Leaving Moshi, we were packed into a Toyota mini-van on steroids, complete with pop-up safari roof and four-wheel drive. It was great that Kristen and I basically had the safari to ourselves. Given that it was peak safari season our basic assumption was that we would be sharing the trip but through Mr. George’s connections we were armed with Jesse, our driver, and an ATV mini-van.
After an hour of driving we were truly out in the country and the open plains butting up to the Rift Valley escarpment brought the reality of traveling in Africa to life.
The Masai Doma or village huts made from grass were another reminder that we were entering the Tanzanian countryside and venturing into game territory.
No sooner had we gotten used to the rythm of rugged road than the back tired needed changing. Kristen and I both put on our optimistic faces and hoped that this wouldn't be the trend. If we were blowing tires on the loosely paved roads, what was going to happen when we were miles from anywhere on the wash board dirt paths of the Serengeti?
The first game reserve to be visited was Tarangire National Park, which in swahili means river of wild pigs. Hopefully, we would see more than just the stray "Poomba" from the Lion King. It is funny, when we were diving off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, success was determined by how many aquatic creatures we saw from the movie "Finding Nemo". Now, success had shifted to the cast of the Lion King.
(We found it funny that in a game park the second rule was not to avoid annoying the animals but to avoid making noises that might annoy other humans.)
We ate lunch under the shade of a pavillion and were eager to see the real animals, not just the stained glass version.
After passing through the main gate it didn't take long for our first sighting. We danced around the van, peering out of the pop-up safari top to get our first glimpse of wildebeast. In hind sight, it is funny that we got so excited over just a few animals, compared to what was in store over the next few hours.
Even seeing a huge termite mound caught our attention.
A banded mongoose colony was on the move.
Then, in the distance, our first view of one of the "Big Five" as a smart elephant sought out the shade of an umbrella acacia as a shield from the mid-day sun.
Rounding the corner, almost literally uncovered an explosion of wildlife! Ostridge strutted through the grasses on the right side of the vehicle. (There were many, but I singled this one out.)
Looking to the left, we were greeted with our first poster child for the park, an ngiri or wild pig. We of course chanted to our selves "poomba, poomba".
One of the smallest members of the antelope family was our next prey. The dik dik is little bigger than a chiwawa dog and is almost always seen in pairs. They mate for life and one is usually a profile of the other. However, we kept seeing solo dik diks so maybe these were the "lone wolf" bachelors.
One of my favorite animals, especially with a full rack, is the majestic impala.
The younger ones are still graceful, but the longer horned older variety are just plain impressive.
Africa is equally known for ornothology as its land bound creatures. These superb starlings appear to be taking orders from their "drill sergeant" leader.
The buffalo weaver is a constant worker of the grass lands, standing out with its red/orange backside.
The iridescent feathers of the Hadada Ibis were hard to capture, as they were constantly skimming the water.
Even though this is not a great picture, I had to put it in the mix, as it has the best name, the "white bellied go away bird". No joke, it's in the book.
There are some other great names for the African birds. I would just call this a wild chicken, but here it is proudly known as the red-necked spurfowl, named after the obvious red neck and spurred "chicken foot" used for scratching in the dirt.
Have you ever wondered where the phrase "like a couple of love birds" comes from? Well here is your answer! These are the real fisher's love birds in action. They get their name, because like their terra firma bound buddies, the dik diks, love birds mate for life. If one dies, the other will stop eating until it dies too. Now that is dedication!
After enjoying the higher grounds, we were headed for the tara-ngire or river of wild pigs. Along the way, the road side was dotted with bao bab trees. These monsters of vegetation can be easily ten meters in circumference, soar twenty meters in the air, and span thirty meters. They live to be several thousand years old.
As the life blood of the national park and game reserve the river is all important. Winter, the cooler season of the temperate Tanzanian climate zone, is very dry. The lack of rainfall had turned the sometimes overflowing river into a tame stream, attracting many different species of animals at the same time.
Elephants share not only the prized grass lands along the banks of the river with zebra...
... but also the watering holes with giraffe and many other species.
The water buck is another of my favorite animals. They seem so sturdy and calm. They aren't as jittery as the other creatures, but I'm sure a good old fashioned lion sighting would change all that.
As the afternoon progressed, we were treated to a real wild life extravaganza. The evenings are the best time to see the diversity of animals. It really struck both Kristen and me how many different types of animals could be seen sharing the same space and food sources.
With evening approaching we began to make the trek across the broad water basin to our safari lodge.
Everyone is required to be secured back at one of the designated lodge sites before dark, so the caravan of safari seekers started to gather along the roads.
Tanzania is fairly close to the equater so the seasons change, but the day light hours stay pretty constant at approximately twelve hours of sun and twelve of darkness. This brings the long banded orange and red light rays to the horizon by about six-thirty in the evening.
An interesting phenomenon is when one looks in the direction of the sun set, the sky is brilliantly orange and darkening, while in the opposite direction, which one would assume would be darker, the sky is blue and full of light. It is almost as if the sun gets its show and then every one else follows is a more monochromatic riostatic wind down to the day.
After hours in the van, we were more than happy to see the entrance to the Tarangire Safari Lodge.
We were very happy to stop, kick our feet up and take a quick break to view the scenery from a seated stationary position, for a change.
The Tarangire Safari Lodge is a perfect blend of old and new. Instead of rooms, everyone has an old fashioned canvas tent complete with twin size beds and a writing desk. However, attached to the back of each tent is a stone walled modern bath, complete with showers and sink. It is really the best of both worlds and nothing is better than sleeping in the open air and hearing the wild animals across the open gorge.
Night time is almost pitch black, so it is reassuring to have the fire burning on the lodge porch after dinner.
