Safari: Tarangire and Lake Manyara

One of the big draws in Northern Tanzania is the chance to do a safari in the picturesque African parks that will have you experiencing flashbacks from the Lion King just as sure as you’ll be saying “Hakuna Matata” (no worries) within the first five minutes of landing in Tanzania. Safaris can be an expensive undertaking, so it was a happy coincidence for us that camping safaris are the least expensive and in our minds the most fun and authentic. Of course you do hear stories about lions roaming around the tents late at night...so maybe try to save that midnight bathroom break until morning!

We arranged a 6 day / 5 night group camping safari with Nature Beauties after major research and correspondence with what was literally dozens of companies. In the end, two of our group could not make it on the trip and so we were joined only by Sandra, a friendly Dutch girl who won the heart of every local man she met. This was the perfect number of people as we had our driver and cook including the three of us in a heavy duty land cruiser with a pop-up top, leaving plenty of room for us to stand and observe the wildlife. Our itinerary called for stops in the four famous northern parks, with Tarangire and Lake Manyara up first – one day and night to be spent in each. We were picked up early in the morning and it was with great anticipation that we waited outside their offices as the 4x4 was loaded with supplies.

I’m not sure what we thought safaris were all about, but somehow it doesn’t seem possible to be prepared for the experience of meeting a huge mammal face to face. Our first encounter however, was with a very small and sneaky mammal who managed to make a quick raid of our backseat supplies before we even passed the park gate!

The next passer-by was on a totally different scale. Seeing your first elephant close up in the wild is a life-changing experience; there are no words to describe the feelings of awe and wonder we had within minutes of driving into Tarangire.

Tarangire National Park is something out of an African dream with its dramatic Baobab trees and its large herds of elephants. We must have seen about 100 elephants that day, sometimes making their way gracefully through the tall grasses and other times crossing the road directly in front of us in long organized lines. Patricia found that the baby elephants, lacking their tusks and coordination, were chubby cuties, looking adorably young despite their already present body wrinkles.

While still revelling in the amazing site of elephants at close range, we began to spot other amazing African wildlife like the elegant Impala. The finest specimens of male Impala get the exhausting honour of exclusive rights over an enormous harem of ladies, sometimes numbering around 60 animals. Try remembering that many names and faces!

It was here that Patricia also began her love affair with the majestic zebra, a curiously conceived animal that brings to mind a horse painted up for a masquerade party. We still can’t quite understand how their unique markings could be any sort of camouflage, and neither can the lions, who make frequent meals of these loudly patterned animals.


Ostriches were also found by the roadside, showing off their long shapely legs barely concealed by their short feather skirts. The male is the most striking with black plumage and pink skin that brightens for mating season, while the female is a dull mousy brown, good for camouflage in the wild.

But it was more than just animals that took our breath away that day. The Baobab trees with their improbably wide trunks and their mass of root-like branches reflected in the mirror calm pools and the enormous termite condominiums provided for stunning vistas.

That night we headed back to our basic camp just outside of the park, where we enjoyed the first of many incredible dinners cooked up by our affable chef, Bruno. Camping was in small tents, with foam mattresses and sleeping bags to keep away the slight chill of the evening.

In the morning it was up for breakfast and off to visit Lake Manyara Park, only an hour or so away. Before starting our game drive for the day, we checked in to our accommodations for the night and got pleasantly surprised by being upgraded from our tent to a bedroom. The staff were incredibly friendly and the compound included a resident painter named Livingston whose beautiful artwork we couldn’t resist.












After hitting a souvenir shop on the way to browse the local wares, we entered Lake Manyara Park with hopes of more dramatic sightings. Ben decided to add to the atmosphere from the backseat with the hopes of being scouted for a “Safari Man of the Year” award. Grrr…

Lake Manyara provided a contrast in landscape from Tarangire, with its dense jungle forest circling a large central body of water. It turned out that this was the preferred environment for another improbable African animal and Patricia’s new favourite (sorry zebras) – the giraffe. A very curious animal, after noticing the people around them, the giraffe will typically stop to stare without tiring. They move with a stately grace, their long necks gently swaying, and when running they are incredibly fast, their spindly legs flashing over the distance. As with every animal in nature, their coats look almost too perfect to be real. Thankfully the giraffe is the national animal of Tanzania, and therefore not as subject to poaching which unfortunately still occurs.

One might be tempted to think that being in a vehicle for 6 days of driving would get tiring and muscles would become cramped. We quickly learned that this would not be the case as we spent most of our game drives barefoot and standing on our seats with heads out of the popped roof. This was a great way to move around the truck and get closer to the animals.







The surprises did not end there as we chanced upon a hilariously proportioned and named animal – the Dik Dik. Definitely the smallest and daintiest deer we’ve ever seen, these little creatures probably weigh in around 15 pounds and stand no more than about 2 feet tall.

After enjoying a great picnic lunch overlooking the lake below, we made our way slowly along the dirt roads to get closer to the plains and water we had seen from above. Water and food dictate the great cycles of life in the wild kingdoms of Tanzania and we were privileged to observe the enormous diversity come together on a single field.

We said goodbye to Lake Manyara and hello to delicious dinner and a comfortable sleep with a feeling of enthusiasm after our first two days on safari.