havecarryonwilltravel

This is my last post on Africa. I want to tell you that if you have ever dreamed of, or have always been interested in, seeing all the animals we usually see in a zoo in their natural habitat, JUST GO ON SAFARI!

I have wanted to go to Africa for a very long time, perhaps since I was a child. Murray has wanted to go to Zanzibar since his stamp collecting days. We went and we could not have asked for a better experience. People use the phrase “a trip of a life time” and I actually dislike it, but in this case, it was a trip of a life time for me.

The safari in Tanzania was great. Assured animal sightings, excellent lodges, fabulous safari company and guide. Seeing our first animal – a giraffe – just inside the park gates of Tarangire National Park was just so thrilling. It is amazing that a single giraffe was able to illicit such a reaction!

If the safari in Tanzania was great, the one in Botswana was awesome. We saw so much “animal behavior” as we sat in the truck and just chilled with the animals. Our guide was amazing and was also so very interested in what we were witnessing.

The animals were fantastic. They were brilliantly colored, graceful in their movement, entertaining and informative. We have so many wonderful memories of elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, zebras, hippos, leopards and lions just doing what they do in the wild. If you have ever wanted to go to Africa to see these creatures, just go.

Go.

They are here at last. Our photos from Tanzania, Botswana and London are now posted under the Photos tab on the main menu bar. They are in three separate photosets. Take a look and enjoy a peek at Africa!

Our hearts melted every time we saw a baby animal. They are just so cute that it is hard to not like them. They are often gangly, full of energy and have a sense of wonder about them. Here are a few.

I wonder what they are thinking as they gaze our way. What do you think?

Warthog

Funny little fellows. They seem shy, scurrying away when the vehicle approaches. If the truth be told they are quite ugly. While running, their tails stick straight up in the air, just like the movie character Pumba. Apparently this tail thing is so that warthogs know where each other are, even in higher brush. Ever wonder where the idea of those fluorescent orange bike safety flags came from? Pumba!

There is a mother warthog and her children hanging around the hotel in Kasane, Botswana. The kids are playing and I am amazing at how fast they move.

Every time we see warthogs on the move they look like they are on a mission.  Don’t spend a great deal of time watching these guys but they do make us laugh every time we see them.

Warthog

Thompson Gazelle

We see so many different types of antelope that we have trouble keeping them straight. We see too many to include all in a post, so here is a sampling.

Thompson Gazelles are the only ones to participate in the great migration. They have a black stripe down their sides. Grant’s Gazelles (no stripe) were named after the fellow who liked to hunt them, Ulysses Grant, an ex President of the USA. Dik Dik are the smallest with a height of maybe 60 cm. Delicate and nervous, they seem to travel in 2’s. Thompson Gazelles, Grant’s Gazelles and Dik Diks are all grass eaters. Phew!

Dik Dik

Impala are colored much the same as a Grant’s but they have a distinctive set of black and white stripes on their rear end. Pat says their stripes form an “M” shape for “McDonalds”, which is where the cats and the wild dogs go to eat. Their horns spiral away from their head. Leaves rather than grass are their meal of choice.

Male Impala

Tsessebe are multi-coloured and have a sloping back profile. It is said to be the fastest of the antelope.  We only see them in ones, twos or threes.

Tsessebe

Waterbuck have a shaggy coat and a distinctive white ring around the rump. We find them near water only in small groups. How do they stay cool with that shagginess?

Waterbuck