A First Taste Of Tanzania...

June, 2015

Tanzania

It was a long day of driving as we left Kenya and headed for Tanzania. The border crossing took some time, although the lines weren't too long and all went smoothly. The Masai women, who make lovely beaded necklaces and bracelets, many of them using the money earned for their children and to better themselves, were out in numbers with their handmade jewelry...and yes, it was a perfect time to purchase baubles and bangles. (Just an appetizer before we arrived a bit later at the Tanzanite shop where a guard ushered us in.)

Our first city, once in northern Tanzania, was Arusha, a fast-growing hub situated at the foot of Mount Meru, Africa's fifth highest mountain; for tourists, it's more an entry point for beginning safari adventures, being close to the national parks. The city is multicultural with a population of indigenous Bantu, Arab-Tanzanian, Indian-Tanzanian, plus a small European and American community. Since 1994, Arusha has hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and passing by the building where the hearings have been held was sobering.

On the way...

Lake Manyara National Park

Along the base of the Rift Valley escarpment, the park, with its jungle-like forest, grassy floodplain, alkaline lake, and jagged blue volcanic peaks, was a grand welcome to our safari adventure in Tanzania.