Day Two of our East African Safari: Wildlife-Stalking in Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Day Two of our East African Safari: Wildlife-Stalking in Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park

We slept well. How could we not? There was the quiet serenity of our surroundings, a really comfy bed, birdsong in the background and a day of happy exploration to anticipate. Yes, we did have an early wake-up call (that would be very much the order of the day for the entire trip) and we did set our own alarms too. With our little strollies packed and ready, we left them outside our villa doors and set out to find breakfast.

Right outside, we encountered Doreen and John who had the exact same idea. Naturally, we had to pose for pictures as the floral gardens, a riot of tropical color, begged to be photographed. Then, together, we made our way to the Dining Hall for a right royal repast. Llew and I had Mushroom, Cheese and Ham Omlettes with all the fixin’s and strawberry milkshakes to wash it all down. It was more than adequate to keep hunger pangs at bay until our next meal—lunch (which would turn out to be another “packed” affair—groan!)

Off to Lake Manyara:

It was nice, as we were setting off, in our van with Driver Mussa and our Sexy Six-some of yesterday, to watch that the entire staff of the hotel that lined up outside and were waving us off in a most cheerful manner. This, I realize, from watching Downton Abbey is a British tradition. ‘Servants’ always lined up outside a Mansion to welcome and bid goodbye to visitors. I have seen this colonial tradition followed also in posh hotels and resorts in Kerala, India—so this is certainly another aspect of the British colonial hangover that also prevails in Africa.

The drive to Lake Manyara took an hour from The Retreat at Ngorongoro. Vegetation along the roadway was lush, greenery was profuse. The rainy season had certainly left its mark on the land. We passed by little shanties which made up the bulk of the rural accommodation of the Tanzanians, most of whom are engaged in agriculture or livestock farming. In the higher elevations, as in the area we were in, there was a distinct nip in the morning air and on the mountainous slops, coffee plantations were everywhere, their black-red berries ripe for the picking. Kenyan coffee is among the best in the world and makes a very good take-home gift. Sadly, decaff is not widely available and I could not risk trying it and then lying awake for hours on end at night.

There was a huge sign to proclaim our arrival at Lake Manyara. It featured a lion crouched up in a tree—because, as you might have guessed, this National Park is renowned for its tree-climbing lions. The idea of bringing tourists to this Park is to enable them to seek and find wildlife in the environs of a natural lake that is spring-fed and relies on the annual rain to keep it in spate. It is an alkaline lake formed in a depression of the Rift Valley system. Around the lake’s banks are extensive marshlands and alkaline flats—these attract a vast variety of birdlife including the famed pink flamingos that congregate here in the rainy season turning the surface of the lake into a pink plain. By the time we arrived at this venue, however, most of the flamingos had long flown away.

Clowning Around at the Entrance:

Soon after we alighted from our vehicles at the entrance, we used the rest rooms and discovered a huge sign that said ‘Lake Manyara, Tanzania”. It was one of those photo-frame structures into which one (or a group) can insert themselves to make it look like a picture frame. Needless to say, the jollier members of our group immediately seized upon the site and began take photographs themselves, becoming more dramatic and hilarious as they went along. These pictures will be great souvenirs of our trip, doubtless.

Safari Drive at Lake Manyara:

Unlike our safari drive yesterday at the Ngorongoro Crater where we drove along flat plains looking for wildlife, this was a true jungle. Thick vegetation formed a canopy overhead and covered the forest floor. A very narrow roadway snakes its way deeper into the Park, drivers cruising forward slowly to enable visitors to look up into the branches to find, hopefully, a snoozing lion. Alas, we had no such luck today. But we did see a multiplicity of moneys—of every kind: from fat, ferocious baboons to delicate, black-faced monkeys that reportedly sport blue tongues. They congregated in the trees, screeching occasionally and offering us a load of photo ops. Among the many animals we saw on this segment of our search were baboon families, lone giraffes as well as family groups (a matter of great excitement as these were the first giraffes we saw) and a solitary elephant at a water hole.

After driving for more than an hour, we arrived at the shores of Lake Manyara, a wonderfully serene space that was highly photogenic. There, a huge family of baboons added to our visual pleasure even as we spotted a number of waterfowl and colorful birds including the lilac-breast roller (which is the most photographed bird in the world) and as vivid when sitting as it is in flight—where its shades of turquoise are simply stunning.

A Word About African Vegetation:

African vegetation is varied, of course, in keeping with the terrain, elevation and water availability. For the most part, one can easily distinguish the stars of the tropical forest, but, in addition, there are two distinctly recognizable African trees that are synonymous with the word, ‘safari’. One is acacia—a very pretty, short tree that forms an umbrella-like canopy above one’s head; and the gigantic, sturdy, many-armed baobab tree which can live for hundreds of years. Its trunk is a favorite of elephants who use it to rub themselves after mud baths, in order to shake off pesky insects or just to scratch where it itches. Hence, all over the Savanah, one comes across these impressive trees with wide trunks at the base that have been worn away by decades of elephants and rhinos rubbing against them. Lake Manyara NP is filled with both these trees and while being visually arresting, they support a vast eco-system especially with regards to bird life.

Posing for Pictures:

In a short while, we arrived at a lookout point, which also doubled as a rest room area. The entire Rift Valley seemed spread out for our viewing pleasure at this point, Not surprisingly, we assembled as a single, large group to take a photograph. Looking at this picture now I realize how stringently we paid attention to all the instructions that had been sent to us regarding choice of cothing. Most people are dressed in the soft, pastel shades of the African Bush: shades of brown from tan to Burnt Sienna; every shade of forest green from soft mint to bottle green; salmon pinks and soft blues (reflective of the cloudless skies). There were no bright or harsh colors on anyone during our ten days together. Similarly, almost everyone had religiously adhered to the baggage rules and brought with them only carry-on size baggage as storage space was very limited in the safari vans that ferried us from one point to the next. Most of us chatted about how carefully we had measured our baggage to ensure that we were not violating regulations, some of us even purchasing new suitcases to conform to the rules.

Group and couple pictures taken, we trooped back into our vans to make our way to the venue for lunch—a commercial space called ‘Safari Land’, which is really a vast storehouse of traditional Tanzanian art and craft items. We reached there about a half hour later and were seen into the space by the attentive sales force.

Lunch at Safari Land—The Tanzanite Spiel:

By this point in time, most of us had realized that Tanzania is noted for its mining of a most unique precious stone that has been dubbed the Tanzanite by no less an authority on jewels that Louis Comfort Tiffany. This is mined only in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and has not yet been found in any other part of the world. To the untrained eye, it resembles a sapphire, but is far less precious. As we entered the space, we were ushered into a room where we were treated to the typical tourist spiel of salesmen trying hard to sell their most expensive wares to a captive audience.

Accordingly, we were treated to a short audio-visual presentation in which the origins of this stone were spelled out. It was ‘discovered’ only very recently (mid-twentieth century) and has, since then, been mined quite vigorously. So vigorously, in fact, that there is every chance it will actually go extinct. Or this is the USF—Unique Selling Factor. Buy now or forever hold your purse!

The chap who explained the mining and creation of Tanzanite jewelery to us was a Patel. It was interesting to learn about the stone and its varied shades. As in the case of diamonds, so too here, stones are classified on the basis of the 4 Cs: color, carat, cut and clarity; and it was clear to see that the cheapest ones are as light as aquamarines while the darkest ones are as striking as sapphires. The jewelry that filled the showroom is set with pure diamonds and forms the basis of highly glamourous, evening accessories. While I have to admit that many of us were tempted, we did have sticker shock and nobody bought. I was reminded of the words of Atul Mohod, my flying companion on the Kenya Airways flight who had advised me to put my money into diamonds instead. They would have far greater resale value, he said.

With the Tanzanite spiel out of the way, we were able to get out of the high-end showroom and enter the more plebian parts of the store. This was a vast space that carried a number of items that would make good gifts—carved ebony in the shape of Maasai busts that would function as book ends, ebony mask wall pieces, marble and stone table carvings, keychains, book marks, magnets (for the more modest pocket), jewlery made of Maasai beads and stones, loads of wooden spoons and salad servers carved with the likeness of animals such as elephants, giraffes and cheetahs (these are a very popular gift items and I purchased several), oil paintings, huge Maasai warrior figurines, etc. They had different price points and offered something for everyone. When we had browsed enough or bought what we desired, we were directed to the floor upstairs where folks sat down to lunch.

b>‘Packed’ Lunch at Safari Land:

The ‘packed’ lunch at Safari Land was a complete repeat of the previous day’s meal: chicken wraps or vegetarian sandwiches with a vegetable samosa thrown in plus potato crisps, salad and fruit with a juice box. It was most unappetizing, even childish, and we certainly wished the chefs at the hotels that prepare these boxes would use more creativity, imagination and talent in putting them together. They were the least successful part of our trip.

With lunch done, we could move towards the next part of our agenda.

Driving to and Exploring Tarangire National Park:

We came to Tarangire to see a variety of wildlife for in the post-rainy season, there were vast herds of migratory animals (wildebeest, zebra) as well as impala, gazelles, monkeys and even elephants who make these environs their home. Not surprisingly, we began to see animals and birds all over the place as we headed deeper into the Park. Giraffes were everywhere—in happy family units that included little ones.

It was here that we had our first encounter with a leopard. Draped on a faraway tree, one could barely see him with the naked eye. It was only with the aid of very powerful binoculars that the lot of us could distinguish him tucked into the fork of a sturdy tree branch, fast asleep. Because Llew has a very powerful magnifier on his phone camera, he managed to get the best possible picture of this particular leopard. For some reason that I cannot fathom, none of the safari vans (and there was at least a dozen that had congregated there) were willing to go off road to get closer views of the animal. It is possible that they were afraid as a leopard at a height is very capable on dropping right down on the roof of a van. At any rate, this was a rather futile exercise in trying to gain a better view as the leopard remained elusive despite a very long and patient wait at this venue.

John Looks Ill:

It was at this point that I noticed how quiet and withdrawn our friend and van-companion John had become. When I asked if he was okay, he responded that he really needed to pee but was unable to do anything about it. I misunderstood his response into thinking he was uncomfortable as he could not get out of the van to relieve himself (it is generally prohibited). But, as time went by, I realized that his situation was much more complicated than that.

As we drove away from the elusive leopard, we made our way to a pool where, in the waters that were as still as a mill pond, we saw a whole herd of elephants comprising three generations: great big Bulls, fond maternal specimens and adorable baby jumbos. They were reflected most picturesquely in the algea-colored waters and delighted the photographers in us. We watched them take mud baths, spray themselves for impromptu showers, roll and loll in the cool stream and generally do what elephant families do at a swamp.

Encountering Beautiful Bird Life:

It was here that we also saw an abundance of bird life. From two large Southern Ground Hornbills that mate for life and always travel in pairs, to black and white hornbills to vibrant iridescent turquoise birds, we saw a multitude of them, each more visually stunning than the other. In addition, there were a variety of hawks in the trees as well as waterfowl and the ubiquitous Egyptian geese. By this point, we were also able to recognize African jacandas, lovely two-toned birds that frequent water spots. Off course, ostriches were everywhere, waking in stately fashion, like elegant society ladies, disdaining the presence of our vans and either ignoring us or fleeing off to safer pastures.

I have to say that having spoken to Amani, our tour director, the previous day, about the silence of our driver Mussa, the situation was immediately addressed and rectified. If I know the names of these bird species, it was because our driver Mussa came splendidly into his own and provided almost non-stop commentary, much to our satisfaction. Suddenly, we were learning so much about water reserves, camouflage possibilities of these creatures, their feeding and mating habits, etc. It was a joy to drive around in a van in which the driver, an articulate and well-informed person, was finally sharing his knowledge with us. Thank You Mussa for enhancing our knowledge of the African Bush.

b>Driving To and Arrival at Tarangire Sopa Lodge:

About an hour later, we began our drive to our next shelter for the night—the Tarangire Sopa Lodge. This place was far less luxurious than The Retreat at Ngorongoro, but it was just as atmospheric. Once assembled in the Lobby, I was able to take in its spacious size that was conveniently divided into Reception, Bar, Dining and Lounge areas. After we’d identified our baggage and received our room keys, we discovered that our rooms were individual villas and that the entire space is designed in imitation of a typical Maasai village. In our own room, we had a double bed with mosquito nets surrounding it, plus a mini-bar and a little balcony from where we sat down to view the sunset after brewing ourselves a comforting cup of tea and watching the antics of resident, black-faced grey monkeys.

b>Dinner at Tarangire Sopa Lodge:

I was looking forward to dinner, I must admit, as our packed lunch box had not cut it for me. Furthermore, while waiting for our room key in the lobby, I had discovered the Notice Board where the night’s Dinner Menu was very clearly marked. My mouth watered at the thought of the extensive salad bar that offered among other dishes, a Strawberry Avocado Salad, a Chimichurri Salad and a Tuna and Tilapia Cocktail. Soup (Chicken Mulligatawny) was really delicious and truly hit the spot. Among the Mains to which I helped myself was Tuscan Chicken, Marinated Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce (which was really very good indeed), a Vegetable Lasagna and Lemon and Herb Fish Steak. As you can tell, I am a firm afficionado of Continental food and since I now live in India where I am inundated by Indian cuisine, I stay far away from it when I am traveling. The vast variety of dishes in these hotel buffet menus always provided me with something that met the needs of my fastidious Western palate. And for dessert? Why, there was Amarula Crème Brulee. Amarula is the African cream liqueur made from a hard fruit native to the continent called Marula. I was hoping to taste it at least once during our travels, but it eluded me completely. I also opted for the Mandazi Pudding with Vanilla and Cardamon Custard (in my attempt to get better acquainted with African food). It was creamy and delicious.

The most interesting aspect of our dinner tonight was the lovely cultural program that was presented by the wait staff at the hotel. On the steps leading down into the huge dining room that can seat hundreds at a time, they had arranged themselves in voices to sing us traditional songs in Swahili. The crowd was most appreciative and although we focused on our plates, we saved enough attention for their lovely voices.

Dinner done, we went directly to our rooms. The early morning wake-up calls were clearly beginning to take their toll on our tour participants and the inability to take an afternoon nap left them energy-depleted. Llew and I were given an escort to return to our rooms (this is customary as animals prowl on the property and the staff know how to fend off potential attacks).

Once in our room, we showered, changed, made ourselves comfortable for the night and repacked—because yes, we would have another early morning wake-up call which would require us to check out of this hotel and make our way in the van to yet another part of our safari.

Until tomorrow…Hakuna Matata (No Troubles, No Worries).