different kind of safari...

On Saturday, I went on the most interesting safari I have ever been on! My friend, Eli, is going to Safari Guide school, where's he's learning to identify and describe every feature of African ecology, from mammals, birds, plants, trees, etc. (I think identifying all the birds is by far the most difficult!) His class planned a trip to Tarangire National Park and invited us to come along! AWESOME! A student trip to the parks? All we had to pay for was the park entry fee and transportation. At 6am on Saturday, our transportation showed up....a ONE dala dala crammed with 18 safari guide students, ready to go! Add me, my friend Chloe and her 9 month old son, oh, and the driver, that makes 22 in a dala dala...for the entire day!? Chloe and I looked at each other and envisioned the day... Oh well! Here we go!
4 slow hours later, we arrived at the gate to the park. (its usually less than a 2 hour drive) With a jam packed dala dala we entered the parks, bottoming out and scraping wheel wells with every rock and bump. At every point of interest, we would stop and someone in the back would hush the tangle of students in the back to say something about ecology of whatever we were looking at. It was very interesting to listen to the students rehearse what they had learned in class and practice their English in preparation for a real safari tour. I think I impressed a few people with my more-than-basic knowledge of elephants, and maybe even taught some how to identify male and female elephants!
Since we arrived around mid day, we didn't see tons of wildlife, since they're all hiding in the shade by 11am. We did see plenty of elephants, (all I care about) giraffes from a distance, birds and a few species of antelopes.

lilac breasted roller

hammercop

1 female, 2 male ostrichesmale waterbuckmale hartebeest

giraffes in the sun

Tarangire is SO amazing 1.) because its so close to Arusha, its easy to make it a day trip 2.) it has a gorgeous, rolling landscape FULL of Baobab trees, which are always so impressive 3.) it has a particularly high density of elephants, so you are always likely to see them close up, which we did! Last time I was here, in 2007 it was already well past the rainy season and getting into the dry season again. It was So interesting to see the same park, which I remember so vividly, but with a completely different landscape. It was lush, green, all the Baobabs had foliage and there were white flowers covering the ground. The dust isn't even a factor and all the wildlife seems healthy, fat and happy. It's also nice to come in the "green season" since it's not the peak season, we practically had the place to ourselves!

Tarangire river in the green season, early May

Tarangire river in the dry season, early JuneFor me, seeing elephants makes 9..12? hours crammed into a dala dala all worth while. But maybe next time I'll try to drive myself so my knees aren't pushed into the dashboard all day! ;)