Tanzania, Bush & Beach. Northern Tanzania & Zanzibar

[Soukous]

It is 5 years since I was last in Tanzania and, by chance that safari had also been timed to coincide with the wildebeest migration.

 

This trip would be much shorter though, just 6 nights on safari before a couple of days relaxation on Zanzibar.

 

Our itinerary was as follows:

 

1 – arrive at Kilmanjaro International and transfer to Lake Manyara

2 – visit Lake Manyara NP, then drive to Ngorongoro

3 – Safari in the Crater then drive to Ndutu

4,5,6 – Ndutu

7 – fly to Zanzibar

8 & 9 – Zanzibar

10 – fly home

 

Arrival formalities went smoothly. Visa on arrival was straightforward, apart from local reps constantly pushing to the front of the line with a handful of passports and a German woman who was trying to explain to the immigration official that she did not have a visa but she had come to stay in Tanzania for a few months. After an extended debate that resembled the UKs Brexit negotiations (ie, going nowhere), the official told her she must see someone else.

 

We were met by our guide, Joseph, after baggage reclaim, and shown to our vehicle.
Because our safari was a combination of road travel and game drives, we’d be using one of the ubiquitous Land Cruisers that are the staple safari vehicle in Tanzania. An extended body with 6 seats, sliding side windows and a roof hatch.

 

On our way to Arusha, the heavens opened and we were treated to a torrential downpour. We reached Arusha to find a carpet of white on the ground. At first I thought it was blossom that had been blasted from the trees by the rain, but quickly realised that it was in fact hail stones.

 

Arusha was awash; with torrents running in all the gutters and potholes hidden under vast puddles. The traffic had all but come to a standstill and it took us an age to get across the city.

At one point, as we sat locked in traffic, a young lad approached the car and tried to sell us a bottle of ‘barafu’, Swahili for ice. He’d filled an old Fanta bottle with hailstones.

 

The delays meant that we didn’t have time to stop in Mosquito Town, Mto wa Mbu, and reached our lodge at about 6 pm.

 

Kirurumu Tented Lodge – Lake Manyara is a good lodge at a good price. It is located in a forest on a cliff top. The rooms are well spread out, very well spread out and some involve quite a hike from Reception. But there is a reason for this, every room has a view from the cliff top out over Lake Manyara.

The bar is also well laid out with views over the forest to the lake.

 

The rooms themselves are very large, with comfortable beds and a decent sized bathroom. The layout of the lodge means that the rooms are very private, you can only get glimpses of the next door rooms through the trees. Each room has a private verandah overlooking the forest to the lake.

 

I wish we’d arrived a little bit earlier so we could have enjoyed the views.

Food was good, without being outstanding. A decent 3 course dinner without frills and a good breakfast buffet. Plenty to eat.

 

Lake Manyara NP

 

 

 

Although it is 5 years since my last visit to northern Tanzania, I had not been into the Lake Manyara NP since 2003. Mainly because the feedback from clients suggests that they find it disappointing and no-one wants to waste one of their precious safari days staying there.

The park is, and seems to have always been, promoted as the place to see tree climbing lions. This does Lake Manyara NP a disservice.

 

 

 

I have seen tree climbing lions, in Masai Mara and at Lake Nakuru, but never here. But because they are promoted so relentlessly people expect to see them and are disappointed when they do not; this expectation has a negative effect on their perception of the park.

But whilst the chances of seeing lions in trees is slim, Lake Manyara does have a lot to recommend it, especially if you like birds. A keen birder should have no trouble collecting 100 species in a day.

 

My travelling companions had not been to Tanzania before and were keen to see as many places as possible, so Lake Manyara was on our itinerary.

 

The trees by the entrance to the NP are covered in Yellow-billed Storks. When we flew over on our way back to Arusha I could see that there were even more than I had thought. All the tree tops along the edge of the park by the road were full of them.

 

 

 

 

 

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill

 

 

 

Eurasian Roller

 

European Bee Eater

 

 

Marsh Sandpiper

 

Fan-tailed Widowbird (f)

 

Squacco Heron

 

Glossy Ibis

 

 

Great White Pelican

 

Grey-crowned Crane

 

Grey-hooded Kingfisher

 

Red-cheeked Condon Bleu

 

[TonyQ]

A great start @Soukous with some excellent bird photos. I imagine hail was a bit unexpected!

What were the dates of your trip?

[Soukous]

1 hour ago, TonyQ said:

A great start @Soukous with some excellent bird photos. I imagine hail was a bit unexpected!

What were the dates of your trip?

 

We arrived in Arusha on 25th Feb and departed from Zanzibar on 6th Mar

[Soukous]

A large herd of buffalo at lake Manyara

 

 

 

[Julian]

Interesting to read your views on Lake Manyara, especially regarding the tree climbing lions.

We spent three days in Lake Manyara NP in Oct 17 ( trip report on here ) staying in the only camp actually in the park, in the south,  Manyara tree lodge.

 

It appears to be a self-perpetuating myth that this park is not very good for wildlife viewing. The reason being that visitors spend hardly any time there, and the time they do spend is in the busy northern sector, where they are less likely to see the more interesting wildlife- especially lions and other predators.

so the perception of being poor for wildlife viewing continues, so much being published based on copying what has previously been published, rather than time spent in the park.

 

Whereas the reality is far different. We saw lions on almost every game drive, including our first ever successful lion hunt, and the classic pose of two lions on the sloping boughs of a fig tree. We also went on a proper night drive 8.00pm to 11.30pm including off-road. We also saw hyenas at night ( they are very rarely seen in daylight here). We also saw lots of varied wildlife and birds throughout our stay.

 

We were told there are three prides of lions in the park - just 4 lions in the north to central area, then a pride of six or seven occupying the central area to further south, where they overlap territory with a pride of 15 that controls all of the southern sector. So hardly surprising day visitors to the park can’t find the tree climbing lions.

 

Lake Manyara is definitely the most underrated park I have been to anywhere on Safari.

[Soukous]

Well said @Julian The southern part is definitely more interesting, as long as you can tolerate the tsetse flies.

[Game Warden]

I had this dream, a long time back about staying in the park for an extended period, working with TANAPA to provide a detailed interactive map, species list and so forth. Like @Julian I also have very positive memories and would love to explore it more again should I one day get the chance.

 

Matt

[Julian]

39 minutes ago, Soukous said:

Well said @Julian The southern part is definitely more interesting, as long as you can tolerate the tsetse flies.

@soukous

we were there at the end of October , the very end of the dry summer period, and although there were Tsetse flies there were not many. I understand Tarangire is far worse for tsetses.

 

[Soukous]

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

 

After yesterday’s late arrival into camp we planned to arrive a bit earlier today, and left the park after our picnic lunch.

The drive to the NCA gate was short and there were few vehicles parked there so we got through in record time, which of course meant that we reached our camp much earlier than expected. That was no problem though as the camp, is located right on the rim of the crater itself, and has magnificent views across the plains below.

 

Looking down on the crater from the viewpoint

 

Pakulala Safari Camp (sometimes referred to as Kirurumu Ngorongoro Pakulala Camp) claims to be the ONLY camp on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.

I must admit to being a bit confused by the name though. I booked it as one of the Kirurumu camps but when we arrived the staff were wearing Pakulala shirts. I asked them about it and was told it was a joint camp, promoted by both companies – Kirurumu Under Canvas and East Africa Camps.

 

The view from our camp

 

 

 

The tents were super, spacious and well equipped.
I can only assume that they do not get many guests arriving as early as we did, because the camp has no actual lounge. There is a dining tent, which houses a table large enough for all guests to eat, and then a bench and some chairs set out around a fire pit, positioned to overlook the crater.

 

The dining tent

 

 

 

The setp for equipment charging was interesting; not sure how it would fare in our world of H&S.

 

Pakulala Camp was let down by a few things.

 

As we sat by the fireplace, enjoying the view we were presented with a bar menu. The first 2 things we asked for were not available. When the other guests arrived, they fared even worse. Of the 8 wines on the menu, there was only 1 white and 2 reds available; the white wine was warm and they had no ice.

 

The other disappointment was the food, which was mediocre at best. Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day but it was so poor I declined.

 

Would I stay there again? Yes, definitely. The location is stunning and more than compensates for a couple of poor meals. I also hope that they have taken comments on board and improved the catering.

 

Ngorongoro Crater

The closest gate to our camp was the Seneto (descent) Gate.

This is a spectacular way to enter the crater. The road winds through massive euphorbias and gives magnificent views of the plains below.

 

 

 

 

 

Most other vehicles seemed to be in a rush to get down to the crater floor so we just pulled over and let them pass.

Once on the crater floor, you find yourself in the forest which is, in my opinion, by far the most attractive part of the crater.

 

 

 

Many of the other vehicles we saw were in radio contact with each other and seemed to be constantly rushing to get to a sighting. In their hurry to get to see a rhino grazing 100 metres away, or lions visible only as dots, they missed so much.

The birdlife in the crater is terrific.

 

Kori Bustard in mating display

 

 

Abdim's Stork

 

Singing Busk Lark

 

 

 

Rufous-naped Lark

 

Rufous Sparrow

 

Red-capped Lark

 

Red-billed Oxpecker

 

Northern Wheatear

 

Northern Anteater Chat

 

Martial Eagle (imm)

 

Lanner Falcon

 

Hildebrandt's Starling

 

Black-shouldered Kite

 

Capped Wheatear

 

Augur Buzzard

 

Ashy Flycatcher

 

Northern White-crowned Shrike

 

Flamingoes

 

Malachite Kingfisher

 

 

 

We only had one traffic jam to contend with, and I think that was only because the animals that people really wanted to see were so distant, they were queueing up to see anything close to the track. We could see the jam from quite a way off, but there was no way to get around it because going off road is not an option. When we eventually managed to get past, we could see that the attraction was a pair of golden jackals that were scavenging the remains of a carcass.

 

 

 

 

 

I can honestly say that, even though our ‘big game’ sightings were meagre, this was the most enjoyable drive I have had in the crater. Certainly my travelling companions, who had never been here before, absolutely loved it. Though even they agreed that whilst it was a ‘must see’, it was not a ‘must go back again’.

 

The Lerai Ascent road is an equally spectacular way to leave the crater. Unlike the other roads it is paved the whole way and so makes for a much more relaxing drive. The views looking back down were wonderful.

 

 

 

We stopped for a quick picnic lunch once we reached the top and then set off for Ndutu.

Edited April 3, 2019 by Soukous

[Soukous]

I got a wonderful book for Christmas "The top 100 birding sites of the World."

It has already been a huge help with planning my next trips.

One thing that surprised me though was that the Serengeti is rated as #31. Having been there several times, I would certainly not have rated it so high.

BUT, on this trip I have to say that it was pretty amazing. The sheer number and variety of raptors alone was incredible.

 

Here's my list for our Tanzania safari

 

01	Stork, Yellow-billed	02	Goose, Spur-winged
03	Fiscal, Long-tailed	04	Guineafowl, Helmeted
05	Crane, Grey-crowned	06	Egret, Cattle
07	Lapwing, Crowned	08	Hornbill, African Grey
09	Wagtail, Yellow	10	Robin-Chat, White-browed
11	Coucal, White-browed	12	Wheatear, Capped
13	Batis, Chin-spot	14	Starling, Violet-backed
15	Boubou, Slate-coloured	16	Roller, European
17	Roller, Lilac-breasted	18	Kingfisher, Malachite
19	Swallow, Barn	20	Swallow, Wire-tailed
21	Kestrel, Common	22	Kestrel, Lesser
23	Buffalo-Weaver, red-billed	24	Bulbul, Common
25	Buzzard, Augur	26	Seedeater, Streaky
27	Canary, Yellow-fronted	28	Goshawk, Dark-chanting
29	Babbler, Arrow-marked	30	Moorhen, Lesser
31	Cordon-bleu, Blue-capped	32	Cordon-bleu, red-cheeked
33	Courser, Two-banded	34	Crake, Black
35	Cuckoo, Great-spotted	36	Raven, White-naped
37	Swallow, Grey-rumped	38	Sunbird, Eastern Double-collared
39	Drongo, Fork-tailed	40	Hornbill, Van der Decken’s
41	Bush Lark, Singing	42	Fish Eagle, African
43	Flamingo, Greater	44	Flamingo, Lesser
45	Stork, marabou	46	Longclaw, Yellow-Throated
47	Lark, Flappet	48	Lark, Rufous-naped
49	Bee-eater, Cinnamon-chested	50	Bee-eater, Little
51	Sunbird, Variable	52	Flycatcher, African Dusky
53	Flycatcher, african Grey	54	Flycatcher, Ashy
55	Kestrel, Grey	56	Falcon, Pygmy
57	Woodpecker, Grey	58	Barbet, d’Arnaud’s
59	Ground-hornbill, Southern	60	Harrier, European Marsh
61	Harrier, Montagu’s	62	Harrier, Pallid
63	Eagle, African Crowned	64	Hawk-Eagle, African
65	Bateleur	66	Eagle, Long-crested
67	Eagle, Martial	68	Eagle, Verraux’s
69	Shrike, Northern White-crowned	70	Hoopoe, African
71	Ibis, Glossy	72	Ibis, Sacred
73	Jacana, African	74	Kingfisher, Grey-headed
75	Kingfisher, Striped	76	Kite, Black
77	Kite, Black-shouldered	78	Stilt, Black-winged
79	Eagle, Steppe	80	Eagle, Tawny
81	Bustard, Kori	82	Falcon, Lanner
83	Hornbill, Silvery-cheeked	84	Heron, Black-headed
85	Heron, Grey	86	Stork, Abdim’s
87	Stork, White	88	Bee-eater, European
89	Pigeon, Speckled	90	Vulture, African, White-backed
91	Vulture, Lappet-faced	92	Vulture, Ruppell’s Griffon
93	Goose, Egyptian	94	Dove, Dusky Turtle
95	Dove, Laughing	96	Lovebird, Fischer’s
97	Falcon, Amur	98	Ruff
99	Mousebird, Speckled	100	Night Heron, Black-crowned
101	Ostrich, Common	102	Francolin, Coqui
103	Francolin, Hildebrandt’s	104	Lark, Red-capped
105	Oxpecker, red-billed	106	Shoveler, Northern
107	Wheatear, Northern	108	Pelican, Great White
109	Pipit, Grassland	110	Cisticola, Hunter’s
111	Pratincole, Collared	112	Quelea, Red-billed
113	Bishop, Southern Red	114	Teal, red-billed
115	Dove, Ring-necked	116	Starling, Hildebrandt’s
117	Starling, Superb	118	Starling, Wattled
119	Sandgrouse, Chestnut-bellied	120	Sandgrouse, Yellow-throated
121	Sandpiper, Common	122	Sandpiper, Marsh
123	Secretary Bird	124	Cuckoo, Diederik
125	Cisticola, Desert	126	Cisticola, Pectoral-patch
127	Woodpecker, Cardinal	128	Bustard, Black-bellied
129	Bustard, White-bellied	130	Heron, Squacco
131	Plover, Kittlitz’s	132	Snake Eagle, Black-chested
133	Vulture, Hooded	134	Vulture, White-headed
135	Sparrow-Lark, Fischer’s	136	Weaver, Rufous-tailed
137	Sparrow, Rufous	138	Weaver, Speckle-fronted
139	Spoonbill, African	140	Spurfowl, Grey-breasted
141	Woodpecker, Bearded	142	Sunbird, Beautiful
143	Swallow, red-rumped	144	Fiscal, Common
145	Fiscal, Grey-baxked	146	Weaver, Lesser Masked
147	Weaver, Northern Masked	148	Weaver, Vitelline Masked
149	Stonechat, Common	150	Wagtail, African Pied
151	Wagtail, Mountain	152	Lapwing, Blacksmith
153	Lapwing, Long-toed	154	Lapwing, Spur-winged
155	Egret, Black	156	Egret, Great
157	Egret, Little	158	Chat, Northern Anteater
159	Widowbird, Fan-tailed	160	Wood-dove, Emerald-spotted
161	Dove, Namaqua	162	Wood-Hoopoe, Green
163	Barbet, White-headed	164	Sparrowhawk, Great
165	Hornbill, Crowned	166	Eagle Owl, Verraux’s
167	Swallow, Grey-rumped	168	Silverbird
169	Tchagra, Black-crowned	170	Crow, Pied

Edited April 8, 2019 by Soukous

[Game Warden]

Looking forward to seeing these, or at least some in your BY thread @Soukous.

 

Matt

[Soukous]

16 minutes ago, Game Warden said:

Looking forward to seeing these, or at least some in your BY thread @Soukous.

 

Matt

 

Aah, If only I had managed to get photos of them all. 

[Soukous]

Some of the roadside scenery

 

 

and the traffic hazards

 

 

Although there had been some light showers, the road was very dry and very dusty. We wanted to keep the window open for ventilation but had to slam them shut every time a vehicle passed us.

It was a relief when we turned off the main ‘road’ to cut across the plain instead of continuing towards the Naabi gate and then turning west.

 

On the horizon there appeared to be a line of ants stretching as far as we could see in either direction. The migration was here.

 

As we entered the Ndutu woodlands our progress was constantly interrupted by wildebeest charging across the road in front of us.

 

 

Our camp, Kirurumu Serengeti Camp, was set up on a rise near the shores of Lake Ndutu. Kirurumu Serengeti is a mobile tented camp that from December to March is in Ndutu and then in June it moves to Moru Kopjes.

 

 

 

The tents all had power for charging and solar powered lights.

Good flushing loos as well.

Bucket showers with hot water delivered on request. 

One slightly bizarre thing was that once the crew had filled the shower bucket they stayed behind the tent while you showered, just in case you needed more water.

I wasn't expecting this and was surprised when I'd finished my shower to hear a voice call out "Finished?" "Do you need more water?"

 

Dining Tent

 

The dining tent was OK with plenty of room for all guests to dine.

When we were there it was also doubling up as the lounge - the actual lounge had just been re-located to a private camp in Serengeti. This was a small nuisance but we were assured that this was not a normal situation and that there is normally much more space to relax and read and chat.

 

There were 4 other guests in camp when we arrived and we quickly learned that sightings had been excellent.

 

I spent an hour before we set out on our evening drive trying to get some images of the Beautiful Sunbirds that were flitting around in the bushes just outside camp. Yes they really are called Beautiful Sunbirds, and they really are beautiful.

 

 

 

 

It was really good to be in Ndutu again, there were wildebeest everywhere and lions sleeping under every second bush.

 

I think our guide, Joseph, was a bit puzzled when he stopped by a pair of sleeping male lions and none of us started taking photos. I explained to him that we had all seen sleeping lions before and couldn’t see any point in taking yet more photos of them. Find us some active lions and you’ll hear shutters click.

 

Our first afternoon was a good ‘test the water’ game drive and gave us a feel for what we could expect, both in terms of animals and in terms of other vehicles.

I reminded Joseph what I had said to him in Ngorongoro; namely that we had no desire to be part of the circus that gathers around some sightings. We were perfectly happy for him to drive wherever he wished and see what turned up.

 

This worked out well for us.

 

The following morning we headed in the direction of the big marsh, where there were apparently some lionesses with 8 young cubs between them.

We arrived to find a few other cars milling around, but no sign of the lions. Instead of searching for the lions, we drove off, in the opposite direction to everyone else.

 

And within 10 minutes we had found ourselves a female cheetah.

She wasn’t hunting but just seemed to be changing her location. We stayed with her for about half an hour as she strolled along.

 

 

 

 

 

We’d hardly said goodbye to her when we spotted what looked like another cheetah chasing a small group of wildebeest.

Once again, I don’t think he was actually hunting, but the wildebeest were spooked anyway and ran.

 

When we got closer we could see that this one was a male. He was calling out as he walked and Joseph told us that he was one of two brothers, and was probably calling for his brother.

He wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t seem bothered by us following him.

 

 

 

 

At one point he climbed into the fork of a small tree where he surveyed the surrounding area, calling all the time.

 

 

 

His brother didn’t show up while we were there.

 

We saw plenty of Kori Bustards, mostly males, and many of them strutting their stuff trying to impress females; of which there didn’t seem to be many around. Maybe they were just trying to impress each other.

 

 

 

Lots of kestrels - this one is a Lesser Kestrel

 

 

and a Grey Kestrel

 

and a first for me, a Great Spotted Cuckoo. Actually a pair of them.

 

 

 

As were driving across the plains flocks of small birds would rise up from the grass and fly alongside us for a short way then settle back down again. When I asked Joseph what they were he said they were Vicious Sparrow Larks. I’d not heard of these before and wondered how they had got the name. Were they really vicious?

A quick check in my birding guide revealed a slight misunderstanding. They were not vicious at all, but rather Fischer’s Sparrow Larks. Shame, I liked the idea of a vicious sparrow lark.

 

 

seems harmless enough

Edited April 9, 2019 by Soukous

[TonyQ]

@Soukous

Lovely photos of the cheetah and the wide variety of birds.

Useful pictures of the camps also

[Atravelynn]

The golden jackals created quite a road block.  Great cheetah in the tree.

[Soukous]

Our evening game drive was not as eventful as the morning, although we did manage to get eyes on one of the lionesses and a couple of the cubs.

They were resting in amongst the bushes and completely surrounded by vehicles.

 

 

We were late to the party and had no chance of getting any closer, so we decided to leave.

As we were leaving, the lioness decided it was time to move her cubs from the bushes and into the safety of the marsh. Because of this, instead of being able to quietly drive away we got caught up in a mass scramble by all the drivers to get their vehicles out of the bushes and into the open.

What a bloody circus!

The poor lioness had to shepherd her cubs through the melee of vehicles.

 

 

A lovely sunset on the way back to camp.

 

 

To improve our chances of exploring areas away from other vehicles we arranged to leave early the next morning and take a picnic breakfast with us. This would allow us to venture a bit further out onto the plains.

 

Once again, the night was full of the sound of lions calling out. It was almost non-stop from the time sat down for dinner until dawn.

 

The light was terrific as we made our way towards the big marsh and we got some nice bird sightings.

 

Wattled Starling

 

 

Grey-breasted Spurfowl

 

Verraux's Eagle Owl

 

 

We’d decided that it was worth at least swinging by the marsh to see if we could catch a glimpse of the lions and cubs before they hid themselves away for the day.

Luck was on our side; the lionesses and cubs were just emerging from the marsh as we approached and, even better, there were less than half a dozen vehicles there.

 

 

 

 

We just turned off the engine and enjoyed it. By pure fluke the cubs decided that they were interested in our vehicle and they all trotted over, mewling like crazy, before the mums escorted them away.

 

 

 

The video itself is not great, but the sound of the cubs is wonderful.

 

 

 

Just so you know, I didn't take all 3 videos. I took the middle one, the others are from one of my travelling companions.

 

 

 

Some of the other vehicles chose to follow the lions as they moved away. I figured we were unlikely to get any better shots than we’d got already and we moved away.

 

As we were leaving, we saw more lions – the rest of the pride – emerging from the trees to cross the river bed.

 

 

 

It was immediately obvious that one of the males was not healthy at all. He was just skin & bone. With the abundance of food and the rest of the pride looking so well fed, something must be stopping him from eating. Very sad.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice sighting of a Secretary Bird as well

 

The plains were teeming with wildebeest. Many of the on the move, others just hanging around in groups while females dropped calves.

 

 

We were on the lookout for females about to give birth and finally found one that seemed to be on the point of delivery. The birthing process had clearly begun as she had a leg sticking out of her backside.

We watched her for ages as she walked around, waiting for her to lie down and deliver. I think we should have chosen a different female as we never did see her calf arrive.

 

Eventually we admitted that we’d seen enough wildebeest.

 

Making our way, by a slow meandering route back towards our camp, we came across a male cheetah, probably the brother of the one we’d seen yesterday. He was just lying in the shade of an acacia tree. We stopped for a while to see if he would do more than just lie there.

Other vehicles came and went. Then, all of a sudden, one of the vehicles that had only just arrived, started his engine and raced off across the plain. He was about 70 – 80 metres away from us when another vehicle went zooming past, following the first one.

 

We were still trying to work out what was going on when Joseph started laughing. “That one is a Ranger” he said, meaning the second vehicle.

Sure enough the second vehicle soon caught up with the first one and they both stopped. After a brief discussion, the ranger vehicle turned around and came back to where we were; he was escorting a group of six 4x4s on some kind of expedition.

 

“He saw him coming from Serengeti.” said Joseph. We were very close to the white bollards that mark the boundary between Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti NP. It seems that this particular driver had been in Serengeti without the necessary permit.

 

I couldn’t help thinking what a total dick he must be. Not for straying into Serengeti; I’m sure lots of drivers take the chance every day, but for being so stupid as the try and run for it.

I mean come on. (a) He’s in a tour vehicle with the company logo on the doors and spare wheel covers; hardly incognito. (b) The fact that he tried to get away makes it clear that he knew he was doing wrong. If he had just stayed put and pleaded ignorance he would surely have stood a better chance.

 

Had he been a self-driver I might have had some sympathy – I myself had been caught and fined in 2003 for unknowingly briefly crossing over into Serengeti - but as a professional driver/guide he should have known better.

 

Once again there was an abundance of raptors on show. Pallid Harriers, Montagu’s Harriers, assorted kestrels, Tawny Eagles and a variety of vultures. The Tawny Eagles in particular stayed close to the calving mothers so they could swoop in and grab the placenta.

 

 

 

 

[Atravelynn]

Nice pile of lion cubs.  That driver must have panicked and thought he could flee the ranger.  Very stupid.  Since you were fined in 2003, may I ask how much it was?

[Soukous]

12 hours ago, Atravelynn said:

Nice pile of lion cubs.  That driver must have panicked and thought he could flee the ranger.  Very stupid.  Since you were fined in 2003, may I ask how much it was?

 

I wish I could remember @Atravelynn

It was not so much the fine as the inconvenience. The ranger took our passports and we then had to go to the ranger station where he made us wait an inordinate amount of time while did very little. It took out a whole game drive.

For the professional drivers it is quite serious as they get their licence taken and have to go to the ranger station to reclaim it and pay their fine. It does not make them look good in front of their clients.

 

[Atravelynn]

That's good you cannot remember.  If it had been an astronomical fine, you'd never forget.

[Soukous]

11 hours ago, Atravelynn said:

That's good you cannot remember.  If it had been an astronomical fine, you'd never forget.

 

Bizarrely, I can still remember the name of the ranger because we were all so incensed at his attitude. We even went to the parks office in Arusha to file a complaint. Ho hum. It got us nowhere.

[Soukous]

A few more bird photos. They don't really fit into the narrative as we were grabbing the shots wherever we could.

 

Eurasian Roller, they seemed to be everywhere, far more prevalent than the Lilac Breasted Rollers 

 

A pair of Secretary Birds

 

Lappet Faced Vulture

 

Yellow-throated Longclaw

 

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse (m)

 

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse (f)

 

Black-bellied Bustard

 

Black-shouldered Kite

 

 

Yellow-throated Sandgrouse

 

Yellow-billed Stork

 

White Stork

 

Pygmy Falcon

 

Kitlitz's Plover

 

Two-banded Courser

 

African Hawk Eagle

 

 

Grey-backed Fiscal

 

 

 

[monalisa]

Hail would have been a sight to see in Tanzania! Did you happen to take any photos?

 

I too have fond memories of Lake Manyara NP but full disclosure it was one of my first parks so I was still wide eyed and spent 20 minutes at each zebra, and didn't see any cats. I did notice the guestbook was full of frustrated messages in it from guests who hadn't seen tree climbing lions.

 

Ngorongoro Crater is one of my favourite places. It is just so stunning. I love the cub sighting!! Fantastic pictures. I am soaking in all the cuteness!!

 

[Soukous]

8 hours ago, monalisa said:

Hail would have been a sight to see in Tanzania! Did you happen to take any photos?

I love the cub sighting!! Fantastic pictures. I am soaking in all the cuteness!!

 

 

Sorry, no pictures of the hail. Or the traffic. I should have done.

 

Yes, the cubs are unbearably cute; but then you can't beat a bit of cuteness.

[lmonmm]

Just as an aside   @monalisa     I was in Botswana last late Oct/early Nov and we ended up with a hail storm on an afternoon drive. Craziest thing I ever saw. Cameras were tucked away as we knew a storm was coming and we were high tailing it back to camp so no pictures. Honestly I was thrilled to have experienced it. Just never anything I would have expected in Africa. So, @Soukous  a very cool experience

[monalisa]

@lmonmm, I can only imagine how thrilling and trippy it would have been! Not many can say they have experienced hail in the middle of the African wilderness!