Day1: 2nd Dec'03 - Arusha to Lake Manyara
Left Arusha at 0900hrs. On the outskirts of Arusha, we could smell the aroma of coffee from the coffee estates. They grow two types of coffee, Robusta and Arabica of which Arabica is of a higher quality. We stopped at an artifacts centre where rosewood and ebony carvings were displayed. Also on display were numerous Maasai carvings, bows, arrows and spears. Closer to Lake Manyara NP we passed Mto Wa Mbu (river of mosquitoes) village. The river running thru the town feeds into Lake Manyara.
Reached Lake Manyara National Park at 1145hrs. Outside the park, we took a small refresher while Haasan (our guide) went over to the ranger's office to pay the park fees. A few baboons lazing around...our first animals!!
Lake Manyara National Park extends for 330 sq kms of which (depending on the season) two thirds is covered by the alkaline lake Manyara. The lake hosts thousands of flamingos as well as a diversity of bird life and a substantial hippo population. Manyara is famous for its tree climbing lions...unfortunately we did not see any. We were not disappointed as we saw a variety of other animals like Baboons, Dik Dik, Warthogs, Waterbucks, Elephants, Blue Monkeys, Hippos, Zebras, Flamingos, Ground Hornbill, Cinnamon Bee Eater and Giraffe.
At 1330hrs, stopped for "picnic lunch". A severe dust storm got us all turning for cover.
Another interesting feature are the dead trees that line the lake edge. This was due to El Nino in 1998 which flooded the lake to such levels, that when the waters receded, the alkaline lake water destroyed the trees.
We exited Lake Manyara NP at 1715hrs and after a short drive reached Lake Manyara Lodge which lies on the escarpment overlooking the Rift Valley and the lake.
After a good dinner and a cultural dance performance, we settled down to a good night's sleep.
Tanya at the entrance of Lake Manyara
Sausage Tree
Maasai Giraffe