Thursday, September 14, 2017
Cal was awakened in early morning hours by an elephant crashing through the forest outside our tree house at Lake Manyara. We were up at 5am to pack. We had breakfast of fruit, toast, bacon, omelet, juice and coffee. Then we were packed in the jeep and off to the airfield. Baboons were sleeping high in the trees as we drove by.
Lake Manyara is cradled with beautiful mountains thick with Acacia trees and craggy mountain rocks. It seemed like thousands of pelicans and flamingos were at the lake and many Impalas by the shore line.
Cal was awakened in early morning hours by an elephant crashing through the forest outside our tree house at Lake Manyara. We were up at 5am to pack. We had breakfast of fruit, toast, bacon, omelet, juice and coffee. Then we were packed in the jeep and off to the airfield. Baboons were sleeping high in the trees as we drove by.
Lake Manyara is cradled with beautiful mountains thick with Acacia trees and craggy mountain rocks. It seemed like thousands of pelicans and flamingos were at the lake and many Impalas by the shore line.
Despite its name, the blue monkey is not noticeably blue: it has little hair on its face, and this does sometimes give a blue appearance, but it never has the vivid blue appearance of a mandrill, for example.
Near the entrance to the park we saw several herds of Impalas, two small Giraffes and three large Giraffes
eating berries from the tree.
At 8:51AM, we boarded a twin engine plane to Mara Plains, a 45 mile flight. Our pilot, Ricardo, took our picture boarding the plane with my hat in hand. Unfortunately, when we left the plane, I left my hat in a seat on the plane never to see it again.
We touched down at the Serengeti National Park Kogatende Air Strip where two passengers got off and two got on headed back to our previous destination to Lake Manyara. Ricardo was flying them back after he dropped us off, a five-minute flight.
At 8:51AM, we boarded a twin engine plane to Mara Plains, a 45 mile flight. Our pilot, Ricardo, took our picture boarding the plane with my hat in hand. Unfortunately, when we left the plane, I left my hat in a seat on the plane never to see it again.
We touched down at the Serengeti National Park Kogatende Air Strip where two passengers got off and two got on headed back to our previous destination to Lake Manyara. Ricardo was flying them back after he dropped us off, a five-minute flight.
We saw what was left of a Wildebeest carcass surrounded by vultures.
Nile from Kenya is our guide and Jacob was the driver. Frazer and Emily welcomed us to Alex Walker's Camp
along with citrus water and a wet wash cloth. Emily radioed the sister camp to ask if they can locate
my hat from the plane but it never showed up.
We then had lunch (1PM) of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, couscous, salmon croquettes and cheeses.
We met Elaine and Allen from the UK who live in Cheltenham in The Cotswolds. We met Larry from Charlottesville, VA who was originally from NYC.
We then had lunch (1PM) of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, couscous, salmon croquettes and cheeses.
We met Elaine and Allen from the UK who live in Cheltenham in The Cotswolds. We met Larry from Charlottesville, VA who was originally from NYC.
Bateleurs are hunters and scavengers, birds such as pigeons and sandgrouse are preferred prey items, although it may attack small mammals and also takes carrion.
A mother and little elephant
There was a yellow and green bird, the African Wattled Lap Wing or Spur Winged Lap Wing.
We saw an Eland which is the largest of antelopes.
Around 5:30PM, it began to rain and Nile spotted 2 male Cheetahs.
Unfortunately the cheetahs were in Kenya and we were in Tanzania - and were supposed to stay there. So we quickly drove to the cheetahs took several pictures and quickly dashed back across the border.
Then it was back to camp for a bucket shower before dinner. No hair dryers so I went to dinner with wet hair and subsequently got a bad cold.