We had one day of rest in Moshi, Tanzania before we headed out for a 3 day safari. We were in search of the "Big 5" - lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, and water buffalo. We had a private vehicle and tour guide.
Our first day was to Tarangire game preserve This was about a 4 hour drive and it was hot and dusty. We had to register before going into the park and while we waited for our guide to get our permit, the baboons were coming right up to the cars. They were not afraid of all the people and cars outside waiting. The guide had told us to keep the windows up and the doors shut because the monkeys would get in the vehicle and steal our food!
We ate our box lunch at a picnic area before heading into the game park. Within 500 feet, we encountered two rather large elephants right next to the road. The driver stopped and we were right next to the elephants. The smaller one didn't like us being so close and started snorting, dragging his foot in the dirt and throwing dirt up with his trunk! We had the roof of the Land Rover open and were standing up, watching through the roof. I think in a battle of Land Rover vs. elephant, the elephant would definitely be the winner so we moved on. :)
We saw lots of zebras, wildebeests, warthogs, and a couple of giraffes far off in the distance. There were also lots of birds.
We stayed in the Highview Hotel which is owned by the same company that did our tour of Kilimanjaro. It was definitely no frills! Twin beds with mosquito nets. They did have a group of local youths performing native dances and music after dinner.
The next day we drove to Ngorongoro Crater which is remains of a collapsed volcano. It was incredible. We drove through thousands of zebras and wildebeests and saw lots of water buffalo. Some of the animals were so close we could have reached out and touched them. There was a family of elephants, marching in a line with the largest elephant in front, in descending order with the smallest one in the back. It was so cute. There was a lake that had so many flamingoes in it that it looked like shimmering pink silk instead of a lake (it was beautiful but the smell was terrible!!). We ate our box lunch parked by a lake full of hippos. It was fun to watch them playing and sunning while we ate. We had to eat inside the Land Rover because the birds were swooping in trying to steal our food. It was very windy and we had a little bit of rain but we still had a great day. The only downside to the day (other than our guide talking on his cell phone most of the time) was that it was too windy to see the black rhinos. This is one of the few places to see them in the wild. I guess we will have to go back again someday!
The next day, on the way to Lake Manyara, we saw elephants on the side of the road. It was really cool. This was our last game preserve. It was okay but we didn't see too many animals, lots of birds but not a lot of animals. There were giraffes but you had to use the binoculars to see them.
All in all, our trip to Tanzania was wonderful. The climb up Kilimanjaro, the safari and the experience of walking through the local markets in Moshi was an adventure for sure.
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