This post really begins at the end of day one. After an incredible day at Tarangire National Park, we stayed overnight at the Maramboi Tented Lodge on the edge of Lake Manyara. It’s one of those places where the scenery is terrific, but you have to be smart about how you enjoy it…you don’t go down to the lake without a guide, and you don’t leave your tent after dark, due to the real possiblity of a predator encounter.
On many tours, the place you stay is really just somewhere to sleep. We were quickly finding that in Africa, the place you spend the night can be just as exciting as the daytime adventures. But after an impressive stay (and an equally impressive breakfast!) we were off for our next destination…Lake Manyara National Park.
With such a huge variety of wildlife the day before, one big category we DIDN’T see was primates. It was clear from the outset that today was going to be a very different day. We had barely entered the national park when we came across a family of Blue Monkeys. The seemed a little shy…not remotely concerned by our vehicles or the snapping of our shutters, but also never leaving the security of the thick foliage.
Our next primate enounter – Baboons – were a whole different story. Clearly the lords of their domain, the ruled the road and decided when they were going to let us pass.
Before I left for Africa, I was a bit concerned that our close encounters in vehicles would somehow tarnish the wild experience…that our presence might frighten the animals, or cause them to become overly friendly and interested in human visitors. But with every species we encountered, it was becoming clear that the wildlife is so accustomed to the presence of people in vehicles, who are neither a threat nor a source of food. that they simply ignore us. They just go about their daily business as if we are not there…which means we got much closer to them than I ever expected, and every encounter really felt like an authentic experience of animals in the wild.
We weren’t done yet in the monkey department. After getting through the rainforest and into more open country, we soon came across some Vervet Monkeys.
…also known as Blue-Balled Monkeys for reasons that would soon become obvious.
As we continued into the park, we saw an impressive array of wildlife…eagles, impala, hippos, buffallo among them. Inevitably, some were too far away for a good photo, others appeared in poor light…all things that can make life difficult for a vehicle full of photography enthusiasts. But one very special encounter came quite unexpectedly and was one of the most special sights of the day. An elephant was spotted in the forest only meters from the road. We stopped and turned off the engines.
As yet another sign of how accustomed the animals are to human visitors, this elephant could have moved in any direction. But after a few moments it came straight towards our vehicles and passed by so close we could almost reach out and touch it.
After a pretty exciting (sometimes emotional) day, we stopped for a late lunch. It was almost the end of our visit as we still had a drive to get to our accommodation for that night. But even as we ate lunch, the opportunities kept coming. We attracted the attention of some Masked Golden Weavers, and then watched as they returned to their nest-building. It was a terrific end to a second day of great photo opportunities…and our guides assured us the best was yet to come!
THE GREAT MIGRATION PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR IS HAPPENING AGAIN IN 2020! With me as your photography host and Bushbaby Safaris running the tour, we are returning for another feast of wildlife experiences, and a new group of photographers to share it with. All the info can be found on my website HERE.
NATURE'S IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHY 