First a word of clarification about who is where.  When we left for Kili the plan was for Dan and Robin to join Dawn and Ross on Safari.  Dan was apparently not willing to give up on Kili.  After a bit of work he was able to find a pair of boots that would work for him.  Jackson, the head of “Bush 2 City Adventures” apparently has the same unique size foot as Dan so he loaned Dan his own boots.  So Dan set out on his own  Kili assault a couple of days behind us.  Well not quite alone – Dan, a guide, a cook, and 5 porters.  He is doing the seven day version of the route that we did.  We all wish him the best.  So Robin, who has been hanging around Arusha waiting for us to come down for the mountain, will join us on Safari.  Denise has bid us adieu as she has been met by her partner Ron and the two of them will be headed south for another 3 weeks or so.

So after the usual preparations 8 of us (John, Paddy, Carole, Robin, Judy, Lucas, Valerie & Max) set off on Safari in two land cruisers, 2 drivers, 2 cooks and what seems like a very large amount of gear.  Our goal for today is to see the Manyara National park.  But first we dump all our gear and cooks at our camp site.  It is really a bit too upscale to call a camp; more of a resort.  But no one complained after the rigours of camping on Kili.  No sooner than we arrived than we ran into Dawn and Ross, who were on the last day of their 5-day safari.  They seem to have really enjoyed their safari but were looking forward to flying home later today.

After Lunch we did our game drive through the Manyara National Park.  I’m not sure I can even name all the animals that we saw; but I’ll try.  Elephants,  giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, impalas, wildebeests, baboons, blue monkeys, satin monkeys, jackals and numerous exotic birds.   Below are some of my favourite photos for the day.