Tanangire National Park

It was a bit of a change staying at the Mount Meru Hotel (a high end destination for safari tourists) in Arusha compared to some of our earlier hotel experiences at the Peacock. After an upscale breakfast and splitting my belongings into a bag that goes with me on safari and a second that Emmanuel will store for me ... we meet our 3 drivers and Toyota Land Cruisers for the first time. We are in for a fantastic day and new sights we have never seen before.

We are told to expect to see elephants .. as the park is best know for its herds of up to 300. The 2850 sq km park has all the other animals including migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland. During the dry season it is the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem - a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed. It is the start of the rainy season (but we have seen limited rain this season) so we are told the seasonal animals are scatter until they exhaust the green plains and the river calls once more. But true to form Tarangire's mobs of elephant are easily encountered, wet or dry.

First stop is along the roadside to look at coffee plants. Red means getting close to good for harvest.

We are now officially tourists so stopped at a shop to look at all kinds of African art, etc. ... and Tanzanite
(through the glass)

We were very fortunate to witness an event that happens just once every 3 years for 3 months. I want to look more into it but in short the Maasai boys at about age 16 (3 years around that age) are circumcised. For 3 months they dress in black to mark the occasion. These two were just off the highway and David Sawe asked our driver to stop. Speaking Swahili he asked if we might take their picture and 5000 Tzsh we were allowed to. Our vehicle had a starting problem so for 2 bottles of water (more valuable than cash given they drink out of any available water source) I took a few more pictures. A couple of my favourites of the entire trip. Maasai believe cattle were put on earth for them .. they own them all. Another right of passage (not practiced as I understand today) is to kill a simba (lion) with he spear, knife or club they each carry as adults. Take a look at the land they manage behind them .. to raise cattle! This is the rainy season! PS if interested in the Maasai this weeks (April 9/12) Amazing Race episode visits a tribe/village just outside the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania .. check it out!

Lots of other interesting sights particularly colorful Maasai just in everyday attire.

We arrived at the park gate about 11 am. I found the posted rules of interest. I was riding with David Sawe (IBM Tanzania GM) and his family. David is a local .. so knows lots and really enriched the experience.

The sights and sounds leading up to lunch (packed boxes that we would come to enjoy over the next 6 day) were new to us. Every park as it turns out is different in terms of landscape and color. Every once in a while you just stop watching animals and gaze at the dirt and grass and trees and sky.

Where are we going?

Male Impala

Park is know for largest African animal the elephant and largest trees .. the Baobab

Having fun climbing up on mom

Pumba

Black Faced Monday

Lots of birds are here all year round (550 varieties) and the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world. On drier ground you find animals like the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world's largest bird.

From the cliff were we had lunch we could see baboons, large elephants and other animals down by the river. We headed there next ... lots of elephants!!

Lots of other animals along the way but most interesting was a family of baboons ... with the female below in a tree almost within reaching distance. Were we watching her ... or ... her us.