Today we drove from Amboselli to Tarime, where we crossed from Kenya over to Tanzania. There, Ben handed us over to our Tanzanian guide, Johnson who will take us to see the wonders of Ngorongoro crater and the Serengeti for the next three days. Ben had told us last night that the drive to the Tanzanian border would take five hours and we would be leaving at five in the morning. When we climbed into the car that morning, we had an extra passenger, a Maasai warrior. He would show us a shortcut to the border. And what an incredible shortcut it was! Not only did it cut our journey down by two hours, it also took us through the the most beautiful landscape. No words can fully describe just how amazing it was to watch the sun rise over the vast plains of Africa, and see the animals as they walk through the wilderness stopping along along the way to feed.
A curious onlooker. Took me completely by surprise as we weren’t driving through a protected National Park. As we continued on our drive, we saw even more giraffes, zebras, wildebeests and many other animals. This really is the true meaning of being in the wild!
One of many Maasai villages we passed.
Similar layout yet different in their own ways.
Love these beautiful creatures. So graceful as they waltzed across the plains.
Our first sight of a baby giraffe.
We arrived at our meeting spot way ahead of schedule so we stopped for morning tea in this tiny kitchen at the back of a souvenir shop. Everything was made fresh from the produce grown in their backyard.
Chapati for our lunch.
End of our journey with Ben and Joy, for now.
Our new ride into Tanzania.
Across the border, we continued our journey on to Lake Manyara for our first Tanzanian game drive. Lake Manyara is a shallow lake in the Manyara Region in Tanzania, most well known for its pink flamingos and tree climbing lions. Unfortunately we didn’t see any of their special lions despite looking up countless number of trees 🙁. And the lake was also very dry at this time of the year.
A lone elephant going for a drink.
Baby zebra, so much like our human babies. Big head, small body 😄
There were babies everywhere
Mia loved watching these little guys play.
Another big head, but this wasn’t a baby!
View from the top of the mountain on the road away from the lake.
After a long day, we arrive at “The Farmhouse”, an old colonial looking plantation where we will be spending the night. It is still a working farmhouse, located on a coffee plantation. The vegetables and fruits grown here are used for meals for guests and also transported to a few other hotels in this same chain.
Spot the Maribou storks. These giant scavengers roam anywhere food can be found.
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