From Arusha we made our way south to Tarangire NP. Bit of a rat race getting through the Arusha CBD and out the other side. Mini buses, motor bikes, bicycles and three wheelers all jockeying for position. Road rules?

Once out of the town outskirts the traffic thinned out and we made good time to the Park arriving mid morning.

The weather continued to be overcast with patches of blue and sun from time to time. The park is famous for two things. Its very large elephant population and the numerous boabab trees, we call them boab trees in Australia.

We came into the park at one end and meandered to the other end for the rest of the day, stopping for a picnic lunch along the way.
In the park we had an introduction to the tsetse fly. A small but aggressive fly that is attracted to the colours blue and black. It has a painful sting, delivered in a boring action rather than a prick (like a mosquito). It can cause debilitating sleeping sickness. Blue and black ‘flags’ adorn the park as a control measure.

The night before we had been warned not to wear blue or black clothing, and to put some insect repellant on. Along the way a couple of the flies got in the truck and caused a bit of onboard agitation and fear for lives. Settled down eventually.

Strangely, we didn’t see many elephants. Boabs though were plentiful, from small to large. The acacia, umbrella like trees, dotted the grasslands. Quite a spectacular landscape.

The usual suspects made regular appearances; giraffe, zebra, antelopes of various types. There was a good sighting of a warthog enjoying a mud bath and ‘galloping’ away as we appeared.

After catching sight of two lions away in the distance we rounded a corner to face a male and a female drinking from muddy water puddles on the track verge. Not disturbed they had their fill and then wandered off as if we weren’t there.

There was also a great variety of colourful bird life waiting for their pictures to be taken.

We made it to our lodge for the night late in the day and enjoyed a drink and chat with the others before brief shower sent us in for dinner and bed.

Half way through breakfast a small family of elephants arrived at the waterhole 50 metres or so from the pool area. After nosing around in the muddy water they headed our way and partook of a clean water trunkful, several times, from the pool. Apparently, a regular visitation.

It was a one night stop over at Tarangire and we were to head off for Manyara NP, the centre piece of which is Lake Manyara.