Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch

August 23, 2012 – Tanrangire National Park

We met in the lobby of our hotel before 8:00 AM. Long time BAI chief safari guide David, along with Peter, Abraham and Santos were waiting in front, with their Land Cruisers ready to go. Our first goal was our lodge, which is situated 45 kilometers inside Tanrangire National Park. We had reservations inside the lodge for lunch, but we knew that there was going to be much to see along the way.

Always concerned not to miss a shopping opportunity, we did make one brief stop at a favorite shop of Berg Adventures, located on the highway heading south toward the great parks at a small town called Meserani. This is where Teresa received her birthday present from Ross and where several of the team purchased some gifts to take home.

Driving south along the road we began to see many Maasai walking along the road behind their cattle in their distinctive red blankets. We noticed that some of the young Maasai had their faces painted white and were wearing all black clothing. These young men have reached puberty, and they will be off on their rights of initiation, travelling away from other village members until they reach the time of the circumcision and entry into adulthood.

After a couple of hours, we reached the entry gate to Tarangire National Park, a land of classic African landscapes with Bao Bab trees scattered across an open savannah. Now in the dry season, the Bao Bab trees have no leaves and they look as if they are upside down trees, with their root systems reaching toward the sky.

After we raised the top on our four vehicles and entered Tarangire we quickly learned that we going to see a lot of wildlife on this quick journey to our first lunch at a safari lodge. We’d heard that Tarangire was a fantastic place to view elephant families and we knew immediately that this was true. In addition we began to see Zebra, Wildebeest, wart hogs, impalas, and many, many baboons. It is Ostrich mating season, so we saw the males with their black feather and engorged red neck, strutting about doing mating dances for the grey females.

We soon learned that the small things, birds especially, would provide some of the most interesting viewing. We love seeing the tiny, but brilliantly colored Lilac Breasted Rollers. The drivers guide identified birds such as the White Bellied Go Away Bird and the Brown Snake Eagle. The Superb Starling and the African Fish Eagle, as well as the Yellow Necked Spar Fowl.

We realized that we were having a luck first game drive, but we definitely felt that it was good when we saw our first lions, four lionesses with young adults lounging in the afternoon sun.

There were lots of antelope, including Waterbuck, Steinbeck and the tiniest antelope Dik Dik. We were fascinated to see Banded Mongoose, know that these fierce small creatures can have a Cobra for lunch.

Yes we saw the graceful giraffe and giant Cape Buffalo as well. Remember all this was before lunch.

Lunch at our lodge was a buffet served outside by the pool. It can be somewhat hot in Tarangire, but it was pleasant to set outside. Various colorful lizard and birds, such as more Superb Starlings showed up while we were eating, and we even saw one of the animals that Wally had told the group to look for, the small Rock Hyrax walking along near our lunch table. The Rock Hyrax is fascinating because even though it weighs only a couple of kilos, its closest relative.

After lunch was when it really got good. Wally had heard from friends as soon as he arrived in Arusha this year, that a pack of African Hunting Dogs had been spotted in southern Tarangire. In more than 30 wildlife safaris over the past 20 years, Wally had never seen Hunting Dogs. David had only seen them twice before. We were thrilled to pull around a curve in the road and find a pack of 16 lounging in the late afternoon sun.

We got back to the lodge after dark, but we were greeted with warm towels to wipe our faces and after quick showers we met for dinner. Just as we were finishing dinner the lights went down and we heard music starting softly in the kitchen. A procession of the lodge staff marched around the restaurant singing and ended up at our tables with a cake baked in the shape of Kilimanjaro!