My First African Adventure: The Journey Continues into Tanzania

When I awoke from my hotel in Nairobi then morning after my final safari within the Maasai Mara reservation in Kenya; it was time to pack my bags and head towards the next phase my adventure: the country of Tanzania where I would go on safari within 3 additional national parks: Lake Maynara, Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater. To make this trip, I used a local bus that would bring me from Nairobi to the city of Arusha in Tanzania. While the trip would normally take around 4 and a half hours; there is a clearance check stop at the border between the two countries which can add 1-2 hours to get processed prior to continuing into Tanzania. It was late afternoon by the time I had arrived in Arusha so I did not have time to explore the nearby town and instead opted to relax at the hotel with a quality dinner and meeting the other travelers from our group who I would be spending the next few days with.  Meeting other travelers as well as locals is one of the joys of traveling. The mindsets, customs, and exchange of ideas with people from different parts of the world has become the best way, in my opinion, to expand one’s personal worldview and awareness. There is also an incredible variety of people who choose to partake on these trips whether it’s a 76-year-old from Southeast Asia who is working tirelessly to complete her bucket list or a brand-new teacher from Europe who is choosing to spend her first holiday break from school seeing a new part of the world.

We awoke the following day and drove over to the nearby town of Mto Wa Mbu, where we spend the early morning to get a tour of a local Makonde village. We learned about their traditional farming methods as well as other aspects of their daily life such as their banana grove farms or their distillery that used these same bananas to brew beer and wine. After this, we were able to meet some of their artists and see how they combined traditional and modern ideas to create beautiful paintings and woodwork. Finally, we were treated to a lunch made up of a variety of their traditional dishes that were grown and cultivated by the local community such as the same banana trees that were found throughout their village; as well as beef and chicken that was cultivated from their local livestock.

Following this tour, it was time for us to head towards our first safari within Tanzania where we would spend the remainder of the day on a game drive within Lake Manyara National Park. Unlike the previous national parks that were dominated by vast grasslands, Lake Manyara National Park is instead a heavily wooded region dominated by dense trees and vegetation. During this drive we encountered many baboons and species of antelope, but the highlight of the safari was the amazing quantity of elephants that we were able to see up close. We saw many families of elephants during this safari including one elephant family that was not only over 20 members in size but also had a 1-month-old newborn with them as well. Several of the elephants walked past our jeep as they were crossing the road, allowing for a very up-close encounter with this amazing wildlife. I enjoyed this park greatly due to it allowing us to see a different environment that exists within this region. By mid-afternoon it was time for us to drive to our next location and one of the top highlights of my time in Africa.

The next park that I had the privilege of seeing during this trip is Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, often considered one of the top safaris in the world. Serengeti National Park houses an enormous swath of grasslands that allows it to host an incredible diversity and quantity of wildlife. During our safari, we were fortunate enough to see a great deal of this wildlife, including up close encounters with all the great cats, nearly 50 lions, and an extremely rare look at a leopard with 2 cubs. Generally, Leopards are among the rarest animals to see in the Serengeti due to their elusive nature. Seeing their cubs is even rarer since they are often well hidden by their mother. Being able to see both a leopard and cubs for a prolonged period was a surreal and very fortunate experience. To add to our luck even more, the following day within the Serengeti, we were able to have an up-close encounter with a different leopard. While many visitors who go on safari within this region either see no leopards at all or are lucky to catch a glimpse of 1; I was blessed to have seen 7 leopards by the time I had to fly back home. We were able to get up close with lions and cheetahs as well that led to some amazing photographic opportunities. We would spend 2 nights within this park, where we stayed at a campsite in the very center of the Serengeti. During our final day in the park, we even caught site of a cheetah in pursuit of a gazelle. Although the cheetah was unable to capture it, seeing how fast these cats are at full speed in person was unbelievable. While the cats were the highlight of our time in the Serengeti, it was also incredible to see the huge herds of herbivores that call these grasslands home such as the buffalo, zebra, and wildebeests. This safari experience was an absolute joy and well worth a slot on any bucket list.

Early on the third day of our time in the Serengeti, it was time to leave and head towards our final safari within Tanzania: Ngorongoro National Park; located on the edge of the Serengeti itself. This park was the site of a large volcano that had erupted several million years ago leaving behind a large crater in its place. The crater was eventually filled in with lakes and grasslands, becoming a protected biome on the edge of the Serengeti grasslands. This environment became conducive to a large amount of wildlife that now calls this park their home. During my safari here, I was able to have my first glimpse of a Black Rhino which was grazing among a herd of zebra. I was also able to see large flocks of pink flamingo in the central lake as well as an up-close encounter with a Servile cat. While the Black Rhino sighting was from a distance, seeing this animal in the wild meant that I had officially checked off a sighting of each of the Big Five. This is a collection of 5 species of wildlife that was are a combination of large, impressive and awe-inspiring and are often the goal of most first-time safari-goers. In addition to the Rhino, this list includes the lion, leopard, elephant, and cape buffalo.  

I was able to spend the last 3 nights camping in the middle of the Serengeti and on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater. These were incredible experiences on their own that really immersed me in nature. There were no walls of barriers enclosing either of these camp sites meaning that wildlife was free to roam in and out of the area. Over the 3 nights here, I was able to see hyenas, elephants, zebra, gazelle, and storks wander through and around the campsites. In addition, we were very far from any town; leading to breathtaking nights filled with stars. Overall, it was an amazing camping experience that I count among my top of all time. The next morning, we began our drive back to Arusha to bring our trip to a close while I was given a ride an hour further to the town of Moshi. This small town is home to Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park, and I was able to get a great view of the mountain, both as we passed it on the road and later as I was taking off on my flight back to Nairobi. I arrived in the evening back in Nairobi and was scheduled to fly back home the following evening. Since I had nearly a full day in Nairobi prior to my flight, I decided to schedule myself for one last safari at the nearby Nairobi National Park.

Nairobi National Park is located on the southern edge of the city of Nairobi. While the park itself is very large, it is comparably smaller than the previous parks I had visited. This smaller space allows more opportunities for safari game drives to see more of the park and maneuver to different sections to have a chance to see the wildlife that live there. For this half day drive, I was finally able to get an up-close look at a Rhino. In fact, I was lucky enough to see 2 distinct families of Rhinos: 1 mother and newborn and a second mother with 2 teenage Rhinos. With this fortuitous encounter, I was finally able to say that I had an up-close encounter with all 5 of the "Big 5" safari animals of Africa. Not only that, but I was able to see all 5 species with their newborns in action. On the same drive, I was able to encounter another family of lions with extremely playful cubs who put on a show for us. I even got a quick glimpse at a leopard sprinting into the bush, my 7^th and final siting of this extremely elusive animal.

This was an amazing safari trip that allowed me to travel to 2 countries, experience 6 different national parks, and encounter countless amounts of wildlife throughout the journey. The amount and diversity of wildlife that I was able to see in just a few short weeks will form a memory that I will always cherish. The trip allowed me to say that I had explored all 6 of the planet’s primary continents and was an incredible first adventure within Africa. It has convinced me that taking more safaris in other sections of Africa is a goal that I want to work towards. But that is a story for another day…