Tarangire National Park

Jambo!  We hope everyone is well!  Our safari to Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti was simply unforgettable. The scenery was stunning and the wildlife was spectacular! It's impossible to describe. 

Our driver/guide, Bashiri, picked us up early from ADRA  on Monday and we headed north.  Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw just on the way there alone.  We saw Maasai people tending their sheep, leading their cattle across the plains, carrying water and firewood on their heads, and waving hello wearing their brightly colored Maasai blankets.  They are fascinating people.  The Maasai are pastoral nomads who have actively resisted change and are one of the few tribes that still follow the same lifestyle that they have for centuries.  Their culture centers around their cattle that provide for most of their needs.  The land, the cattle and all elements related to their cattle are considered sacred.  Our guide shared his knowledge with us about these people and the history of the land that we were covering.  We drove through the Great Rift Valley and past Lake Manyara.  The breathtaking views were dotted with Maasaii huts.

Our first day was spent at Tarangire National Park.  It is the fourth largest park in Tanzania with one of the highest density of elephants of any park in the country.  It is named after the Tarangire River that flows through the center of the park and empties its water into soda lakes including Lake Manyara.  (I know, it's the teacher in me and our guide was absolutely the best!)  During the dry season, which it currently is now, it is the primary source of water in the Tarangire ecosystem.  The park includes wetlands that act like sponges to supply water to the river during dry periods.  Because of this availability of water, the park has a high concentration and variety of wildlife in the dry season.  It is said to be a classic, dry season destination.  The landscape is dotted with rocky outcrops (kopjes~think Pride Rock from the Lion King) with scattered, huge baobab trees.  They call these trees "upside down" trees.  Their massive branches resemble roots and grow to be very old.  There are also acacia trees which the elephants love to eat.

One of the first things we spotted was two lions sunning themselves on a rock.  We saw large herds of zebras, thompson gazelles, wildebeests, warthog, olive baboon, waterbuck, bushbuck, hartebeest, impala, eland, some of the most beautiful birds we have ever seen and of course, hundreds of elephants.  It was awesome to just sit in the vehicle in absolute silence and soak in the sights and sounds of this amazing place.  The kids couldn't seem to take enough pictures and video and Christopher can't wait to start putting together a video of our safari.  Our guide would always find a great location for lunch.  Our box lunches always included pretty much the same each day of safari which must be standard~a piece of chicken, a hard-boiled egg, a cheese and/or marmalade sandwich, some type of cookie/biscuit, a banana, mango juice and a water.

   

After our game drives, we were dropped off at Bougainvillea Lodge.  The setting was just beautiful with several two room bungalows with fireplaces.  After settling in, we headed to the lounge for drinks and to talk about all that we saw before heading to dinner.  This became routine after each safari and was also a highlight of our day.  The boys were on cloud nine and always had us in stiches.  We savored every minute of this amazing day.