By Anna Kevin and Emilia Sten
We had chosen a three-day volunteer safari that included a visit to the Masai village, N’gorongoro crater, and Lake Manyara. On Friday, five excited people climbed into the 4×4-driven Land Rover. We were heading west through Arusha, aiming for our first stop, the Masai village.
When we arrived, they were already expecting us. The Masai children took our hands and led us into the mystery of their world. Our driver/guide told us how to greet the Masai chief, so we approached him with great interest. He is a mighty man, with 30 wives and 124 children. He was sitting by his cattle, watching over the whole village. The tour took us around the town and even into their houses. We heard the story of the evil tree and why the Masai are missing a front tooth. We felt free to ask anything. Art in Tanzania is using the safari income to support education in Masai land, and volunteers have assisted in building up a nursery and primary school in the village.
We then spent the night in the Karatu volunteer house. On the second day, meeting the animals in N’gorongoro was time. The ride was bumpy, but the view of the huge crater was terrific. The drive was exciting because you never knew which animals you would meet. Our driver/guide did his best to find all the hiding animals, and he could spot them from a long distance. It was incredible to see the lions sunbathing next to the zebras and gnus. We even got a look at the rare black rhinos.
The third day was also filled with game-watching. This day’s terrain was different because we were heading to Lake Manyara and the jungle. It almost felt like we were in the movie Planet of the Apes since baboons and monkeys were everywhere. Here, we could also see the giraffes, which are not living in the crater.
We visited the optional snake park on our way back to Moshi, Kilimanjaro. Snakes are very hard to spot in nature, and we wanted to be face-to-face with the Black Mamba. We also had the chance to try our courage by holding a snake and a baby crocodile. Back in Moshi, we washed away all the dust from the safari, but the memories will stay forever.
(Originally published on May 15, 2014)
