After Kilimanjaro it was time for safari. After a recovery day in Moshi shipping Kilimanjaro gear home and catching up on e-mail, I booked a shuttle for Arusha, Tanzania’s safari capital.
My first pick, Roy’s Safaris, did not have any availability, which was a bummer. I started walking around and an artist / tout approached me. He knew where I could get a safari and he thought Americans are the best. Lucky for me I was from Obama-land. So Ebo and I walked through Arusha and he took me around on a tour including a stop by Sunset Africa Safari.
The office was a bit sketchy as it was off the main street and was not nearly as nice as Roy’s, but I had been lured into other less professional establishments before, so at least they seemed legitimate in comparison. After they described the available trip leaving the next day and I read some testimonials I decided to go with them. Then I got a tour of the city from Ebo and ended up buying a lovely Maasai painting from him.
The next day I was picked up and met my safari-mates: an Israeli, Canadian, Italian and two Swedes – all ranging from 22 – 32, as well as our guide, Abdul and cook, Peter.
Our four days consisted of three parks, Tarangerie, Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater. At our first stop, Tarangeri we came across Vervet monkeys while eating lunch. We were warned they would swoop in at any time to grab food. They were like the evil monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, without wings. Their mischief was fun and kept us on our toes.
At our first campsite, we were treated with the most unexpected surprise after dinner, the Black Tiger acrobatics show. Words can not do justice to this show, which included juggling, balancing coke bottles on top of one another and even limbo under a pole on fire. I am kicking myself for not having a camera handy nor being able able to capture with words the skill and randomness of the tricks this group performed.
The last morning we went to Ngorongoro Crater which is adjacent to the Serengeti. This crater had the densest population and widest variety of the animals we had seen in the previous two parks. All in all we saw Wildebeest, Thompson Gazalles, Baboons, Flamingoes, Elephants, Leopards, Zebras, Buffalo, Hyenas, Warthogs and Lions. We were about to give up on the fifth of the big five (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Cape Buffalo) the Rhino, when our guide spotted one in the distance during the last minutes of our last day, and we finally saw the distinct horn through our binoculars when it raised its heading from sleeping. Click here for more pics.
It was amazing to see these animals in their wild habitat. I got a a real scare from an elephant while hanging outside the gate at Serengeti. I accompanied one of my safari mates on a stone path and low and behold there were two elephants at the top of the path. While we took close up photos, we apparently got a little too close and one elephant started coming at us. We literally ran down the path and the elephant followed. Once we were far enough away it just gave us a look that said, “this is my house.” Lesson learned: elephants need their space.
Seeing these animals in the wild I couldn’t help but think of the same animals I have seen in zoos. These safari animals were healthy and seemed to be thriving in their natural environment. I started to draw some parallels between caged animals and our human existence working in cubicles. The metaphor was weak, and after discussing with my new Israeli friend he pointed out that the since we have the freedom to think we are only held captive by our thoughts, not environment.
Having the ability to choose who we want to be and follow our instincts is akin to the freedom to run wild in the Serengeti. The cages and limitations one often perceives maybe self-imposed by thought and ignoring instinct; not by boundaries set by the outside world. I am so grateful for this trip as it helps me to break down some of my self-imposed cages and come closer to running free under the sun.
And as for the aforementioned sun, next stop Zanzibar.