Safari Day 1
YROur safari guide Laurent met us after breakfast. This was bittersweet because we were absolutely excited for the safari, however, this meant that we were leaving Christina House and all of the wonderful souls that came with that. We packed all of our bags and Laurent helped load them into our awesome safari Jeep. We said our goodbyes to Mama Christina, Gerald, and Jonas. We loaded into the Jeep and I was struggling to contain my excitement. Just before we were about to drive off, Jonas and Gerald gifted us bags of coffee that they passed us through the open windows of the Jeep. It was such a sweet gesture and we were overjoyed with the wonderful gifts. We waved goodbye and started on our safari journey. On the way out of Arusha, we stopped at a hotel in town to pickup one more passenger for our safari. Here we met another new rafiki (friend) named Priti. She was from New Jersey and was also presenting at the IASE conference just as our group was. She was a lovely addition to our group that we didn’t know we needed.
After her pickup, we drove an hour or so to Tarangire National Park. On the way, we saw many Masai warrior men and children. We learned that apparently the amount of huts they have, equates to the amount of wives they have. We made one restroom pit stop on the way and then finally arrived at Tarangire National Park. Here, we all met at picnic tables to have a first of many safari box lunches. I was surprised to find so many different foods in our lunch. I found out that they were created to serve many different people- of all different backgrounds, and all different appetites as well.
Once the group finished lunch, we began driving into the park. The first animals we saw were zebras. I could not believe they were so close and I squealed with excitement! (Totally forgetting my quiet “safari voice”) Laurent reminded the group that we needed to keep our voices down so as not to scare the animals. We were able to drive very close to them and I was overwhelmed by the beautiful. It felt so emotional to take in such an amazing view, and I could not believe we had just begun our journey with this part of nature. We continued driving to see so many more beautiful creatures. We saw many gazelle and baboons. We also saw giraffes, elephants, hornbills, and ostrich. I remember revisiting the pictures I had just taken of the animals and thinking that they belong on a postcard. They do not do the real animals justice, but they will always be some of my favorite memories from this country. I think my favorite of the animals that day would have to be the elephants. They were so slow and majestic that it just seemed to bring a calming effect over me. The baby elephants were also especially cute. We spent the rest of the day there until just before sunset. Then we made a long journey to our next lodging location.
On on the way to the hotel, we stopped at a tanzanite souvenir exhibit. We learned about how the gem in found and collected in mines. Many beautiful gems were also available for purchase, but my budget directed me towards the $1 postcards. I grabbed a few before we headed back to the Jeep. I thought Laurent would fill up the Jeep for gas at this stop and when I realized he didn’t, I asked him about it. He said that the Jeep had two gas tanks, which I thought was very smart and safe. We then continued our scenic drive to Kudu Lodge. We were greet with hot towels and juice which felt extremely nice after a hot day in the dirt. We all met for a very delicious buffet style dinner. I was happy to have a good night’s rest before another fun day of safari to look forward to.
After her pickup, we drove an hour or so to Tarangire National Park. On the way, we saw many Masai warrior men and children. We learned that apparently the amount of huts they have, equates to the amount of wives they have. We made one restroom pit stop on the way and then finally arrived at Tarangire National Park. Here, we all met at picnic tables to have a first of many safari box lunches. I was surprised to find so many different foods in our lunch. I found out that they were created to serve many different people- of all different backgrounds, and all different appetites as well.
Once the group finished lunch, we began driving into the park. The first animals we saw were zebras. I could not believe they were so close and I squealed with excitement! (Totally forgetting my quiet “safari voice”) Laurent reminded the group that we needed to keep our voices down so as not to scare the animals. We were able to drive very close to them and I was overwhelmed by the beautiful. It felt so emotional to take in such an amazing view, and I could not believe we had just begun our journey with this part of nature. We continued driving to see so many more beautiful creatures. We saw many gazelle and baboons. We also saw giraffes, elephants, hornbills, and ostrich. I remember revisiting the pictures I had just taken of the animals and thinking that they belong on a postcard. They do not do the real animals justice, but they will always be some of my favorite memories from this country. I think my favorite of the animals that day would have to be the elephants. They were so slow and majestic that it just seemed to bring a calming effect over me. The baby elephants were also especially cute. We spent the rest of the day there until just before sunset. Then we made a long journey to our next lodging location.
On on the way to the hotel, we stopped at a tanzanite souvenir exhibit. We learned about how the gem in found and collected in mines. Many beautiful gems were also available for purchase, but my budget directed me towards the $1 postcards. I grabbed a few before we headed back to the Jeep. I thought Laurent would fill up the Jeep for gas at this stop and when I realized he didn’t, I asked him about it. He said that the Jeep had two gas tanks, which I thought was very smart and safe. We then continued our scenic drive to Kudu Lodge. We were greet with hot towels and juice which felt extremely nice after a hot day in the dirt. We all met for a very delicious buffet style dinner. I was happy to have a good night’s rest before another fun day of safari to look forward to.
Safari Day 2
DWe woke up really early to catch the sunrise and also hopefully see lots of animals as they woke up. We had a small issue with our paperwork so we did miss the sunrise in the park, but we still had an exciting morning nonetheless. It would have been nice to see it, however, you truly cannot complain when you have this amazing opportunity in general.
The first animal we saw were water buffaloes. They were so close to the Jeep and made waking up early so worth it! We were excited to continue our search of the “big 5”-elephants, leopards, lions, water buffalo, and rhinos. The big 5 are known as the top 5 most dangerous animals in safari, but also the most sought after. We actually saw a leopard on our day 1 safari, but it was very far away so I was only able to see a part of its leg. (Nonetheless, we were 3 for 5 in my book.)
After many great pictures and videos of the water buffaloes, we continued down into Ngorongoro Crater. Laurent shared that it used to be a volcano taller than Mount Kilimanjaro, but it erupted long ago to eventually create the massive crater. We continued down to see more gazelle and warthogs. It was so nice that the roof of the Jeep popped up and we could stand on the seats with our heads out to get a better look of the animals. The bumpy ride was also exciting because it forced you to hold on and keep your balance on the seat. Laurent got a call over his Jeep radio and it seemed like he began driving more quickly towards a particular direction. We noticed lots of other jeeps crowded around one area which only could mean there were animals. I was taken aback when I finally saw what everyone else was looking at: two African lions! A male and a female were lounging in the grass. After a few minutes, we quickly learned that it was mating season as they got right to it despite all of the viewers. We got many great pictures of these two incredible creatures. There were also some zebra around at this time, but they seemed were not as exciting anymore when we had one of the big five almost close enough to touch.
The safari continued and we were able to see many more beautiful creatures. (I know I keep using the word “beautiful” but it truly was just that everywhere you looked!) We were able to see wildebeest, pelicans, hippos, and hyenas. We saw many animals continuously as we drove to different parts of the park. Even when we could not see any animals, the view of the African National park was nice to just take in. We stopped at a beautiful lake and enjoyed another boxed lunch. Laurent shared that he has them often, and we all agreed to invite him to dinner with us that night at Kudu Lodge so he could have a small change of pace.
Once we finished lunch, we continued the second half of the safari for the day. Many of the same animals came up. We also tried to seek out rhinos to complete our big 5 sightings, but were unsuccessful. I got a few more pictures, but mostly just enjoyed seeing everything in its live habitat. When we finished up for the day, we drove out of the park. When Laurent had to check out at the front gate, he warned us to keep our windows closed because monkeys around in the trees were known to go into jeeps and steal things! I thought he was joking, but he was very serious. I enjoyed learning fun safari facts like that, where I can potentially share with my students in the future.
We made it back to the lodge and had some time to relax before dinner, which was very much needed. We even attempted to spend time at the pool, but the water was too cold. We enjoyed another great dinner that night and also had time to work on our upcoming presentation for the IASE. Everything seemed to be going by so quickly with all of the fun we were having! It was hard to believe that the next morning would be our last safari day, but I took a hot shower, packed, and got some rest for just that.
The first animal we saw were water buffaloes. They were so close to the Jeep and made waking up early so worth it! We were excited to continue our search of the “big 5”-elephants, leopards, lions, water buffalo, and rhinos. The big 5 are known as the top 5 most dangerous animals in safari, but also the most sought after. We actually saw a leopard on our day 1 safari, but it was very far away so I was only able to see a part of its leg. (Nonetheless, we were 3 for 5 in my book.)
After many great pictures and videos of the water buffaloes, we continued down into Ngorongoro Crater. Laurent shared that it used to be a volcano taller than Mount Kilimanjaro, but it erupted long ago to eventually create the massive crater. We continued down to see more gazelle and warthogs. It was so nice that the roof of the Jeep popped up and we could stand on the seats with our heads out to get a better look of the animals. The bumpy ride was also exciting because it forced you to hold on and keep your balance on the seat. Laurent got a call over his Jeep radio and it seemed like he began driving more quickly towards a particular direction. We noticed lots of other jeeps crowded around one area which only could mean there were animals. I was taken aback when I finally saw what everyone else was looking at: two African lions! A male and a female were lounging in the grass. After a few minutes, we quickly learned that it was mating season as they got right to it despite all of the viewers. We got many great pictures of these two incredible creatures. There were also some zebra around at this time, but they seemed were not as exciting anymore when we had one of the big five almost close enough to touch.
The safari continued and we were able to see many more beautiful creatures. (I know I keep using the word “beautiful” but it truly was just that everywhere you looked!) We were able to see wildebeest, pelicans, hippos, and hyenas. We saw many animals continuously as we drove to different parts of the park. Even when we could not see any animals, the view of the African National park was nice to just take in. We stopped at a beautiful lake and enjoyed another boxed lunch. Laurent shared that he has them often, and we all agreed to invite him to dinner with us that night at Kudu Lodge so he could have a small change of pace.
Once we finished lunch, we continued the second half of the safari for the day. Many of the same animals came up. We also tried to seek out rhinos to complete our big 5 sightings, but were unsuccessful. I got a few more pictures, but mostly just enjoyed seeing everything in its live habitat. When we finished up for the day, we drove out of the park. When Laurent had to check out at the front gate, he warned us to keep our windows closed because monkeys around in the trees were known to go into jeeps and steal things! I thought he was joking, but he was very serious. I enjoyed learning fun safari facts like that, where I can potentially share with my students in the future.
We made it back to the lodge and had some time to relax before dinner, which was very much needed. We even attempted to spend time at the pool, but the water was too cold. We enjoyed another great dinner that night and also had time to work on our upcoming presentation for the IASE. Everything seemed to be going by so quickly with all of the fun we were having! It was hard to believe that the next morning would be our last safari day, but I took a hot shower, packed, and got some rest for just that.
Safari Day 3
Our last safari Day took place at Lake Manyara National Park. When we first entered the park, we saw an elephant up close. I think he was enjoying his breakfast. It was so amazing to watch the strength of its trunk pull branches off of the trees to eat. We then continued to an area known as the hippo pond. Unfortunately, there were none in sight. Our next stop was a clearing with a lake far in the distance. We saw many white birds here. There were also many of the same animals from the days prior including gazelle, wildebeest, buffalo, baboons, and warthogs. I can admit that I took even less pictures on this day because I had already seen many of the animals.
What was new to our list at this park was the tree climbing lion. Many jeeps were crowded around one the the thin roads near an area with many trees that created plenty of shade. The lion was relaxin on a branch of one of those middle trees. It was only visible with binoculars, but we took turns using them to spot it. On these safaris I realized just how successful animal adaptations are. It took me so long to try to see some of the animals simply because their exteriors blended in so well with their surroundings.
We ate our last safari boxed lunch with an amazing view of the park. I had not realized it at this point, but we would be leaving the park very soon to make our long journey back to Arusha. We saw a few more elephants and birds on our way out of the park. Then, we began our (almost 4 hour) journey to the next lodging location. On this road trip, we stopped to visit a Masai village. We were able to see their traditional welcome dance and wear the traditional clothing as well. After the dance, we participated in their high-jumping competition. They had loud yelling and screeching as part of their chants and my heart rate increased a bit with these. Next, we witnessed one representative create a fire, and then were able to look in the huts. They were extremely small and very hot. We learned lots of firsthand facts about these warrior people such as the women complete all of the cooking for the family. I noticed this in particular, because it is a common practice in machismo run households in Mexico, where my family is from. Following the huts, we were able to visit the Masai kindergarten class. They were taught English here as well as Swahili, which was different from the schools we visited in Arusha. The children were adorable and we were able to witness a small counting review of their numbers in English. This was a very informative part of the trip, but because it was extremely hot, I was happy to get going back to the Jeep and on our way to the next destination.
We made it to Arusha once again and dropped off Priti at her hotel there. We were not staying in Arusha and continued our journey to Moshi, a city at the base of amount Kilimanjaro! On this last leg of the trip, Laurent taught us the “Jambo” song. He showed us in a call and response format, and we all had it stuck in our heads for pretty much the rest of the trip. He was also kind enough to invite us to dinner at his mother’s house that evening. I was looking forward to a home cooked meal!
What was new to our list at this park was the tree climbing lion. Many jeeps were crowded around one the the thin roads near an area with many trees that created plenty of shade. The lion was relaxin on a branch of one of those middle trees. It was only visible with binoculars, but we took turns using them to spot it. On these safaris I realized just how successful animal adaptations are. It took me so long to try to see some of the animals simply because their exteriors blended in so well with their surroundings.
We ate our last safari boxed lunch with an amazing view of the park. I had not realized it at this point, but we would be leaving the park very soon to make our long journey back to Arusha. We saw a few more elephants and birds on our way out of the park. Then, we began our (almost 4 hour) journey to the next lodging location. On this road trip, we stopped to visit a Masai village. We were able to see their traditional welcome dance and wear the traditional clothing as well. After the dance, we participated in their high-jumping competition. They had loud yelling and screeching as part of their chants and my heart rate increased a bit with these. Next, we witnessed one representative create a fire, and then were able to look in the huts. They were extremely small and very hot. We learned lots of firsthand facts about these warrior people such as the women complete all of the cooking for the family. I noticed this in particular, because it is a common practice in machismo run households in Mexico, where my family is from. Following the huts, we were able to visit the Masai kindergarten class. They were taught English here as well as Swahili, which was different from the schools we visited in Arusha. The children were adorable and we were able to witness a small counting review of their numbers in English. This was a very informative part of the trip, but because it was extremely hot, I was happy to get going back to the Jeep and on our way to the next destination.
We made it to Arusha once again and dropped off Priti at her hotel there. We were not staying in Arusha and continued our journey to Moshi, a city at the base of amount Kilimanjaro! On this last leg of the trip, Laurent taught us the “Jambo” song. He showed us in a call and response format, and we all had it stuck in our heads for pretty much the rest of the trip. He was also kind enough to invite us to dinner at his mother’s house that evening. I was looking forward to a home cooked meal!
