Lake Manyara National Park, May 31, 2024, Dave B

Lake Manyara and Rift Valley overlook

Lake Manyara National Park

Outbound to Iringa, May 31, 2024,
By: Dave B

We awakened to an overcast morning in the Heart and Soul Lodge near Manyara with spectacular views of the surrounding Ngorongoro Crater Volcanic Highlands and the Western Escarpment of the East African Rift System (EARS). This portion of EARS in Tanzania, East Africa is the eastern branch of the ~6000 km rift system, a world-famous geological feature on a whole Earth scale.

Breakfast at Heart and Soul

Our breakfast was taken in the stunning dining area of the lodge with beautiful views of the escarpment and the surrounding terrain. 

Our drive down the escarpment road, to the day's destination of Lake Manyara National Park, was no easier than the ride up on one of the world's most challenging public roads. This morning’s journey was complicated by a significant breakdown, under repair, in the center of a particularly challenging stretch. The broken bus had been stranded overnight and was a big obstacle to traffic.

We journeyed down the Rift escarpment to Lake Manyara National Park and its busy entry/exit gate.

Lake Manyara NP Entrance Gate

Lake Manyara National Park was designated in 1974 and lies below the west escarpment of the Gregory Rift (Eastern Rift Valley) of the EARS. Most of the park is on the flood plain of the lake where a spring fed, dense forest hosts diverse flora and fauna. The lake’s area and shoreline changes significantly from wet to dry times and unusual volcanic rocks of the rift escarpment provide abundant soda (sodium), in ground water discharge, to the lake. During dry, high evaporation times high salinity and alkalinity (9.5 pH!) make the lake water inhospitable to most typical lake organisms. A few types (low diversity) of photosynthetic micro-organisms occur in great abundance though and result in very high biological productivity, like many other saline and alkaline lakes common throughout the EARS. Flamingoes periodically occur in great abundance on Lake Manyara supported by the water to the lake.

The forest we drove through hosted a few baobab trees with leaves! unlike those we’ve seen so far in Tanzania. Mahogany is one of the indigenous trees of the dense Lake Manyara forest.

Sightseeing: Although the park had many visitors, we were able to travel easily on the park roads. We saw many dense forest creatures especially monkeys; blue, vervet and many baboons. 

Baboons right by (and on) the road

We also saw dik dik, warthog and water buck in the dense forest. The inevitable zebras were sighted in forest openings and a monitor lizard slithered along the lakeshore. [Note: Our plans to continue down the lakeshore were interrupted. The safari drivers keep in contact with each other by radio. Our driver heard that another vehicle up ahead of us had just had its rear view mirror knocked off by a bull elephant with an attitude. Thinking of our elephant experience in Ruaha on May 28, we did a U-turn and didn't continue down that road.]  Not long afterwards, a troop of magnificent [female] elephants walking right next to us on the road was the real highlight for animal sightings for the day.  

We ended the day with a visit to the Safariland shopping center and tanzanite tour on the way back from Lake Manyara. Much business was transacted by our enthusiastic shoppers!

 

Safariland - every souvenir you could want, good quality

In Friendship and Peace

Tarangire National Park, May 30, 2024, Carol S

Tarangire warthogs butting heads

Tarangire National Park

Outbound to Iringa, May 30, 2024
By: Carol S

Excited to begin our safari in Tarangire National Park.

We enjoyed another fantastic breakfast at the Masailand Safari and Lodge. I will really miss all the fresh fruits and juices we get here every morning.  

We set out with our guides Noel and Denis for Arusha Tarangire National Park.  They were great guides and lots of fun.

Denis & Noel

We hadn’t gone far when we saw ...  

a troop of baboons right by the road.

and a large group of Weaver bird nests. 

 

Tarangire Park is popular for safaris because it is known for its large populations of wildlife.  The Park has many elephant herds or families as I prefer to call them.  They are drawn there by the Tarangire River. The elephants are almost always in family groups with a matriarch and other female and all sizes of younger ones. 

If a baby is under one year it can still walk under its mother.

This is great for shade and protection.  The elephants are always on the lookout for water sources and love to wallow in the mud. 

Look at this happy girl all covered with mud! 

We also saw many wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, wart hogs and gazelles. 

The zebras stand head to tail resting their heads on the others back allowing them a safe resting position as they can see in all directions.  It has the dual purpose of putting them in a good position to swat each other's flies.

Zebras head-to-tail

Huge herds of animals are attracted to the Tarangire River. The river becomes the only water source for thousands of animals, drawing large herds of elephants, zebras, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, eland and warthog there to drink.

It was so nice to have Dave along with his geology background.  He explained the Great Rift Valley and other geology and helped us put the puzzle of geographical features together. The river is fed by seasonal sand rivers originating from the East and Southeast areas of the park.  Within the Park the river flows North and empties into Lake Burunge.  The river also connects to Silale, Gurusi, and Larmakan swamps within the park. The river and its permanent swamps are a critical water source for thousands of migratory animals and birds.  Over 550 different species of birds can be found in the park. 

The park has many acacia trees and huge baobab trees.  They look like a tree that’s been turned upside down with their roots stretching skyward.  They can live for 3000 years.  I was excited to see them as I hadn’t seen any since we traveled to Madagascar.  Elephants like to eat the bark because it contains moisture.  The trunks can reach a circumference of 100 feet.

Tarangire NP is famous for its Baobab trees

The park gets its name from combining two words Tara and Ngire, Tara in Mbugwe language means snaking river and Ngire in Hadzabe means wart hog.  There are many wart hogs in the park. It covers 2,850 square kilometers.

As we drove through the park we saw many small herds of giraffes and families of elephants.  The first 2 elephants we saw were two large bulls.  I must admit after our experience a couple days before with the charging bull elephant the sight of them made my heart stop.  

 

But it turned out these two guys had just had a nice mud bath and were only looking for some good trees to scratch themselves. I could imagine them smiling and having a good time.

We did see lots of impressive birds. I saw my first Gray Crested Crane, the national bird of Kenya. We saw many throughout the safaris. They are amazingly beautiful.

Gray Crested Crane

 

Guinea Hens, when hunters brought them to market they were worth one guinea and that is how they got their name.

 

True to the park’s name we did see several groups of wart hogs.  They are so ugly they are cute, especially when they stick their tails straight up and run one after the other.

 

A cutie?

  

After a long and exciting day we arrived at the beautiful Heart and Soul Lodge for the night.  After cleaning up we all gathered in the restaurant for happy hour.  A favorite drink with our group was gin and tonics a great refresher.  As usual we had a wonderful dinner.  We are getting pretty spoiled but we’re soaking it up while we can.

Heart and Soul - dining with a view

Huge organic garden that provided the many ingredients for our meals.

Heart and Soul - organic garden

In Friendship and Peace

Ruaha Safari Walk, fly from Ruaha (Msembe) to Arusha, May 29, 2024, Terri F

Safari walk with Maasai guide 

Ruaha Safari Walk, Fly from Ruaha (Msembe) to Arusha

Outbound to Iringa, May 29, 2024
By: Terri F

The day started with an amazing sunrise of orange hues reflecting over the Ruaha River viewed from our veranda and the dining room of the Ruaha River Lodge where our breakfast awaited with the delicious cinnamon roll and coffee aromas!

After breakfast, we broke into 2 groups, and had a safari walk around the lodge grounds led by 2 Maasai, Leyeyo and Lasayo. They were so knowledgeable of the landscape and environment. Our group felt honored that they shared their knowledge and culture with us.

Some of the highlights included the excitement of many discoveries:

1. The ant lion holes which the Maasai dug out to show us the larvae which can live in the ground 5 years!

2. Acacia trees: we learned Tanzania has 25 different varieties but one on this adventure was an umbrella Acacia with small fruit the animals like. One "ah, ha" moment was discovering that the younger trees have more spikes than the older ones. Roots of these trees can be mixed with water which filters out the harmful elements making the water drinkable. The safari made me feel like I was living back in the early days of the Maasai who are so resourceful.

3. We also saw hippo and baboon footprints which made me think of how close and grateful I was to be able to stay near the Tanzanian wildlife.

4. We learned the name of the black and orange butterflies that have been gracing their presence, called "annoto".

5. The Maasai pointed out the wild basil plant which leaves are used for tea and to deter mosquitoes because they don't like the basil aroma. We smelled the basil and some tasted it!

6. I think the most astonishing highlight was learning all about the "fire tree". The sticks of this tree can be used to start a fire for cooking or warming up. The Maasai demonstrated how to use the sticks and started a full blown fire with smoke and red flames. Then they ignited elephant dung on fire!! We could all smell the smoke and some actually touched the dung! We were in awe of the Maasai's perseverance. It was the first time some of us had ever seen a fire started without a match. We reminisced about how it brought back boy and girl scout memories of trying to earn our fire badges! The Maasai put out the dung fire with their shoes made from tires!

7. Another highlight was learning all about the baobab tree which can live 3000 years! Elephants eat inside the bark because it has moisture, provides medicinal purposes and is a good source of calcium. The tree flowers in October and bears fruit for animals. Some tree bark is whiter than others because some get more sunlight. Elephants can shelter in the trees and some people use them for making houses.

We also saw several baboons crossing ahead of us on the path! All of our senses were stimulated on this informative walk. We heard a variety of birds and owls; saw a variety of trees, shrubs, flowers, birds, and animal footprints. We smelled smoke, dung, and basil. Some touched dung and all of us touched leaves, sticks and flowers. Our group was very grateful to the Maasai guides for sharing their knowledge and culture.

We left the beautiful lodge, loaded the land cruisers and headed to Ruaha's Msembe airstrip for our flight to Arusha. Along the way we saw giraffes, elephants, and impalas. Our 12-passenger plane was there waiting for us and we had a delicious box lunch before boarding. Our pilot had to chase a warthog off the runway by gliding the plane to scare the animal off so we could take off. After the warthog scampered into the bushes the pilot was able to turn around and take off! It seemed as though the animals we saw along the journey to our plane were saying goodbye and giving us a send off to remember!! I was reminiscing on the plane as I could see the many roads in Ruaha and wondered if they were the ones we had traveled to see the first of the Tanzanian wildlife!

Takeoff from Msembe airstrip; our last view of the Ruaha River 

After landing at Arusha Airport, we were enthusiastically greeted by our guides, Noel and Denis!! It was a good feeling to see familiar faces knowing we had made friendships with them that are sure to be memorable.

We arrived at the Masailand Safari and Lodge and settled into our rooms. Some of us took advantage of the nice pool and bar! We had a briefing from our guides about the next several days' adventures that were in store for us! All are excited to hopefully see more of the big 5! It was relaxing to enjoy a drink and almonds courtesy of George and Lynn. Everyone enjoyed a typical Tanzanian buffet dinner and then retreated to our rooms to dream about our upcoming safari adventures!

Masailand Safari Lodge, Arusha

In Friendship and Peace

Ruaha National Park - Elephant Problem, May 28, 2024, George M

Elephant charge

Ruaha National Park - Elephant Problem

Outbound to Iringa, May 28, 2024
By: George M

We had been having trouble with the right front wheel causing concerns. At about 16:30 with smells some thought were gas and some thought might be hot metal our driver decided that the vehicle could go no farther so we pulled to the side of the road. 

Bad wheel bearing - mechanics replace bearing on site

Some wandered a little down the road to investigate some noises coming from the direction of the river. They saw a troop of  baboons screaming at a jackal, and a large fish eagle nest with at least one parent tending to it. 

Looking at baboons while waiting on repairs

Our drover Thadei had radioed for help and around 17:00 a truck drove up, stopped on our side of the road and two men got out. After surveying the situation they  jacked up the vehicle, pulled the wheel , and replaced the bearing. They were almost finished the work when Onesmo, the driver of our other vehicle arrived to pick us up (around 17:30). As we returned we saw a large group of female elephants and their youngsters. A bit further along we saw a large bull elephant casually approaching. We pulled over with expectation that he would walk by but when he got within 10 meters of the vehicle he started to charge.

time to shift into reverse!

The driver quickly shifted into reverse and the elephant chased us about 1Km - at elephant running speed

We were backing up fast, and we came upon another vehicle.  We briefly stopped and our driver warned the other driver about the elephant.  By then, the elephant seemed to have disappeared, so the other vehicle proceeded (down the road toward Ruaha Lodge, where we had been trying to go to).  We followed the other vehicle but when  we reached the area where the elephant was last seen, he came out of the brush to our right and got to within 3 meters of us as we accelerated past. (He appeared to have it in for us, and was waiting for us!?!?! We think he didn't like tan safari vehicles.)  

We got to the dining room by 19:00 and were happy to be able to tell the story.

In Friendship and Peace

Ruaha National Park, May 28, 2024, Teresa B

Ruaha National Park

Outbound to Iringa, May 28, 2024
By: Teresa B 

The night was spent at Ruaha River Lodge in our own grass roofed cabanas.  The windows were just screens so we could feel a cool breeze and hear the deep grunts of hippos throughout the night. 

Luxury by the Ruaha River

This place is simply luxurious. But let me explain. It is elegant in its simplicity and style reminding me of what Indiana Jones’s accommodations would look like in the 1920’s-an oasis with cold beer, clean sheets, solar-heated water for a shower, and homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. The dining room was all open-air facing the river.

We loaded up the two land cruisers. The tops were popped up so we could stand up for the best viewing. 

All eyes were peeled on the landscape looking for any signs of wildlife. At first it was our guide that would stop and point out the groups of Impala, or the very mischievous vervet monkeys, but as the day progressed, we all became adept at spotting wildlife. 

The giraffes started appearing. 

We kept seeing evidence of elephants: dung and the peeled back bark of the Baobab trees. I wasn’t sure we were actually going to see them. The landscape was a thick scrub where anything could hide. After lunch though we drove through a Savannah type landscape with grasses, Baobabs and Acacia trees. It was then that we saw the grazers, elephants and zebras in multiple different groups. We even saw a pod of elephants at the river drinking. Other sighting from our Land Cruiser: baboons, dik diks, gazelles, an ostrich, a warthog, a monitor lizard, and a kudu.

I was impressed with how calm and unafraid these animals were. It was so calming to watch them.

Toward the end of the day, our driver got a call from the other vehicle telling him that he had to drop us off at the lodge and go back to pick up the other vehicle full of people as they had car trouble. We weren’t aware at the time how much of an adventure our co travelers would have. I will let George continue with that story.

In Friendship and Peace 

Farewell to Iringa, travel to Ruaha National Park, May 27, 2024, Steve F

We say Goodbye to FF Iringa and they say Goodbye to us

Farewell to Iringa, travel to Ruaha National Park

Outbound to Iringa, May 27, 2024
By: Steve F

Monday, May 27, was a day for saying goodbye, travel and getting an introduction to Ruaha National Park.  

Terri and I woke up around seven.  I had a refreshing cool shower.  The six year old twins, Winnie and Freddie, had been very shy when we arrived on the 22nd, but greeted us today and asked Terri to read them a story.  Winnie liked to practice the English words she knew.  After one last breakfast, we said goodbye to them, as well as 18 year old daughter Angel and foster daughter Babette, who had done most of  the cooking during our stay, as well as laundry. Dr. Sully had to leave for her shift at the hospital at 0600, and we had said goodbye to her the night before.  

Rev. Winston drove us down the bumpy dirt road to town and the Lutheran Center.  We talked about the number of unfinished and unoccupied structures along the way, due to the fact that bank credit is unavailable for most people, and houses are built in steps, whenever the owner has any extra cash to put toward it.  Many houses are occupied as soon as they are roofed in, and some languish a number of years with only walls.  

At the Lutheran center, we chatted for a while with our new friends.  Amos of Migration Venture Africa safari arrived with guides Thadei and Onesmo (pronounced Onay) and the two oldest Land  Cruisers in his fleet.  

We said goodbye to our Iringa friends and loaded up.  We gradually worked our way through the city traffic and into the countryside.  For the next two hours we drove through small farm areas mixed with villages and stony hillsides, which, as geologist Dave reminds us, are two billion years old.   We pass several signs which seem to indicate that the park boundary is very close, but it is about 12:30  when we reach the gate, stopping to register and take a break. 

Entrance to Ruaha National Park

The roads inside the park are the reason all the guides drive land cruisers.  We start our leisurely "game drive," not to be confused with the kind of drive in which a large group of hunters try to herd the game toward the shooters.  We soon see our first group of impala, a medium sized antelope.  Later we spot a slightly larger species, identified as a waterbuck.  We also logged several bird species, including guinea hens and others for which I have lost my notes. Around 1:45, we reach the Ruaha River, an impressively powerful channel in the dry savanna.  

The guides spot a group of hippos on the bank downstream, and a huge crocodile.  We have our box lunches at the picnic area next to the bridge.  

Our lunch stop

About 5 pm, we arrive at the Ruaha River Lodge, a rustic group of thatched roof, stone cabins adjacent to the river, designed to be unobtrusive in the park environment, and solar powered.  It gets an A for ambience, but the solar outlets don’t seem to have enough juice to charge all our devices, and the lights are dim.  The solar shower is nice and hot at the end of the day, but cool in the morning.  

Happy hour at Ruaha River Lodge

Dinner, drinks and companionship at the dining room were great.  Innkeepers requested that we be escorted by their Maasai staff back to our rooms.  This seemed at first to be an annoyance, but the hippos, which we could hear across the river, have been known to come over to the hotel side, and can be very dangerous.  

Lodges overlooked the river; deep grunts of hippos could be heard even across the river

In Friendship and Peace

Free day with hosts and Farewell Party, May 26, 2024, Shaina S

Farewell Party

Free day with hosts and Farewell Party

Outbound to Iringa, May 26, 2024
By: Shaina S

Today we had a free day. I slept in and started off my morning with coffee and fresh milk that we bought straight from the dairy the night before where we played volleyball on a large dairy farm.

Volleyball (Mpira wa wavu)

I wore a kitenge while I drank my coffee. My host Rebecca prepared a delicious breakfast of chipati, beans, and fresh fruit. Rebecca shared her chipati recipe with me so that I can bring it home.

Breakfast in a kitenge

We headed to their church for a Lutheran service in English. The pastor is from India and the sermon’s main message was unity and faith. A message that we can all relate to regardless of religion or nationality.

Attending a Lutheran service in English

After church, Joel and Rebecka gave me Samba jerseys for me and my husband, Dustin. I changed into my football jersey and we were off to the shamba. That is Swahili for farm. Rebecca is an agriculture business person and convinced Joel to invest in keeping cows. They have four dairy cows now and plan to have 15-20 in the next 5 years. They will be able to secure a steady income from providing milk to the local dairy production facility. They work on the farm every weekend to ensure they achieve their goal.

Joel and Rebecka on their shamba

After visiting the shamba, we headed back to Iringa town for the farewell dinner. 

Tito K, President of FF Iringa

The farewell dinner was a great party, and we presented a fun game to Friendship Force - Iringa. We placed our bets for heads and tails and flipped coins. The winners won gifts from the Friendship Force- Sacramento. The game was a hit and everyone had a good laugh. However, it was sad because we had to say goodbye. I became so close to Rebecca, Joel, and Jayden that it was a very emotional goodbye. We hope and are planning to reunite again soon.

In Friendship and Peace

BOMA museum and a Maasai village, May 25, 2024, Ray M

Visiting a Maasai village

BOMA museum, a Maasai village

Outbound to Iringa, May 25, 2024
By: Ray M

Another beautiful cool morning.
On our way to meet everyone, we are stopped by a policeman standing in the middle of the highway -a license check. 

All Ok and we continue.

Iringa Boma Regional Museum and Culture Center

First stop: Iringa Boma Regional Museum and Cultural Center. It was originally built by German colonial forces and was the colonial regional HQ in early 1900's.

Iringa Boma Regional Museum and Cultural Center

This museum focuses on local history, culture and beliefs. It spans 3 local tribes the Hehe, the Bena and the Kinga. And Arabs and Germans and British. And our hominid ancestors- including stone axes from several hundred thousand years ago. I had no idea that they were smelting their own iron here in 1000 BCE.

How they used to smelt iron

You can see some funny things at the museum.

To a Maasai village

On our way in the bus on a trail with our Maasai guide

The main event today was a visit to a Maasai boma — a place called “Namanyana” or “Blessings place”. This was NOT a tourist show. In fact, this was the first time our FF Iringa hosts ever got to visit here, so it was a very new experience for all of us.

After a long drive over smaller and smaller dirt roads, a Maasai guide (wearing a red wrap, with a fimbo (small club) and a big knife in his belt) boarded the bus to guide us along even smaller roads. Which turned into a single footpath/cow trail through fields of small dry corn, then through a thicket of small acacia trees scraping both sides of the bus. Maasai young men greeted us.

Maasai procession

They chanted and jumped energetically as they ceremoniously led our procession to the village, where the girls and women took over, dancing and chanting.

We then found out that our Maasai guide Junioni was an ordained Lutheran pastor and elected chief of the clan.
We learned a lot from him about the Maasai customs

One custom is that you must drink blood before eating meat. We were served a nice lunch of grilled beef pieces, rice and beans etc - but were excused from drinking any blood first.

The rice is a new custom for them. Water is an issue - there is none locally. The girls have to carry it on their heads 10 km (6 miles). So we appreciated their meal even more.

Junioni said they are trying to encourage the clan’s families to send their children to school. This is a big ask, since children have to walk 10 km (6 miles. Education will help them prepare for the changeing future — and help end the practice of early marriages. They want to build a primary school so the littlest children would not have to walk so far.

The conclusion of the visit was a chance to go inside a couple of their homes (mud brick), and then to watch 2 elders play Usoro, a classic board game moving little stones/seeds among cups. Fast, mathematical and challenging to play successfully. A few of our hosts tried.

Playing 'Usoro' ('Bao')

This was truly a new and wonderful experience for all of us (FF US and Iringa).

In Friendship and Peace