Safari really just means “travels” or “trip” in Swahili, so I guess I should clarify with Safari Manyara na Ngorongoro. Lake Manyara is special because it is one of the wettest parks during the dry season, meaning many animals travel there to find water. The scenery is also a lot more lush and green than you would expect from the traditional vision of an African safari. Ngorongoro Crater is a large, unbroken flatland inside of a crater that resulted from the collapse of a huge volcano many many years ago. You can see tons of animals inside the crater, since it is a “natural enclosure” of sorts. The main selling point is that Ngorongoro is the only place you can possibly see all of the “Big 5:” lions, rhinos, elephants, water buffalo, and leopard.
Our group of 22 took 3 cars through a tour company, two 8-seaters and 1 6-seater. We left for on Saturday morning and then drove about 2 hours to Lake Manyara. As soon as we left the city limits, I really started to feel like I was “in Africa.” Plains, scrublands, and herd of cows and goats covered the landscape. A majority of the land we drove through was Massai land, so we saw very many, both shepherds and warriors. The Massai people wear traditional bright red-checkered cloths around their shoulders and carry tall staphs or spears. We have been seeing a lot of the traditional red in the city, but this drive was a treat as we got to see a lot more blue cloths as well as the spooky ceremonial garb of the young people preparing for circumcision. They wear all black cloth, tie tall black feathers in their hair (1 on each side of the head), and bob up and down so that the feathers bounce. From afar it really looks like some crazy animal. They also paint their faces with intricate patterns of white paint. The contrast between the bright white paint and their dark skin is really striking. The whole ensemble is very beautiful in an intimidating, exotic way. A month before the circumcision the soon-to-be warriors have to take a herd of cattle and live by themselves in the bush for one month eating only milk, blood, and meat to prove their bravery. In the very rural, traditional areas, the circumcisions are done without any form of anesthesia and the boys are not to show any sign of weakness by crying or otherwise. Intense, I know.
Our group of 22 took 3 cars through a tour company, two 8-seaters and 1 6-seater. We left for on Saturday morning and then drove about 2 hours to Lake Manyara. As soon as we left the city limits, I really started to feel like I was “in Africa.” Plains, scrublands, and herd of cows and goats covered the landscape. A majority of the land we drove through was Massai land, so we saw very many, both shepherds and warriors. The Massai people wear traditional bright red-checkered cloths around their shoulders and carry tall staphs or spears. We have been seeing a lot of the traditional red in the city, but this drive was a treat as we got to see a lot more blue cloths as well as the spooky ceremonial garb of the young people preparing for circumcision. They wear all black cloth, tie tall black feathers in their hair (1 on each side of the head), and bob up and down so that the feathers bounce. From afar it really looks like some crazy animal. They also paint their faces with intricate patterns of white paint. The contrast between the bright white paint and their dark skin is really striking. The whole ensemble is very beautiful in an intimidating, exotic way. A month before the circumcision the soon-to-be warriors have to take a herd of cattle and live by themselves in the bush for one month eating only milk, blood, and meat to prove their bravery. In the very rural, traditional areas, the circumcisions are done without any form of anesthesia and the boys are not to show any sign of weakness by crying or otherwise. Intense, I know.
When we got to Lake Manyara, we stopped for a quick lunch before heading in. Then we headed down a dirt road shrouded on both sides with trees, which I found kind of surprising. I hadn’t expected so much vegetation! The road is essentially a giant loop that takes about 3 to drive around, with a nice break at a picture-perfect overlook. Of the 127 square miles contained inside Lake Manyara National Park, the lake covers approximately 89 square miles, but we didn’t really get that close to it because it’s currently the dry season and the water level is at least a mile back from where it is during the wet season. They don’t want the road getting washed away for half the year! Even with all the scrub trees and bushes, we saw lots of animals. A huge pack of baboons, first playing in the forest along the river and then walking in a single file line across the plains. Our guides joked that they were “on their way to school.” A pack (herd?) of huuuuge hippos just hanging out in a watering hole (Seriously, wild hippopotamuses are enormous!), a family of giraffes in the distance, Thompson’s gazelle, even a dikdik. A dikdik is like a miniature deer. No, not even miniature. Toy. Seriously! Exact same proportions (but with adorably large eyes), but only a little over a foot long. At one point, we were driving down the road and a couple of elephants just suddenly popped out of the bush. They walked right next to one of our cars! The elephants at Manyara were the smaller kind, but still, it’s mind-boggling how such a huge animal can appear and disappear so quickly through the trees; as suddenly as they had arrived, they were gone. So basically, best hide and seek players ever.
After a great day at Manyara, we drove to our lodging. We weren’t quite sure what to expect, since at what point we had been told campsite and another time hotel. It turned out to be a little of both! There was one main covered area with bar, dining area, and dancefloor/stage. A bathrooms building with showers, and then the rest of the area was dotted with little grass-thatched huts, made with woven-reed “walls.” Inside the huts were tents, and inside the tents were beds! Down at the bottom of the hill, we all stood in awe taking in the most amazing view. You could see everything. Mountains in the background, the golden plains sprawling from their feet. Then the sparse scrubland, dotted with pillars of smoke from the Massai encampments. And finally, the lush green forest climbing up the hillside where we stood. Lake Manyara’s vast size was put into perspective over on side. I had the strangest sensation at that moment, and I’m sure I repeated this awe-inspired phrase one too many times to my travel companions, but it was true: “I feel like I’m on a map.” When you look at a map, or even better, one of those 3-D globes that shows color and terrain, you know? I literally felt like I was standing inside of it, looking down on this beautiful piece of earth that I’ve dreamt about for so long.
We all took photo after photo, just wanting to save every inch of the view. Unfortunately, my camera doesn’t have a panorama option, but I tried to piece together 3 angles to show you. (That's the photo up top) Cameras really don’t do justice to the depth and perspective though. You really have to be there!
We all took photo after photo, just wanting to save every inch of the view. Unfortunately, my camera doesn’t have a panorama option, but I tried to piece together 3 angles to show you. (That's the photo up top) Cameras really don’t do justice to the depth and perspective though. You really have to be there!
Combined herd of zebras and wildebeests.
On Sunday, we woke up early to set out for Ngorongoro Crater. Once we got inside the park, we first had a very steep climb up to the edge of the crater. The Land Rovers were really struggling! It was cold up there, and for a while we were inside a cloud. But when the fog cleared we saw yet another beautiful view, this time looking over the entire enclosure of the crater. It was hard to imagine that the huge space was once a giant volcanic mountain. As we started our descent down into the crater, our guide told us that one of the reasons you can find so many animals inside is that they can easily migrate in, but then have a hard time scaling the steep inclines to get out. Frustrating for the animals, but good for us! When we got down to the plains and started driving, I was surprised by the way so many species of animals just hang out together. It’s like some kind of African version of Snow White and Cinderella’s forest friends. We drove through a mixed herd of gazelle, zebras, wildebeests, and warthogs, all grazing on the same golden grass and I just kept thinking “Wow, this is Africa. I’m really here, on a Safari.” I know I had already been to Lake Manyara, but it was so green there that it wasn’t really like the “Safari” I had imagined.
Hyena
We saw hyenas, walking alone but sometimes gathering in small groups to catch up on the latest scavenger news. They look kind of like small bears, though their back haunches are shaped a little funny so they walk oddly. Also interesting was the way they all walked only along well-worn paths. It didn’t seem like any other animals used the hyena roads, but you could see their pale snaking patterns all throughout the grass. We didn’t get to hear their creepy laugh, because they only do that when they find food.
We passed large herds of zebra, which were a lot fatter and stockier than I remembered from zoos and the like. I’m thinking there must be different kinds of zebras. The ones we’re used to look like striped horses, but the Tanzanian ones reflect their Swahili name, punda milia, “striped donkey.” The wildebeests also traveled in giant herds, and we got to see them in a semi-stampede! I’m not sure what stirred them up, but a lot of them started running at full speed, which in turn caused more and more to pick up and run too. That threw up a lot of dust, but by our second day of safari, we were pretty used to dust! I liked watching the dust cyclones that formed in the wind. Some of the dust columns stretched all the way up to the clouds.
We passed large herds of zebra, which were a lot fatter and stockier than I remembered from zoos and the like. I’m thinking there must be different kinds of zebras. The ones we’re used to look like striped horses, but the Tanzanian ones reflect their Swahili name, punda milia, “striped donkey.” The wildebeests also traveled in giant herds, and we got to see them in a semi-stampede! I’m not sure what stirred them up, but a lot of them started running at full speed, which in turn caused more and more to pick up and run too. That threw up a lot of dust, but by our second day of safari, we were pretty used to dust! I liked watching the dust cyclones that formed in the wind. Some of the dust columns stretched all the way up to the clouds.
If you really think “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” then you must not have seen Africa. Everything’s way bigger than I imagined! I have a hard time believing that a lot of the animals are even real. How can such a huge creature survive in the wild? Again, photos don’t do size justice, but check out these ostriches. Some are the black and white ones we are used to, but there are grey ones as well. I think the grey ones might be the females. They do really funny dances, and actually do stick their entire neck and head into the ground to hide! Another giant beast is the water buffalo (Big 5 #1). I wouldn’t want to get in the way of one of these guys! Or a black rhino (Big 5 #2) either. Their thick, leathery skin is unreal. How do plates of armor like that just grow naturally? There are only about 10 rhinos in Ngorongo, so we were extremely lucky to see two of them! The elephants (Big 5 #3) at Ngorongoro were also much bigger than those at Lake Manyara. Here, they were more solitary, but we managed to see a few.
We were determined to see a lion (Big 5 #4), so we began following the line of trees along the “river” (more like a stream) across the plain. During the day, lions prefer to relax in the shade. Just as we were reaching the end of the stretch of green, someone shouted “There! A lion! Lions!” We had to pull out the binoculars to see them all, but there they were, a small pride. Even a male, almost invisible beneath the edge of the river bank, but we could just make out his mane. Satisfied with finding 4/5 of the Big 5, we headed over to the watering hole for lunch. You have to eat in the car so that animals (think giant, pelican-sized seagulls) don’t come and grab the food from your hand, but afterwards we got out and walked around the pond. Inside was a group of hippos. I was surprised we were allowed to get so close to them, since hippos are one of the most dangerous animals. Luckily they didn’t seem too interested in us!
Later on in the trip, we also ended up getting to see a couple female lions from a pretty short distance. The picture to the right is of one of them.
Later on in the trip, we also ended up getting to see a couple female lions from a pretty short distance. The picture to the right is of one of them.
My new friends
After lunch we set out to find a leopard, the last of the Big 5. And finally, “Stop! I see the ears! A leopard!” We grabbed the binoculars, put them in focus, and…… “oh. Warthog.” Warthogs seem to really like pretending to be lions and leopards. We never did find a leopard, but there was one more highlight of the day: it turns out I’m fluent in wildebeest! For real. At first I was just messing around, trying to mock their bleat/moo/groan as we waited for a giant herd of them to cross the road, but then something strange began to happen. One by one, nearly every member of the herd began to raise their heads and align themselves with our car, responding in unison to my every call. Weird! It looked like they were forming lines too. When another big group of them started to cross the road just as we were trying to go, someone told me to ask my followers to wait. I bleated and made a “stand aside!” motion. It totally worked—they waited while our car passed and I called out my thanks.
On our ascent out of the crater, everyone was pretty quiet, just looking out over the scene and reflecting on the day. It still seemed so surreal, but now I know I can definitely say that I’ve been on a real safari (not just the Animal Kingdom one in Disney, though that replication is pretty accurate), that I’ve commanded a herd of wildebeest, that I’ve been coated a layer of African dust, and that I’ve made my former child-self very, very happy. :)
On our ascent out of the crater, everyone was pretty quiet, just looking out over the scene and reflecting on the day. It still seemed so surreal, but now I know I can definitely say that I’ve been on a real safari (not just the Animal Kingdom one in Disney, though that replication is pretty accurate), that I’ve commanded a herd of wildebeest, that I’ve been coated a layer of African dust, and that I’ve made my former child-self very, very happy. :)