Lake Manyara Drive

Rebecca and I thought our previous hotel was fancy for the safari life, but as we walked into the next one we were in awe! The road to the hotel was ten times as bad as our last one with holes large enough to fit a small car. We made our way, pole pole (slowly) and waved to all the eager children who stood hoping for recognition. This time we were greeted with cool wash clothes, a drink and the best tiny spring roll I’ve ever tasted. The patio looked out over the valley to the lake and had a river pool and comfy seats. They took our dinner and lunch orders and informed us that at night we had to call for a Maasai guide to walk us to the main building in case of wandering animals. The man leading us opened our door and we tried to play it cool like we belonged in such luxury. The room was enormous with our own private chilly pool. We had an outdoor shower and a view that was unbelievable. We also had little lizard friends who lived behind the paintings and liked to pop their heads out now and again to say hi. 

The dinner was absolutely delicious and the staff enjoyed having some fun with the guests. Each new course was covered with a silver top that we could only take off once we counted in Swahili and said wow. “Moja, mbili, tatu, wow!” The food truly was wow so we enjoyed their little ritual. 

Our next safari was in Lake Manyara, home of the tree climbing lions. I do believe that is false advertising as we never saw more than a sleepy lion butt, let alone a tree climbing one. This park was beautiful to see but Lou informed us it has changed a lot due to an increase in rain. Many paths were blocked which made it difficult to travel further in. We did have fantastic encounters with elephants and plenty of adorable monkeys and a few pumbas. 

We were becoming pros at standing in our car and zooming around with Lou. He would randomly start flying down the road as if something amazing was awaiting just ahead. We’d hold on and laugh while singing, “Lou’s on a mission!” All the guides have a radio in their trucks and keep everyone informed about special sightings. We had no idea what they were talking about or how in the world the guides knew where to go, but it was fun to hear them all communicate. We’d know something fun was close when we’d see multiple safari trucks pulled over and cameras aimed and ready. Sometimes it was obvious as an elephant would approach, and other times we’d crane our necks to try to spot the creature. This really became the most high stakes where’s Waldo ever! 

That night the clouds rolled in and we made a run for it to get to dinner. Apparently they do not get a lot of hard rain as everyone thought our outdoor seating would be fine and then we all scrambled as the rain came rushing in. Everyone was grabbing tables and plates and trying to squeeze them in the indoor area. We all laughed and enjoyed our new cozy seats away from the storm. When our Maasai walked us to our cabin that night he told us an elephant had come by the night before and was walking near our room. We totally missed it! It could be for the best as we really wanted to know how they keep you safe with just a stick for protection. 

Sadly, we only got to enjoy two nights with this life of luxury. Luckily the best was yet to come as we packed up and took the drive to the Serengeti! 

Our First Two Game Drives

There’s nothing quite as exciting as arriving in a new country stepping off the plane and seeing your name on a sign ready for another adventure! Our next part of the trip was through a company called Tanzania Specialist. This company has everything planned and ready to go! It was fantastic to be in good hands with people who know all the ins and outs. 

We had a bit of a drive from Kilimanjaro Airport to our hotel in Arusha, which gave us a chance to learn from two of the specialists. One thing that stood out was the lack of rules on the road! According to our driver, after 6:00 pm there are none. We watched as endless cars and motorcycles went straight through red lights, people drove down the road the wrong way and created lanes where none used to be! Thank goodness we weren’t driving. 

I was a bit nervous as we turned in toward our hotel, The Puzuri. The road became bumpy and dark and ominous. As we parked we saw twinkle lights and began to relax. Then when multiple people ran out to grab our luggage and hand us warm wash cloths and drinks we felt important! The room was beautiful and clean with a balcony overlooking gorgeous fragrant flowers and plants.

We were the only ones there for most of the next day since everyone else was out on a safari or tour. That meant we were pampered by the staff who couldn’t be nicer. Our favorite, Emmy, took us for a walk around their garden and fruit trees. She giggled politely when we tried to use their words and laughed when we didn’t know what the plants were. The chef had a great time chatting at our table and we celebrated his birthday with him and sang and ate cake. 

That day we met one worker from Tanzania Specialists who walked us through our week and provided a map and details. Shortly after our guide/driver came to introduce himself. After the lack of communication from our previous tour, we were thrilled to be so well informed and involved. We even had our very own “happiness coordinator” who we could text at any time with questions or requests!  

In the morning it was time for our first game drive! Loudallah aka Lou, met us early and we packed up the Land Rover and went toward Arusha National Park. The top of the car lifts so you are able to stand and see the animals and take photos. We saw zebras and pumbas (warthogs) right away. That first sighting of these beautiful animals where they belong was magical! 

Deeper in the park we had a guided walk with two rangers, one of which carries a gun to scare off anyone who might not like us out and about. We found a large group of buffalo who just stared at us and pumbas who ran from us. Then we looked up to see giraffes! The guide got us as close as he could and we watched in awe as they ate and wandered around staring at us with curiosity. 

We went back to meet up with Lou and have lunch. Now Lou wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. Everyone we’d met from the company was younger and joked and laughed instantly with us. Lou was a bit tougher to crack. He was older and quiet and didn’t ask any questions or share stories as we thought a guide might. He sat with us but didn’t say much unless asked. He hesitated with his English, though he was great at it in our opinion. We learned quickly that we had to wait and give him time with his responses because if we asked him anything he’d reply yes or no then go silent to formulate his response which wouldn’t come for another 30 seconds. He was incredibly knowledgeable and had 37 years of experience. I felt that we were in good hands. 

As we drove on we loved seeing different monkeys playing and grooming. The baboons were playful and couldn’t care less that cars were driving the roads. They’d sit in the middle and just watch us approach. Lou would stop each time we got excited and stood to see something. We fell in love with the blue monkeys who have such a sweet old man face. They’d stare at us with their sweet brown eyes and then escape expertly through the trees. The park was beautiful and was a great start to our trip. 

The next day we packed up everything and said goodbye to the kind workers at Puzuri and headed toward a further park. Tarangire was gorgeous! At this point I felt braver and asked Lou if we were allowed to stay standing while we drove. He said yes, but no shoes on his seats! We bumped down the dirt roads looking for our new animal friends. I looked up and saw elephants! The feeling was incredible as we watched the family meander freely and go down to the river to drink. Their ears flapped happily as they grazed trying to keep up their enormous body weight. 

At this park I found a new appreciation for zebras. They were beyond adorable and sounded like their donkey friends. The zebra were great at standing for photos and showing off. They played in the water and ran away at any sign of danger. We learned that humans tried to domesticate zebras at one point, but their backs are weak and they didn’t care to work. Go zebras! I also loved that the Swahili words for zebra, punda milia, literally translates to striped donkey. 

We had a lovely packed lunch at a picnic area surrounded by black faced monkeys, vervets. They were not shy as they stole people’s water bottles and food. Lou kept them at bay by scaring them off with rocks and noises. They were everywhere at the picnic area and I was nervous to take out my apple! One stared us down as he sat high in a tree just waiting for us to be distracted so he could claim his prize. 

The first two drives were clearly a success except for seeing any big cats. Those would have to wait for another day!