Out of Africa - part three (Tatu): The Crater to Arusha

Day 8 - The lodge did not provide breakfast boxes, so we had an excuse to sleep in a little and have breakfast at the lodge. By 7:30 we were on our way to Lake Manyara National Park. Lake Manyara is a soda lake, with fresh water pools nearby. When we first arrived we were surrounded by dense forest and were delighted to see blue monkeys, another new animal for us! We spotted a giant kingfisher with a fish about the size of him in its beak. He was beating it on a log (breaking its bones) so he could swallow it whole. I could hardly believe he got it down! At the water we saw thousands of white pelicans, storks and flamingoes, as well as all kinds of other birds. We even saw four lions in the park. Lions are so rare in this area that Maiko jotted it down in a journal he keeps of rare sights. We were having all kinds of luck this trip!

In the afternoon we drove to Tarangire National Park, which is Maiko's favorite park in Tanzania. It was a long drive to the park, and our lodge was the southernmost (and furthest) from the entrance gate. We had to drive faster than usual to make it by six. We had saved the best accommodations for last, and when we pulled up to Swala Tented Lodge my jaw dropped, it was truly a 5-star place, right next to an elephant watering hole in the middle of the bush! We were greeted by the owner, while other people took our bags and gave us juice and a cool towel. We were shown around the camp, given a safety briefing (absolutely no going out of your tent after dark, unless escorted by the Maasai warrior), told about the power (which is switched to battery power after 11pm), and warned about the monkeys (you must keep your tent locked at all times, because the monkeys know how to work the zippers). How wild is that?!?

After a quick shower (our room was the nicest room I have ever stayed in!) we met the other guests by the fire for happy hour. Maiko met us for dinner, which was SO GOOD! We had great conversation, talking the night away. Soon, the Massai warrior (he carried a spear that was all business) escorted us to our tent and we settled in. I didn't want to fall asleep because the sounds were amazing, elephants, birds, and even lions (not too far away)! It was fantastic.

Day 9 - There are no fences around the lodge, it's definitely the most remote place we had stayed (besides the camping). So when Maiko told us that there were lions spotted roaming around the camp late in the night I wasn't surprised! The watering hole attracts all kinds of animals, like waterbucks, impala, elephants, and lions. On our way out of camp at 6am, we saw ANOTHER rare animal, a banded badger. They are nocturnal and Maiko said that this was the first one he had ever seen! It was about the size of a large dog and quite menacing looking. But they are shy, nocturnal creatures, so he didn't stick around (no pictures, unfortunately).

Not a mile away we came across a pride of lions that had a fresh zebra kill right next to the road. We stopped, but the lions must have thought we were too close for comfort. We watched one lioness drag the kill further into the bush. It was really neat to see them so close. Later in the morning we saw two male lions with a fresh buffalo kill. The "breakfast box" (and the lunch box, for that matter), were not the standard, packed in a cardboard box. This was prepared by the 5-star Swala lodge! We had been given a big wicker basket full of all kinds of delicious, fresh local food, complete with real silverware and a tablecloth!

We spent the afternoon along a river bed that was full of animals. We were stunned when a jackal, being chased by a female impala darted in front of our truck! We couldn't believe our eyes, but soon we realized that the impala was trying to defend its baby that the jackal was hunting. The jackal actually caught the baby twice as we watched; each time the baby got free, shook itself off, and darted away. But the jackal, and mama, were in hot pursuit. We watched until they disappeared in a cloud of dust behind some thick brush. We never did find out what happened, but I hope the baby survived. By the way, the male impala, who was there in the beginning, could not be bothered, and wandered off to find a bite to eat.

We rolled into the lodge late, at almost 7pm... that was almost 13 hours out in the bush and we were exhausted. Soon after another delicious dinner (with Maiko) I was asleep. I woke up at 3am to a really loud noise, so loud it was shaking the floor boards of our tent! At first I thought it was an elephant trumpeting. Three long, low, loud bursts followed by three shorter (but still pretty loud), almost panting-like sounds. I woke G up, and we soon realized that it wasn't elephants but a lion! This cycle repeated itself for almost two hours. The sounds had started on the watering hole side of our tent and slowly moved to the other side. It was the most incredible thing I had ever heard! I loved every second of it.

Day 10 - It was our last day on safari and we decided to have breakfast at the lodge, on a terrace overlooking the elephants at the watering hole. It was almost surreal. But soon, it was time to head out. We had a long drive to the town of Arusha where we were to catch our flight to Nairobi, Kenya. We saw quite a bit of wildlife on our three hour drive out of the park. I was sad when we finally reached the gate, I had gotten used to being surrounded by heards of zebra, gazelle and wildebeest... and being ignored by the grazing giraffe and being stared down by the buffalo. I knew I was going to miss the park, but maybe one day we will return.

Our flight wasn't until 7pm, but we had things to do in the town of Arusha before we left. First we visited the cultural center (which turned out to be more of a giant gift shop). Then, we went by the local orphanage to drop off the $250 worth of school supplies we had brought with us. The teachers were in a meeting, so we arranged to come back a little later. We still had quite a bit of time to kill, and I don't think Maiko knew quite what to do with us. So, he took us to his local bar, called "The Shade Hotel", we met another driver and all shared some drinks (non-alcoholic for the drivers). Once our school supplies were dropped off we were off to the airport.

The Kilimanjaro airport is located 60 miles outside the city of Arusha, which is located in the geographic center of Africa. The clock tower in the middle of town is supposedly situated at the midpoint between Cairo and Cape Town, and all points are measured from here. Arusha just recently got electricity, but the city is only powered 3 nights a week, 7pm to 7am. So after we said goodbye to Maiko (which was tough for me, I missed him as soon as we got into the terminal), we were sitting at our gate and all of the lights went out. We were at an international airport and sitting in pitch black darkness. No one seemed to care much and in about 5 seconds the power was back on. This happened a total of three times before we left. It seems that this is what happens when the airport goes from generator power to local power at 7pm, when it's turned on for the night. It makes you think about all the things we take for granted, like continuous power!

So, now we were in a little 50 seater plane, on our way to Nairobi. Our next adventure was about to begin, but this time with no guide to take care of everything for us. I must admit I was a little nervous, but excited to start the next part of our trip!


Lion paw print


In the Ngorongoro Crater, eating lunch at a lake full of hippos


Blue monkey


Lioness with a zebra kill


Hippo yawn


Elephants on the road


Hyena trying to catch a flamingo


Sunset


Our tent at the Swala Tented Lodge


Breakfast at Swala with a view of the water hole


Elephants


Tree right out of "The Lion King"


Common agamas, the males change colors


A superb starling


Elephant checking out a safari truck


Giraffes drinking


Mama & baby baboon


The local bar in Arusha where Maiko took us for a drink


The orphanage school where we donated our school supplies


A view of Mt. Kilimanjaro, on the way to the airport