Out of Africa -February 12- "Early Morning Safari"-

Tuesday, February 12

Today we were packed and ready to go.  Our driver, Steven, wanted to leave before the others in search of the lions that had left tracks by the river.  Most of the other groups would be leaving at 8 a.m. but we had an early breakfast and were leaving the Tarangire Sopa Lodge promptly at 7 a.m.

Good bye little Hyrax!

Good bye little Buffalo Weaver and Dik Dik!

Good Bye Tarangire Sopa Lodge!

This was our second full day and our first morning game drive.  Although the temperatures yesterday reached well into the 90's, this morning was quite cool.  As we drove towards the river we saw different birds, vervet monkeys, hoof stock and the ever present termite mounds.

A Waterbuck

Juvenile Steppe Eagle

One of many Termite Mounds
This one sported a Vervet Monkey

40% of the termite mound lies underground.  Also termites are nocturnal and these particular termites live off of dead plants and grasses, not trees or wood.

The Tarangire River

Today we took a new road, and it made all the difference!

We saw a hot air balloon this morning.
Tomorrow we will be taking our ride but ours will be over the Serengeti plains.

As we bumped along the clay-red roads, swaying with the jeep, I was very much aware of how fortunate I was to be seeing a country so different from our own.  I have been to Alaska several times and it is still one of my favorite places to visit but Africa offers a magical, almost primitive, landscape that is filled with birds and animals and cultures that, up until now, I had only seen in zoos or magazines. Our driver was extremely passionate about the welfare of his country and the conservation of the land and the wildlife. As our guide he was not concerned with fulfilling a list of animals or birds that we wished to see, but rather wished to show the interactions and interdependence of everything we saw.  Unlike other drivers we would see, Steven always had us wait after the "main event" to see what was going to happen next.  We call it the "circle of life" and he wanted us to see the entire circle.  He has no favorite or least favorite animals, all are necessary animals.  He saw the importance of every living creature from termites to hyenas to the vultures soaring overhead.

Red-billed Hornbill

White-browed Coucal

Waterbuck with Elephants

Absinian Roller

Bee-Eater
not sure what species but they were slightly larger than our humming birds.

Gray-Crowned Crane

Red-Billed Hornbills

Red-Billed Quelea

Impala

The road we were on soon opened up to the river and we were greeted with an enormously large herd of African elephants.  We were the first to arrive.  We sat in silence just soaking in the scene before us.  The Tarangire National Park has one of the largest concentrations of elephants in Tanzania and I would say that we saw a great many of them today.

An impala, Steven explained it could have died during a challenge fight like the one we saw yesterday or perhaps of natural causes.  No matter how, it would provide life for another species.

At the river we were greeted by Emperor Geese

And then, there they were, several herds of African elephants drinking and playing in the water.

There were bachelor herds and matriarchal herds

Young elephants play-fighting

This was a female, both male and female African elephants grow tusks.

As we were ready to leave, the rest of the jeep-world drove in.  We were so lucky to have watched the elephants in silent wonderment! 

The African Fish-Eagle looks a lot like our Bald Eagle.
Just a wee bit more white on his back

Red-Billed Hornbills picking through the elephant poo.
As Steven points out, everything serves a purpose.

What an experience!

After we left the elephants by the river we were just exhilarated to have seen so many elephants.  Of course we never dreamed that we were about to watch another spectacular scene at another spot on the river.  Steven soon pulled over and pointed out a large number of lions, females with cubs. We watched for quite a while and many of the other jeeps were pulling away to find other animals but Steven said we would wait just a little while longer.  He had spotted a small herd of elephants that were on their way down to the river and he thought we should stay and watch the interaction between the lions and the elephants.  Like I said before, Steven was an awesome guide.

There were several adult females with cubs sitting on a concrete piling

In this photo you can see that the lions have noticed that the elephants are heading their way.

They sit tight while the first goes by.

But as more come down the hillside, one of the female lions takes the cubs to the other side while the other female stays.

The elephants cross uneventfully and everyone is happy.  Well, the lions might be a little perturbed that they had to move!

Hakuna Matata!

Another WOW moment!  And just when we thought it couldn't get any better, we saw out first Cheetah!

Our first Cheetah sighting

I wanted to get his tail flicking the flies.  Little did I know, that, at the next park, we would see more cheetahs and much closer.

 Soon we were leaving the park and onto a main highway,  A short distance from the park entrance we pulled over to a questionable building that Steven said was the studio and store of a group of men who sold their wood carvings and art work.  He also mentioned that we should never pay the asking price.  We should be good at bar-gaining! He said that in this culture bargaining is a part of their social structure.  For many of us it was a totally new experience and a little uncomfortable.  I drew upon my memories of going to flea markets with Andy remembering how he never paid full price for anything. He always went away happy in the knowledge that he had made a good deal. I chose 4 carved African animals of ebony wood, a set of carved salad forks and and an art piece showing the Big 5.  The asking price was $500 American dollars! We haggled a bit and 10 minutes later I walked out with my 6 items $95 poorer. It was probably still too much but we both went away happy!

In the workshop

They used mostly ebony and rose wood for their carvings

Some of their carvings

My purchase

The drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area took nearly 4 hours.  Along the way we saw more Maasai herders with their flocks and herds of animals.  We stopped for diesel in a town at the foot of the crater.  From here the road climbed up the side of the mountain in a series of switchbacks.  When we finally we reached the top we pulled into an overlook that gave us a glimpse of the expanse of the Ngorongoro crater and the caldera below.

Entering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

A view from the overlook, looking into the caldera of a long ago volcano

Another selfie

As we skirted along the edge of the crater we would periodically see Maasai villages dotting the landscape.  Soon the lands opened up and we saw a large lake where the Maasai were watering their livestock.

Maasai herder in the distance

Maasai Village

Watering Hole

This was the largest herd of giraffe we had seen so far.

Part of the Wildebeest migration

And this is an Eland!  Steven was trying to tell us about the eland and we were in the back going on about the Thompson's gazelles in the background.  He kept repeating, "this is an Eland, it is an Eland, an E-land!"  At last we looked in the foreground and all together exclaimed, "Oh, now we see it!"  Not sure how we missed it, it is the largest antelope in Africa!  It was our joke with Steven for the rest of the trip.

Bateleur Eagle

Emperor geese in a hippo pond

These are not mounds of mud, they are Hippopotamus.

Marabou Storks

A tree full of Marabou stork

Our lodging for the next 3 nights.
The Serengeti Serena Lodge

At dusk we had to call for an escort to go to dinner.
Protection from resident Buffalo and Leopard.

Going to breakfast.

A lounge area next to the dining room

Our jeep-mates.  Donna from Honolulu and Terry from San Diego.

Our days were packed full of so many wonderful experiences.  I hope you are enjoying the photos and I hope I can convey at least a little of what it felt like to actually be there.  Tomorrow we have to meet in the lobby at 4:30 a.m. for our drive to the launch site of our hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti.