Stop-off at Manyara

After Christmas in the Crater, Henry asked the kids if they wanted to go straight back to Makumira or stop off at another park on the way. He told them their decision should be based on the preference between and early start or the luxury of a lie-in on comfy beds. In the end, the kids didn’t offer an opinion, other than a shy shrug of the shoulders, so he pulled rank and told them that they would head off half an hour after the eight o’clock breakfast. They were happy the decision had been made for them. Happily Jingle Bells wasn’t playing!

They backtracked from Karatu towards the rift on the road of red soil that had become slippery in some places because of an overnight shower. A sign that the dry period was ending. Fortunately the slippery parts were where the road was reasonably flat, so all Henry had to do was to slow down. They came upon a daladala that had not been so lucky and slipped off the road. They stopped to check to find nobody appeared to be injured and the passengers had nearly managed to push the brightly painted mini-bus back onto the road. With the magic of four wheel drive and a stout rope, Henry had the daladala back on the road and the happier passengers waving them goodbye.

They stopped again on the viewpoint overlooking Lake Manyara and the escarpment. Compared to other time Henry had been there, the lake was far and receded, leaving a huge white beach. He doubted they would get to the water and the flocks of pink flamingos because they had to be conscious of the time. But they would try and find the tree climbing lions, having missed seeing lions in the Crater. The kids had never seen lions.

The park rangers don’t give out much information about the whereabouts of the lions. They smiled and said that they were wild animals and could be anywhere. Of course park staff know where they are, but the safari companies give them posho for the knowledge whereas Henry wasn’t prepared to cough up. So instead they went where safari vehicles were congregating. But it seemed they hadn’t located any lions either. The first group were watching a large, docile monitor lizard and the second group were photographing a troop of baboons, which were old hat for Henry and Co. So they decided to follow their own noses.

Henry’s old deer stalking skills kicked in when he spotted something dun-coloured, twitching in a large, spreading Acacia tree. There was no direct track to it and vehicles weren’t allowed to leave the track – although some safari drivers did. There was a track to the left that seemed to go within fifty metres of the tree so he took it. Through a gap in the trees they watched as a lioness descended from the tree to join two others on the ground. The kids froze as the three lionesses padded nonchalantly towards their Landrover. The engine was still idling and Henry had it in gear, clutch in. The lions came to within ten or so metres, stopped and stared at the vehicle. The kids took a quick breath, sure they were being observed!  One of the lions yawned showing a curled, pink tongue, yellowish teeth and white, white whiskers. The kids wowed! Something alerted them off to their left, they turned, ears pricked and padded off towards whatever it was. The kids started chatting excitedly –thrilled.

They hadn’t travelled far when Eriki spotted a huddle of birds on the ground close to the road. During the night there must have been a kill and vultures were now crowded around it feeding off what remained. They were fighting or threatening with their wide-spread wings. Ugly-looking creatures! A wandering hyena approached and charged, forcing half of the birds into the air, but not far and the hyena managed to take a morsel and oozed away with it. A jackal, grey backed and proud of his busy tail, watched the action, its big ears pricked. He stood like a statue but every now and again took a step towards the kill, watching. Waiting for his chance.

In a thicket of trees, one of the kids spotted the grey form of a half-grown elephant. He stood beneath an umbrella thorn acacia, Acacia tortillis. Henry knew the tree because he had been growing them in his nursery. He told the kids that timber from the species was used by the Israelites to build the Ark of the Covenant. They were used to his waffling on about tress so it was in one ear, out the other, but you never know what sticks! For the kids’ sake, he wanted to drive as close as possible to the elephant to see what it is eating. Very delicately, it was picking up seedpods fallen from the tree and popping them into his mouth like sweets. The kids were fascinated how nimbly the trunk picked up the twisted pea-sized pods. Henry told them about the importance of the tree for goat fodder in grazing areas.

Suddenly there was some louder crashing and the ground shook a little as four adult elephants emerged from the trees. They watched as the trunks tested the dry, sparse grass for fodder, but it didn’t seem to be to their liking. The kids grew tense as the elephants crowded closer. They could smell them even though the windows were closed. They found themselves parked right in the middle of the group! Henry insisted on silence and they began to sweat, but not only from the heat. The matriarch, well Henry supposed it was the matriarch, decided to pick on one tree just a few metres in front of them. It was a medium-sized broadleaf tree that Henry didn’t recognise. She pushed the tree with bridge of her trunk, but the tree wasn’t giving up easily. The old cow raised dust with her feet and her pushing was steady, they could hear her heavy breathing! Eventually the tree succumbed. The others crowded to feed on the leaves and twigs. Had they dared to wind the window down, they could have reached out to touch one of them on the bum. It was breath-taking!

There was hushed levity when the smallest elephant, the one nearest them, raised its tail and loudly let off enough methane to power the Landrover home! With the huge animals distracted, munching on the tree, Henry risked starting the vehicle and slowly backing off.

Elephants and lions were the topic of conversation all the way home even down to details about the hairs on the tail of the farter.