Below is Alex's narration of his photos from the safari portion of his recent trip. Be sure to click the link at the bottom for the photos. More photos from the service part of the trip will be on here soon. Enjoy!
Three hours to Bangkok, Thailand. Another nine hours to Nairobi, Kenya. One more 50-minute flight and we were on the runway at Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania. Precision Airways came to a near skidding stop as we began our Interim trip for 2012. The first day was spent driving out to Lake Manyara, a 3 hour haul from the airport through the lands of the Masai tribe (pictures not advised). As we arrived at our first accommodation, a campsite located above the lake, we settled in and were off for our first safari.
We traveled through the jungle and across the plains that surrounded the lake, spotting a wide variety of African wildlife. Animals ranged from hippopotamuses to giraffes to monkeys with blue balls. While on the plains, we could see a pink horizon created by flamingos resting on the shoreline. Wildebeests dotted the grass mixed with zebras and wild boars. Leaving the plains and heading back in to the forest, we were able to come within 60 meters of a giraffe. Later on we came upon a family, including a mother and child. The 2 hour drive was closed out with baboons lining the road.
The next day we embarked on our second and final safari of the trip, this time traveling to the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. Aside from Mount Kilimanjaro, this was the largest thing my eyes have ever seen. Stretching for what seemed like miles, the crater walls were just under a half a mile high. Even through binoculars, viewing animals and herds from the top was difficult, with each one appearing as a speck to the naked eye.
We were able to get a view from the opposite side of the crater as well, since the entrance was opposite our original viewpoint. The steep slope down to the floor of the crater put us right in to the middle of African wildlife. Zebras were everywhere, as well as herds of buffalo and wildebeest. Cruising around in our popped up roof was an incredible experience, as we were in the animals' environment, rather than having them in our zoos. Eventually we came upon three lions relaxing on the road under the sun. With little to no trees around, the sun was beating down. Moving on from the lions we were able to spot a rhinoceros on the left side of the dirt road. Ending the tour was a drive through the Elephant Graveyard, an area known for aged elephants to travel to, as the food is slightly softer and easier to eat and provides for a place for the elephants to pass away.
Finishing the drive was a windy road up the 600 meter side of the mountain. A day of experiencing life outside of the human world was well spent.
Here are the photos.
