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.
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who was conducting a little homework on this. And he in fact ordered me lunch because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to discuss this subject here on your website.
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog
that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would
have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything.
I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
Hello, i believe that i noticed you visited my website so
i came to go back the favor?.I am trying to find issues to enhance my site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your concepts!!
Interesting blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would
really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your theme.
Thanks
Hello, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues.
When I look at your website in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that,
wonderful blog!
Wow, that’s what I was exploring for, what a data!
existing here at this weblog, thanks admin of this site.
Thanks , I’ve just been searching for info about this topic for a
while and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far.
However, what concerning the bottom line?
Are you sure in regards to the source?
Howdy! Quick question that’s entirely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My blog looks weird when browsing from my apple iphone. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this issue. If you have any recommendations, please share. Many thanks!
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post!
It is the little changes that will make the most important changes.
Thanks a lot for sharing!
I really love this article.
I thought it was going to be some boring old post, but I’m glad I visited. I will post a link to this site on my blog. I am sure my visitors will find that very useful.
Some truly interesting info , well written and broadly user genial .
When are you going to post again? You really entertain me!
A thoughtful insight and ideas I will use on my blog. You’ve obviously spent some time on this. Congratulations
I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I am quite certain I’ll learn many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
Like the way you’ve outlined things. Easy to follow. Not cluttered.
You have some helpful ideas! Maybe I should consider doing this by myself.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and help others like you aided me.
Informative article, just what I wanted to find.
For most up-to-date news you have to pay a quick visit world wide web and on web I found this website as a
best website for most up-to-date updates.
My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You can not imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
I have been curious about these trends, and you have really helped me. I have just told a few of my friends about this on FaceBook and they love your content just as much as I do.
Might we expect to see more of these same problems in the future?
Hello this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding knowledge so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!
I am very happy to look your post. Thanks a lot and i am taking a look ahead to touch you.
Public policy is key here, and our states need to develop some strategies – – soon.
Lovely just what I was looking for. Thanks to the author for taking his clock time on this one.
Amazing! Your site has quite a few comment posts. How did you get all of these bloggers to look at your site I’m envious! I’m still studying all about posting articles on the net. I’m going to view pages on your website to get a better understanding how to attract more people. Thank you!
Hello this is a wonderful write-up. I’m going to e mail this to my friends. I came on this while searching on yahoo I’ll be sure to come back. thanks for sharing.
Hello there! I really enjoy reading your blog! If you keep making amazing posts like this I will come back every day to keep reading.
Just stumble upon your blog from from time to time. nice article
A colleague in the field told me to check out your website.
This information is very important and you’ll need to know this when you constructor your own photo voltaic panel.
I can’t go into details, but I have to say its a good article!
If wings are your thing, Tinker Bell’s sexy Halloween costume design is all grown up.
This is the wave – the big wave.
I like meeting utile info, this post has got me even more info!
Sometimes, the sheer magnitude of the information seems overwhelming.
Amazing content on your website.
I believe you have remarked on some very interesting points , thankyou for the post.
Just wanna admit that this is extremely helpful, Thanks for taking your time to write this.
Magnificent beat ! Can I be your apprentice? Just kidding!
Pembuatan kipas tangan custom menjadi solusi media promosi dan souvenir yang menarik untuk berbagai acara.
Dengan desain sesuai kebutuhan, kipas custom ideal digunakan untuk pernikahan, seminar,
kampanye, hingga media branding perusahaan agar mudah diingat oleh banyak orang.
I am glad to be a visitor of this perfect blog !, appreciate it for this rare info!
Some truly nice stuff on this website , I like it.
What a great article.. i subscribed btw!
Hi my family member! I want to say that this article is amazing, great written and include approximately all important infos. I’d like to see more posts like this .
Nice post.Very useful info specifically the last part 🙂 Thank you and good luck.
Enjoyed studying this, very good stuff, thanks.
Magnificent beat ! Can I be your apprentice? Just kidding!