So, basically this was the best week EVER. We went on our first
expedition to Tarangire and Arusha National Parks. Here are some of the
highlights:
Tarangire:
I saw two cheetahs sleeping under a baobab tree---almost cried from being
so happy.
While on one of our game drives to do mammal surveys a bull elephant
came right up to the land rover!
We went on a 10 mile walk to the dry part of Lake Manyara in 100
degree heat and got to within meters of a zebra herd. On the way back from the
Lake we could see massive thunderclouds in the distance and we got pelted with
rain for about a half hour. It sounds like a miserable time, but it was
actually an incredible experience because to the back of us, the sun was
shining which created a double rainbow in front of us the whole time we were
being poured on. (The temperature also dropped about 20 degrees which was the
best thing ever). Right before we got back to the campsite the clouds passed
and the sky turned to shades of pink and orange as the sun was setting.
Arusha
This is probably one of my favorite places in the world.
The campsite was absolutely incredible. We were located on the
foothills of Mount Meru (the 2nd
highest peak in Tanzanai next to Kilimanjaro) in the middle of Arusha National
Park. At night we would wake up and fall asleep to the haunting calls of the
colobus monkeys. If we had to go to the bathroom during the night, an askari
(Swahili word for security guard) had to escort us because the area is known
for black mambas and elephants wandering into the camp at night. Speaking of
nocturnal dangers, one night our camp was invaded by an army of millions of
fire ants. The line of ants started at one tent just before everyone was about
to fall asleep and then continued their rampage through each tent. It was
basically a horror movie in real life except that it was kind of awesome
because of how surreal the situation was. Plus it was a good bonding
experience. Earlier that day we went on a 4 hour game viewing hike halfway up mount
meru and we got within walking distance of giraffe and cape buffalo! We also
went on a wildlife survey up to Ngurdoto crater which was surrounded by this cloud
forest which can only be described as the most magical place I’ve ever been to.
I’ve never associated the word magic with any other place except Hogwarts, but
this cloud forest was basically the definition of it. Seeing the colobus
monkeys in that forest was the best part of the entire trip for me and is
probably one of my top 5 experiences ever. Something about that cloud forest
and looking into the monkey’s eyes through my binoculars for the first time was
so intense. It’s almost indescribable how cool it was being so close to them in
that kind of ecosystem.I could probably live in that forest in a tree house and
study colobus monkeys all day and night and be absolutely content.
This whole park was such a contrast to the wide open shrublands and
grasslands of tarangire and manyara NP’s. I forgot how much I love forests and
mountains. We also went on a bird survey at 6:30 in the morning to practice
identifying and counting waterfowl and other birds. The sacred ibises are definitely
my favorite because their feathers have an iridescent quality to them and their
beaks are so unique. The saltwater lakes are home to some 24,000
flamingos during the rainy season! We only counted 5,000 that morning though.
The director of the park talked about some of the management and research activities going on in the park and we got to ask a ton of questions. We had noticed how the villages and croplands were pretty much adjacent the the edge of the national park which can be detrimental to the biodiversity of the park if human activities conflict with wildlife corridors or ecosystem function. A big thing here is community based conservation. Last week we got to go in groups of 5 with a translator into the town of Karatu to interview the local pastoralists/land owners about their land use practices and any conflicts they had with wildlife and any hindrances to their livelihood (drought, flood, erosion, lack of resources). It was interesting getting to experience firsthand the reality of the various struggles people here deal with from day to day. Its easy to see now that for conservation efforts to work, the local people who live side by side with the wildlife must be involved and must somehow benefit.
On the way back, we stopped into town and I spent about an hour in a bookshop and got coffee flavored ice cream (which is the best thing in the world when you haven't had it for a month).
All in all, this week was just awesome. That word doesn't even come close to describing the total experience, but it'll just have to do for now.
