For The Love of Travel

August 31, 2017
by Lids
Comments Off on Out of Africa, 13/6/17, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi

Out of Africa, 13/6/17, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi

On my last day, visited the Trust’s elephant herds in Tsavo National Park. Born of one family’s passion for Kenya and its wilderness, today its one of the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation programs in the world and a pioneering conservation organisation for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa.

When a tiny new-born elephant is orphaned, its often because its mother and family have been killed to serve the brutal ivory trade. A calf’s existence depends upon its mother’s milk for the first 2 years.

Founded in 1977 by Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her husband, famous naturalist, David. It took her nearly 3 decades to perfect the milk formula and complex husbandry necessary to rear an orphaned infant.

August 31, 2017
by Lids
Comments Off on Out of Africa, 12/6/17, Tarangire National Park

Out of Africa, 12/6/17, Tarangire National Park

The sixth largest park in Tanzania. The name of the park originates from the river that crosses it, being the primary source of fresh water in the ecosystem during the annual dry season (long distance migration of wildebeest and zebras).

The landscape is composed of granite ridges, river valley and swamps. And famous for the number of baobab trees and elephants.

We saw a beautiful sunset after a long day’s safari, (and a faint rainbow that followed a brief downpour).

A silver backed hyena surprised us as it hurried across the grasses.

Mariana and I stopped off at a women’s collective, displaying beautifully beaded works in their rather humble tin gallery – and were prepared to pose for a photo so long as one of us dressed up in their garb. Good on you Mariana! :). And we saw some young Maasai men herding their animals as one of our last memorable vistas of that area.

August 31, 2017
by Lids
Comments Off on Out of Africa, 10/6 -11/6/17, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and crater

Out of Africa, 10/6 -11/6/17, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and crater

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected area and World Heritage site, with a crater that’s the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, with a 2,000 foot descent to the crater floor. Home to about 25,000 animals.

A beautiful lookout gives you an idea of the vastness of the crater, but our accommodation on Lemala Hill gave us spectacular views. We left early in the morning and it took us 10 mins to get to the crater floor, well ahead of other tour operators – we had the place to ourselves for a whole 30 mins before there were another 100 vehicles touring around.

A local vet was chasing (with a view to tranquillising) the rare, and only black rhino in the area, as it was limping badly. Local lions were seeking the shade of tourist vehicles until they had to be made to ‘move on’ (drops of water on their backs from water bottles held by tourists). Zebras canoodling. Male lion listening out for calls from his harem some 300 metres away. Pink legged ostriches making like ballet dancers…and a very rarely spotted black winged bishop (because they flit so quickly) , but I did and took a pic! Haha!