Blog Posts — WILL DRINK FOR TRAVEL

Imagine driving along in your modified safari Land Cruiser, taking in all the greenery and wonderful landscape of Ngorongoro Crater, making small talk & getting to know your Tanzanian safari guide, minding your own business…You look to the left and BAM!

You see this! It was so overwhelming, I almost cried! No, really. I’ve never seen a wild animal that close…and for it to be an elephant? Wow. I am a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated (shout out to my sorors!) and elephants are near and dear to our hearts. So an elephant being the first animal I saw was a sign of good things to come.

Over the course of the weekend, I went to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park. In the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, I was able to dance with the women of the Maasai tribe and even buy some of their custom-made jewelry. I toured their homes (made of cowhide & straw, held together with cow dung) and watched them start a fire from scratch. Quite the feat if you ask me.

We went to an area near Serengeti called Ndutu, which was great for viewing the wildebeest and zebra migration. Many of the animals in Serengeti migrate with the wildebeests and zebras, so we had a tough time finding animals there. In Swahili, Serengeti means “endless plains” and that truly describes the landscape. There is nothing but flat lands as far as the eyes can see.

On our way to the Serengeti, we passed Olduvai Gorge, which is a site that holds the earliest evidence of the existence of human ancestors. Super cool.

The next day we went into Ngorongoro Crater, which was ah-mazing. We saw all of the Big 5: Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros, Cape Buffalo and African Elephant. The views and landscape of the crater are truly breathtaking.

Our last day and a half was spent in Tarangire National Park. I like to think of Tarangire as the “Land of Elephants.” We saw the most elephants in Tarangire because the grass is more nutritious, so they’re able to reproduce more successfully here than in other areas (by the way, kudos to our great safari guide Tumaini – Swahili for hope – who showed us everything from the big animals, all the way down to the vegetation and explaining how nature works together…so educational!). We were almost charged twice by elephants, who apparently can’t see very well but have exceptional smell. Over generations, they’ve learned to fear and attack humans because they’ve been hunted for their tusks. So sad.

Each park was so different, but Ngorongoro Crater was by far my favorite. Not only was I was able to dance with the Maasai Tribe, but seeing the Big 5 was my goal and I accomplished it. This may not seem like a big deal, but going on a safari isn’t as glamorous as TV would have you to believe. You can spend hours driving through the parks and not see a single animal.

I could write paragraphs about my amazing weekend but I’m sure you just want to get to the pictures Please note: I did not zoom in to take these pictures…I was that close to the animals.

Kufurahia! (Enjoy!)

Ashlee

Majestic. Relaxing. Enchanting. Amazing. It was everything that I didn’t know I needed.

I knew this trip would be awesome as soon as the pilot let me sit in the co-pilot chair. I had never flown on a small plane but I figured I might as well go hard or go home.

After taking the 30 minute plane ride from Dar es Salaam, we arrived on Mafia Island, not knowing what to expect or what adventures the island would hold. Our driver greeted us at Mafia Island Airport (which was funded by the United States…go USA!) and drove us on the bumpy and unpaved roads to our secluded and remote hotel, Butiama Beach. The town of Mafia looked so different than what I’ve seen in Dar es Salaam. Mafia is more rural and not a busy city like Dar. I’m pretty sure the island doesn’t have a single paved road…and the speed humps were logs that were somehow stuck in the road.

Butiama Beach was a quaint, beach side property that boasts 15 rooms for parties of various sizes. I walked in and immediately felt like I was at one of those resorts you see on tv where celebrities go to vacation. I fell more in love with the property the more I saw. There were no TV’s and the wifi only worked in the hotel lobby (which I’m convinced the owners did on purpose), so we had no choice but to unwind and enjoy the beauty of the island.

Saturday, we woke up early, excited for our whale shark adventure (the main reason we went to Mafia). Since the boat wasn’t leaving until noon, I got an ocean-side full-body massage (so good!) and relaxed by the pool. Noon finally rolled around and we headed out to sea for our whale sharking adventure. We rode out to sea for about an hour, but our guide didn’t spot a single whale shark. They usually come to the surface so it’s easy to spot them in the water. We were so disappointed. After hearing one of my coworkers rave about how swimming with whale sharks was such a magical experience, I was looking forward to escaping my comfort zone and doing something I wouldn’t have very many opportunities to ever do. We settled for snorkeling instead which turned out to be fun, but still didn’t replace seeing whale sharks up close and personal. Later we learned that Sunday was officially the last day of whale shark season and they had already begun migrating south.

Sunday, we sea kayaked and had so much fun! I capsized twice but once I finally got the hang of it, I kayaked like a pro. The rest of the day we relaxed, hung out at the bar & learned more Swahili from the bartenders (I can count up to 10!). We were all super sad to leave. While the island was remote and small (and my room had no air condition), the people were so warm and hospitable. It was the perfect place to escape city life of Dar es Salaam. Check out more of my pictures from Butiama Beach and the town of Mafia Island below.

This upcoming weekend I head to the Arusha, Tanzania for a 4-day safari to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater & Tarangire National Park. Keep your fingers crossed that I see the Big 5 (Elephant, Lion, Rhinoceros, Leopard & Buffalo)!

Baadaye! (Later!)

Ashlee