Tarangire National Park, Tanzania - August 13

August 13

This morning at 9:00 we officially started our African safari. We packed up and had breakfast and eagerly awaited meeting our guide/driver for our safari. A guide could make or break your experience if personalities did not gel or they weren’t engaging. We were welcomed by a very nice gentleman named Wilson Shange. He saw a sea of luggage (from a large group that just arrived) and asked which were ours and we pointed to our duffles and backpacks and he said “ah, you are travelers”. He explained that we were going to stop at the office of Duma Explorer on the way to Tarangire to meet the owner, Stacy Readal. She is from Texas and went to school in Tanzania and met and married a Tanzanian man. Together they formed the safari company. She was very responsive with emails and always answered all of my questions and was very competitively priced. It was great to meet her after all the correspondence over the past year.

 we're on our way!!!!

 Arusha Airport

our guide, Wilson Shange & owner Stacy Readal

We were driven to Tarangire National Park about 75 miles southwest of Arusha and it was about a 2 hour drive. It was a great drive with much to see out of the window and the pictures below are taken from the car windows. The Maasai young men with their faces painted white are done after undergoing their public circumcisions to become men and junior warriors at around age 15 and this is done in the healing stage. They are not to make a sound during the procedure or risk being dishonored.

 Sisal

 

Wilson was such a wealth of information and instead of sounding like a guide with a canned speech, he was more like talking with an old friend. He soon learned we were “birders” so he was always on the lookout for them. We chatted easily getting to know each other on the way.

He asked if we wanted a “shopping stop” and we said sure. I did buy a zebra and I thought I picked up a hippo, but when I got it home it is a tiger. (which don’t actually live in Africa). I think I just picked out something colorful. Here are the photos:

 their store

 their "factory"

 restrooms

Speke's Weaver & Blue-capped Cordon-bleu

We arrived in Tarangire National Park and checked in at the visitor’s center and went on a game drive for the rest of the day. We had a picnic lunch and ate in the car. We were on our way to the picnic spot, but we kept seeing so many things we just stopped and ate in the car. 

 

 Yellow-collared Lovebird

 

This is a pretty “small” park, but we really saw a lot of animals. Highlight of the game drive was watching a pair of lions mating. Wilson said since it was a male and female together under the tree, she must be in heat. He said they mate about every 25 minutes for several days. The first time he tried, she growled at him and he lied down and waited. She soon “invited” him and he mounted her. Afterwards, she rolls over and acts playful before moving away to rest until the next session.  (video on my web albums site.)

 

We saw tons of zebras, wildebeest, ostriches, elephants, giraffes and various antelopes. We also stopped to see a lot of birds. It is amazing how close you are to the animals and they often crossed the road right in front of us. The mating lions were right next to the road under a tree. What an awesome start to our safari. Watching the young elephants nursing was amazing as well. Zebras and wildebeest playing in the water were so fun to watch. We saw so much so easily that Greg says, we have 10 more days of this? Of course there was much more to see! 

 

Grey-crowned Crane 

 Grant's Gazelles

Von Der Decken's Hornbill

 

 White-headed Buffalo Weaver

 Superb Starling

 elephants on the road in front of our vehicle

 wildebeest

 zebras

 Maasai Giraffe

 Black-Faced Vervet Monkey

 Lilac-breasted Roller

 Ostriches

 White-backed Vulture on nest

 White-backed Vulture

 Common Waterbuck

 Hammerkops

 Olive Baboon

 Grant's Gazelles

Black-faced Sandgrouse - male

After the game drive we drove to Tarangire Treetops Lodge for two nights. Here is a link to the lodge: http://elewanacollection.com/tarangire-treetops/tarangire-treetops-at-a-glance

Treetops is outside of the park which allowed us to go on night game drives and walks. Since none of the parks are fenced animals were outside of the park as well.

 exiting the park we need to sign out with the park rangers

African Red-bellied Parrot - female

 

 African Red-bellied Parrot - female

 elephants made the hole in the tree trying to get water from it

 Ashy Starling

 White-bellied Go-away-bird

White-bellied Go-away-bird

We LOVED this place! We were warmly greeted by a lot of people with towels and taken to sit in the sitting area near the pool and were given cold drinks and snacks as we filled out our forms. Elephants were at the watering hole just beyond the pool. AMAZING! 

 Reception and main lodge

 the building is built around this huge Baobab tree

 sitting areas

 elephants at the watering hole past the pool

 

We relaxed for a bit with drinks and snacks and then went to the treehouse to relax and take a shower. As we were sitting on the balcony waterbucks and elephants walked past our treehouse. Then, we watched the beautiful sunset before calling to have a warrior escort us to dinner. 

 Maasai taking our luggage to the treehouse

 where the water was heated for the shower

 stairway to the treehouse

 

Maasai warriors must escort you from the lodge to your treehouse. (in daylight you could go alone if you were careful there were no animals.)  

Dinner was under the stars and you could choose from their menu. Very nice setting with a roaring fire to help keep the chill off.  After dinner we were escorted back to our treehouse and they wait until you have climbed the stairs and then drop the hatch so nothing can come up the stairs and get to you. They had the treehouse all zipped up to keep us warm, though there were 2 windows open in the bathroom that had no canvas so the bathroom stayed cold. The shower however was about the best of the trip. It has lots of hot water that was heated by the fire that a Maasai Warrior made and great water pressure.  

 

We slept to the sounds of bats and other “animal noises”  

This lodge was all inclusive with all food, drinks and laundry. The staff fell all over themselves to make sure you wanted for nothing. Ice cubes are a luxury in these remote areas and they always put a few “surprises” in our drinks.  

 

Of course there are more photos on my Picasa Web Albums site.

Tomorrow we have a bush walk, a full day game drive and a night game drive.