Tanganyika + Zanzibar = Tanzania

Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged on April 26, 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.  On October 29 of that same year, the country was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania.  On our first trip to Africa in March 2008, following our safari in Kenya, we, along with six of our Kenya travelling companions, set out to visit Tanzania.

Our plane descends into Kilimanjaro airport with the mountain off the port side

Kilimanjaro is the highest point on the African continent and the
highest single peak, not in a mountain range, in the world

 

Flying from Nairobi, Kenya into the Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania was an adventure in itself.  The storied Mt. Kilimanjaro, rising 19,341 feet above sea level in all of its magnificence, is right outside the plane’s left window.  Wildlife is abundant in Tanzania, and continuing our photo safari which had started in Kenya (see our blog Karibu Kenya, January 17, 2014) was enthralling.

Ngorongoro Crater, our 1st destination in Tanzania, is a UNESCO National Heritage site

Tanzania is a photographer's dream with the awe-inspiring backdrop of the Rift Valley and thousands of wondrous animals.  Some scientists believe it to be the cradle of mankind.  Finds such as Dr. Mary Leaky's discovery of humanoid footprints, estimated to be over 3.5 million years old, give credence to that position.  Over 95,000 square miles - 25% of Tanzania - has been set aside for wildlife conservation, so wildlife is more abundant here than most places on the continent.  Our Tanzanian safari took us to a UNESCO National Heritage site, two amazing national parks and three incredible lodges.

 

 

Claimed by some to have been the location of the Garden of Eden, the Ngorongoro Crater's vast beauty contains perhaps the largest concentration of wildlife in Africa.  The crater is the largest un-flooded, intact caldra (collapsed cone of a volcano) in the world.  There is an estimated average of 30,000 mammals in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  This is one of the best areas to see the endangered black rhino.  One of the reasons for the presence of so many animals is the permanent source of fresh water.  The Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, on the eastern rim, is uniquely designed to blend into the natural landscape.

The Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is built into the side of the crater to keep the landscape as natural as
possible.  This view shows the balconies on each room, looking down into the crater.  It was
taken from a window in the stairwell coming down from the lobby

A giraffe on the ridge above the crater.  The sides of the crater are too steep
for giraffes to descend, thus, there are none in the bowl of the crater.

 

Lions have no natural predators in the Conservation area, so these two felt
very secure taking a nap in the sun at the top of the crater

Cape Buffalo.  The white birds are egrets.  They stay with the buffalo,
sitting on them and eating insects and flies that land on the buffalo

The buffalo a little closer

And very close.  This big bull was guarding the herd.

 

Black rhinos in the crater.

A wildebeest, also known as a gnu.

The wildebeests graze in the crater while a newborn calf rests.
The calving season is January through March.

An adult warthog followed by a baby

This lion decided warthog would make a good meal and began to stalk the pair.

Wildebeests and zebras are often seen together.  When the Great Migration occurs each year,
millions of wildebeests and zebras travel hundreds of miles together.  Because there is
plenty of water and grass in the crater year around, these animals do not migrate

Zebras always have two animals standing guard and looking in opposite
directions as the herd is grazing or sleeping. 

 

A big male lion suns in the grass in the crater

The Lake Manyar National Park consists of 125 square miles. The alkaline Lake Manyar covers two-thirds of the park.  Elephants, water buck, zebra, Cape buffalo, Massi giraffe, impala, baboons, and blue monkeys can be found here.  The park is best known for its tree lions!  Lake Manyara Serena Lodge is set on the Rift Valley Escarpment and has amazing views of the valley a thousand feet below.  One of the most romantic spots ever envisioned is the infinity pool at sunset with the moon rising!

A troop of baboons with a baby on its mother's back, moves through the park

A mother lion leaves her cubs under a bush...

and a few minutes later she sets out to hunt down dinner for the family.

The guest rooms at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge are individual luxury "huts"

The sun goes down in a blaze of fire at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

 

The infinity pool overlooks Lake Manyara.  The full moon makes the night as bright as day.

 

The Tarangine National Park has fewer visitors than the other parks, so it affords more intimate viewing of the wildlife.  The large number of baobob trees creates a distinctive unworldly vista.  The park encompasses 1,003 square miles.  Within the park approximately 30,000 zebras, 25,000 wildebeests, 5,000 eland, 2,500 Massi giraffe, and 1,000 onyx co-exist.  It is also possible to see tree lions.  Due to human encroachment many migration routes have been cut off so many of the animals are remaining in the park.  The Tarangine Sopa Lodge is a luxurious oasis that caters to your every need.

A Vervet monkey; they are also known as "blue balled" monkeys, for obvious reasons

A big elephant stands by a fallen baobob tree.  The tree was almost totally rotted
and we could see the elephant's tusk marks on the trunk, where he had pushed it over

A tree lion.  These cats spend a great deal of time lounging in trees, both
to keep cool in the shade and to avoid being bitten by tsetse flies.

A young bull elephant crosses the road right in front of our jeep

The lobby of the Tarangine Sopa lodge, with the bar in the back of the room

 

Our room at the Tarangine Sopa Lodge was a two-room suite built on pillars

 After experiencing the spectacular beauty and the amazing drama of Africa, one relishes the opportunity to sign up for another adventure on the “dark continent.”  So we’re doing just that.  We’re going back – this time to three different African countries - and will return with more wonderful memories and more amazing Road Stories. 

 

  

All statistics used in this blog were from Mark Nolting's definitive book on safaris, Africa's Top Wildlife Countries (6^th ed.)  Photos by Mike and Yvonne on their safari in Tanzania in March 2008.