Mambo and Kwaheri from Safari

Mambo!

I have been on safari for eight days, so out of touch the entire time. Unless you have had the safari experience, it is very difficult to describe just how unique it is. The landscape is ever changing, moving from very dry and flat Serengeti, to the lush and wet area of Ngorongoro Crater, to the tropical scenery of Lake Manyara, and then the swampy savanah of Tarangire.

In the jeep all day every day, with the sun beating down, you get accustomed to the rough roads and backways, the persistent vehicle repairs, the lack of water, and the general rhythm of each day. The animals are everywhere, and if you have a good guide (which I did), you will learn more about them and how they survive and thrive than you could imagine. In addition, the friendly hospitality of Tanzania is immense, and downtime at the lodges and camps is as interesting and enjoyable as the game drives.

I will be creating postings about each of the different areas I visited, along with some of my best photos (from the 3000+ taken this week), but for now, the dirt is still in my hair and my bags are not yet unpacked, so I will just begin with my first day on Serengeti. I took the shot of the lion above from the jeep on the first day, no telephoto required. He is a relatively young lion - his mane has yet to darken - but clearly shows the scars of many battles, one very recent. He was sitting under a bush with two females, one of which is shown below.

Kwaheri!