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

101,997 thoughts on “Day 3 – Safari (Moru Kopjes & Gong Rock)”

  1. Hello there! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

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

    I’ll certainly comeback.

  10. Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and
    I’m impressed! Extremely helpful info specifically the last part 🙂 I
    care for such info a lot. I was seeking this particular information for a long time.

    Thank you and best of luck.

  11. Zetta Clone specializes in precision-crafted 1:1 replica watches inspired by the world’s most iconic luxury timepieces.
    Every watch is meticulously engineered to mirror the original in design, weight,
    and functionality, featuring premium materials, reliable movements, sapphire crystal, and exceptional craftsmanship.
    Rigorous quality control ensures outstanding accuracy,
    durability, and an authentic luxury watch experience.

  12. Hi, i think that i saw you visited my website so i came to “return the favor”.I’m trying to find things to enhance my web site!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!

  13. Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to look it over. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Great blog and superb style and design.

  17. Spot on with this write-up, I absolutely believe this site needs
    a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read through more,
    thanks for the advice!

  18. Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me.

  20. Great blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog jump out. Please let me know where you got your design. Many thanks

  22. Hello would you mind letting me know which web host you’re utilizing? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you recommend a good internet hosting provider at a fair price? Thanks, I appreciate it!

  25. Hi there it’s me, I am also visiting this web page daily, this web page is genuinely nice and the people are really sharing good thoughts.

  27. I am not sure where you’re getting your info, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for fantastic information I was looking for this information for my mission.

  28. Столкнулся с вопросом выбора подарка ручной работы: хочется взять что-то необычное и с индивидуальностью, но есть сомнения по качеству, материалам, срокам изготовления и тому, насколько подарок реально будет уместен для конкретного человека. Вариантов много — украшения, декор, посуда, текстиль, сувениры, персонализированные вещи, но по фото и описанию не всегда понятно, насколько аккуратно всё сделано и не будет ли выглядеть дешево. Кто сталкивался: как выбрать хороший подарок ручной работы и на что смотреть перед заказом? Где заказывать [url=https://www.tumblr.com/chaika9384/812144797341171712/%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D1%81-%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE?source=share]корпоративные подарки с логотипом[/url]

  32. Have you ever thought about writing an e-book or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based upon on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my audience would value your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.

  33. whoah this weblog is magnificent i really like studying your posts. Stay up the great work! You recognize, many persons are looking around for this info, you could help them greatly.

  35. Simply want to say your article is as astounding. The clarity in your post is simply excellent and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the gratifying work.

  39. An impressive share! I have just forwarded
    this onto a colleague who had been conducting a
    little homework on this. And he in fact ordered me lunch
    simply because I discovered it for him… lol.
    So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!!
    But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this matter here on your web page.

  44. I blog frequently and I seriously thank you for your information. Your article has really peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your website and keep checking for new information about once a week. I subscribed to your Feed as well.

  46. Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same outcome.

  47. I was pretty pleased to discover this web
    site. I wanted to thank you for ones time for this
    fantastic read!! I definitely savored every little bit
    of it and i also have you book marked to see new information on your website.

  48. Excellent items from you, man. I have have in mind your
    stuff previous to and you are just extremely great. I really like what you have
    got right here, really like what you’re saying and the way in which you say it.
    You’re making it entertaining and you continue to take care
    of to keep it smart. I can not wait to learn far
    more from you. This is really a tremendous web site.

  49. Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your
    post seem to be running off the screen in Opera. I’m not sure if this
    is a formatting issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you
    know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the problem
    fixed soon. Thanks

Leave a Reply

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