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Serengeti NP
Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania
Day
1 of our Safari, Monday 24 January 2011
I wondered if Lake Manyara
National Park was going to be as disappointing as Kruger in South Africa. It is
one of the smallest parks in Tanzania set around a shallow lake and surrounded
by lush woodlands at the edge of the Great Rift Valley. It is noted for its
birds and elusive tree climbing lions who, like cheetahs, haul their kill up a
tree to feast. We didn’t see the lions, but we were not disappointed. The
wildlife was abundant enough to satisfy all of us.
Once in Arusha we
found a good small hotel and went to the Lasi Tour Company and signed up for a
five day, four night tour of Lake Manyara, NgoroNgoro and the Serengeti. We
leave tomorrow, Monday the 24th, sharing the tour with an Australian couple we
have not yet met. It is a camping safari, simple but that is our style. We are
looking forward to seeing as many animals as possible!
We were picked up by our guide
Donald just after 8:30 AM and driven to their office where all the camping gear
and cooking gear were loaded into the4WD jeep. Another jeep pulled up with our
third passenger, Gianni Strain from Trieste Italy. Gianni travelled by bus from
Kigali Rwanda, spending two 15 hour days on the road. He was a good source of
information about Rwanda for us, having spent the previous two exploring the
country. The 5th passenger in the van was Abdul, our cook.
When Donald stopped in a small
village to fill up the jeep with gas, we were surrounded by men selling
necklaces, bracelets, carvings and more. One was a friend of Donald’s who gave
him a bracelet as a gift. Ray bought small necklaces, one with a lion charm and
the other with an elephant, as souvenirs. We stopped once more at a local store
for food supplies and were again greeted by sales people. Four Maasai women
selling beaded jewellery suggested I could take their photo. I knew this meant a
payment and bargained for an acceptable amount. They then willingly posed but
were disappointed that I didn’t buy any of their crafts as well.
The
countryside we passed was mostly flat, arid Maasai land. Men and boys herded
their cattle on a path parallel to the road. Some only had two cows, some had a
large herd of cows or goats. Small villages of round mud huts with thatched
roofs were arranged in a circle and protected by a thorny Acacia fence against
wild animals. At one spot we passed a few camels in the field. Donkeys were
tethered by the side of the road waiting to carry their next load. A lively
market was in progress in one village. We didn’t stop as we would be obliged to
pay for the privilege of taking photos, if permission was even given. We did
manage a few photos along the way through the jeep windows.
A short
distance later we came to our camping spot, Njake Jambo Camp, just outside the
Lake Manyara National Park. We took our box lunches to the main dining area, a
large open sided building with a bar while our tents were put up in a field
behind. There are four two storey buildings each with eight rooms for those who
don’t like camping. Behind the rooms is a nice pool surrounded by a deck with
long chairs for sunbathing. There is a group of 20 college students from
Minnesota on a 10 week Study Abroad program, staying in the rooms here. They
were doing independent study projects that day, interviewing locals about their
lifestyle.
After lunch Donald raised the pop-up roof of the jeep and we
drove to the park gates. As we passed the small Lake Manyara village Donald told
us this was his home town. He studied to be a mechanic first and then took
wildlife courses so that he could become a guide. He said you really need a
second profession besides guiding as the business is very cyclical.
Baboon families covered the entrance
road to the park, making it difficult to pass. A few African Buffalo, including
one old one with a huge tear on its side, as if it had been gored, grazed by the
side of the road. A nice shaded lunch spot on a hill, full of colourful birds,
afforded a good view down to the lake, which is in a reduced state at this time
of year. Through our binoculars we could see herds of zebras, buffalo and
wildebeest on the flats around the lake. Just below us in the trees a small
group of elephants wandered about and more baboons sat on top of an acacia tree.
That was only the beginning. We drove down to the lake, stopping on a small
bridge over a stream where four elephants were bathing. A lone hippo lay
semi-submerged on the opposite side of the bridge from the elephants. Farther on
we encountered more and more elephants, including several young, moving from one
part of the park to another. We got great shots as they passed almost next to
the jeep. We saw several giraffe close by, some wart hogs, more wildebeest and
buffalo. In the distance we could make out a pink dotted area, thousands of
flamingos. Hornbills were overhead and we saw a Marabou stork.
The end
of our visit was at the hippo pool where more than a dozen hippos lazed in the
waters. One gave an enormous pink mouthed yawn before settling back into the
muddy waters. Another got up and walked sedately to a new spot. The hippos come
on land only at dusk to feed on the vegetation but we had to leave before seeing
this, besides the hippo can be a dangerous animal if provoked. Everyone has to
be out of the park before 6:30 PM.
We were back at the campsite just
after 6:30, just enough time to have a shower, with hot water, have a beer in
the dining area, and get called to dinner. Tomorrow we drive to the Serengeti
for more animal viewing.
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