Tanzania safari pictures

Pictures and video from our 2-day safari in Tanzania are online in my Picasa Web album

After taking a rest day to recuperate from our Kilimanjaro climb, Jill, Karla, and I went on a 2-day safari from Arusha. The first day was spent in Tarangire National Park. We camped overnight in a commercial campground in Karatu, outside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area but at a lower elevation so it was warmer. The second day we spent the morning in the Ngorongoro Crater, and then in the afternoon drove back to Arusha (about 4 hours of driving). The Ngorongoro area is east of the Serengeti; we would have needed another day or two to see the Serengeti National Park.

The wildlife viewing was spectacular: lions, elephants, wildebeest, zebras, hyenas, warthogs, giraffes, gazelles, impalas, waterbok, steenbok, velvet monkeys, hippopotami, water buffalo, lots of different birds... We also saw a black rhinoceros, although it was a long distance away. Our guide, Ernest, was very knowledgeable about all the animals we saw; I learned quite a lot.

I probably would have enjoyed the trip even more if I hadn't had food poisoning on the first day :( But it was still an amazing place.