We've received some feedback from readers that we should add "index" pages for specific content. An index page is better than the Categories ("Navigation" on the right side of this page) because you don't have to scroll through blog entries you've already seen -- intead, just go to the entry you want.
So, here is a brief index of our blog entries about parks on the northern circuit in Tanzania (plus Mafia Island):
- Morning in the Park: baboon babies, walk across the plain, a small waterfall, and lots of giraffes
- Afternoon in the Park: canoeing on an alkaline lake, flamingos, and black & white colobus monkeys
Lake Manyara National Park (Day 3)
- Morning in the Park: more baboon babies, impala, dik dik, zebra, and lots of elephants
- Afternoon in the Park: vervet monkeys with babies, baboons, golden weaver, plus the Rhotia Valley
Ngorongoro Crater the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Day 4)
- Morning in the Crater: zebras, hyena, wildebeast, warthogs and babies, ostrich, black rhino, eland, bush buck, Thompson's gazelle, birds (ibis, stork, and kori bustard), elephants, and lounging lions!
- Afternoon in the Crater: yellow-billed kites, weavers and pelicans, elephant, water buffalo, ostriches in a mating dance, warthog babies, lions, and the Rhotia Valley Children's Home!
Serengeti National Park - Walking Safari (Day 5, Day 6, Day 7)
- Drive into Serengeti N.P.: saw lions mating (!), and an uncountable number of wildebeast in the herd
- Drive to the Walking Safari Camp: agama lizards, superb starlings, marabou stork, and our campsite on the banks of the Orangi River in the central Serengeti (with recent hippo tracks near our tent!)
Serengeti National Parl - Game Drives (Day 8, Day 9, Day 10)
- Drive from walking camp to the game-drive camp: leopard tortise, herd (or pod) of hippos, impala, giraffes, a silverbird and some weavers, a leopard (finally!), vultures, mongooses, water buffalo, and a lion near camp
- Info about our "special campsite": lodging options in Serengeti National Park, our tent camp in the shadows of one of the Moru Kopjes, baboons and giraffes at breakfast, light painting at night, and a landscape view with rainbows.
- Second Day (morning game drive): leopard in a tree, lion in a tree, many animals feeding (giraffe, vervet monkeys, warthog), many birds (secretary bird, pearl spotted owlet, gray hornbill, lilac breasted roller, lovebirds).
- Second Day (afternoon game drive): coming soon
Mafia Island (Chloe Island)
- First Day: coming soon
- Second Day: coming soon
- Third Day: coming soon
- Fourth Day: coming soon
- Fifth Day: coming soon
It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure -- thanks to friends and family that gave wedding gifts to make it possible.
Our morning game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater was absolutely packed with animals. But around 13:00 we left those grassy & wooded areas where we had just seen elephants and lions. It's time for lunch.
Our guide drove us to the common rest & picnic area, on the edge of the crater's Lake Magadi:
The Land Cruisers lined up in the parking area - Prim (our guide) said it is packed end-to-end in high season!
Some people stayed near the cars, while others found shade under the large tree on the lakeshore.
In Arusha National Park's eating areas, we had to be mindful of blue monkeys who had become scavengers. At this site in the Crater, the yellow-billed kites were the animals to watch out for- and far more aggressive.
The kites kept soaring overhead, and would often swoop down very fast by anyone near their car. They were looking for any open food, and we saw them dive and snatch unguarded items with incredible speed.
The one advantage: we got more practice trying to photograph birds-in-flight! (We stayed inside the Land Cruiser to eat, disappointing these aerial acrobats I'm sure.)
In a smaller tree near the parking lot lived a number of rufous-tailed weavers:
A trio of pelicans kept soaring -- much higher than the kites (they weren't looking to scavenge). They circled the lake perhaps 15 times before heading to the far side, to land and settle down.
Another frequent (but lovely) scavenger here is the southern-masked weaver. They don't have the size or athleticism of the kites, but since they're small, they hang around nearby and try to snatch up crumbs.
This one would perch on each car in turn, eyeing the people to weigh the likelihood of getting a meal.
At the far end of the lake were hippos. As usual, one was closest to the people and keeping watch on us.
After our meal and the bird photography, we started out on the afternoon game drive. A short time after getting underway again, we saw another lone (and, um... well endowed) elephant walking along the grassy beds.
Also on the plain, small groups of water buffalo were mostly still, trying to keep cool in the afternoon sun.
We saw some lions near a cluster of trees. One had just emerged from the undergrowth coming towards us:
More accurately, the lion was walking towards two others lying in front of us. They watched his approach:
As the lion drew near to the others, his head dropped and tail swished - initiating a friendly reunion perhaps?
The newcomer nuzzled the other lions for a second before plopping right down to rest beside them.
A fourth lion (looks like a male), kept to himself - his spot was farther away along the same cluster of trees.
Further along the road, we found a pair of ostriches in a mating dance -- circling and bobbing heads up & down.
Almost on the other side of the road from the ostriches was another female warthog with young:
They didn't run away as fast as the others we'd seen, so we took the chance to shoot a brief video:
These two are obviously old enough to feed themselves, rather than relying solely on milk.
As the sun began slowly to drop, we headed back across the plains of the crater's floor.
We were going back to the road that would take us up the crater rim, and back around to the park gate.
Note: above photo was bracketed and HDR/tonemapped using Photomatix
While waiting to pass another jeep, we pointed cameras out the window to capture the high crater wall.
Note: above photo was bracketed and HDR/tonemapped using Photomatix
We headed back up the road, ascending to the top of the crater...
...and once at the top, followed the road as it curved around the rim, back towards the entrance gate.
It wasn't long before we were back in Rhotia Valley, driving past the farms and scattered homes.
Before dinner on the second evening, our hosts at the lodge walked us across to the children's home. This is an orphanage for children from the surrounding area, founded by a Dutch couple around 2008. As we arrived, the kids were just wrapping up an all-ages soccer game (one of their favorite activities).
We were shown around the grounds and buildings of the home. There are three houses (for different age groups, plus two "mothers" in each house ) around a courtyard. This is one of the houses and the playground:
Our host also showed us their classroom. Notice that the writing on the blackboard says "Learning English"!
One thing we loved: each child is asked to say what they want to do when they grow up and leave the home. The "List of Life Dreams" stays posted on the bulletin board as inspiration and encouragement to the kids. We were told some have recently, successfully, landed jobs in tourism trades like cook, clerk, or guide/driver.
The hosts are trying to make this home as self-sufficient as possible. Part of the childrens' chores are to tend a patch in the garden, where they grow food to eat, or sell/trade in the village. There is one challenge: the lodge and children's home are right on the edge of the Ngorongoro forest! Every once in a while, elephants come out and raid the garden. The kids know to stay indoors when this happens, but the fence suffers damage and must be repaired. Not much is going to keep an African elephant from getting a fresh meal!
For further self-sufficiency, the home raises chickens also - using the eggs or selling them to the community.
In addition, a German man donated a new, simple, inexpensive system for collecting methane from manure decomposition - it was installed recently. The children contribute to gathering and depositing animal waste into the "well". A gas line runs directly to a stove, meeting some of their cooking needs (remember, 24 growing kids!)
Speaking of manure... as we walked back to the lodge, we observed this dung beetle, rolling, rolling...
Before dinner, we tried to capture the last moments of daylight:
Note: above photo was bracketed and HDR/tonemapped using Photomatix
I'm not sure if I like the "regular" photo (above) better, or the bracketed/HDR-processed version (below).
Note: above photo was bracketed and HDR/tonemapped using Photomatix
From the "lobby" we looked back on the children's home, and relaxed with some drinks on our last night here.
Note: above photo was bracketed and HDR/tonemapped using Photomatix
We ate at one of the tables behind the sofa. They had a fire going too (barely see the fireplace, right):
Once last chance to stand on the deck, overlooking the valley, before turning in for the night.
Note: above photo was bracketed and HDR/tonemapped using Photomatix
The Ngorongoro Crater was incredible. We had high hopes, but still couldn't believe the density of animals! From here, we will head into Serengeti National Park for both a walking safari, and multiple days of game drives.
And finally... this was our honeymoon. For the wedding, instead of registering for physical gifts (e.g., china, silverware, etc.), we registered different parts of this Tanzanian safari. For this blog post, we wish to heartfully thank:
- Mrs J (Herr J's mom), for the game drive. Ngorongoro was truly one of the highlights of the trip. THANK YOU! - Karen J, for the picnic lunch today. We didn't let the birds get any of it! THANK YOU! - Landrea R, for the overnight at Rhotia Valley Lodge. It was lovely and inspiring. THANK YOU!
In addition, the following guests from our wedding made a donation to the Children's Home:
- Martha M - Brett A - Mrs J (Herr J's mom) - Ronald M - Jaclyn F - Karen J - Mr. A (Frau A's dad) - Teri K
Thank you all.
We hope our friends and family enjoy the pictures and story as much as we did living it.
After our day in Lake Manyara N.P., and the first night in Rhotia Valley, our next stop was the Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater is just one part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which sits right on the Serengeti National Park's southeast border. Lake Manyara National Park (much smaller!) is nearby, just east & south of the "NCA".
Source: expertafrica.com
The geography here is part of the Serengeti ecosystem, but was separated and designated as a "Conservation Area" (vs a "National Park") specifically to allow human habitation for the Maasai and other tribes that have traditionally used the land. No humans inhabit the Crater portion, but the tribes may bring cattle in to graze during the day.
The Ngorongoro Crater is the "world's largest, inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera" (Wikipedia). It is effectively a natural enclosure that supports an unusually high number and density of wildlife. The crater wall is 600m (2,000ft) deep, with an area of 260 sq km (100 sq mi). Its Lake Magadi is, like Manyara & Momela, alkaline.
Because food is so plentiful, the Crater has the highest density of lions in Africa (over 60 total); they are also some of the largest and can keep new lions from entering the territory... ironically, this has led to inbreeding issues. No giraffes, crocodiles, or impalas are present -- the first two have not been able to make it up and over the rim.
Here's a map of the NCA, with a blowup of the Crater in the lower left.
Source: tanzaniawildlifesafaris.com
We decided to focus on wildlife viewing, and skipped Olduvai Gorge, which is almost in the center of the NCA. The annual wildebeest migration passes through the northwest corner of the NCA, but this wasn't the peak time.
Arriving at the entrance gate, we waited a while while our guide Prim paid the fees and got the day pass.
The road ascends from the entrance to almost the top of the crater wall. From here, there is a "T" - the road circles along the crater rim both clockwise and counter-clockwise. You can't see over the edge though - trees are too dense.
At one point our guide Prim pulled over to where a lookout is being constructed:
You can see the clouds hovering over the crater rim, and Laka Magadi on the floor of the basin. Although it's a soda lake, all rivers and other smaller bodies of water in the crater are fresh water.
The black dots on the crater floor? Almost all are animals! You can see roads winding across the crater bottom too:
We're not so great at assembling a panorama... but here you can see the landscape, Frau A, and guide Prim:
For a different perspective, here is a video where we panned from left to fight across the lookout point:
We went right when the road spilt at the crater rim. After about 50 minutes of driving, at the "2 o'clock" point along the rim, the road starts heading down towards the floor of the basin. That's where the action is. It is still strongly montane forest, but starting to clear up -- with some animal tracks becoming visible:
Note: above photo was bracketed and HDR/tonemapped using Photomatix
When we finally reached the bottom, the landscape had opened up completely - plains with clusters of trees:
At this point, it was almost non-stop animal viewing. We'd recommend 2 days here if possible. First - zebras:
The video is a bit longer than usual, but in the second half you'll see the young zebras really playing around:
Here is a still frame from the video. The "fighting" was trying to bite the other (and trying not to get bitten):
We also saw a few babies, and noticed many females pregnant (some looking like it could be any day now):
We saw a lone hyena running across the plain -- couldn't spot any others, although they usually live in groups:
Most of the water buffalo were lethargic -- it was still morning, and they hadn't roused themselves yet:
At least at this point in time, there were more zebra and water buffalo than wildebeest, but we did see them:
We saw some lions lounging too (what else do they do during the day?):
We were seeing a lot of warthogs and (relative) newborns:
Also out in the open, we next came across an ostrich, quite close to the car:
He seemed to stike a ballerina pose for us!
And yet another instance of a warthog mother with young. We found this pair nursing from a skittish mom:
Far away from the road we saw our first black rhinos. Like the buffalo, not very active at this time of day:
They think there are perhaps two dozen black rhinos in the crater. This one was closer, but just sleeping:
Driving further, we passed a lone elephant with a crowned crane in the forground:
We came across another hyena, very close to the road. He was relaxing, to say the least (and staying cool):
In this picture, it almost looks like he has a punk mohawk:
He did a double-check that nothing was amiss, and then went back to doing nothing:
December is the short wet season, so there were some small water holes and streams that aren't there in the dry season. This made a nice place for this sacred ibis to hang out (like the other animals, not very active):
There wasn't a mass of wildebeest... they seemed to be dispersed all around with the other animals:
The zebra standing here with the others is getting wide -- another baby will probably be arriving soon:
Not far away, a couple Abdim's storks were foraging for food:
The bird we saw most frequently that day was the kori bustard:
Further on we spotted the largest antelope in africa, the eland. (That's a wildebeest in front.)
We had probably spent 1.5 hours in the open plains, until the road led into a wooded area:
We drove down branches of the road, looking for animals, and would turn around and head back again...
Note: above photo was bracketed and HDR/tonemapped using Photomatix
Far across a clearing, we spied a couple of elephants (but this is a reall zoom & crop photo - we want closer):
And sure enough, we spotted an elephant working its way through the trees nearby:
He was walking parallel to the road, so we got ahead of him and waited for him to emerge into a clearing:
Now we could get some unobstructed, close-up shots:
He paused to eat, so we switched to video mode to capture a part of his meal (fresh grass):
When he changed courses and went for the trees, we could really hear him ripping & chewing the branches:
He stayed there so long, eventually it was we who decided to say goodbye and continue on.
Prim, our guide, was so fast in spotting animals. He pointed out a bush buck before it disappeared:
We emerged from the trees, and back on the plains we found a lion family near a section of tall grass. All potential prey knew exactly where they were, and kept a good distance (seen in the background):
Cats are expert relaxers. Frau A thought they reminded her of her parent's house cats - legs in the air!
At the edge of the tall grass, away from the females, was a male. Behind him is a water buffalo skull!
He wasn't sprawled out like the ladies, but obviously still half-asleep.
Eventually he got up, and slowly walked over to the others (they are right, outside the frame of the photo):
Not far away from the lions was another skull - this time, the large bones of an elephant:
Further away from the road, near some water and tall grass, some hippos and water buffalo were grazing:
Another animal that we saw a lot of in the Crater was the Thompson's gazelle:
We spotted an elephant a ways out, but he looked nice framed against the crater wall:
We'd seen a lot so far that day... but it was still just before lunch! We drove on towards the picnic area.
As we stopped for lunch, Frau A posed by the Land Cruiser. She's all smiles: we had seem so much already!
The next post is for the afternoon in Ngorongoro Crater, and will be just as large as this!
And finally... this was our honeymoon. For the wedding, instead of registering for physical gifts (e.g., china, silverware, etc.), we registered different parts of this Tanzanian safari. For this blog post, we wish to heartfully thank:
- Mrs J (Herr J's mom), for the game drive. The number and diversity of animals was amazing. THANK YOU!
We hope our friends and family enjoy the pictures and story as much as we did living it.
Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 0:19 
