Photo taken with a Nikon D7000 and Sigma 150-500 f5.6-6.3
It was our first full day on our
safari, and our first destination... Lake
Manyara .
I read a description of the park before I left home, and in that description they asked the following question..."Why do we go to a 7-eleven?"
I laughed at the time... what does an urban convenience store have to do with a Tanzania conservation area? But now that I am here, I understand why they asked that question. They asked because the answer to the question is the same whether you stopping by the corner store or arrive at Lake Manyara... "We go because it is right down the
street and has everything you need"
For years Lake
Manyara has been tacked onto the beginning of a lot of safari packages
available today. While people assume that is a cash grab or an area to use to
tune up before the iconic Serengeti or the infamous Ngorongoro Crater, both of
which are just a short drive from Manyara, do not sell this National Park
short. Ernest Hemingway once said, "Lake
Manyara was the loveliest in Africa ” and after experiencing it for myself, I have to
agree with Mr. Hemmingway.
As you enter through the gates, huge
and impressive mahogany trees greet you. These magnificent trees draw
nourishment from underground springs from the crater highlands directly above
the Manyara basin... and the nourishment that powers the growth of the trees,
also creates a special environment I am about to introduce you to. And If that doesn't paint a picture and set
the stage for an adventure you will never forget, the heard of elephants that strolled in front of us and posed for us for 30 minutes should.
As you drive deeper into the park,
the forest thins out and you are introduced to expansive flood plains filled
with birds and the first sounds of a safari. Hippos camouflage themselves in
large mud pools dotted along the flood plain, and in the lake, can be seen
wandering the shores and peeking above the waterline... two eyes, their
forehead and those cute, twitching, little round ears sit atop the waterline... much like
an iceberg, just a small portion of such a huge animal that churns below the
surface.
Then there are the famous tree climbing lions. They lounge in the
canopies above, staring over the plain as if they were marking their prey for
the hunt that is to come at dusk. But one cannot forget the giraffe, one of my
favourite animals. Known as the "danger alarm" because they can spot
trouble coming long before smaller animals can, these majestic animals make
themselves at home in the open areas, grazing on the long grasses and tree
limbs, necks contorted in ways that you just can't help but laugh at.
The deeper you drive along the shore
the road winds in and out of the various environments, but to our right the
incredible Rift Valley escarpment that guides us through our route. The
escarpment's face, covered by brush and baobab trees, it is divided by
spectacular gorges carved by rivers that flow almost the entire year.... and at
the end of the long rains season when I was there... just begging to be
photographed because of the heavy flow, emptying into the Manyara basin. The Rift Valley is an area where some of the oldest human ancestor remains have been found... its almost a little surreal to be here in the dark continent, standing where long forgotten ancestors hunted for survival.
A relatively small National Park, Lake Manyara
covers only 329km2, with the lake covering an incredible 231km2 of the park. While
inundated with large troops of baboons, the lake and local environment host a
number of herbivores such as hippos, impala, elephants, wildebeest, buffalo,
warthogs and giraffes. The Park also provides exciting
opportunities for the photographer keen on viewing and observing over 300
migratory birds species, including flamingo, long-crested eagle and grey-headed
kingfisher, the white pelicans, yellow-billed storks, and white-necked
cormorants. At least 44 species of birds of prey call the area home, including
the palm-nut vulture and the photogenic Ayre's hawk .
What I found most impressive, and
inevitably draws your lens, are the pink patches that are scattered along the shoreline
separating lush green grass from the lake’s blue grey waters. Thousands of
flamingos have come to Lake
Manyara to feed off its
alkaline waters. Without a word spoken of this beautiful site, we turn off the safari
vehicle engine to listen to the flamingo’s muffled babble with occasional
high-pitched whistles soaring from the distance.
Sorry you could not make it with us this time, but we are headed back to
Africa in 2014. Please check out these
workshops here...
Namibia with
Denise Ippolito in April of 2014Back to
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