Tanzania
Chapter four
Tarangire, part II.
Wed September 15.
Last night the monkeys were chittering at 2:30 in the morning. The warrior told me he was up all night. An elephant had been wandering the camp all night. He said it was up on the road. Upon boarding the car, Ferdinand told me the same. He saw the elephant just ahead. Later he told me the monkeys might have been agitated because of her.
On pulling out from reception we heard the elephant ripping branches from a tree. Rounding the corner we saw it just by the driveway. Ferdinand paused to let it get used to us before slowly pulling ahead. We saw her stepping slowly back as we passed.
As we drove north in the semi dark we startled two white tailed mongoose who scurried out of our path. We took a new road north rather than pulling to the right and paused by a beautiful watering hole, which proved empty.
Along the way we saw a mother and baby elephant and we paused to watch them feed. At one point the child, perhaps tired of pulling grass out of the ground, went to nurse and we could hear it sucking at its mother’s breast. Amazing.
Driving back towards the river we could see two lions perched on the bank. As we drove further we saw them again from another angle.
We drove to where we saw the leopard yesterday. The kill had been picked clean. Ferdinand searched for lions in the tall grass but they were too well hidden.
After lunch we drove around the swamp. Elephants bathed in the water and lines of zebra and wildebeest arrived to drink. The sky was overcast and the wildebeest looked beautiful against the tall yellow grass.
Ferdinand had heard of a zebra kill back where we were in the morning so he suggested we take a look and then head back to the camp. I agreed.
Back where we saw the leopard and where we were this morning we saw the belly of the zebra and a mother lion protecting the kill. A dazzle of zebra kept a wide berth around the kill, walking far to the East and west of them. As we watched we saw up to five lions hiding in the grass. Ferdinand said they must have killed the zebra this morning. And that they were all in hiding when we passed in the morning. It was amazing how well they were camouflaged. Even when I knew where to look sometimes I would have issues find them unless they flicked an ear or a tail.
The young lions prowled around. One stopped by the dead zebra and we could see it nose the carcass. Through binoculars we could see it digging inside the belly. Its face emerged bloody. Sated, it wandered to lie in a tall bush.
As we watched a small group of zebra stood their ground and edged forward. We watched as one of the young lions stared them down. The zebra eventually wised up and backed off, taking the long way around the lions. I was surprised it took them as long as it did to decide.
Driving back to camp we saw a small herd of eland running towards the lake. It was a beautiful display of speed and power. Now and then one would leap over a bush, their gracefulness in full display.
At lunch I watched giraffe cross the plains. An elephant bellowed from afar. I took a rose on the terrace watching the animals pass. It’s really an amazing spot.
We drive back to the camp, where giraffe and a flock of birds congregate. A monkey sits on my verandah. Ferdinand lets me relax for a bit before we head out for a sundowner. We drive to the top of a nearby hill and I sip a glass of wine while the sun sets.
That night, we go on a night safari. A ranger and a spotter join our party and as we head out into the bush we spot bush babies hiding in the trees, their eyes light up as we shine flashlights on them.
Further on we spot a herd of eland. There’s a cheetah nearby and we creep forward for a look. The cheetah sits in the bush, watching as we watch her. She yawns, seemingly uninterested. After a while she saunters away.
Winding back, we see a mongoose, its tale sticking out of a hole in a tree. The spotter and Ferdinand have been swinging their flashlights before us, looking for the tell-tale reflection of eyes, and we spot more bush babies. The leopard was the highlight however, and we return I find myself shivering, not with the cold, but with excitement.
Leaving Tarangire.
I meet Siggey at seven. Breakfast was a huge spread and I could eat only a small part of it, much as I wanted to devour the entire thing. It was my first breakfast at the camp; I’d been trying to maximize my time in the bush and had taken all my breakfasts and lunches on my drives.
We started around where we had spotted the cheetah the night before. Monkeys were chittering and Siggey thought there might be something near. We waited and looked but didn’t find anything.
We drive across the river where we saw three large male lions on the ridge overlooking the banks and then head towards the swamp. Coming around it and to a tree we spotted a car and two lions around a tree. A leopard kill sat in the branches and the two lions sat and looked up at it longingly before lumbering away. As did we, regretfully. It was time to head to the airstrip.
Along the way we spot tons of game. Siggey remarks on the fact as we drive.
At the airstrip three vehicles are waiting for a large group. A coastal airline lands and disgorged a number of them. Then my Auric flight.
I shake hands with Siggey and asked him to stay in touch. I fight an urge to hug him. As I board the plane I look back to see him but can’t find him until we are taking off. He’s waving from the ranger station.
I find myself sobbing as we taxi down the runway and take off. I cry off and on all the way to Kilimanjaro. I had somewhat anticipated my reaction after the last time I left the bush but I hadn’t expected to again be so overwhelmed with emotion. My body is racked with it. I cry all the way to Zanzibar. 🇹🇿
