Day 1 and 2 were spent flying out to Tanzania from London Heathrow.
We landed at Killimanjaro and were picked up by our driver who took us to our first lodgings at River Trees Lodge just outside Arusha.
Our room at Rivertrees Lodge, Arusha. Rivertrees LodgeAnts. Emerging from the undergrowth and then forming a long line part way across the path to then disappear underground. Fascinating! Loading up the Toyota in Arusha.
Early Sunday morning saw us picked up from Rivertrees Lodge in Arusha by our driver, Alfred.
Alfred was to spend the next 6 days driving us round, firstly the Lake Manyara National Park, followed by the Ngorongoro Crater and then The Serengeti Park.
Photos taken from the Toyota whilst driving through the towns on the way to our next lodgings at the Ngorongoro Farmhouse Lodge.Alfred purchasing us some red bananas to eat on the journey, delicious!
Day 3 – Lake Manyara Park.
Lake Manyara is a shallow alkaline lake at the base of the western stretches of the Rift Valley Escarpment and is known for it’s elephant and tree climbing lions.
A lion up a tree in Lake Manyara National Park.We had to pull over to let the elephants through!Baboons in Manyara.A Monitor Lizard.A Goliath Heron.An Egret with a Black Heron in front of it. The Black Heron is also known as the Umbrella Bird due to it’s feeding habit. It walks into an area of shallow water, opens it’s wings to form an umbrella shape. Fish move into the shade formed by the birds wings and become prey for the bird.
Day 4 – Ngorongoro Crater.
An early start and we set off for the Ngorongoro Crater. But first Alfred took us north east, skirting the rim of the crater to visit a Massai village. He had chosen a village which isn’t on the normal route so we could have a more authentic experience.
The Ngorongoro National Park. The area circled in red just below the crater is where we were staying. Our room at the Ngorongoro Farmhouse Lodge. The route from the lodge up round, skirting the south east side of the crater to the Massai village.Massai villagers with their cattle.A Massai woman.Massai child.
Leaving the village we then traced our route back and descended into the crater itself. Ngorongoro is the worlds largest, inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It is 2000 feet deep and covers a 100 square miles.
Blue-Breasted Bee-Eater. Four of a group of five lions walking toward us in the Ngorongoro Crater. Black Kite. Black Kite. Grant’s Gazelle. Zebra and Warthog. Zebra having a dust bath! Crowned Crane. A zebra crossing! Water Buck. Hippos.Elephants on the Ngorongoro Crater. Crowned Cranes in flight. Wildebeest.Wildebeest
Nicks Pics 