Africa 2017

Africa 2017

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Africa Bound ~ Part 2




"Got in after dark & had dinner by a great fire.  Settling in for the night.  We have Joseph to ourselves for the next 5 days.  He seems great & interested in doing whatever we want.  We expect a Colobus monkey wake up call early.  This is an old place with fine Africa charm.

Very different from anywhere I have ever been.   Hope to check in tomorrow from Ngorongoro   Tim....."




 Colobus Monkey.....ahhhh he / she is cute!  Wonder what they sound like? (not Tim's photo)



 
Yes, I was quite happy to get a little email and photo from Tim and Ryan.  I'm sharing the itinerary for the past two days as it is a fascinating read.  This is the part of the trip I could have handled....One of the treats I would have liked to have seen was the baobob trees as they are such unusual oddities.  I'm hoping for some photos that they take (fingers crossed).  Animals are one thing but just seeing the plant life in Africa would be a dream as well.

Joseph is their guide for the next five days.  I'm sure Tim will be asking to see as much as they can pack in too!  



Baobob Trees (not Tim's photo)




June 19 ~ Arrival in Arusha, Tanzania

Situated at the foothills of Mount Meru in the city of Arusha, Tanzania, the Mount Meru Hotel lies on nine acres of lush landscape, surrounded by some of Africa’s most breath-taking vistas, rich with a diverse array of wildlife, etched against the fertile slopes of this beautiful mountain. Give your imagination wings as you sit at the mountain’s feet, and listen as it reveals stories it has kept hidden for centuries.

June 20 ~ Arusha / Ngorongoro

Today you will start to safari and drive to the Ngorongoro area. En route, you will enjoy a game drive in the Lake Manyara National Park.

Located beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment, on the edge of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park offers varied ecosystems, incredible bird life, and breathtaking views. Located on the way to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, Lake Manyara National Park is well worth a stop in its own right. Its ground water forests, bush plains, baobob strewn cliffs, and algae-streaked hot springs offer incredible ecological variety in a small area, rich in wildlife and incredible numbers of birds. The alkaline soda of Lake Manyara is home to an incredible array of bird life that thrives on its brackish waters. Pink flamingo stoop and graze by the thousands, colorful specks against the grey minerals of the lake shore. Yellow-billed storks swoop and corkscrew on thermal winds rising up from the escarpment, and herons flap their wings against the sun-drenched sky. Even reluctant bird-watchers will find something to watch and marvel at within the national park.


Lake Manyara’s famous tree-climbing lions are another reason to pay this park a visit. The only kind of their species in the world, they make the ancient mahogany and elegant acacias their home during the rainy season, and are a well-known but rather rare feature of the northern park. In addition to the lions, the national park is also home to the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world -- a fact that makes for interesting game viewing of large families of the primates.


The Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is perched on the rim of the collapsed volcano, the Ngorongoro Crater, a world heritage site, often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world. It has the most magnificent views over the crater floor, which is home to vast herds of buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, the rare and endangered black rhino, elephant, cheetah, leopard, lion and herds of gazelle and wildebeest. Its position on the Eastern rim allows the most spectacular and uninterrupted views of the sunset.


And just for fun....what does a Colobus Monkey sound like?  For your listening pleasure...a brief story then the monkeys.  Oh and this is from the area they are at too.

https://soundcloud.com/listeningearth/colobus-monkeys-call-in-the

No comments:

Post a Comment