September 1 - Arusha, Karatu, and Lake Manyara Tanzania

While we have very much enjoyed our stay at the Rivertrees Lodge it does have a big down side...the alarm clocks.  We use the alarms on our cell phones.  Unfortunately, the hotels alarm clocks went off at an ungodly hour this morning.  We have a metal roof on our bungalow and the resident monkeys decided to get up at an ungodly hour and thunder across our roof.  Who knew such small creatures could make such a racket.  Woke us both up.  What a way to start the day.  

After breakfast we headed off on a long drive through the countryside. 

We did make a quick stop at the art and cultural center in Karatu for a bathroom break.  Not nearly enough time here so we have asked to visit it on the way back to the airport.

First destination today is Lake Manyara National Park, “Home of the Tree Climbing Lions.” 

First item at the park was the Treetop Walk…first tree top walk in Tanzania.

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More Lake Manyara Treetop Walk
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It was a nice walk although we didn’t really see much in the way of wildlife…but lots of trees and brush. 

We did see some Sykes Monkeys buried in the leaves of the trees.

This was followed by a safari into the park.  We just missed seeing the tree climbing lions.  They had gotten down from the tree just before we arrived.  When the weather gets hot the lions climb the trees in order to get off the hot ground.

We did see lots of other wildlife though…

a lion lurking in the brush,

baboons,

elephants,

including one missing the end of it's trunk.  The loss of a trunk can spell doom for an elephant but this one still had just enough to still be able to feed himself.

We also saw a klipspringer (a new antelope for us),

impala,

zebra,

a big herd of water buffalo crossing the road, 

giraffe,

dwarf mongoose (a new mongoose for us...didn't realize there were so many types),

and dik diks (also a new), the world’s smallest antelope.

Some interesting birds included the grey-headed kingfisher (very colorful),

the Little Bee-Eater,

the Von der Decken’s Hornbill,

the Silver-Cheeked Hornbill,

and one that stumped Harlequin…later determined to be an African Crested Eagle.

We also managed to get a shop of an unknown bird with a frog dangling from its beak.

We ended the day at the Ngorongoro Farmhouse Lodge.  According to the info in their book it is a working coffee plantation (although we can’t see the coffee fields from the lodge).  The main building is huge with a huge balcony overlooking the grounds and the hills beyond. 

We have a very large bungalow…

unfortunately it is a gigantic walk (but at least with pretty landscaping) from the farmhouse…only slightly uphill to the lodge.

Dinner was served on the balcony…preceded by a performance by some local entertainers singing, dancing, and playing tradition instruments. It was a very good day.

Nice sunset outside our bungalow overlooking the hills.