The last installment of our trip to Tanzania – SAFARI!
We did two safari trips while we were in Tanzania. The first was to Lake Manyara National Park. We crammed 40 people from Rolina into a bus that was probably supposed to fit about 25 people. We saw some amazing animals that day, but the best part of the experience for me was getting to watch the kids’ faces when they saw giraffes and elephants and impalas.
Cocaya made delicious lunches for all 40+ of us from the organic vegetables she grows at Shirikisha.
Jeff, Zach, and I also took Rosmin and Octavian on safari to Ngorongoro Crater. Octavian is studying to be a safari guide and it was wonderful to have him in the car with us to tell us all about the animals and birds and shrubs we saw. Rosmin was so happy the entire time. He kept saying this was the best safari ever (which is true – it was) and he would start a round of singing in the car. His friend, John, was our safari guide and he is amazing. His company is Powerful Kingdom Adventures and I would highly recommend it to anyone that is looking for an incredible safari experience!
After we got back from Lake Manyara, the girls at Rolina started teaching me how to say the names of the animals we say in Swahili. I’ve put the names below so you can learn, too!
Lion = Simba
Zebra = pundamilia
Giraffe = twiga
Rhino = vifaru
Flamingo = flamingo
Hippo = kiboko
and baby = toto
Ostrich = mbuni
Wildebeest = nyumbu
Buffalo = nyati
Elephant = tembo
I was blown away by the safari experience. It was not a central focus of our trip to Tanzania, because we were really there to spend time with everyone at Rolina and Shirikisha, but I am so happy we were able to go to Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro. It is a surreal experience to be surrounded by such beautiful creatures. At times I felt like I was in a different era on Earth – like we had just been dropped into prehistoric times and were taking a look around. Africa is a beautiful and intense and amazing place, and I cannot wait to go back.
#relationshipstravel #wildlife #PowerfulKingdomAdventures #safari #NgorongoroCrater #Tanzania #LakeManyaraPark