Berg

Hear Wally's Call from Africa

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We drove down out of the clouds hanging around the Ngorongoro Crater, down to Lake Manyara at the western edge of the great Rift Valley and did a game drive there as well this morning. Jamie Geier described it as a peaceful feeling last night, yesterday evening, as we were driving around the Ngorongoro Crater, with everyone standing up in the back of the Land Rover, with the canopy up, just enjoying the feel of Africa going by. Similar feeling this morning, at Lake Manyara, we saw a lot more wildlife. I think the wildebeest is edging the warthog out as being the ugliest creature on earth.

We saw a lot of giraffe this morning at Lake Manyara and now we are back up looking down across the lake, from up on the side of the Rift Valley. Lake Manyara is much bigger, much more water, than it was the first few years I was here. The guides all talk about the El Niño season that most of you remember from a year-and-a-half or so ago. Incredible rains here and much of this area still has a lot of water to show for it. Certainly Lake Manyara does; it is much bigger than it was. All the pelicans left because there's just too much water in the lake now. We saw a lot of beautiful flamingos, pink flamingos. We did see them at Ngorongoro Crater, but we have not seen them in Lake Manyara in the last two years now because of the higher waters. So the flamingos have left, but it's still a fascinating park— a lot of great wildlife here.

We have not yet seen elephants. I'll have to keep you posted if we see elephants; I know we will, actually. But that's the big thing we're looking forward to seeing at Tarangire is maybe some more active cats and elephants. I'll keep you posted on that as we continue towards Tarangire.

—Alpine Ascents Guide Wally Berg, MountainZone.com Correspondent