tarangire and Lake Manyara

Sunday September 11th we left Arusha and drove for about 3 hours to Tarangire National Park. We ate lunch at the park gate picnic area since once inside the park there are limited options for getting out of the vehicle - wild animals and picnicking tourists don't work well together.  

We immediately started seeing a lot of animals. Zebras, impalas and wart hogs grazing. Elephants digging for water in the dried river bed which was fascinating. There were some very large bulls and also tiny baby elephants. We saw a lot of brightly colored birds which were delightful. Around 5pm we started to head for the camp, which was a bit hard to find since the mobile tented camps move around. The tented camp was considered fairly basic, but was far above our normal camping experiences, with a king sized bed, a flush toilet and hot/cold shower! Since it had been a hot and dusty day we enjoyed a cold shower and then joined everyone in the main dining tent. We had an enjoyable meal and finished off with very memorable and moving singing and dancing with the six staff members who ran the camp. They even persuaded Sara to participate in the dancing!

Monday 12th we headed out for a day that ended up defying description it was so incredible. We drove to a different area of the park which had a swamp/lake area and was full of wildlife. There were an amazing number of elephant herds, many with tiny babies a few months old, all which came very close to the car as they grazed. We noticed the majority of animals were always moving as they continually searched for food or water. We saw a lion resting under a tree and were amused to see an elephant herd chase the lion off – all in a line with their ears flared and trunks and tails up, even the tiny baby following its mother at the head of the line.

At the end of the lake we saw a specular flock of pelicans fishing and flying. A great way to end the day before beginning the search for the next camp. We arrived a bit late after receiving bad directions from the rangers and driving up and down the bumpy roads. The camp was incredibly luxurious, a massive tent on a raised platform with a delightful dining area.

As we headed out of the park the next day we were treated to the view of a lioness sitting in a magnificent acacia tree. We spent plenty of time watching her, before moving on and then finding four lionesses in a tree, just taking it easy. We spent over an hour with both locations, it takes time for John taking often 100+ photos waiting for perfect shot. Sara enjoyed watching using great binoculars which used to belong to Barry, her sadly deceased brother-in-law. Barry’s binoculars really made the trip for Sara, which along with a bean bag support from John enabled many hours of delightful viewing. Tip for anyone going on Safari – invest in good binoculars!

We had a fast drive on the bumpy roads to the gate as we had to be out 48 hours after entry to avoid a fine. This became a common theme for all the parks as we kept seeing something interesting to stop and view. Good thing Ben was a fast driver on tough roads!  After an easy tarmac drive we arrived at Lake Manyara National Park. A very different eco system, with a large alkaline lake surrounded mostly by jungle. Enjoyable for Sara, less so for John who isn’t overly fond of jungles. We saw elephants up close again which never gets old. Some hippos in the distant lake and many many baboons. Sara was excited to see a horn bill bird feeding its chicks through a crack in a tree, they seal up the nest to protect from predators. 

After an evening drive through the rift valley mountains we arrived at the hotel happily exhausted, about normal for most of the trip. The following day we took it easy in the morning, to rest up for the Serengeti as Ben suggested. We returned to Lake Manyara in the afternoon to enjoy the cool temperatures under the magnificent acacia trees, listening to the noises of the jungle – lots of birds and insect sounds and the occasion young baboon shriek as it was disciplined for some naughty behavior.  John found a small pearl spotted owlet to photograph, which obligingly sat still. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the large baboon families as they went about their daily browsing. The babies were very entertaining playing with each other, and we saw a long line of baboons walking down the road with a baby riding on its mothers back like a rodeo rider. Amusingly when we stopped to watch the baboons they became interested in the truck and started climbing on the back, the driver behind knew Ben and sent him the photos.

Next up will be our time in the Serengeti, which deserves an entire post. For now enjoy these photos.

Click here to view the photos

Wildlife seen: Impala, baboon, zebra, wart hogs, elephants, ostrich, bare face go away bird, bee eater bird, superb starling, tree hyrax (in tree at camp), tawny eagle, lilac breasted roller bird, ground horn bill, lion, marabou stork, goliath stork, banded mongoose, fish eagle, steppe eagle, jackal, pelicans, blue monkey pearl spotted owlet