What is Safari?

Safari on the mainland was amazing, so much so that I’m going to write a few posts about it, which I'm going to post now while my computer is charged up (more later on the continuing blackout in Zanzibar).

First, a few words about what safari is.  “Safari” just means “trip” or “journey” in Swahili, but to “watali” (tourists), safari means the specific trip of exploring a national park or parks and looking at animals, especially the Big 5 (elephant, cape buffalo, rhinoceros, leopard, lion). 

Tanzania has one of the highest proportions of protected land in the world: Around 39% of the land mass in the country is protected in some way, either as national park or wildlife reserve. Although the land and animals in these areas are protected pretty rigorously, poachers still kill animals—to sell parts such as tusks, or to sell as bush meat for hungry people or tourists in search of an exotic treat (for a more in-depth discussion see my biologist fellow Fulbrighter Cindy Groh’s posts on bush meat)—and they sometimes burn land in the process, to flush out the animals for an easy kill. 

One of the protections in the so-called “Northern Circuit” of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire is that visitors need to remain within the well-conscribed area of a safari vehicle or the grounds of a lodge or official campground.  Although the parks felt in many ways similar to American national parks—with impressive opening gates, visitor centers, and informational signs—the restriction against walking around took some getting used to.

But you sure can see a lot if you’re driving around in a 4-wheel drive vehicle! We had 7 of us for most of the trip in a Land Cruiser with a pop-up top, and we traded turns sitting in the front, back and middle, each of which has different strengths and weaknesses. When we were on smooth ground, Oscar and Calvin were allowed to stand up and look around at animals (the thrill of relaxed safety regulations was as exciting for them as seeing the animals was). Our driver Emmanuel took us out for a good 5 or so hours a day, to areas known for their wildlife concentrations. 

On our first day, we started out from Arusha (which was heavenly after the heat of Zanzibar—so cool and lush), and went on our first day up into Ngorongoro Crater, where we drove down into the crater and saw a mind-boggling number of animals we’d only seen in zoos and later stayed at a lodge up on the crater rim.  On our second day (Oscar’s birthday), we drove to Lake Ndutu and stayed at the incomparable Ndutu Lodge, where they made birthday cake for Oscar (not on their usual menu, so the frosting was colored with whatever was around—namely coffee powder and turmeric). On the third day, we drove out of Ngorongoro and into the Serengeti, over an endless plain of wildebeest and zebras, and we stayed in tents for our third and fourth nights at Seronera Campground, in the Serengeti (the sound of hyenas outside our nylon tent was a little unnerving, but it was nice to be camping on a new continent). On our fifth day, we had a long drive back, stopping at Olduvai (or Oldupai in Maa, the Maasai language), then through Ngorongoro and down to Lake Manyara, where we camped again, this time at a KOA-style campground before we headed back to Arusha.

As much as seeing the animals, we enjoyed seeing the subtle changes in landscape, from the lush coffee farms around Arusha, to the wild brambles of Ngorongoro Rim, to the dry riverbed of Ndutu, to the grassy plains of Serengeti, to the awesome eroded rock walls of Oldupai. So many different kinds of places are Africa.