Dave's Tanzania
Page 2
Sunday 25th
Zanair Dar 11:30am - Arusha 12:50pm $204
Only three passengers on this flight- glad they didn't cancel it.
Stone Town below.
And Prison Island on the lower left.
Gap tour $2529
Day 1, Sunday 25th- Arusha
"On arrival to either Arusha Airport (ARK) you will be picked up and a transferred to the joining hotel."
Nope, no one picked me up. Got a taxi to hotel for 30k.
The streets of Arusha. The East African All Suite Hotel
#12 of 30
Hello, black Santa. I knew you existed!
View out bedroom window.
I figured this group was part of my tour group, and they were, so I joined them for a buffet lunch.
From left to right: Richard (retired) and Heather (mgr in a factory) from Canada, they had just completed Gap Kenya.
Katie and Jenny, 20-something teachers from Connecticut going through life transitions, ground transferred in from Nairobi.
Nadia and Tyson, Sydneysiders on honeymoon. "A brief departure meeting will be held in the hotel reception area in evening on Day 1 of your tour. Upon arrival look for information from your tour leader on the hotel bulletin board from regarding meeting time. At this point you may be joined by other Gap Adventures travellers who have started their safari trip in Kenya."
"Arusha, also known as Tanzania’s “safari capital”, is undoubtedly the most important center in northen Tanzania. With many protected national parks, reserves, and mountains nearby (on a clear day, it may be possible to see Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance), Arusha is a modern town, and with its markets, services, and fine location, it is a great base for your safari trip. Arusha officially became a city on the 1st of July 2006. The primary industry of the region is agriculture with large vegetable producers sending high-quality produce to Europe. The city and its environs are also spotted with large coffee plantations, adding to the area’s charm. Though in recent years, due to the coffee crisis, many local farmers have been badly hit, and now subsistence farming is the most common source of livelihood. Arusha, who owes its name from the local Wa-arusha people who resided here for hundreds of years, is historically and politically significant city within East Africa. In 1961 the official documents ceding independence to Tanzania were signed by the United Kingdom in Arusha. Six years later the Arusha Declaration of Self Reliance in Tanzania was signed. On the 4th of August 1993 the Arusha Accords were signed by representatives of competing factions in the civil war in neighbouring Rwanda. After the Rwandan genocide, the UN Security Council decided by its Resolution 955 [actually Resolution 977 in terms of the Arusha location] of 8 November 1994 that Arusha should host the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The establishment of the tribunal with its employees has influenced the local economy of Arusha. The tribunal is expected to end its mandate in 2008." I would have loved to visit the tribunals, but they didn't occur when we were in town on the weekends. Arusha
Mt Kilimanjaro
Kili Info
Day 2 Monday 26th
Lake Manyara (B,L,D)
Approximate Distance: 130 kmEstimated Travel Time: 2-3 hrs
"After breakfast, we make our way to Lake Manyara National Park and take part in a
village tour to learn a little about what a typical
village in the area is like. The village - Mto wa Mbu, whose name means "mosquito river," has over 18,000 inhabitants from 120 tribes. This
two hour tour will take you from the village's local market through several different farms, local huts, and artisan shops, and back to the
market, giving you the opportunity to get a true glimpse of northern Tanzanian culture!!"
"After lunch in the village spend the afternoon touring and viewing wildlife in the park. This area is truly stunning, as the western wall of the Rift Valley escarpment provides a backdrop for your search of the park's phenomenal birdlife, tree-climbing lions, elephants, giraffes, and hippos. The afternoon is spent game viewing along the main road that winds for several kilometers through a cool, lush, mature groundwater forest dominated by large fichus trees and a tangle of green epiphytes."
I think this baboon kidnapped a very awkward looking human baby.
The name Manyara is derived from the Masai word “Emanyara”, which is a Euphorbia species of plant that is found around a family homestead in the area. The lake itself is a shallow, alkaline lake stretching 50km at the base of the sheer 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment. This forms part of the national park that covers an area on roughly 330km sq. Lake Manyara National Park is home to the giant fig trees, acacia woodlands, mahogany trees and grassy flood plains. The contrasts of this area are simply breathtaking, with the open plains, huge escarpment, central soda lake, dense woodlands, and distance volcanic peaks coming together in an area best described by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”. Animals such as blue monkeys, hippo, impala, elephant, wildebeest, buffalo, warthog, and giraffe all roam the park’s territory. The park is also home to legendary tree-climbing lions, and also has small populations of leopard. Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s bird life, with over 400 species having been recorded within the parks boundaries. Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large water birds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.
Lake Manyara Hotel is dramatically located in the very edge of the vertiginous western escarpment of the Rift Valley, affording magnificent views down across the whole lake. Lake Manyara Hotel invites you to an unforgettable Safari Experience from its privileged location, unrivaled by any other both for game viewing and scenery. Elegantly designed as a two levels ensemble of buildings, its authentic traditional African style decorations create a unique atmosphere that perfectly combines extreme tranquility with the best of adventure packed Safari experiences. From its privileged position, all the Hotel's 100 guestrooms have stunning views across the tranquil and beautiful waters of the Lake."
#6 of 10
Lake Manyara- tree climbing lions
Info
