Despite needing to depart on our safari at 8am, we had no problem being up on time thanks to our jet lag. We had a breakfast at the hotel and are pretty convinced we were the only people staying there. After that, we met our driver/guide Salvatori for the next week and it took us about 30 minutes or so to get out of the bustling town of Arusha and onto the open road. Fortunately, it was at least a paved road for the 3 hour drive or so until we got to Tarangire National Park.
After entering, we were able to pop up the roof of our LandCruiser and stand and take in the sights in a more open and panoramic manner. It wasn’t long after entering the park that we saw our first animals. By far the most abundant creatures were zebra and wildebeest, but we also saw some elephants, Cape buffalo, warthogs, giraffes, and gazelle in decent numbers. Tarangire is also home to a lot of Baobab trees — which are very wide-trunked, hollow, and shapely trees. Nicole thinks the trees of Tarangire Park are what inspired the central tree in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
We stopped to have lunch next to what remains of the Tarangire River at this time of year. Since it is the dry season, it’s more of a vague stream through some mud. The safari company gave us boxed lunches, which we ate while watching zebra and elephants walk along the river bed. Not a bad view for our basic lunches.
As we ventured further into the afternoon, we saw some lions in the distance resting in the shade of a tree. We also were intimately introduced to the Tsetse Fly. Prior to even packing, we were familiar with this pest and read not to wear dark colors, but also not to wear very bright colors. Basically, one is just supposed to wear very neutral colors. While they don’t carry disease, they are really annoying. Their bite is quite jabbing, followed by some itching and a welt. What’s their game? Like what’s in it for them? At one point it got so bad, we had to close the roof. They’re very aggressive and tenacious. Once the tsetse flies started attacking us, the excitement of the game drive kind of waned. On our way toward the park exit, we did, however, see a hyena on the other side of a small lake. Being in the tsetse-infested park gave it no reason to laugh, though.
From there, we had another two hour drive until we arrived at our retreat next to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. It was a long day, but the tour hadn’t stopped. The staff at the retreat left no stone unturned in their tour of our room. We were shown the trash, how to use a sink, the purpose of a mirror, and how to flush the toilet. In spite of the unnecessarily long tour of our own room, this country does seem to take Covid a lot more seriously than the U.S., which is quite a feat considering Tanzania’s own president declared the country as having no covid cases since April, at which time the virus had been “prayed away.” Sanitizer is everywhere, and as the man gave us the extended tour of our room, he sprayed every door knob and switch he touched. But after another long day and an even earlier wake up time tomorrow, it’s time to sign out.
passports & pepto bismol 