Lake Manyara, Tanzania (Aug. 7-8)

I closed yesterday’s post with our late afternoon arrival at the lovely Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. 

The remainder of the day was devoted to continuing my research into East African beers …

… Listening to lively Tanzanian music …

… and gaping in amazement at a troupe of acrobats (they were Pretty Darned Fun).

After the performance, our group had a barbecue featuring goat. (I set all kidding aside and passed, but found plenty of savory Indian food to eat.) After dark, we were joined by a genet, a small African wild cat that’s rarely seen but I guess couldn’t resist the aroma of the barbecue.

This morning we headed out on a different kind of safari, driving through the forest and shrub savanna of Lake Manyara National Park.  Lake Manyara is famed for its tree-climbing lions.  The lions, alas, one-upped their cousin the Cheshire Cat and vanished, smile and all.  Likewise, Manyara’s leopards, while being unable to change their spots, declined to be spotted.

The main attractions may have taken the morning off, but we still saw plenty of wildlife: 

Baboons trooping around, some with babies on their backs, others communing, and one practicing good dental hygiene …

… Elephants grazing on trees and lumbering imperiously beside and between our jeeps …

… Blue monkeys leaping high in the trees …

… Impalas nervously glancing around …

… Waterbucks standing stolidly …

… and an Augur buzzard …

Following lunch back at the hotel, we headed to our next destination, Ngorongoro.  Along the way we stopped at the Tanzanite Experience, a warehouse-sized building selling that and other gems as well as wood carvings, metal sculptures, tee shirts, and lots else.

Almost every tour company now includes a stop at such a place – I can only assume these are mutually beneficial arrangements – and most of the time I don’t mind, because I can see artisans at work and learn new things.  The Tanzanite Experience, unfortunately, was simply an opportunity to contribute to the local economy.  After a brief presentation about how tanzanite is mined, we were turned loose on the sales floor.  Fifteen minutes later, I’d seen enough.  One or two of my fellow travelers made purchases, but most of us hung out near the jeeps waiting to leave.  Speaking for myself, I’d encourage Odysseys to drop this “experience” from the tour.

The final half of the two-hour ride to Ngorongoro is on a narrow, hair-pinned, rutted, heavily trafficked road.   It’s worth every bounce and rattle: as soon as I stepped off the jeep, the rigors of the ride evaporated.  At 7600 feet of elevation, the lodge sits high above the floor of the crater, affording extraordinary views, silent surroundings, and cool mountain air.  

I’ll say a bit more about the lodge in tomorrow’s post.  Right now, it’s time to get ready for the evening’s entertainment, a Maasai dance show, followed by dinner.