An amazing experience of safari in the northern part of Tanzania
I had the opportunity to have a tour of the northern parks of Tanzania with Expect in Africa Safari and my experience with the company has been amazing. Lawrence, the manager helped me to arrange the flight from Italy to Tanzania and proved to be helpful, kind and really trustworthy. During my stay in the Country I had the opportunity to visit the Tarangire National Park, the Lake Eyasi, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Serengeti National Park and the Lake Natron. The guide, Raymond, picked me at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and brought me to the accomodation in the nearby city of Arusha, a green and vibrant city in the northern part of the Country, where I spent the first night before starting my tour from Tarangire the day after. Raymond, a really ice guy, fulfilled all of my requests and answered my questions about wildlife and culture of Tanzania. In the Tarangire National Park, famous for the beautiful baobab trees, I saw a lot of elephants and pytons lying on the branches of the trees and I have been extremely lucky to see some lions resting under the shadow of an acacia. I spent the night in the nearby Osupuko Lodge, a really nice lodge just out of the main gate, overlooking on the river which crosses the park. There I could admire a magnificent sunset, definitely the most suggestive I had attended in my life. My trip continued up the Lake Eyasi, about 100 kilometers north the day after. There I could get in touch with the local people, the Hadza, an ethnic group of hunters and gathers who still conduct a traditional way of life. Not far I spent the next full day at the Ngorongor Conservation Area and I had a safari in one of the most beautiful and incredible ecosystems of the world. It si basically a caldera which have been created by the collapse of an ancient volcano and there it is possible to admire lions, zebras, hyppos, rhinos, serval cats, antilopes, impala and several different species of birds. After have passed the night in the nearby Rhino Lodge, on the slopes of the Ngorongoro, Raymond and I headed the great plane of Serengeti, definitely the best place for a safari tour. It spans for 30000 km2 and there I saw lions killing and eating a zebra, leopards sleeping on the trees, I could admire the majestic beauty and class of the cheetahs and tens of giraffes, elephants, hyppos and other animals. Overall I spent 3 days in the Serengeti and I accomodate in the Osupuko tented camp, completely in the wild where I could here elephants moving during and crying hyenas during the night. I spent the last two days of my stay in Tanzania at the Lake Natron, a salted lake bordering Kenya which lays at the foot of the Oldoinyo Lengai, an active volcano which is extemely important for the Masaai who populate the area. They believe that God lives on the top of the volcano and when it erupts, means that God is angry, hence the Masaai are supposed to sacrifice a goat in his name. The colorful dress, the pride of this population and their will to preserve their traditional way of life really impressed me and I really appreciate the effort they are doing in order to defend their uses and customs. Once back to Arusha I had also the chance to have a walk in the local market, smelling the spicy air and being enchanted by the colourful fruits and veggies on the stands, with the opportunity to interact with the friendly sellers.
My experience in Tanzania with Expect in Africa Safari has been amazing. I had the opportunity to discover a new country and thank to the professionalism and passion of Raymond and Lawrence I could appreciate a different culture. I strongly reccomend Expect in Africa Safari and I am confident that future travellers will enjoy Tanzania as I did.
Alberto