Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks

At 6 am, I'm woken up with a "Jambo mama" and a try with hot tea. Now I know how the queen feels to have servants. By 630am we are on the road for an early morning game drive. As we cross into the park boundary, we see our 1st herd of elephants. We head south along the Larmakau Marsh and see many more elephants either in the marshy area or on dry land. Lots and lots of babies to make me happy. One young one wants to show us how tough he raises his trunk, lets out a bugle and shakes his head and flaps his ears at us. He is only about 20 feet from the 4x4. Today seems to be about birds, birds, birds, probably since it's early morning. We see lilac breasted rollers and little bee eaters, both very colorful birds. Two black backed jackels are walking in front of the vehicle and don't seemed too interested in us. We have a picnic lunch around 9a and lots of superb starlings and buffalo weavers are trying to get the crumbs.

Continuing west towards the river we saw a fish eagle in a tree but we scared it as we stopped. It's very similar to the baldeagle and we watched it as it caught the thermals and soarded into the sky to an increadible height. Not too many mammals today. We only saw about 3 giraffe but happy to see a new species, the common reedbuck. As we passed some of our fellow lodge guest they said they had just seen lions on the road a few miles up so we were off in a dash but didn't find them. Probably because it was too bloody hot. Now I know what it really feels like when people say Africa Hot. It was fine standing up with my head out of the top of the 4x4 while it was moving but anytime we stopped to take pictures we were baked by the sun. Back to the lodge around 2pm for lunch and time for a short siesta snooze. Around 530pm, a Masai guard (only armed with a spear) and a local bushman took the 3 of us for a nature walk. We saw the footprints of hyena, a honey badger, african wildcat, a mongoose, snake and many birds along the pathway. They explained some of the plants and we ended up at a thatched shelter at the edge of a cliff overlooking Tarangire N.P. The view was lovely and there were hundreds of buffalo on the grassy marsh area. We enjoyed the view till sunset and a 4x4 picked us up to take us back to the lodge.

Wed morning we left Kikoti Lodge and had to drive back through Tarangire N.P. to get back to the main road. We saw all kinds of animals today, much more than yesterday. Elephants, giraffe, warthogs, dik dik, impala, waterbuck, banded mongoose, blue monkeys and a large troop of baboons. A few of the moms had tiny babies clutching their backs. A large herd of elephants were right at the edge of the road and a newborn elephant was in the group. When they crossed the road, I was able to get a good look at the little one. At the main gate we see our 1st zebras.

Back onto paved roads and we see elephants outside of the Nat'l Park. Twice on the way to Lake Manyara N.P. our driver stopped and left us in the car without telling us where he was going and for how long. Soon the 4x4 is surrounded by souvenier sellors from about 10 years to 80 years trying to get you to buy jewellry, t-shirts, carvings, etc. Many are asking for things for trade so when one woman asks for a pen, I'm thinking I'm going to get a bracelet and she walks off. We arrive at Lake Manyara around lunch time and stop for a picnic. I can see blue monkeys in the trees but these ones are very shy and I can't get close for photos. Just as we are packing up a large troop of baboons come down from the hillside. Lake Manyara N.P. is on the edge of the Rift Valley (which stretches from Egypt all the way down to Mozembique). The lake is a soda lake which has too much alkaliene for most animals but the birds flourish here. We head down to the hippo pools and there are plenty of them trying to keep out of the sun so you only see their heads once in a while. Tonnes of aquatic birds in the area like storks, flamingos, herons, pelicans, ducks, geese and shorebirds like plovers.

If I thought it was hot yesterday, it's even hotter and I'm getting cranky. Why doesn't our vehicle have a shade cover like the 90% of the other 4x4's. My video camera is overheating and I can't get it to turn on and I know there is battery power still left. We head into the trees a bit along the road see wildebeest & buffalo at a distance. Lots of impala and elephants then Jackson spots a cheetah lounging on the ground under a tree. It's a bit far for photos but I'll know that dot is a cheetah in case I don't see any others. Where are all the tree climbing lions that we should be seeing. Every tour book talks about going to see tree climbing lions. Jackson says it's very unlikely that we will see lions in this park and will only see one small area of the park. So along with being cranky from the heat, my video camera not working, Jackson making me angier with trying to tell me what he thinks is wrong with the camera (he's never used one in his life) and with the disappointment of not see lions, I just about tell him to Fxxx off (pardon my french). We circle back the same way as we did into the park and it's hilarious to see all of the baboons have taken over the picnic area like it's their time for a picnic.

Back to the paved road and we start to climb up the winding road up the escarpement. There's a nice viewpoint to stop and takea picture of Lake Manyara. Once at the top, we leave the pavement for one of the worst roads in Tanzania. We are headed to Kirurumu Lodge a Tented Camp and the gov't thinks that they are not responsible for the road if there is a lodge nearby and even though we are probably paying 300-400 a night, none of the money is going to fix the road. I'm still cranky and wonder if I have a bit of heat stroke since I'm starting to feel light headed. The tented accomodation is very nice and has a bit of the view over the escarpement and there are some dwarf mongooses playing around my tent. Once I have a good dinner I'm starting to feel better.