For 10 days, we lived the Discovery Channel.  We will do our best here to describe what we saw.

Itinerary:  Arusha to Tarangerie NP (2 days); Lake Manyara NP (1 day); Serengetti NP (3 full days, plus 2 half days); Ngorogoro Crater (1 day); and Lake Eyasi and the Hadzabe Tribe (1 day).

Our trip:  We camped the entire time, often without running water.  Our favorite place was in SNP --- Ikhoma Bush Camp, where we spent 3 nights.  The look on Jenn's face when she saw the "open air" toilet and shower was priceless.  Over time, she grew to love the campsite, except when she was attacked by biting ants while showering.  Our food was good and plentiful.  Our driver, Joseph, was great at spotting wildlife (while driving and w/o binoculars).  He also had a penchant for marathon game drives -- full days -- which was great, although we spent a lot of time in the car (a necessary evil of game viewing, unless you want to get attacked by wild animals).  Our nights were spent in the open African bush -- surrounded by beautiful skies at night and the sounds and sights of Africa.  We heard lions roaring at night and even had hyenas in our campsite, which made late night bathroom trips interesting to say the least.  A truly amazing experience. 

Animals viewed (probably missing a few):  lions (females, males, & cubs), leopards, cheetahs, a ton of birds (a variety of eagles, vultures, storks, pelicans, hornbills, and a lot of others), a porcupine, bush babies, hippos, crocs, impalas, thompson & grant gazelles, giraffes, elephants, elands, topis, zebras, wildebeests, red hartebeests, a puff adder (at very close range -- too close probably), a cobra, agama lizards, hyrax, spring hares, serval cats, monitor lizards, dik diks, buffaloes, flamingoes, hyenas, jackals, warthogs, babboons (tons everywhere), chameleons, verveet/blue/colobus monkeys, ostriches, and . . . .  The only 1 we missed was the elusive rhino.

Overview of the Parks:

Tarangerie:  when you think of "Africa," TNP meets the bill -- wide open grasses and plains, waterholes and rives (largely dried up this time of year), animals everywhere . . . but not many people or cars.  TNP is also famous for its beautiful baobab trees.  A truly amazing setting to see animals.  We had 2 long game drives here.

Lake M NP:  incredible and very few people.  So different from the rest.  The settings were varied and beautiful -- lush jungle & forest, a river littered with hippos, the imposing rift valley walls, a soda/salt lake, grasslands & plains, hot springs, and bush forest.  A compact park and an anomaly in the midst of the sprawling grassland plains.

Serengetti:  classic africa with its "sea of open grass" and acacia trees, but much more diverse than I thought.  We saw so much of this park -- with our multiple days and marathon game drives -- grasslands and savannahs, rolling hills, bushland/forest, waterholes and partially dried up river beds, and beautiful kopjes (rock outcroppings).

Lake Eyasi:  not a NP, but a dried up soda lake; local villages and the African bush at its finest.  Here, we spent a few hours visiting the Hadzabe Tribe -- at least one family.  The Hadazabe are, in 2004, one of a few remaining tribes in the world that are still truly nomadic.  They live in the bush (they sleep under the stars) -- really live in the bush.  We followed 2 of the men on a hunt (which meant we wandered through the bush for 2 hours), watched them dance (and danced with them), and participated in bow and arrow target practice.  A once in a lifetime experience.

Wildlife Hi-Lights:  In addition to the host of animals we saw, we saw many amazing behaviors.  The first time you see lions . . . wow.  But then after a few times seeing them sleep (which they do 22 hrs a day), you want to see action.  We saw plenty in SNP.  For example:  during a pre-sunrise drive, we watched a female, for about 10 minutes and about 10 feet from the car, dragging an impala she had just killed back to her cubs.  We later saw 2 lions mating -- actually "doing it."  Unreal.  We also saw, again about 10 feet from the car and with no other cars around, a whole pride feasting on a freshly killed buffalo. First, the male ate -- we saw and heard him tearing the flesh off the bones.  When he was done, the scene of the females lunging on and attacking the carcass was awe inspiring.  While the male was eating, we sat in awe as 6 cubs fought for space on their mother's breast-- as she nursed them for several minutes.

At Lake M, we sat and watched 26 giraffes moving beautifully across the plains.  Several of the males fought by wrapping their necks around each other and butting heads -- a mating ritual.  We also saw 2 giraffes actually mating!!!  Incredible.  The giraffes move quickly when they canter, but appear to move in slow motion.  Also at Lake M, we saw baboons fighting, grooming, and nursing. 

We also saw amazing elephant behaviors.  At Tarangerie, we saw 2 bulls lock tusks and trunks.  At Lake M, we watched them move gracefully across the plains with a stark white soda lake in the background.  We also saw, at Lake M, a huge family eating.  The best, however, was when a baby elephant could not cross over a fallen log -- then his mother behind him lifting him up and pushing him over the log.

In Tarangerie, we saw a waterhole littered with hundreds of zebras and wildebeests in and around the water.  We also stopped in a gorge, where our car was surrounded by countless impalas, zebras, and giraffes.  This type of scene will forever be burned into our memories, and has to be seen to be believed or understood.

In SNP, we were allowed out of the car at a waterhole filled with about 50 hippos and 12 crocs.  We were, we thought, a little too close for comfort!!  We stood in awe as the hippos wrestled, spouted, grunted, and stared at us.  Just unreal.

In Ng Crater, we watched in awe as lions sprawled out on one side of the road, apparently full from their recent kill and feeding frenzy.  In the background, zebras and wildebeests mingled -- quite cautiously -- while hyenas tried to cross the plains and river -- always mindful of the lions nearby.  On the other side of the road, about 200 feet away, a pack of hyenas fought with jackals and vultures as they devoured the very remains of the animal that had, moments before, satiated the lions.  A scene like that -- like so many others we saw -- needs to be seen to be believed.

Words alone cannot capture the majesty of our safari -- or the grime that covered our bodies after 10 days of camping, not showering, and driving on Tanzania's dirt roads.  All we can say is, again, get out of your office and come to Tanzania.  You will be amazed and awed.  Karibu ("you are welcome" in Swahili).