(March 5/6, 2026) Leaving Tarangire the bus ride to Arusha was two hours in the pelting rain. We eventually turned off the highway and wound our way through questionable areas until we arrived at our gated compound far from downtown. It was called the Summit Lodge, but resembled a budget close-to-the highway hotel on the…

(March 5, 2026) Our lunch destination was the Tarangire Sopa Lodge. Our previous experience with the Sopa chain meant it will be a step up from our recent box lunches. On our way we saw another new-to-us creature, a Rock Hyrax. They live in rock crevices in order to escape predators. The wildlife became more…

(March 5, 2026) We checked out of the Country Lodge early enough to fit in another visit to the Tanzanite Experience gallery. Again, I didn’t buy anything, but our group did the stop justice with their purchases of tanzanite earrings, t-shirts, carved wooden animals and table runners. I was taken with the metal garden sculptures,…

(March 4, 2026) We continued our crater game drive. Before our lunch break we spotted an elephant: On the smaller end of the scale, a Rosy-throated Longclaw:  And we did it! Steve spotted rhinos in the distance, but they are so large there was no mistaking them. Yes, those are birds on his back. The Red-billed…

(March 4, 2026) Our departure from the camp was at a 7:00am. We encountered a scene reminiscent of the Lion King, Pride Rock. We saw evidence of a not-so-lucky buffalo. One of the detriments of living in the land of the lion. The day was full of interesting birds starting with the Secretary Bird, named…

(March 3, 2026) We continued on our drive through Serengeti.  Steve caught a glimpse of a leopard sleeping in a tree. That completed the big five for the three of us who went to Nairobi National Park on our first day. The rest haven’t seen a rhino yet, so with the leopard, they have four…

(March 3, 2026) It was a peaceful night in the tent camp, full of savannah sounds. Turn up sound. At 3:00a.m. we heard a hyena, but that was about it in the wild animal department. We were at breakfast for sunrise.  On Safari trips there are frequent 5:00a.m. wakeups, as that’s when the animals are active.…

(March 2. 2026) The Country Lodge in Keratu provided us with a buffet of items for us to make up our own lunch boxes. Great idea as a means to control food waste as you only take what you’ll eat. We had lunch at the park gate with beautiful blue Superb Starlings and mice at…

(March 2. 2026) Wow! What a game drive. A full day, the landscape was beautiful. We passed a Maasai village: Serengeti National Park was productive in terms of animal viewing. We are so fortunate to have had decent weather. The day after we left the area there were torrential rains causing safari vehicles to be…

(March 1) We received the news that due to a road washout from heavy rains we would need to cross at a different border adding three hours to the trip, and missing the morning game drive. We rode through many small communities with the same types of businesses, schools and churches. The one that intrigued…