Tanzania IX.

12-29-14 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK, TANZANIA: Our last day started with the usual breakfast then a game drive. We saw about thirty vultures clustered around a wildebeest, or the skeleton of a wildebeest, but they were squabbling among themselves and eating while many others looked on from treetops.

The leopard that we saw yesterday was up a different tree this morning, drawing the usual crush of 4x4’s filled with camera toters like me. After some gazelles and giraffes, we found another leopard in a tree, a female that we had seen elsewhere a few days ago. Before heading back for lunch we happened upon a pride of sixteen lions.

After lunch, we got packed up and checked out and set off for Ndutu Airport, the dirt strip with a windsock and wildebeests on the runway. On the way we did a mini-game drive and saw gazelles, lions, vultures, black-backed jackals, giraffes, elephants, vervet monkeys and a crested eagle. A pretty good hurry-up trip to the planes.

The two small single engine planes from Tanganyika Flying Company each took seven of us to Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha for our KLM flight to Amsterdam.

Below are Judy's favorite pix....


Male lion, about three years old.

Common Fiscal.

Zebra mom and foal.

Vervet Monkey.

Hippo.

Maasai fire maker.

Game drive 4x4 at Lake Manyara.

Red-and-Yellow Barbet.

Black Bishop.

Giraffe.

Elephant.

Klipspringer.

Zazu played by Von Der Decken's Hornbill, female.

Cheetah.

Leopard.

Picture picker.