Steppes In Africa; One Letter at a Time- C is for: Cozy Casita and Coffee on the Sunporch (5/31) D: Did I See Some Animals? Arusha National Park (6/2)

[pkondz]

It probably took me about 15 minutes, likely less, to doze off after nearly 38 hours of little to no sleep.

I'm surprised you weren't asleep before your head hit the pillow!

Nice view from your patio.

Against the ridiculous advice of my concierge,

Hmmm... foreshadowing?

I'll sleep when I'm 90.

How I feel too, when traveling.

(Fresh flowers in my room! And another water bottle. )

Can't have too many water bottles if the water isn't safe to drink, I think.

Really pretty. Although I presume the netting is really supposed to be more practical than pretty.

Every accommodation that I stayed at during this trip outfitted the beds with mosquito netting and was tied back during morning service and re-spread during the evening turndown service.

Were the skeeters really bad in the rooms?

Towels are not washed every day

So this seems to be a worldwide thing...

Of all of the places I stayed on this trip, this one was the most basic

Most basic??? This place looks wonderful!

Here are a few photos to show you the common areas of Katambuga House:

See??? Basic????

(A very common game I found at most of the places I stayed; but never learned what it is or how it is played.)

I've seen that played somewhere. A movie or TV show, I think. No clue how, though.

(Worn by many, many locals, especially the Masai; made from old tires.)

Recycling at its finest.

For a cool $20 I found an on-time driver to get me there at 7:45.

Reasonable enough... but probably far more than what a local would pay.

A wonderful buffet of fruits, local cheeses, granola, locally made yogurt, tomatoes and cucumber was available to help myself from

Yum!

One of Tanzania’s main export crops is coffee, and they stand at 14th in world production. Kenya, by comparison, is 17th.

Really! I would've thought Kenya was higher. Huh.

After taking enough food from the buffet to completely fill me up and more, the server came to the table asked how I’d like my eggs cooked. Ummm, what?

The tomato was left on my plate crying.

Poor little 'mato.

cash (for small “appreciation gifts” for the cops who might find me an easy target),

I'm somewhat familiar with like the Euphorbias. (There are several varieties at the The Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ.)

Are they native to AZ as well? Or just planted there at the museum. Like "Cacti of the world"...

(Not my taxi, but gazillions of these Land Cruisers all over Tanzania. For my Disney-loving Friends: Now you see why there is a one of these Safari-jeeps at the exit of Kilimanjaro Safaris! These are indeed one of the very most basic elements of a safari!!)

Cool!

And getting rid of their free bags model. Booooo!!!!!

Yeah... that'd go over really well... NOT.

Rainy mostly, and when not rainy, for sure cloudy.

Ah!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Breakfast looks delicious. I can see why you could have skipped the eggs. It was a good breakfast without eggs.

Were there a lot of insects in the open-air dining area? There is a reason there is mosquito netting around the beds.

 

[Steppesister]

I'm surprised you weren't asleep before your head hit the pillow!

I was too, but I guess the excitement of actually being there kept my thoughts racing?

Nice view from your patio.

I thought so. As an added bonus there were tons of new bird sounds I'd never heard before too.

Hmmm... foreshadowing?

Mebbe....

How I feel too, when traveling.

Too much to see and do and it's likely I'll never pass that way again.

Can't have too many water bottles if the water isn't safe to drink, I think.

Correct. These were the first of many.

Really pretty. Although I presume the netting is really supposed to be more practical than pretty.

It is pretty, but yes, practical too. However....

Were the skeeters really bad in the rooms?

I didn't notice them to be despite there being no screens on windows to my recollection. Maybe I was tucked inside my net cocoon before they came out in force although there were times I'd get chewed up sitting outside after dark, even in the jeeps.

So this seems to be a worldwide thing...

Yep.

Most basic??? This place looks wonderful!

OH!! Don't get me wrong!!! However..

See??? Basic????

... I didn't mean to imply it was basic, but rather IN COMPARISON alongside the several other places I stayed this was less fancy, less ornate, a bit less luxurious. Having said that, it was a nice mix of charm and hospitality. Each had its own character and was special in its own way.

I've seen that played somewhere. A movie or TV show, I think. No clue how, though.

I'd never seen it although I'm familiar with Mancala and this looks very similar albeit more complicated.

Recycling at its finest.

I thought it really neat! Perhaps not the most comfortable but a good way to use what's available.

Reasonable enough... but probably far more than what a local would pay.

Most assuredly!

Really! I would've thought Kenya was higher. Huh.

For sure! You always hear about world famous Kenyan coffee; who knew the buzz should be about Tanzanian coffee!!

Poor little 'mato.

Boo hoo.

Are they native to AZ as well? Or just planted there at the museum. Like "Cacti of the world"...

No definitely not. The Desert Museum has a fairly large section of non-native succulents and other cactus-looking plants from all over the world. The Euphorbia that they have there says Moroccan Euphorbia so it must be a Family native there with several sub-species. Not inclined to do a deeper dive on this one, but was fun to recognize it anyway. By the way, I'd HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend The Desert Museum and it's nearby cousin The Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson. Both are amazing if you're ever that way.

Yeah... that'd go over really well... NOT.

They suck.

Although I won't be so dogmatic that I'll not ever fly them- depends on price overall.

 

[Steppesister]

Breakfast looks delicious. I can see why you could have skipped the eggs. It was a good breakfast without eggs.

Were there a lot of insects in the open-air dining area? There is a reason there is mosquito netting around the beds.

For sure! No need to add the extras with all of that, especially the locally grown, delicious tropical fruits!!

No, none at all. The mosquitos only come out at dusk really and even in the rooms I never really noticed any except Zanzibar. Then again, I might have been all tucked in under it before I could notice them too.

 

[pkondz]

I was too, but I guess the excitement of actually being there kept my thoughts racing?

I get that.
You're in Africa!!!

I thought so. As an added bonus there were tons of new bird sounds I'd never heard before too.

I wonder if I'd even notice that.

Too much to see and do and it's likely I'll never pass that way again.

Exactly!

Correct. These were the first of many.

More water bottles??? Just how dangerous is the local water??

I didn't notice them to be despite there being no screens on windows to my recollection. Maybe I was tucked inside my net cocoon before they came out in force

You'd think you'd hear them droning just outside the curtains?

although there were times I'd get chewed up sitting outside after dark, even in the jeeps.

I'd be worried about malaria!

.. I didn't mean to imply it was basic, but rather IN COMPARISON alongside the several other places I stayed this was less fancy, less ornate, a bit less luxurious.

Ohh... But... Now I can't wait to see the other places!

I'd never seen it although I'm familiar with Mancala and this looks very similar albeit more complicated.

Never heard of Mancala.

For sure! You always hear about world famous Kenyan coffee; who knew the buzz should be about Tanzanian coffee!!

Right?

No definitely not. The Desert Museum has a fairly large section of non-native succulents and other cactus-looking plants from all over the world. The Euphorbia that they have there says Moroccan Euphorbia so it must be a Family native there with several sub-species. Not inclined to do a deeper dive on this one, but was fun to recognize it anyway.

Now I know.

By the way, I'd HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend The Desert Museum and it's nearby cousin The Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson. Both are amazing if you're ever that way.

I'll keep it in mind.

 

[zanzibar138]

I had decided to book a car for a self-drive day trip to Arusha National Park, just a short couple of hours north of Arusha.

Oh gosh, you're brave, particularly on your own! Interested to see how that turned out - I'll assume since you're now home writing this you didn't get carjacked or thrown in jail.

Early on in my trip planning I decided that rather than spend the day resting quietly at the guest house, I would dive right into my adventuring.

Absolutely.

The guest house itself was comfortable and adequate.

It all looks lovely!

A few minutes before my scheduled taxi pick up I headed back to the room to gather the things I’d need for my day trip- camera, maps, cash (for small “appreciation gifts” for the cops who might find me an easy target)

See above!

When I see fauna like this, I always think the setting should be a desert-type landscape.

Lots of people in Perth plant cacti/succulents, thinking that they will be easy to manage plants in Perth's dry-ish (but definitely NOT desert) climate. What they end up with is spiky, difficult to remove plants that completely take over! We have particular issues with prickly pears and yuccas. I wonder if the same thing happens in Africa?

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Breakfast looks both delicious and bountiful. I love how your room and the common areas are decorated and I'm looking forward to hearing more. Sounds like your hosts were very attentive and kind.

Oh gosh, you're brave, particularly on your own! Interested to see how that turned out - I'll assume since you're now home writing this you didn't get carjacked or thrown in jail.

I'm with @zanzibar138 - you are so much more adventurous than me but I'm so glad you are as I love following along and enjoy both the photos and the stories behind them so thank-you

 

[disneyAndi14]

Amazing first morning pictures. The accommodations look lovely. I’m excited to see and hear more! We could use mosquito nets here in Minnesota,
It looks like the concierge service you are working with is making the first day a good one!
Is it the same service the whole trip?

 

[irene_dsc]

Looks very promising so far! Your "basic" accommodations are way fancier than some of the places I remember you posting about in some of your other trip reports! I'm looking forward to hearing more!

 

[Steppesister]

D is for: Did I See Some Animals? Arusha National Park
May 5, 2025
​

My rental car pick-up had been scheduled for 8:00 and I was at the Arusha Airport right on time. But I must back up a bit and begin this story a few days prior. The day before I departed from the States, I got a What’sApp message from the rental car company confirming the rental. I assured them that, yes, I was definitely coming, and my plans had not changed. They, at one point, asked me exactly where I was planning to go and imagine my shock when they told me that the car I had reserved was not allowed to be taken to the national park and that there’d be a $1,000 fine if I did. Fortunately, the agent (who actually ended up being the owner) had another, more appropriate, car available, and for only another $71 I now had a much better option secured. Phew!! Huge potential crisis averted. Honestly, I’m SO glad they contacted me and I do wonder if I am not the only one who has made this booking mistake in the past…

The rental car showed up at the airport by about 8:20 due to the driver getting stuck in traffic and by 8:30 I was on my way to the park. I was very careful to take a good video of the car prior to driving away on the lefthand side of the road!!

​

Google was working like magic, thanks to my international phone/data plan (T-mobile FTW!), and guided me fairly smoothly to the park. There were a couple of times the directions seemed a bit sketch, but all-in-all, it was a pretty nice drive even if it was raining the entire time. I honestly thought to myself, "whelp, sadly, this trek may be a huge bust", and I started to get a bit sad about booking during rainy season and wondering if this was how it was going to be the entire trip. Would it rain all day? Would I see anything at all…?

​

At the park entrance, the road took a definite turn for the worse. Paved-with-potholes turned into dirt with washboard, holes, rocks, and small lakes to traverse. You have no idea how happy I was to have a bona fide SUV with clearance rather than the car I’d originally booked!

​

The Arusha Park gate is where you pay your entrance fee and get your permit paper. It was still drizzling at this point, so for the time being I passed on paying for the walking safari I had planned to do. I was told I could pay for that when I got to the Momella Gate if I decided to do it once I got there. The entrance fee is around $45/pp during low season (this was) and if I’m not mistaken there was some random fee added on top of this. But I thought what was paid was reasonable to pay for upkeep, anti-poaching efforts, rangers, etc…

The park entrance area has a modest display of informational signs about the park’s features, animals, geologic history, etc… and best of all BATHROOMS. Some but not all were squatties. African bathrooms are all about choices. You can go with TP or the ever-present squirty method. Whatever floats your boat.

​

Back on the road, with the weather now cooperating (HUZZAH!), it was time to play hide and seek with the animals!

Here is a list of what one might find in Arusha National Park: Giraffe, warthog, Cape Buffalo, Black and White Colobus monkey, zebra, Waterbuck, hundreds of species of birds, Vervet monkey, and loads of others… Let’s see how I did!

(This is the terrain that the animals in this park can hide in.)​

Only a couple of kilometers into the park, I came across a wide, open meadow where loads of animals were lazily grazing on the bright, green grass. Dozens of Cape Buffalo and Zebra were co-mingling, while the ever-present Red-billed Oxpecker and a flock of Great Egret kept them company.

​

The next animal I came across was one of the rarer and more elusive critters in the park! A Red Duiker! This small species of antelope was quite possibly the coolest find I’d get this day! So darned CUTE!!!

​

The red duiker (specifically, Harvey's duiker) is a species of duiker that can be found in Arusha National Park in Tanzania. They are a small antelope, roughly 40 cm tall at the shoulder and weighing around 15 kg, with a chestnut coat, black legs, and face. Red duikers are typically diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, and they are known for their loud, distinctive calls. Habitat: They inhabit a variety of areas within Arusha National Park, including lowland and montane forests, and scrublands.

This little guy was definitely quite shy and trotted off into the bush seconds after I stopped for a photo. Sadly, I came away with very few really nice, or even relatively nice, photos from the day. If anything, this trip has cemented my resolve to finally get a new camera and lens after 13 years with the same trusty Canon T3i. My 70-400, 4.5 lens has served me well, but this trip really required something faster and maybe longer. Having said that, it’s the memories and experience that matters far more than the photos, and I’m incredibly blessed and grateful to have had the means to have gotten to immerse myself in this magical space at all.

A couple of kilometers further on, I spotted a small troupe of Blue Monkeys. They sat pretty still for me, and I was happy with a couple of the shots that turned out. Eventually, we got tired of staring at each other, and we each went our separate ways.

​

This is about the time that Hide and Seek got a little harder. But I was not to be deterred! Driving very cautiously (the road necessitated it!), gave me time to spot some very well-hidden animals- even one as big as a giraffe! As huge as this one was, it was extremely well camouflaged in the thick overgrowth of woodland. I’m sure this one had friends further away from the road, but I was happy for this spotting and, while my photos aren’t amazing by any means, the absolute pure excitement of seeing my very first giraffe was almost overwhelming.

​

It is a mere 12 km from the Arusha Gate to Momella Gate, and I was almost there after seeing the magnificent giraffe, but my animal sightings were not quite finished. Almost to my next stop, a huge troupe of baboons decided to cross the road, some trotting, others stopping to groom their neighbors; babies hitched rides on their mommas and then scrambled to the other side of the road to climb the trees. Their antics, I came to learn are hilarious as this was only the first of many baboon encounters on this trip.

​

I’ll leave off here. While I didn’t get a great ton of good, or even decent photos, from the first part of this day trip, there was plenty of story to share. I’ll continue next time as I arrive at Momella Gate and begin the next part of my day. Until then, Kwaheri, Friends!

 

[zanzibar138]

They, at one point, asked me exactly where I was planning to go and imagine my shock when they told me that the car I had reserved was not allowed to be taken to the national park and that there’d be a $1,000 fine if I did.

Glad you got that one sorted in advance!

Google was working like magic, thanks to my international phone/data plan (T-mobile FTW!), and guided me fairly smoothly to the park. There were a couple of times the directions seemed a bit sketch, but all-in-all, it was a pretty nice drive even if it was raining the entire time.

I was wondering how you were going to find your way around. Did you use Google Maps in the national park too? I would have been worried about coverage!

At the park entrance, the road took a definite turn for the worse.

In my experience, very few of the national parks had 'roads'. It was definitely more 'tracks'.

The park entrance area has a modest display of informational signs about the park’s features, animals, geologic history, etc… and best of all BATHROOMS.

Never saw an information centre at Chobe Reserve. I wonder if the one you went to is more set up for self-driving tours?

You can go with TP or the ever-present squirty method.

Your photo is confusing. Do you need to recruit an elephant for the squirty method?

Back on the road, and the weather now cooperating (HUZZAH!)

Great timing!

(This is the terrain that the animals in this park can hide in.)

Wow looks a lot more lush/dense than Chobe. You did well to spot so many animals without a guide!

Dozens of Cape Buffalo and Zebra were co-mingling

OMG zebra! We saw dozens of giraffes, hundreds of elephants and thousands of buffalo and antelope at Chobe, but at the time of year we went, the zebra had migrated further south. I was disappointed to have missed them.

I love that first photo of the zebra!

Sadly, I came away with very few really nice, or even relatively nice, photos from the day.

I disagree entirely. I think you got some spectacular photos!

The next animal I came across was one of the rarer and more elusive critters in the park! A Red Duiker!

Always fun to spot the rarer ones!

A couple of kilometers further on, I spotted a small troupe of Blue Monkeys.

Monkeys are always fun to watch.

As huge as this one was, it was extremely well camouflaged in the thick overgrowth of woodland.

It sure was! Who'd have thought that giraffes could hide themselves so well?

Their antics, I came to learn are hilarious as this was only the first of many baboon encounters on this trip.

I could sit and watch a troupe of baboons for hours. They are very entertaining!