Zebras, an elephant, and a dik-dik.  A few of the hundreds of wildlife we saw in Tanagire. Click on the Animals button to go to a page with many more photos of the wildlife on this page, as well as most of the following pages.

Something we did not expect- we needed an escort in the compound after dark.  If we need to go out of the tent, an attendant armed with a high-power rifle, or a local Maasai armed with a spear and bow and arrow would assist us.  This was to protect us from the animals that visit the premises every evening..

Tuesday, July 19.  Our second day in Tanzania once again dawns with comfortable temperatures and a high overcast.   Are we ever going to see a sunrise?  Are we ever going to see any African animals?  Little did we know....
 
Our schedule for the day is to check out of the lodge, load up the Land Rovers, make our way to a gift shop, then to Tarangire National Park, and then to our resting place for the next two nights.  That would be the permanent tented camp  called Kikoti.  But, more about that later...
 
We have breakfast at the lodge, then check out and hit the road.  Today we are riding with Abu, and Russ and Dave and Sandi.  Our first stop is the African Cultural Center where we shop for souvenirs and see some lovely African art work.  Michelle and I purchase some nice gifts, and leave them there to collect on the return from the Serengeti a week later.  Thomson has a very good relationship with the center, and we are confident that our goods will be there when we come back through.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Then we're off to Tarangire National Park.  We ride for a couple of hours, and see hundreds of Maasai tribesmen herding their cows and goats to the watering holes.  Once they have watered their animals, they turn around and herd them back to their village.  Very interesting and calming to watch, miles of people and livestock, slowly tracking through the dry land, trails of dust following them as they walk.
 
We arrive at Tarangire, and enjoy box lunches at the Park Ranger's station.  And then it happens!  We see our first real wild African animals!!  Impala and zebra and a cape buffalo!   We are so excited that we're jumping and whispering and yelling and pointing and acting like school children!  Never mind that the animals are a 100 yards away, and we have to use full zoom to get any kind of a picture.  We are in Africa, seeing African wildlife in the wild.  How cool is this!?!?!
 
Meanwhile, Abu, Willie and Samson are hanging out at the Land Rovers, laughing at us, enjoying our antics.  I wander over and ask Abu what is so funny.  He says wait a week, then we'll have seen so many animals that having a lion walk in front of the Rover, or an elephant cuddling it's baby, or a 1,000 wildebeest marching in almost single file will be a non-event.  "Yeah, right", I say, and run back to take my 100th photo of a sleeping cape buffalo.
 
After lunch we load in the Rover and continue our journey to Kikoti.  We drive through the Tarangire Park, and we start seeing a lot of animals- zebra, giraffe, Thomson and Grant gazelle, wildebeest, impala, buffalo, and birds galore.  We don't have to zoom in much, if at all, for photos as the animals are very close to our vehicles.  We are in awe of their beauty, while they completely ignore us.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After a full and satisfying afternoon of wildlife viewing, at about 6 pm we arrive at  Kikoti Safari Lodge, a permanent tented camp.  These are truly unique accommodations, consisting of a raised platform and a thatch roof.  Under the roof is a tent, and inside the tent is a large bed, desk and chair, and two lounge chairs with a small table.  At the rear of the tent is a flush toilet, a sink, and a shower.  Hot showers can be ordered, and the local staff comes down the path with a large pail of hot water.  They pour it into a container above your shower stall, and presto, a hot shower!!  The pressure is lacking, but after a rough and dusty ride through the parks, it is quite refreshing!
 
After washing up, we meet at the dinner tent for a 7 pm meal.  We enjoy a delicious buffet, and then retire to the campfire pit for a beer, glass of wine, and an hour of sharing the days events and excitement.  The group is getting closer and closer, we have finally seen animals, and all is well.
 
After a bit we head back to our tent, where we relax, look at the stars, and listen to the lion, elephant, and hyena throughout the night.  We are really in Africa, surrounded by wildlife, and it is more than we could ever have imagined.  We count our blessings and drift off to sleep.