Mbarangati:

Our first stop was at a Maasai Boma located in Mbarangati. On Sunday morning, the Maasai were kind enough to invite us to a church service, which involved beautiful singing and dancing. It was very colorful, and during the middle of the service we were given a chance to perform our own song. It was a unique opportunity to share our faith and community with each other.

Along with this we were invited into the boma to witness the livestock being herded back into the village. We milked some goats and also got to hold some newborns too! Most importantly we were able to chat with the elders of the boma, and learned a lot about the current Maasai lifestyle. We ended up camping for two nights under a very starry sky, which proved to be an amazing sight. Next up we are headed to the Tarangire national park!

Joel

Tarangire National Park:

After quite a long drive from Mbarangati we ended up at Tarangire National Park. Throughout the 2 days we were there we went on several game drives, all of which were incredible. One of the highlights for me personally was seeing many giraffes. But, as I'm sure everyone who was there would also say, the true highlight was seeing a herd of elephants. We got to drive right up to them in our Land Cruisers and it was an all around amazing experience. They didn't seem to mind our presence with the exception of a single baby who stomped up to our car, got scared, and ran back to its mother while trumpeting.

On one of the days we also went to some presentations given by park staff about conservation efforts. They were given from a new perspective of the Tanzanian government which we hadn’t previously experienced. One of the presenters discussed the Maasai and the issues we have been studying around how the parks operate and sometimes conflict with Maasai communities. The presentations led to several interesting and meaningful group discussions, so they were very worthwhile to attend.

Jack

Soit Sambu:

After a night at the Maasai Giraffe camp, we survived a long muddy and bumpy ride and made it to our guide Killing’ot’s boma. He gave us an introduction to the Maasai culture and showed us how they make fire in the bush. Later that night we were graciously invited into the boma to meet Killing’ot’s family and see inside the Maasai way of life. This included an opportunity to actually see the inside of their homes, made of acacia wood and a cow-dung/mud mixture. Overnight there was heavy rainfall and we had to leave the boma a day early to ensure we made it to Ngorongoro. Before we left, we had the unique opportunity to hike to the large rock formation called soit sombu where the Maasai practice orpul, a tradional healing practice. It was a beautiful place, and we were very thankful Killing’ot invited us into his home and culture.

Hannah and Miquela

Ngorogoro crater:

On Saturday evening, we arrived at Ngorogoro Crater after a few days of tenuous travel. The frequent rains had made many roads very difficult to pass, so we had received much of the “African Massage” that the drivers spoke of. Needless to say, we were very excited to successfully reach the final destination of our 10 day excursion. We were greeted by very pesky monkeys that actively tried to break into our vehicles for food as we stopped at the gate for our passes. Nathan, one of the drivers, helped shoo them away while we got a bathroom break and a chance to view a small exhibit about Ngorogoro. As we entered the conservation area, we had magnificent views of the crater. We were driving on the sides of it, gaining significant elevation compared to the locations we had visited previously. The height was noticeable in the low temperatures, which was a nice break from the intense heat of previous days. After a quick photo op at a lookout, we arrived to our campsite, which was situated on the top edge of the crater.

Before bed, we heard two great presentations from our classmates about the history of tourism in Tanzania and “The Big Five” (five of the most notable and sought after animals in east Africa). As we prepared to go to sleep for our early morning, we were warned of potential visitors from Cape Buffalo, who are known to roam through the campsite at night. While some of us slept through it, others will definitely remember the sounds of these buffalo snorting and eating right outside our tents.

In the morning, we had breakfast at 5:30 am in order to get an early start for our game drive. While we were a little sleepy, we were all excited for another chance to see amazing wildlife. As the sun peeked over the mountains, we made our way down to the base of the crater. All morning, we were graced by stunning animals enjoying the early parts of the day. Throughout our drive, we likely saw thousands of zebras. We also saw large groups of wildebeests, gazelles, and buffalo. In addition, we got another chance to see elephants. Most notably, we had the chance to see two members of the big five that we hadn’t seen before: a lion and a rhino. For many of us, this was our favorite part of the morning. Other animals we had a chance to see were hippos, hyenas, flamingos, jackals, and a wide variety of birds. It was a great morning of fellowship and animal watching as we enjoyed the cool temperatures and beautiful scenery.

After we left, we made a brief stop at a tourist Boma (the traditional living environment of the Maasai). It was a unique experience for us after spending time in authentic bomas, but it was a chance to see what others might witness if they were trying to get a brief glimpse of local culture after a trip to the crater. Needless to say, I think all of us are excited that we get another chance to visit a boma next week when we travel to the home of Musa, one of our guides.

Isaac

Today, we are enjoying a relaxing free day. Most of us spent the morning journaling and there is a sand volleyball tournament planned for the afternoon! Tomorrow morning we will head out to the boma of Eluwai for 4 nights and will update you of our experiences when we return.

Baadaye,
April