Day 3 – Safari (Moru Kopjes & Gong Rock)

Breakfast at the camp this morning before leaving at 7:30. We are heading South today in search of the Black Rhino. It was quite the drive so Ally drove with a purpose today so we could get there, search then begin the long drive back. Driving with a purpose here has a whole new meaning for me…lol!

There is a Black Rhino project here where the monitor the species to help from extension. Poaching here is still a huge problem so there are rangers in this area who live on top of the cliffs to help protect them. We learned that often poachers are just killed here because too many have been arrested but go back to poaching when they get out so it’s easier to just eliminate them. Something to be said for repeat offenders of violent crimes in the states. Visited the Rhino information center to learn about their history. A great guide full of knowledge and passion for these animals. You would have to love it to live way out here. You sure can’t just run down the street for milk if you forgot it on your way home.

No luck in spotting a Rhino today though. Since there are only 23 monitored animals on these planes, and they mostly graze alone, there was no telling where they were. The trip however gave us the opportunity to see the Kopjes, which are forms of rocks like none I have ever seen. There are many difference Kopjes, named for the tribe that lived there many centuries ago. This is Massai country. When in Arusha, we saw many of the Massai tribe which are easy to spot as the men still wear the red draped clothes as their daily attire. Would have been something to see these people still living upon on these rocks. There was one particular area where steps have been built so that you can climb to the top. Ally said he normally would not allow us to climb there unless there were other vehicles around because it has been known to have lions up there. But we all agreed we were game to try it. I know…wreckless right? Ally led the way making lots of noise to scare anything that might have been visiting the area. A few remnants of lions were present but no lions to be found. Let me say how glad we are we made that decision. What an amazing site from up there.

Back in the jeep and off to a lunch spot for a packed lunches. Arrived a favorite spot by many and were told we couldn’t be here because the President of Germany and the President of Tanzania would be visiting there soon. They were already setting up a huge spread for them by the Zebra refreshment company…lol! So we left in search of a new lunch spot.

Now for the excitement of the day. On our way to find a new spot we ran across a pride of lions laying in the shade of a huge tree not far from the road. It was an amazing site. 10 juvenile cubs in all and 7 lionesses (we never did see the males) however it was the same pride we saw yesterday, noted by one with a monitoring collar and one with a huge gash in her nose. Within a few minutes, one of the females raised her head and they all looked in one direction towards a herd of zebras who were making their way across the road into the area of the lions. In a split second 5 of the lionesses each rose and moved with grace to do their particular job. Can you believe this? A kill is just about to happen right in front of us. I didn’t think I wanted to see this at all until I watched how these amazing animals worked together with patience and purpose to feed their family. In a matter of maybe 15 minutes, they had completely formed a parameter around the herd and were waiting for their opportunity. In a split second one lioness made a move and the herd scattered, charged, ran…you name it. One of the lioness had to lay down in the road to keep from getting trampled. In that split second their opportunity was lost…they got away! We have a video of the whole thing and believe it or not it was sad. I hate to see the zebra loose it’s life but it was such an amazing thing to watch. Ally put it well, the lion laid down because no one wanted to die that day. They all made it back to the tree with the cubs to rest from their big chase.

We needed to make a trip back to the airstrip anyway (I’ll mention in a future post why) so decided to just have lunch at the airport. Now, keep in mind, without thinking, when were going to the same airstrip where both Presidents were expected in shortly. A guard at the entrance just let us on in, we parked and walked to the small building with our lunch boxes. We laughed because you can’t even get within 5 miles of the airports at home when our president is flying in. Tons of safari vehicles lined up to meet their arrival. A few armed guards and mostly people like us standing around with cameras. There was no concern to be standing along the strip for a photo op so I took it. Now, I have no idea who the president of Germany even is but figured it would be a great moment for Ally to have photos of “his” president. Planes landed and I snapped pictures of anyone coming off the plan. Ended up with great pictures of the German president but the Tanzania president was not there. Only the Interior ministers were there to meet him. Fun adventure to this trip, even though our original trip to the airstrip was not a success 🙁

Before heading back to camp we saw another Leopard in a tree. It’s so funny to see how they just chill and are so uninterested in us.

Back at camp at 4:30. Showers again at 6. Dinner at 7. Tonight we were joined by all the staff of the camp, except the chef. We had asked them all to join us when we first got there and they said they would on the last night. It was a great meal and a lot of fun. This crew has over exceeded our expectations. It will be hard to top it at the next camp. During our dinner, we were joined by a Hyena, just beside the tent. That just sort of cracks me up. I watched JJ leave the dining tent and walk to the kitchen tent, in the dark, with the Hyena sitting right there. He said, He knows me! They also shared that a few weeks ago a pride brought down a buffalo right in the camp area and stayed there for a solid week. JJ said they had approached him carrying the buckets of water to the tents to get a drink. He just dropped the buckets of water, walked away, let them get their drink and then picked up his buckets and carried on. OMG!!!! I guess there is something to be said for living in this country and feeling comfortable.

Back to the tent to be zipped in at 8:30. We packed, well Rich packed, played a few hands of gin and I caught up on my blog posts. Heard several lions throughout the night. I don’t think I will ever get tired of this. We leave for 2nd camp location tomorrow.
20150205_014827

20150205_072127

Posted on

74,831 thoughts on “Day 3 – Safari (Moru Kopjes & Gong Rock)”

  3. Hi there! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs!
    Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts!
    Carry on the great work!

  5. Повышается сопротивляемость организма
    инфекциям, улучшаетсясумеречное зрение, регулируется обмен фосфора и кальция (поэтому рыбанеобходима детям и людям пожилого возраста!).

  7. Thanks for your marvelous posting! I quite enjoyed reading it, you are a great author.
    I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and will
    often come back later in life. I want to encourage you to continue your great job,
    have a nice morning!

  8. Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article.
    I’ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more
    of your useful information. Thanks for the post.
    I’ll definitely comeback.

  12. Hello there! This article couldn’t be written much better!
    Looking through this article reminds me of my previous
    roommate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this information to
    him. Fairly certain he’s going to have a good read. Many thanks
    for sharing!

  13. I like the valuable info you provide in your articles.
    I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently.
    I’m quite certain I’ll learn plenty of new stuff right here!
    Good luck for the next!

  15. I was recommended this blog by my cousin. I am not positive whether this put up is written through him as nobody else realize such detailed approximately my difficulty. You’re incredible! Thanks!

  18. I’m not sure exactly why but this blog is loading very slow for me.

    Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end?
    I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.

  22. Hey there! I realize this is somewhat off-topic but I needed
    to ask. Does operating a well-established blog such as yours require a large amount of work?
    I’m brand new to writing a blog however I do write in my diary everyday.
    I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my own experience and thoughts online.
    Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for new aspiring bloggers.

    Thankyou!

  24. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this excellent blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will talk about this blog with my Facebook group. Talk soon!

  27. I have been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.

  32. My spouse and I stumbled over here different
    page and thought I may as well check things out.
    I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to checking out your web page for a second time.

  33. 인천출장마사지는 인천 지역에서 고객이 있는 곳(가정, 호텔, 오피스텔 등)으로 관리사가
    직접 방문하여 마사지 서비스를 제공하는 ‘방문형
    테라피’를 뜻합니다. 샵을 방문할 필요 없이 오일 마사지, 스웨디시, 스포츠
    마사지 등

  34. Hello there, simply become alert to your blog via Google, and located that it’s truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I will appreciate in the event you continue this in future. Many other people will likely be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!

  36. Magnificent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog website? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear concept

  47. Первым делом необходимо авторизоваться на
    сайте, так как доступ к букмекерскому разделу без входа в учетную запись
    ограничен.

  49. Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this web site before but after browsing through many of the posts I realized it’s new to
    me. Anyways, I’m definitely pleased I stumbled upon it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!

Leave a Reply to vicio-tigrinho-parar Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *