Kenya Tanzania 2019

26.11.2019 Manyara /Ngorongoro

We had decided that we would leave Lake Manyara after breakfast and do some game viewing before we were driven to the Lake Manyara airport , where we were scheduled to get transferred into another vehicle in order to travel to Ngorongoro by road .

After a good breakfast of , fried eggs , feta and beetroot , sausages , cheese , toast , freshly squeezed juice , we were fortified enough to think about sallying forth .

We said farewell to the team including May and Male and the rest of the team . Abdullah was due for some rest and decided to hop in with us while Humphrey who was not well stayed back .

We rode out with a tinge of regret , for the Lake Manyara Tree Lodge had truly exceeded expectations . The accommodation was luxurious , unique and more importantly ,the service was genuinely from the heart and anticipated everything that wanted . Whether it was my request for a couple of cloves , and I got a large packet full of cloves , all requests were met with Hakkunah Matata. Abdullah , our experienced Butler , was excellent . He seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face and really fussed over us .

The housekeepers left a sweet handwritten note in our room on the last night which read ‘ Welcome to the African Jungle . learn with us our home language – Kiswahili.

Jambo – Hellow

Karibu – Welcome

Asante Sana – Thank you very much

Lala Salama – Sleep Well

Kwaheri – Goodbye

Have fun !!!

Travel safely

your housekeepers – Bakari and David

We said Kwaheri with gratitude and drove off !

Birding was excellent and we started spotting birds of prey as well – African Batteleur eagles , with their red talons and beaks , an immature Martial eagle perched high up and then African Harrier hawks ,a handsome African fish Eagle with its distinctive cry and magnificent white upper parts even a common Kestrel made an appearance .

The colorful red fire finches and Bishops were out in numbers . Along the shore of the lake and other scrub areas , colorful weavers and barbets had made their nests .

Birds have the strangest names here . The Baglafetcht weaver , the Boubou, the Turaco , the Common Fiscal and the Tchagra and so many more .

Often the birds are given really nondescript names , but actually turn up to be really colorful birds- a grey headed kingfisher or a Pygmy kingfisher did no justice tot their iridescent hues . A D’arnauds Barbet was one of the most sweetest looking bird with an interesting color scheme . The ubiquitous Little Bee eaters , sitting on twigs and dry branches along with the rarer European Bee Eaters which is a passage migrant , and Lilac Breasted rollers are very colorful birds . They were feasting on the flying ants and other insects which had come out post the rains . Large groups of Butterflies , of all hues , feasting on salt patches on the road , often on bridges flowing over a fast flowing stream , and dragonflies hovering , was a photographers delight.

A Small Leopard tortoise virtually running flat out, crossed the road and into

a rain filled puddle on the mud road side .Two terrapins were trying to hide , moseying along, lifting their heads from time to time out of the puddle.

The smaller warblers , the camariotera and the robin chat flitted from branch to branch , way to quick to photograph .

At least the Violet starlings , the red and yellow barbet making a nest in a large termite mounds , different weavers .-the lesser masked and the impossibly named Baglafecht weavers , starlings – the beautiful Violet and Hildenbrands and the ubiquitous Superb Starling were in full force .

The shy crested Guineafowls , in small family groups came out onto the road and then vanished into the roadside undergrowth .

Sunlight after hours of rain had enticed the birds to come out , with all manner of insects flying around, although all the trees and bushes were still wet with glistening rain water .

At the lake shore , a family of African Ground Hornbills first walked and then ponderously took flight , in front of our vehicle . They flew straight for a stretch , flapping wings to evade the vehicle but not getting out of our path !

A pair of Crowned cranes and a Hammerkop , that really strange looking brown bird , with the habit of making huge nests , completed the scene.

The African Brown Hornbill on the very top of tree branches was easy to photograph whereas the Crowned Hornbill was almost impossible to photograph flying way to fast .

What was amazing for us the kind of raptors that we started sighting in that day . The African Harrier Hawk , the Common and grey kestrels , Marsh Harriers , African Fish eagles , Virreaux ‘s Eagle , the Batteleur , and the fierce and handsome looking Martial Eagle were for us an uncommon treasure trove .

We saw several instances of smaller birds chasing the Harriers in the sky , not allowing them to perch , and away from their nests which may have been full of young chicks .

Up high in the sky , the kings of the sky starting to ride the rising thermals were the vultures . Principally the African white backed , the Ruppell s and in lesser numbers lapid faced vultures .

For us , easily , the sighting of the morning was a pair of African Crowned Eagles , the largest of the Eagles in these parts , perched high up on a tree . This mating pair was a magnificent sight with a strong crest . These eagles are big enough to pick up a baby baboon or a monkey .

These eagles were a rare sight and just magnificent in their wing span and demeanor . Watching these really strong birds dive through thick foliage and branches , weaving and turning , displaying supreme skill , while the air filled with sound of their flapping wing beats , was an awesome sighting . We were very pleased to see these raptors .

lake Manyara still had some surprises left in its munificent treasure trove .

We were crossing a bridge when suddenly Hussein said ‘ Lions ‘ ! Sure enough a pair of lionesses we’re sitting on the sandy banks of the stream maybe 75 yards away , sitting alert and in the look out for pray . Some Warthogs rooted around not very far away , the lions looked at them hungrily , licking their chops, but possibly a little too far away to launch an attack .

We watched the Lions for a while and then reluctantly drove on .

After a quick test stop we decided to drive on quickly , as we were getting late for our transfer at the Lake Manyara airport .

On the last leg of our journey in Lake Manyara , we again came to the Marsh where we had last been met with gale force winds and driving rain on the day of our arrival . There was road block on the way . A Large buffalo was slowly and imperiously chewing cud , blocking the narrow road with nary a care in the world . Tourists clicked away while the wild beast did not give a fig . It slowly eased itself Into a nearby marsh and promptly sank to its shoulders .

All the marsh birds : plovers , long legged lapwings , Stilts , Green shanks , varieties of sandpipers , Hadada and Glossy Ibises , African spoonbills were to be seen . In the distance the Eastern White bearded Wildebeeste which is a light colored animal as compared to the Western one was grazing on the open grassland

It was raining lightly as we left the land of the ‘ Tree Climbing Lions ‘ . We had really enjoyed Lake Manyara and we were very well looked after .

We dropped Abdullah to his doorstep , and said our goodbyes . We stopped at a roadside tourist trap , a place for African curios, a dusty place full of masks , beaded toys , paintings on canvas and the like not of a good quality . I played with a thumb piano and decided finally not to buy anything .

We drove upto the Lake Manyara airport , said our farewells to Hussein and met Zakia , a beaming short and young Muslim lady who was going to be our guide for the next few days at Ngorongoro .We had a quick coffee with Amarula and waited for two

more guests who were to join us on our way to the Crater Lodge at Ngorongoro .

We decided to do some shopping at a few nearby TT’s ( Tourist Traps ) . The essential thing to know about shopping in Tanzania is , that you are encouraged to bargain and often the best place to start at 30 or 40 percent of the price quoted . Even at those ‘discounts ‘ , be assured that you are paying at least two hundred to three hundred percent of the cost of manufacture . Consequently buying bric-a-brac is a truly dissatisfying process as one is left with the uncomfortable feeling that all the dramatics involved in bargaining is just that : dramatics and you are been truly and properly had !

We did end up buying a few little things .

Zakia turned out to be a talkative , perpetually smiling young lady filed with joie de vIvre .

Two other guests joined us : Bob the banker and his Chinese ( ? ) origin wife Yeo , well heeled and sleek , Australians if you will , by the way of Amsterdam .

Bob proceeded to nod off on the way back while , after been initially affable , his wife proceeded to quiz us on where we had been and what we had seen . Soon Bob woke up to be relayed what she had heard from us . In a funny way , she kept comparing everything that we had done to their own experience ! She seemed to be consumed with envy !

She also proceeded to ask Zakia all manner of questions , including why were there so few Rhinos in Ngorongoro ( 59 ) ! Zakia told us later that she had wanted to retort , this was because the Chinese needed their horns as an aphrodisiac ! With great difficulty she managed to keep quiet .

We passed through an adjoining town and soon started wending our way through beautiful farming land . We were climbing quickly though imperceptibly . Coffee is grown in these heights and called Kahwa here ! Coffee apparently also means ‘ one tight slap ‘ in the local lingua Franca ! We saw several nice looking cafes , but people mostly drink tea here mixed with spices . Barley is grown here along with maize and corn . Mealie meal a kind of hot corn porridge is the staple . Some African curries are enlivened with African Pil Pil -murderously hot chilies . All kinds of meat and greens are enjoyed by everybody .

Zakia told me that she was a big fan of Indian food and Her dream dish was Chicken Sixty five !

Talking about food , local customs , watching drunks rolling out of pubs at 12 noon, multiple people sharing motorbike rides , Tuk Tuks made by TVS , loaded buses filled with passengers , young boys and girls going to school , local markets heaped with colorful vegetables , we made steady progress towards the Crater.

Close to the the forest , there were barley fields meant for production of local beer . The local brands of beer Tusker from Kenya , Serengeti and Rhino are mild tasting ales . Zakia told us how Rhinos ( the animal , not the beer 😊)had ventured forth a while back from the Crater and got into these fields . They took a liking to the barley and refused to go back . They had to be eventually darted and taken back to the caldera !

We reached the gates of Ngorongoro in an hours time . From then on the scene changed dramatically . We started climbing steadily through mist covered forests . The caldera measures between 10 and 12 miles (16 and 19 km) across and has an area of 102 square miles (264 square km). Its heavily forested rim rises 2,000 feet (610 metres) above the caldera’s floor to an elevation of 7,500 feet (2,286 metres).

The Ngorongoro conservation area is vast around 3200 square miles of forested rim and then grasslands featuring lakes, craters and streams flowing Into the lakes . The different ecosystems because of the elevations , leads to very significant bio diversity .

Many of the animals have never left the caldera. The elephants here though small in number are reputed to have the longest tusks as they have remained in the Caldera, well fed watered and protected.

The name of the crater has an onomatopoeic origin; it was named by the Maasai pastoralists after the sound produced by the cowbell (ngoro ngoro).

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area also protects Oldupai or Olduvai Gorges , situated in the plains area. It is considered to be the seat of humanity after the discovery of the earliest known specimens of the human genus, Homo habilis as well as early hominidae, such as Paranthropus boisei.

Along the up climb , we saw a bunch of Purple colored blooms from a plant called Vernonia . Zakia told us that these plants leaves are used to make a mild intoxicant .

Were asked what did we want to do once we arrived at the lodge ,we promptly said that we would like to take a picnic lunch and depart for the crater floor immediately .

Bob the banker and his wife said that they had to have a personal ‘chat ‘ with the Manager upon arrival and would have lunch . Transpired that they wanted a vehicle and driver of their own ! They had tried to get in the day before on account of it been his wife’s birthday , but could not do so for some obscure reason. That was strange , considering it was off season for the hotel .

We climbed up and up through mist and mild rain . We encountered one of the Andbeyond land cruisers which had had an accident with a heavily loaded bus ! The long wet inclines and the penchant for rash driving by the bus driver had caused the accident . Thankfully nobody seemed hurt .

On the sides of the road , vervet monkeys and Bushbucks greeted us as the first signs of wildlife .

Further up , there were several spots from where one could look down into the caldera but we were in a hurry . We reached the Lodge around noon , amidst a mild drizzle , where we were met by Kyle the manager and his team including our butlers Mssisi and Dennis . After the usual warm welcome , we were shown to our rooms , bypassing the beautiful reception and restaurant area .

The lodge was an old hunting lodge run by Abercrombie and Kent family once upon a time and then taken over by AndBeyond about 26 years ago and then constructed anew . Easily this was the most luxurious address on our journey .

There were thirty accommodations divided into three groups – one at a higher elevation and the other cluster -lower and a separate set of Tree lodges .

Each one of the lodges had a spectacular views of the Caldera with own balconies . Luckily ours was the nearest to the main reception .

We had a huge suite to ourselves . Luxuriously appointed the rooms main features included a wonderful wood fired antique fireplace , a magnificent four poster bed, a large Victorian bathtub in splendid isolation , ornate mirrors , heavy purple drapery , dressing tables , umpteen places to charge our cameras and phones , a large step out balcony with splendid views , different basins for each of us and. A shower area , thick plush carpets and colorful throw rugs . The walls and floor were wooden while the rooftop was made with dried plaited plantain bark .

A nice bottle of sherry, a selection of wines and bubbly , completed the appointments . Each room had niches with windows built in . All very Ooh La La !

We quickly changed and ran back to find that Zakia had picked up a picnic to go and we were ready to leave .

We saw two wild buffaloes in the lawns around the lodge and were told that the lodge was not fenced in , but open to wild life .It was possible for Buffaloes and elephants to easily wander in .

Later we met this American lady whose face was filled with scratches . We learnt that she had checked in on the same day as us into the lodge . A large herd of thirty or forty buffaloes had walked in . She tried to taking a selfie with a buffalo , in-spite of been warned ! She was promptly charged , when she got too near the animal . She was dragged around and would have got gored quite badly had the rest of the people not come to her rescue and frightened the animal off after throwing rocks at the buffalo . A certain Schadenfreude was felt !

As we drove on to the entrance of the Caldera we started espying the Masai , who are pastoralists who live around the edge of the crater . They no longer live on the crater floor but instead herd their cows , donkeys and sheep . They live in Huts called Boma ‘s , protected by thorn fences called Kraals .

For the Masai cattle and sheep are everything . A Masai is considered rich if he owns large herds . The Masai are famed warriors and their initiation ceremony post puberty for Boys is circumcision and once upon a time they hunted lions . A Masai warrior was considered to have achieved manhood when killed his first lion !

They no longer do so , but still have large families and practice polygamy .

The men in their beautiful red and black robes look spectacular with their patrician features . The women folk often wear blue clothes with silver necklaces .

All of the people that we saw or met , waved cheerily , including small boys tending sheep and were very friendly .

We finally glimpsed the crater floor as we were flooded with sunshine . We proceeded downwards after paying fees at the park entrance .

As we drove down on the sharp decline, we kept stopping , for their were so many spectacular birds along the edges of the roads . Wonderful sunbirds iridescent in their plumage , with hooked bills, skipped amongst flowers and sucked nectar , small robin chats sang in the hedgerows , larks and yellow weavers filled the air with birdsong .

The land cruiser, with its ability to raise the sunroof , was was an ideal vehicle for spotting animals and birds while driving , but standing while going down an incline was a hazardous endeavor .

Dropping down into the crater floor we could see hundreds of Wildebeests , and cape buffaloes , Grant and plains zebra , Thomson’s and Grants gazelle, even Elands but no Topi’s or Impalas . They don’t inhabit the caldera .

We even spotted two Spotted hyenas walking amongst the herbivores from way you above , from the road . But the herds remained seemingly oblivious to the carnivores walking amongst them .

Some distance down there was a bunch of vehicles including a large truck with a generator mounted on top , which turned out to be a Japanese film crew with special permission to go into areas where others were not permitted. All the vehicles had , specialized cameras mounted on them and ‘ do not follow ‘ signs pasted on the back .

As we got down to the floor of the crater , we saw a commotion in a distance . A whole host of vultures were contesting a carcass of a Thomson’s Gazelle with a lone Golden Jackal . The jackal kept spiraling around , trying to fight off the vultures – the Rupells griffon , Egyptian white backed and some Lapid faced vultures . We left the jackal to his losing battle and as we left we espied a gang of hyenas hurrying to the kill !

The grasslands stretched for miles on all sides to the edge of the magnificent circular caldera . It was surprising that in spite of a flat landscape , so much remained hidden in the folds of the earth.

Sure enough , as we drove down , we found a couple of lions doing what they do best , sleeping at the edge of the tree line . The lions in the crater number around 59 and are seriously inbred , but really good looking creatures . With so much food available in abundance , I guess the are spoilt for choices. They fight off foreign intruders .

We drive along the grassland , spotting herbivores galore – more than 7000 Wildebeests who do not follow the great migration ! The only world that they have lived is within the Caldera ! There are no leopards or impalas in the Caldera but bushbucks , water bucks , dikdiks , large herds of Elands are to be found here apart from the ubiquitous Thomson’s and their cousins Grants .

Zebras are to be found in abundance too .

We ate from our packed lunch packets while Zakia drove and refilled ourselves with water .

Zakia , knowing that we loved birds , decided to take us to the Lerai forest as it was starting to get dark . The Lerai forest consists of giant ficus trees , and acacia trees . The Feverbark acacias have gnarled knobby bark upto a height , where elephants can reach ! This yellow green tree uses this clever defense to ward off elephants from smashing their bark .

Elephants are the nature’s way of clearing forests, for they indeed cut a wide swathe , literally .

Giant Strangulation trees are parasitical plants often slowly twisting their vine like shoots around a host tree and slowly ‘ strangling ‘ it . Many of these trees were thick and hoary .

As we glided around the forests glades and streams , we saw a beautiful Auger Buzzard with lovely its white spotted breast feathers and then Batteleur Eagles with their red beaks and feet . Then round the corner a large Tusker , feeding off reeds around a marshy area . These Lerai forests are where hippos are to be also found , wallowing in pools and streams .

Birding remained spectacular and I spotted a rare Waxbill which was a migrant through this area. Smaller birds such as drongo’s , shrikes , fiscals remained common as we kept stopping every once in a while . After some more birding , it was time to depart as we had to start driving out of the park by 1730 hours .

We drove up along a long gentle incline and then onto a narrow road made with paved interlocked stones . The road started climbing and winding around the escarpment slope , going swiftly upwards with sharp turns through the enveloping jungle , rising quickly above the crater floor filled with the fever bark trees , while a fast setting sun let the night descend swiftly .

Then around a corner an unpleasant surprise ! A bus accident ! A bus filled with local tourists had tried to turn while going up around a U bend , but not tightly enough ! The driver had hit the cliff face and the bus was stuck at an awkward angle blocking traffic .

Fortunately there was a small gap , just large enough for Zakia to squeeze through after some difficult maneuvering , up the incline , with lots of encouragement from the becalmed passengers who had remained in good cheer in spite of their misfortune . We were told that the park rangers were on the way to rescue them , although I felt uneasy about leaving them marooned in the fast descending gloom of the African night .

As we climbed further up , the forest became eerily quiet . Round the bend we accosted a ghostly figure of an old daga bull dragging along an injured leg ! The bull clearly was past his prime and we just hoped that his end would come swiftly with minimal pain . Thankfully nature , although it feels brutal , does do things with a ruthless efficiency . In these forests amongst such predators as lions , the bull would not last long .

We reached our lodge after the sunset and hurried to our log fire in the room . Surprise , our bathtub was filled with rose petals , soft foam on the surface of the gently steaming bathtub , awaited us .We had a nice hot water soak and then ventured back to the main restaurant and reception area . As we stepped out into the cold night from the room , I saw a black furry animal scurrying along the steps descending on our left . A security guard shone his torch when I explained what I had seen but to no avail . Must have been a bushbaby , I surmised or even a civet scrounging for food below the kitchen area .

The main lounge area was dominated by a large wooden promenade with spectacular views of the caldera below , and seating area bound at one end by a large fireplace and a telescope . At this time of the evening , the place was deserted . Further steps descended to the large lawn below and on the left side , steps led up to the main reception, bar and dining area .

This area was fairly spectacular . Large mirrors fronted with long stemmed roses in vases greeted us . Plush low seating and many books , nooks /corners with tall armchairs , round gilt edged mirrors , small marble tables , heavy drapery of rich cloth and curtains held back with tasseled ropes , a fire place and library on one side completed the ensemble . A spectacular bar next to it , a library and small niches tucked away with hide aways for an intimate tete-a-tete , contributed to a rich and opulent decor .

We were the only ones for a while before Dennis joined us .

We soon settled down to a couple of single malts . Huvi had got her cigars along , but we did not feel like going out in the cold night air to smoke .

Kyle joined us in a while and after getting to know each other , we started exchanging stories about where we had been and what we had seen . Turned out Kyle was originally a guide who had now progressed to become the Manager of AndBeyond’s prime property in East Africa .

A couple of AndBeyond travel agents from Tanzania joined us . A couple of drinks down , we felt fortified enough to have our dinner . Dinner was a four course deluxe meal .

Mssisi has arranged our seating right next to a fire place . We dined well and heartily , tired but hungry .

After a wonderful dinner , ending with a tam tam dessert trolley full of goodies , we said our Lala Salamahs ( goodnights ) and walked down the steps to the promenade in order go to our room .

The Masai security guard was at hand to escort us to our room . He shone his torch down in to the lawn and sure enough there a scrub hare hoping along and then along the hedge a White tailed mongoose !

Happy with the last sighting of the day , we repaired to our room, to find that our electric blankets were already warming the four poster bed . That made for a warm and welcome bed . We soon drifted off to sleep dreaming of spectacular birds and lions.

In Ngorongoro , sleep was just the continuation of the spectacular dreams that we dreamt with our eyes open in the day time !