What was the location of the oldest tree that you've ever seen?
Because of its age and size, the African Baobab tree found near the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls is thought to be one of the most hearty "upside down trees" in all of the world. According to legend, the tree's nickname dates all of the way back to the earth's creation. The hyena was the last animal in line to receive a tree to plant. Angry that it was the baobab tree that he received, he planted it upside down!
#WordyExplorers #africa #zimbabwe #zambia #ZambeziRiver #VictoriaFalls #VicFalls #baobab #BaobabTree #AfricanBaobab #AfricanBaobabTree #UpsideDownTree #AfricanSafari #safari #nature #ExploreTheWorld #travel #TravelBlog #TravelBlogger
What is your favorite waterfall?
We have now seen three of the four waterfalls around the world that make most lists of the "biggest waterfalls". A two-hour walking tour led by a Wild Horizons guide took us through parts of the Victoria Falls National Park rainforest. We did more pausing and staring in awe at the falls than actually walking. Even though we weren't visiting when the falls were at their fullest, we definitely made use of the raincoats that we were provided!
Do you have a favorite waterfall?
#WordyExplorers #africa #zimbabwe #zambia #VictoriaFalls #VicFalls #VictoriaFallsNationalPark #ZambeziRiver #DevilsCataract #RainbowFalls #HorseshoeFalls #safari #waterfall #waterfalls #WildHorizons #WalkingTour #GetWet
Take a peek at what is often referred to as the largest waterfall in the world!
(Make sure you are following us - We'll gather some more from our tour of Victoria Falls to post soon.)
#WordyExplorers #africa #zimbabwe #VisitZimbabwe #zambia #VictoriaFalls #VicFalls #TheSmokeThatThunders #ZambeziRiver #zambezi #waterfall #waterfalls #livingstone #travel #safari #ExploreAfrica #ExploreTheWorld
How much in advance do you typically make dining reservations when you travel?
We missed out on a meal in the first city on our African adventure because we didn't make reservations far enough in advance. I was not going to let that happen again, so I sent in a request more than a week in advance ... and so glad that I did.
Dusty Road Township Experience is a "must visit" for anyone planning a stay in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It's the perfect opportunity to try local cuisine cooked by locals ... and if you're lucky, you may even get to meet Sarah Lilford, the woman behind the restaurant.
Do you usually make dining reservations when you travel or do you prefer to just wing it?
#WordyExplorers #africa #zimbabwe #VictoriaFalls #VicFalls #VictoriaFallsZimbabwe #VicFallsZimbabwe #chinotimba #DustyRoad #DustyRoadRestaurant #VictoriaFallsRestaurant #TravelBlog #TravelBlogger #FoodLover #homemade #yum #EatLocal #DineLocal #LocalCuisine #foodie #foodies
Way back in 2019 when we were planning our African adventure, we decided to make the most of our air travel by adding time in Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park after our Tanzanian Safari. Flights to Vic Falls were limited - our best option was actually flying from Nairobi (Kenya). It just seemed easier to stick with our original flight plan when replanning our 2023 trip - we'll never know if there was a better option!
After our final game drive with Maasai Wanderings, our awesome guide Baraka drove us to the Namanga Border. It was there where we said our goodbyes (and took advantage of a few photo opportunities) after a wonderful 8 days together on safari.
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #kenya #NamangaBorderCrossing #NamangaBorder #namanga #safari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #travel #ExploreTheWorld #ExploreAfrica #BucketList #BucketListTravel #customs #immigration
In addition to the herds of elephants for which Tarangire National Park is most famous, we captured some decent photos of monkeys, impalas (see the sequence of a "play fight"), red-and-yellow barbets, zebras, wildebeests, jackals, ostriches, lions, baboons, giraffes and eland.
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #manyara #arusha #TarangireNationalPark #TarangireNP #tarangire #safari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #monkey #impala #barbet #RedAndYellowBarbet #zebra #wildebeest #jackal #ostrich #lion #baboon #giraffe #eland
Best known for its resident elephants, we loved watching the families during our final morning game drive with Maasai Wanderings in Tanzania.
Fun elephant facts: At birth, a baby elephant (called a calf) weighs approximately 200 - 250 pounds and "stands" three feet tall. Well, it may be 20 minutes or so before they actually stand, but most are starting to walk within about an hour of their birth!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #manyara #TarangireNationalPark #TarangireNP #tarangire #safari #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #GameDrive #elephant #elephants #MaasaiWanderings #OptOutside #GoExplore #ExploreTheWorld
The last of our tented camp stays while on safari with Maasai Wanderings in Tanzania was another short one - just one night at Tarangire Ndovu Tented Lodge. Before leaving home two weeks earlier, I never dreamt that I'd wish we had more nights in tented camps. The staffs were all amazing, the accommodations were extremely spacious, we slept comfortably, had tasty meals - and even had electricity and international data service!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #manyara #TarangireNationalPark #TarangireNP #tarangire #TentedCamp #TarangireNdovuTentedLodge #safari #SafariLodging #MaasaiWanderings
Hook 'em Horns!
What's your favorite college team? You can guess ours, and with the team's last regular season football game scheduled for today, it just seemed appropriate to post this termite mound that we dubbed "Hook'em Horns" during our African safari with Maasai Wanderings.
Do you see the resemblance to the "hook'em horns" hand sign (or do you see something else)?
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #manyara #TarangireNationalPark #tarangire #TarangireNP #termite #termites #TermiteMound #HookEmHorns #TexasLonghorns #TXLonghorns #longhorns #LonghornFootball #safari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings
Where was your favorite sunset photo taken?
Our last sunset in Tanzania was in Tarangire National Park. Baraka, our Maasai Wanderings safari guide, found a perfect baobab tree for shooting some sunset photos.
We still had one more morning game drive in Tanzania before jetting off to Zimbabwe, the next stop on our four country African adventure. Now is a perfect time to make sure that you are following us so you don't miss out!
#WordyExplorers #tanzania #arusha #manyara #TarangireNationalPark #TarangireNP #tarangire #safari #GameDrive #sunset #BaobabTree #baobab #baobabs #MakeBaobabFamous #MaasaiWanderings
Although it's not as highly recognized as the Serengeti, Tarangire National Park is a great choice for one or more days on safari in Tanzania. During our last afternoon in Tanzania, we spotted elands, zebras, buffalo, ostriches, warthogs, wildebeest, elephants, leopards, baboons, black fisted vervet monkeys and giraffes. Be sure to check out the cool Baobab tree - one of many inside the park.
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #manyara #arusha #TarangireNationalPark #TarangireNP #TarangireRiver #safari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #eland #zebra #buffalo #ostrich #warthog #wildebeest #elephant #leopard #baboon #VervetMonkey #giraffe
Have you ever heard of "Lucy", the oldest known ancestor to the human race? Her remains were found in 1974 inside an area known as the Rift Valley in Ethiopia. Similar fossils were discovered elsewhere in east Africa's Greater Rift Valley in the countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. The Olduvai Gorge, which we visited on our last full day in Tanzania, is just one example of a location where skeletal remains were discovered.
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #RiftValley #GreaterRiftValley #serengeti #NgorongoroConservationArea #NgorongoroGorge #OlduvaiGorge #OldupaiGorge #CradleOfMankind #fossils #paleoanthropology #archaeology #history #evolution
Much like our first day on safari, our last day in Serengeti National Park with Maasai Wanderings was filled with giraffes!
Fun giraffe facts: Giraffes spend almost all of their life (both waking and sleeping hours) standing on all fours. These gentle giants take multiple naps each and every day - most naps are only one or two minutes long. Their total sleep often amounts to only five minutes each day - the least amount of sleep of all animals. Even while napping or sleeping, giraffes keep one eye open!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #TanzaniaUnforgettable #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #safari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #giraffe #giraffes #GentleGiant #GentleGiants #OneEyeOpen #sleep #sleeping
What are your favorite birds?
To be honest, neither of us have been very into birds or birding. As the days passed during our safari in Tanzania, the number of photos that we took of birds began to increase. We started to realize that there were some pretty cool birds in the Serengeti. Check out these interesting (and in some cases very beautiful) birds that we spotted in the national park - buzzards, superb starlings, Egyptian geese, storks, vultures, marabou, Marshall eagles, lilac breasted laurels, yellow billed storks, flamingos, ostriches, Ruppell's griffon vultures, long tailed starlings and secretary birds.
Do you have a favorite bird?
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #mara #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #bird #BirdWatching #birding #safari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #buzzard #SuperbStarling #EgyptianGoose #stork #vulture #marabou #MarshallEagle #LilacBreastedLaurel #YellowBilledStork #flamingo #Ostrich #RuppellsGriffonVulture #LongTailedStarling #SecretaryBird
We spent the morning of our last full day on safari with Maasai Wanderings in the central Serengeti. With more kopjes (rocks), the landscape in some areas was quite different from what we had seen during our previous days in the national park. Different landscape equaled a new to us animal species - the rock hyrax.
Fun facts: Although these mammals are quite small, it's manatees and elephants that are the most closely related to the rock hyrax. The tiny feet on the rock hyrax are said to be able to travel at speeds of 18 miles an hour!
#WordyExplorers #tanzania #arusha #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #GameDrive #kopje #RockHyrax #mammal #wildlife #MaasaiWanderings #OptOutside
Our first three nights on safari in Tanzania were spent in lodges. We wrapped up our safari adventure with Maasai Wanderings with a total of four nights split among three tented camps. Although we had just one night at Nasikia Naona Moru Camp, it was another positive experience. I can't believe how much we enjoyed our stays in the tented camps!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #njiro #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #SafariLife #SafariFun #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #NasikiaNaonaMoruCamp #nasikia #NasikiaCamps #VisitTanzania #ExploreTanzania #TanzaniaUnforgettable #camping #glamping
Our game drive in the Central Serengeti brought us closer to lions and leopards than we had been on our first four days on safari. Whether they are lying down, hiding, camouflaged in a tree or strolling by, there's something exciting about seeing the "cats" in their natural habitat!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #mara #safari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #cats #BigCats #wildlife #nature #lions #lion #leopards #leopard #OptOutside #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari
Our last full day game drive in the Serengeti National Park was in the central region of the park. A sample of the wildlife that we encountered included impalas, hippos (both in and out of water in the daylight hours), crocodiles, elephants, dik diks, baboons, spider monkeys (lunching with the humans on safari), hartebeests, gazelles, giraffes, red bucks and a black-backed jackal.
#WordyExplorers #tanzania #arusha #mara #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #CentralSerengeti #safari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #impala #hippo #crocodile #elephant #DikDik #baboon #SpiderMonkey #hartebeest #gazelle #giraffe #RedBuck #BlackBackedJackal
We were serenaded with the song "Jambo Bwana" several times during our nearly 2 weeks in Tanzania, but this was our favorite performance. The crew at Kirurumu Under Canvas, along with our safari guide Baraka Ng'wavi (Maasai Wanderings) sang to us on our final morning at the tented camp just before our departure.
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #serengeti #mara #arusha #safari #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #glamping #kirurumu #KirurumuUnderCanvas #KirurumuSerengeti #SerengetiNdutu #JamboBwana #TentedCamp #MaasaiWanderings
Orange, gold, yellow and tan - oh what a beautiful sunset you made over our second evening in the Serengeti! One more evening in this national park before making our way to Tarangire National Park, the last of the parks that we visited in Tanzania. (But, with three more countries on our itinerary, there's still so much more to share from our time in Africa! Now is a great time to make sure that you are following us!)
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #mara #arusha #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #sunset #sun #savanna #plains #acacia #AcaciaTree #nature
Have you ever tried a mud bath?
So much fun watching this elephant bathing in the mud on a hot afternoon in the Serengeti!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #GameDrive #elephant #MudBath #ElephantBath #BathTime #ItsBathTime #OptOutdoors
Shortly after spending the better part of our morning watching the "Great Migration" of wildebeest in awe, we had another amazing (and huge) lunch. In addition to the afternoon time that we spent watching the many elephants, we caught some shots of crocodiles, hippos, wildebeest (check out the two having some fun), impalas, topi, warthogs, spotted hyenas, eland, waterbucks, bushbucks, zebras, lions, babboons and giraffes during our afternoon game drive. Another great day on safari!
Make sure to check back tomorrow for another fun "elephant reel"!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #mara #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings #wildlife #crocodile #hippopotamus #hippo #wildebeest #impala #topi #warthog #SpottedHyena #eland #waterbuck #bushbuck #zebra #lion #babboon #giraffe
Seeing an elephant in a zoo is a totally different experience than seeing one in the wild - especially when there's not a lot of distance between you and it. Just imagine the feeling of having a "beast" weighing as many as (or more than) 15,000 pounds approaching you!
If you're not already following us, now is a great time to start. We'll be sharing more from the remaining days of our safari in Tanzania plus our travels further south on the African continent!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #mara #arusha #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #GameDrive #BigFive #elephant #elephants #MaasaiWanderings #OptOutside #TripOfALifetime #wildlife
Check out this reel from the Great Wildebeest Migration - it's just a very short excerpt of nature at its finest. While avoiding predators like crocodiles, these amazing animals cross the Mara River in waves as they search for food and water.
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #mara #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #MaraRiver #wildebeest #GreatMigration #GreatWildebeestMigration #TheGreatMigration #WildebeestCrossing #WilbebeestMigration #safari #GameDrive #OptOutside #VisitTanzania #TanzaniaUnforgettable #MaasaiWanderings
During our first afternoon game drive in Serengeti National Park, we saw a lot of wildebeests ... or so we thought. It was during our second day in the Serengeti that we were actually hoping to see the great wildebeest migration. That's when we quickly learned that we really hadn't seen many wildebeest the day prior!
#WordyExplorers #tanzania #mara #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #MaraRiver #MaasaiMara #TheGreatMigration #GreatMigration #WildebeestMigration #wildebeest #safari #OnSafari #GameDrive #MaasaiWanderings
Have you ever stayed in a mobile camp?
We stayed in lodges during our first three nights while on safari in Tanzania. Next up was a mobile tented camp and, admittedly, we were a little nervous about what was in store for us. Our two nights at the Kirurumu Serengeti North Camp were awesome. We quickly learned that there was no reason for concern. The best part was the amazing staff!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #mara #kogatende #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #OnSafari #MobileCamp #TentedCamp #KirurumuUnderCanvas #KirurumuSerengetiNorthCamp #LuxuryMobileCamp #SeasonalCamp #MaasaiWanderings
While driving through the Serengeti, we came upon many herds of elephants just strolling together as a family!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #mara #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #AfricanSafari #SafariAfrica #TanzaniaSafari #GameDrive #elephant #elephants #ElephantFamily #ElephantParade
Our first of 3 1/2 days on safari in the Serengeti was a success. In addition to a variety of birds and cats (more photos in the next couple of days), we saw plenty of mammals. After sorting through hundreds of photos, here's a few that include a golden jackal, giraffe, lizard, hartebeest (standing atop a termite mound), elephants, hippopotamuses, Thompson & greater gazelles, water buffaloes (notice the yellow-billed oxpecker cleaning the ear of a buffalo) and more gazelles.
It's all in a day's game drive in Serengeti National Park!
Make sure you are following us so you don't miss out on more of the Serengeti ... plus four more countries in Africa!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #mara #arusha #Serengeti #SerengetiNP #SerengetiNationalPark #safari #GameDrive #jackal #giraffe #lizard #hartebeest #elephant #hippo #hippopotamus #gazelle #WaterBuffalo #MaasaiWanderings
Although they're not black cats, they are cats nonetheless ... and they come from our first game drive with Maasai Wanderings in Serengeti National Park. Check out these photos to see the elusive leopard high up in the tree (his "kill" was actually in a nearby tree), a cheetah under a roadside tree (said to be good luck to see) plus many lion cubs and lionesses. We waited to eat our lunch until after 3:00 as we didn't want to miss any of the big cats!
Happy Halloween!
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #mara #SerengetiNationalPark #SerengetiNP #serengeti #safari #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #GameDrive #cats #leopard #leopards #cheetah #cheetahs #lion #lions #lioness #LionCub #LionCubs #MaasaiWanderings
Have you ever thought about how much fun it would be to be a safari guide?
At first blush, it sounds like being a safari guide might be a fun (and not too difficult) job. After being on the road with our guide, Baraka (Maasai Wanderings), it's been very easy to realize that, while parts of the job may be fun, it's definitely not an easy job! The driving alone is more than many can handle!
Can you imagine escorting tourists while driving day after day after day on roads like this?
#WordyExplorers #africa #tanzania #arusha #mara #serengeti #SerengetiNP #SerengetiNationalPark #safari #AfricanSafari #TanzaniaSafari #SafariGuide #GameDrive #FreeMassageRoad #wildlife #MaasaiWanderings