February 10: Tarangire National Park

The day started early with a gentle "Jambo, Good Morning" call through the tent's door, followed by a grand breakfast buffet and then quickly off in the Jeep Cruisers for a day of game driving through the Tarangire. With cameras ready and binoculars in hand, the group rushed out into the prairie grass with eyes peeled to the horizon for the first sighting. Ahadi and his two drivers were way ahead of the group. Within minutes the first spotting occurred only to be followed up by many more as the day progressed. The variety of birds and animals is astounding! With the protection of no hunting in the park, the animals free roam without fear of man. Man needs to fear the animals. This time of year there are a lot of mothers with small offsprings, and getting between the two can be disastrous. All attempts to observe the animals without disrupting their daily patterns is a requirement of survival. Fortunately for the group -- Ahadi and his men were experts in finding the wildlife and preserving their space. A tremendous amount of respect is given between the life within the park and those who wish to observe it.

The day's drive was spectacular. Hundreds of animals and birds were sighted. As the group was returning to the Lake Burunge Tented Camp an opportunity to visit another farmer's market appeared. As with the one from Arusha it is predominately for and by the Masai tribes to sell and buy their wares. Auctions of cattle and goats could be seen in the background as bananas, rice, potatoes and other staples were sold in the front. Again shoes are an item of desire!!

Once back at camp, the area naturalist offered to give a "walk and talk" down to the Lake Burunge. Some of the survival skills needed were explained, such as how to create fire and which plants were edible and/or great for medicinal purposes. Man can live very successfully in the wild when he knows how.