Our journey continues to Manyaro National Park where we will stop for lunch. The Lodge is in Mto wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania, 130 kilometres from Arusha. By road from Arusha, it will take us approximately 2 ½ hours.
Twenty-eight percent of Tanzania is under some form of protection, mostly National Parks and Game Reserves. This is a higher proportion than any other country and represents a huge commitment by one of the poorest nations. There is intense demand for arable land from Tanzania's growing population, most of whom remain subsistence farmers. Most human settlement and activity are prohibited in national parks.
Manyara, which packs a lot of diversity into a small area, is the only park in the area that is green all year round. The park seems like a tropical rain forest with its dense lush vegetation. Manyara, however, is a ground water forest: it stays green through the dry season thanks to ground water fed by springs seeping from the walls of the Great Rift Valley. East Africa's Great Rift Valley, the only geological feature clearly visible from the moon, is the root of much of the terrain we explored during our trip. The rift produced some of the world's biggest volcanic mountains (including Mt. Meru and Ngorongoro) which in turn created the fertile volcanic ash feeding the Serengeti plains.
Standing high on the edge of a towering terracotta escarpment with panoramic views over the glittering alkaline waters of Lake Manyara, Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge offers a unique blend of tranquillity, wildlife discovery, and ornithological richness. It is here that we stop for lunch.
The spacious dining room features an interior bar area, a central buffet and both inside and outside seating. Presented in typical Maasai style, it features the use of swirling primary colours on textured white walls, which are embellished with traditional Masai beadwork, gourds and leatherwork.
Grouped around a central ‘vanishing horizon' pool, this highly unusual lodge features a simple timbered reception area, built in traditional African style, which is accessed via a bridge over a small stream. Beyond reception, lies the central dining room, bar and veranda, below which lies the pool. Perched on the very edge of the cliffs, with stunning views over the lake is the pool bar and observation point. Dotted around the grounds, all with views over the lake, are a series of circular two-storey ‘rondavels', which house the rooms.
Designed to reflect the brilliance of Lake Manyara's unique birdlife, the architectural motif melds swooping avian curves with the gentle concentric patterns of traditional Maasai ‘Bomas' , while the vibrantly coloured wall frescoes depict the colourful intricacy of bird migratory patterns.
Baboon troops are complex societies that travel about 6 km per day together in search of food. Baboons eat an enormous variety of plants supplemented with shellfish, insects and even small mammals like hares and infant antelope. A lodge manager told us that baboons keep stealing his telephone satellite dish. He did not know what the baboons did with all the equipment. Perhaps they are establishing BaboonTel.com.
I think baboons, Africa's most widespread primate and the largest of the monkeys, could serve as a ready excuse if I lived in Tanzania: "Sorry I'm late, there was a lot of baboon traffic." Baboons have even blocked roads to protest senseless killing.
Grooming - removing parasites and dead skin from another baboon - is an important social activity which relaxes and unites members of the troop. Savanna baboons form long lasting male-female friendships, a behavior seldom observed in animals. Baboons join forces to protect infants; few predators dare test a troop's defenses. This cooperative defense lets troops wander with impunity and use their opposable thumbs to thumb their snouts at the lions.
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