23.11.2019 Lake Manyara
We left our home in Serengeti with some reluctance after a hearty breakfast and find farewells to Enok on the crew who had served us and looked after us so well ! Daniel had already let early in the morning and we had said our goodbyes the evening before . Daniel had proved to be a boon companion.
Moses , our new guide , drives us out around. 0800 hours . We intended to do some game browsing on the way to the Sironera airport ! A we drove along slowly on the dirt roads with Moses spotting some of the by now familiar birds . Giraffes and baboons , buffaloes , gazelles and zebras frolicked in the morning sunlight . Without much incident , but again wonderful game viewing , we got to the airport . Just before the airport turning we spied two African Secretary birds prancing around .
We had to go through a security check at the quite busy Seronera airport and Coastal Aviation guys helped us load our luggage into the aircraft when our turn came !
We lifted off again in a small Cessna on our way to Lake Manyara on a 45 minute drive .
Our flight flew Seronera to Lake Manyara airport in forty five minutes , flying over the Rift Valley !
On the way to Lake Manyara from our dinky little plane
At the Lake Manyara airport, perched high on the escarpment above the lake , we were greeted out next two Guides . Hussein was to be our experiences guide and long with young trainee called Humphrey . Hussein , initially appeared to be the brash and confident guide , who knew everything but in a while we warmed to him . After a hit of coffee with Amarula , by now a Standard Operating Procedure , we set off for the reserve and the lodge .
We passed by green fields full of maize and corn , tree lined avenues of different trees- our old friend the Baobab tree, Fever bark acacia trees , Sausage trees and blooming flowering trees such as Jacaranda , Bougainvillea, and Gulmohar .
We descended quickly down the forest covered escarpment , passing by several hoary giant Baobab trees tot he reserve forest .
The National Park stretches alongside the elongated Lake Manyara , shaped like a salamander on one side . Our lodge was at the very end of the Lake Manyara .
As we entered the forest , and completed our formalities , we were made aware that the Lake Manyara was the home of the famous Tree Climbing Lions !
The forest itself has many separate biomes , stretching from the high forest covered escarpments , down to the reef and marshy areas and then all the way to the lake shore . Each area supported different plant , animal and bird species .
As we entered the forest the first denizen that we met was the Blue monkey . It is a medium sized monkey , covered in black bluish fur , and a silvery fur around its face which makes it look fairly serious and pensive . They seemed to be solitary creatures .
Vervet monkeys are to be found in abundance here too but the really large troops are those of the Olive Baboons ! They form groups of over 100 plus and their safety lies in numbers because of the presence of leopards .
As we entered the park we saw a beautiful hornbill – the Silver single casqued hornbill flying around in pairs . This part of the forest called the Groundwater forest is crisscrossed with clear streams of water bubbling from underground aquifers , and is filled with wild mango trees and fig trees . This was an ideal environment for the hornbills .
The streams have fresh water crabs and small fish . We came across a remarkable adaptation behavior . We espied one of the Silver Hornbills which are fairly large black and white birds with a good wingspan and huge casqued bills , munching down a medium sized crab ! None of us had ever heard of birds exhibiting such behavior ! Not even the guides ! The Hornbill had a jolly old time feasting on this tasty snack, perhaps opportune , perhaps a learned behavior .
Further down it started drizzling a little bit and as we drove out of the Groundwater forest into several stretches of forests and then into a very large marshy area. By now the weather started turning cold and rainy and the wind really picked up . The rain was suddenly upon us before we could react and take precautions !
The crab eating Hornbill !
Even with our ponchos on , the wind gusted so much that water started sleeping in from the corners of our ponchos . Poor Huvi had a tough time of it and even her trousers became wet .
Braving the gusting sheets of rain we still managed to sight wallowing buffaloes and Wildebeest ( the Eastern White bearded Wildebeeste , slightly more paler looking ) and then lots and lots of marsh birds.
in spite of the pelting rain , we still managed to spot lots of marsh birds -Blacksmith Lapwings. Glossy and Sacred Ibis , African Jacana’s, Common Sandpipers , African Moorhens , Grey Herons and others , amongst the marshy area and then. In the crane breaks .
Huvi was thoroughly soaked and miserable .
Things improved in a bit , when the rain stopped and we stopped for a rest room and lunch break .
During our picnic lunch some amazing looking birds , quite tame , started visiting the lunch table in search for food . A red and yellow barbet which looked so colorful that one could have mistaken it for a toy and just beautiful set of weavers .
After Lunch , we stood next to an over hanging tree next to a cliff and watched brilliantly hued birds turn up : red fire finches , Bishops bird , Violet starlings , Yellow weavers with orange and black chins , Gordon’s blue , Blue naped Mouse birds , not a single drab bird in sight ! In the distance we saw Batteleur eagles and Vultures soar in the air after the rain.
Below us Lake Manyara shimmered in the distance with a pink hue of flamingoes !
It was all very sylvan and especially after the shower , and green foliage shone as if just freshly painted .
One thing which drew our attention was that that all the rest rooms whether manned or not were spotlessly clean !
We drove down from the escarpment . A winding road amidst first tall trees and then increasingly acacia thorn trees on both sides marked our journey . We were told that leopards were fairly shy although they outnumbered their sixty nine odd lions that were present in the park . One odd pestilence ,which disturbed us as we got closer to the Lake , was the presence of myriad flying insects including ever present Tse Tse flies , termite and biting mites !
Near the lake shore , one finds the famous biting TseTse flies which was responsible for Sleeping sickness in mid 20th century . Whereas sleeping sickness , which killed thousands of cattle and humans , have now been officially eradicated the Tsetse flies remain !
They remind you of their presence with really painful bites of their presence . We had to cover all exposed skin surfaces with our clothing and then sprayed ourselves to boot with anti- fly sprays which proved to be of negligible benefit !
The story is that the Lake Manyara lions adopted to tree climbing in the 1960’s in order to escape these pesky flies ! The advantage of been above the ground also allows one to see a further distance and helps with hunting prey and avoid danger . This learned behavior has been passed on through generations of lions since . Quite amazing !
Soon in a while we were told to be on the look out for lions . We spotted herds of giraffes and impala, buffaloes at a distance , but no lions .
As we came closer to the Lakes edge the silence suddenly grew oppressive and then round a bend a pride of eleven lions and lionesses around a zebra kill .
A wonderful looking male lion was making a feast of the half of the Zebra that remained . A lioness
tried to from time to time get a bite edgewise , but got a snarl and cuff in return for her efforts. The rest of the pride including another male lion and three cubs lolled in the ground , sleeping , their bellies distended , looking immensely satiated .
A nine hundred kilo Zebra had been reduced to half by the time we arrived . The male lion delicately, efficiently and savagely ,went about decimating the Zebra with great care , as if it was the best gourmet experience in the world ! One almost felt like asking the lion , if he needed some salt and pepper or a touch of condiment or even a napkin to be tucked around its chin .
A black backed jackal kept a safe distance and waited patiently . He and the patient vultures knew that their time would come soon .
The cubs , looked very cute , but with distended bellies , staggered around their mothers and aunts .
Likely it was the lionesses who must have made the kill. The two male lions would have arrived later and chased the others away as they settled down to dinner .
After watching the Lion pride for a while , we drove off in search of further adventures .
Soon we started hearing the constant din of the flamingoes in the lake . As we came closer , we were astounded to see the true extent of the Flamingo flock . The flock spread , simply went on and on both sides of the lake as far as eye could see . The unending stream of flamingoes must have extended for miles and miles . Surely this was the single largest collection of birds in one place that we had ever seen .
Our first glimpse
We were reminded of the Red billed Quelea flock that we had seen along the Zambezi which extended for miles in Zimbabwe , but this was a sight which surely rivaled that !
We drove up along the marshy area adjacent to the Lake . This was an unique environment for their were hot water springs along the lake shore . The water bubbling from these springs got heated from hot volcanic rocks deep in the earth and bunked Yo through acquirers . The water temperature was approximately at sixty degrees centigrade and around ther hotsprings , wispy clouds of hot water vapor floated above the pools .
The water itself had special Algae and Protozoa growing which can survive at these temperatures . They cause these pools and streams to take on iridescent hues along the edges .
One learnt that buffaloes and hippos do use some muddy areas away from the immediate vicinity of the hot pools to wallow and even elephants use the mud , which one supposes have medicinal properties and protect the animals from ticks and the tsetse .
The Lake itself is very shallow and only a couple of meters deep at its deepest point . One can walk across the lake if one were so inclined .
The Flamingoes – Mostly lesser ( more pink in color than the Greater ones and smaller in size ) in their astonishing numbers gathered around the banks in flocks, pairs and even alone , busy feeding of the algae and the nutrient rich soup .
This huge collection of flamingoes is really hard to describe let alone comprehend , unless one has seen it with ones own eyes . Images on National Geographic do not capture the real majestic nature of this gathering .
Everywhere one looked there were flamingoes feeding in the shallow water . Some were free wheeling flying around the place to no great purpose that we could see , their reflections of the water , made the skeins , flying head to toe in military precision , look mesmerizing in the distance .
Some of the flamingoes would squabble amongst themselves . A group of ten or twelve would suddenly set off on pretty pirouette following a leader , on a dance set to some avian symphony only they could hear ! It was breathtaking .
The flamingoes bred at Lake Naturon , situated in the basin of an extinct volcano not too far oof . Every evening the entire flock flew off from the lake , we were told , to the escarpments surrounding the lake and further afield .
As we drove further into the jungle we accosted a small herd of elephants and then the other herbivores including , Thomson’s gazelles , zebras , giraffes and hippos wallowing by the lake shore.
We stopped at an outcrop by the wayside , where there was a picnic spot overlooking the Lake and then set off again to our Lodge .
On the way we met large troops of Olive Baboons perhaps about a hundred and thirty in strength . The male baboons look after young kids and there is a strict hierarchy of rank maintained by force within the troop if need be , with the dominant male often chastising the younger males . Fights would break out with a lot of vocalizing and menacing teeth bearing and even pursuits, but not with any amount of really consequential violence that one could spot , unless of course a male from another troop was spotted . The larger male Baboons would not rest till the interloper was driven out , but female interlopers were always welcome !
We arrived at our Lodge set deep in the forest well past five thirty In the evening .
our lodge was uniquely made for all the accommodation was up in the tall trees , with all structures made of wood . A large Kraal enclosed a sandy pit around which various dugout canoes were on display , planted in the sand . We were met with the now familiar welcome song , drinks and cold towels . Male’ the manager introduced us to Abdullah our butler for the next three nights .
I finished the formalities in the reception while Huvi went to the room to get out of her wet clothes .
The reception was accessed by lots of wooden steps to the restaurant and then another set of steps to the Bar area .
I walked up to the room escorted by a Masai warrior with a spear in his hand . We were told strictly not to wander around unescorted after dark .
Our home was a superb luxurious tree lodge , up accessible by lots of wooden steps to a wooden platform on which the main accommodation was built . A giant Mahogany tree extended skywards from the lodge and we were surrounded by dense forest .
Our room was huge with a large sitting area well appointed with wooden furniture and then a large four poster bed . The ceiling we later learnt , was made from Plantain bark ..Our bathtub was already drawn up with hot water and candle lit . After wallowing like a hippo in our hot water tub , one was happy and content . The hot water bath was really welcome after the whole day’s tiring journey .
The outside balcony featured a sitting area and an al fresco shower which was wonderful .
Huvi and I indulged ourselves in the large bathtub .
Huvi , was in a much better frame of mind now , happy with our lodging .
We were escorted by the Masai warrior for dinner . We perched ourselves high above the ground , around bar . We were frozen gin and tonics whilst we munches on large green olives and beetroot kebabs and other dainty snacks . Abdullah , now resplendent in his stewards gear served us with aplomb .
Nothing was too much trouble . Every request was met with Karibu Sana ( very welcome ) and Asante Sana ( thank you very much ) and many Hakkunah Matatas .
While we were drinking , two large bush babies with black flurry tails and bug eyes visited us . These nocturnal primates apparently were resident around the bar area . We learnt later that bush-babies are primates .
We descended from the bar area to the dining area , in order to have a candlelit dinner of excellent hot bell pepper soup, naan bread , beef fillet and tandoori chicken accompanied by salad and grains and some excellent beetroot feta and sunflower seeds salad , washed down with another Gin and tonic and finally a nice dessert .
We went back to sleep , pondering over our journey , listening to cicadas , serenaded by baboon and hyena noises .
The Herd
Travels with Huvi et Tufan 