We visited Tarangire National Park, Manyara Ranch (owned by the Tanzania Land Conservation Trust), Lake Manyara National Park, Burungi Wildlife Management Area, and Mt. Kilimanjaro area. They all had very different habitats and we saw so many different animals and birds. At each location we Scott had field and office meetings. While he was in meetings, the kids and I hung out waiting for him. We were oftentimes an unusual sight for the villagers.
Tarangire is a large park that looks like the Africa you expect. Endless savannas and grasslands with giant, ancient baobab trees on the slopes and filled with wildlife. The Tarangire River runs through the park. The park is known for the large elephant herd. We saw many family groups up close (check out Annie in the truck) but also saw giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, impala, baboons, rock hyrax and many birds. The wildlife migrate long distances between the national parks and conservation areas between the wet and dry seasons.
Next day we went to Burungi WMA (west of Tarangire NP) on Maasai land and met with the chairman of a village organization working with nine villages to secure wildlife corridors across their land in exchange for tourism revenue from tented lodges on their land. (The man bicycles 12 miles to work each way on a dirt road). The organization received $5 from each tourist/each day for use for schools, water projects, and anti-poaching patrols. While the staff met with him, Annie, Charlie and I drew a crowd of children watching us play cards on the front steps. Charlie eventually joined in a soccer game with a group of boys. He said they were very good. Looking across the miles of savannas surrounding the few village buildings, Scott said they probably got plenty of practice.
The next day we visited the north side of Manyara Ranch. Scott and Doug wanted to see a recently burned area. Charlie rode in the back of the game scout truck while wildebeest, zebras, giraffe, and cattle ran past. I could see his smile 100 yards away through the cloud of dust a 100 yards behind him. We scared a cheetah off a termite mound, which was cool.
Each evening we returned to a very nice lodge overlooking the rift valley and all of the sites we visited. At the pool, the kids leanred a new phrase - baridi sana - very cold.
Next we traveled to the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro and met an elephant researcher (Alfred Kikoti with AWF) documenting elephant movements and securing their travel corridors between the Tanzania and Kenya national parks. At one site, the work crew went hiking up to an overlook with some villagers. They were viewing a wildlife corridor between Tanzania and Kenya the village designated as protected. Annie and I were stuck in the truck on the side of the road. We attracted a crowd of Maasai women who pointed and talked animatedly about Annie for half an hour. They don’t see many blond-haired girls in that area.
That evening, we stayed in a tented camp with a view of the mountain on one side and the slope down to Kenya on the other. It was amazing. They had showers and flush toilets they operated with buckets and lighting from solar panels. The Maasai sang before the dinner. Dinner was held in a large tented dining area. Warm washclothes were offered towash our faces and hands. During dinner bats flew overhead and between us catching moths hovering around the lights, providing great evening entertainment. We could hear jackals and hyenas while we lay in bed. A full moon illuminated Mt Kilimanjaro. Beautiful.
The next day we visited a defunct ranch on the other side of the mountain owned by the Tanzania National Ranching Company. It was overrun by neighboring villagers grazing cattle, farming, and diverting water from streams. We saw no wildlife. The Tanzania Land Conservation Trust is negotiating with the government and neighboring villages on establishing a conservation corridor and compatible grazing. During the trip, we experienced the dustiest drive of our stay so far. Fine volcanic pumice in a dry lake bed. The dust had dust. It was hilarious. All part of the adventure.
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