Tanzania 2011 - part 2 Lake Manyara

Flying into Arusha, we were met by our guide Suddy whose expertise and patience we very much appreciated. After five days on safari he had a long drive back to Arusha.

Suddy at the airstrip at Seronera with our trusty Landrover that we had to ourselves.

Most of the photos in the following blogs were taken with my Canon 450D. The 70-300mm L lens spent most of the time on this camera. Some of the photos are cropped from the excellent images that this lens is able to produce. I quite like the results here and I hope you do too.

After leaving the airstrip at Arusha we headed towards the Lake Manyara National Park for the rest of the day. All the photos below are of the wildlife in this area.

Warning: the following rules apply on all safaris.

1. Do not leave the vehicle; when in a boat, do not put your hands over the side.
2. Do not litter - take your rubbish with you.
3. Do not shoot birds or animals with anything but a high calibre Canon, a Nikon would do though.
4. Safaris can be addictive and injurious to your bank account. Take in moderation!

Great Crested Crane



Grassland Pipit



Southern Ground Hornbill



Superb Starling



Yellow billed Egret

The entrance to the park is through some dense forest high above the lake, which we didn't actually get very close to! However one is immediately welcomed by troops of primates, several species of monkeys, and baboons in their hundreds.

Mother and baby baboon.

The baboon population is apparently out of control here. Troops of baboons with large aggressive alpha males can be a bit scary, especially if you picnic by the entrance, hence the large stick our guide kept close by! Something has upset the ecological balance and research is being done to find out why. We saw thousands of baboons over the next five days with some troops being up to 300 strong!

Blue monkeys with long tails.



Blue monkey

Black faced velvet monkeys

Moving out of the forest down onto the grassland plains, we caught up with numerous bird species and lots of larger animals like giraffe, impala, lion and elephant.


Male impala

There are numerous species of antelope throughout Africa. Impala are very common and favourite food for lion, leopard and cheetah. Luckily we didn't see any animals getting hunted or eaten on this trip. More impala later including some interesting facts about herd life and their mating opportunities.



Female Kirk's Dik Dik

The Dik Dik is the smallest of the antelope being only around 35-40 cm high at the shoulders. The can run fast with high bouncy leaps, necessary to avoid the larger predators. Although a little small as lion food, they would make a tasty meal for jackals which are numerous throughout East Africa. Dik Dik live in small family groups of a pair of adults and their young.



Male Kirk's Dik Dik

Being the smallest of the antelopes, Dik Dik also have the smallest horns.


Taking a mud bath

Elephants are constantly on the move, eating for up to 22 hours per day. They take every opportunity to take a bath in order to keep the flies and other pests at bay. A thick covering of mud helps here. Red mud at Lake Manyara, black mud in the Ngorongoro Crater.



Zebra and warthog

Zebra are another numerous species which provide a good meal for a pride of lion. Warthog are often seen on the open grassy plains with other species. Young lions learn quickly to leave the warthog alone! They are vicious little critters.

After seeing all there was to see, it was time to head out of the park, climb up the rim of the Rift Valley (in the Landrover of course) for an hour long trip to the sanctuary of Plantation Lodge.



One of the chalets at sunset.



Plantation Lodge

After a great night's sleep in the cool highlands above the Rift Valley it was time to head to the Ngorongoro Crater.

Safari organised expertly by Michael Sweeny of Zanzibar Travel.
(Email:  info@zanzibartravel.co.uk )

Previous blog on Zanzibar.