An African Adventure: The Tanzania story

-- Yatin and Tom

Click here to see all of our pictures from this trip.

Continued from the Kenya story...

Although IntoAfrica (our safari company in Kenya) also organizes safaris in Tanzania, we wanted to experience something different in Tanzania. After having done the non-luxury circuit in Kenya, we decided to try out a lodge safari in Tanzania. Although the safari part of the trip remains the same, the lodging is in slightly more luxurious settings. The Sopa Lodges where we stayed at in the Serengeti and Ngorogoro national parks were incredible. Situated in some of the most picturesque parts of the Tanzanian national forests, they have all the modern amenities most westerners are used to. Although it was nice to stay there, it definitely felt removed from the local culture and people.

To the Serengeti

"Siringet" in the Masai language means endless plain, and the Serengeti definitely lives up to its name. No matter where you look, the vast plains seem to go on and on. And they are absolutely teeming with wildlife. Zebras and wildebeest by the thousands and all kinds of other animals everywhere you look! Although we had started to catch bits of the monsoon, the vastness of the park meant that if it was raining in one part, all you had to do was drive away to a different secion.

The Serengeti is dotted by rock formations known as Kopjes. You often get to see lions perched on top of these little hills looking out on to the plains for prey.

The cheetah kill

The highlight of our safari was a sighting of two cheetahs who had just killed a wildebeest. We spent about an hour and a half watching the entire scene unfold. First the cheetahs were devouring the animal. Soon, seemingly out of nowhere, vultures started dropping out of the sky waiting for their turn at the kill. Our guide told us that the cheetahs need to eat their full as soon as possible, because once enough vultures and hyenas show up, the cheetahs are no match for the combined strength of these other animals. Sure enough, pretty soon a bunch of hyenas came ambling by. It was only a matter of minutes before the hyenas managed to chase the cheetahs away and take control of the dead animal themselves. It was quite interesting to watch this ecosystem at work. We even got to experience a real pro photographer with her massive telephoto lens. We'd like to see the pictures that came out of that camera!

Ngorongoro

After a couple of days in Serengeti, we headed on to the Ngorongoro crater, probably the most visited safari spot in East Africa. The crater with its steep inclines which keeps many animals trapped on the crater floor all year round is a true microcosm of African wildlife. On our way to Ngorongoro, we stopped at the Olduvai gorge, the site where the oldest known humanoid footprints were discovered.

Ngorongoro itself was fun. We got to see some horny monkeys, more rhinos, and the best of all, the most elusive of the big cats: a pair of leopards. At the end of it all though, we were starting to get safari'd out. Our guide asked us if we wanted to go see another rhino that was in the distance and our response was something of the sort: "Unless he's standing on his head or otherwise doing something interesting, let's not bother!"

Zanzibar

Zanzibar was the last leg of our African odyssey. We flew from Arusha, the base for our Tanzanian safari trip, to the island of Zanzibar. On our way, we passed the majestic Kilimanjaro mountain. In Zanzibar, we got a taste of an amazing blend of African, Arab, and Indian cultures. Unfortunately, we also got a taste of unscrupulous travel agents who booked us on a snorkelling trip out into the waters and then played a number of tricks to get out of refunding our money when the trip was washed out due to rain! Oh well, in spite of that unsavory encounter, Zanzibar was a relaxing end to a wonderful vacation. We can't wait to return to Africa to explore other parts of this vast and beautiful continent!

Back to the Kenya adventure...

On to the Africa photo album...