We were driving down the dirt road in the Chimp reserve. Our driver stopped for a family crossing.  There were actually about 10 of these guys, but we snapped these two alone.  At one point, one of the adults just sat down in the middle of the road. I will post that one later on.  Enjoy!!

Canon Rebel XSi | Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L | 400mm | f/7.1 | 1/400 | ISO500

On our safari, after a full day of traveling, there was an early morning flight from Nairobi to Tanzania. Our safari guides picked us up at the airport. They took us on an ATM safari before our actual safari started (more on that later).  Once we got the cash sorted, we left Moshi. Our first stop was at a chimpanzee reserve.  The stop was likely intended to get us out of the car and stretch our legs. However, there was an amazing reserve where there must have been a hundred chimpanzees just hanging out.  We dutifully stretched our legs. This was the first time we used one of our rental camera lenses. It was the Canon 100-400 mm monster.  That lens was incredible, and anytime that I go on another wildlife trek, I will rent that lens again.  Here’s one of the first looks at the chimps.

Canon XSi | Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L | 150mm | f/5.0 | 1/125th | ISO800

Another lion shot – will post a few shots of the cheetahs we saw directly before this in a week or so.  Enjoy!

Canon PowerShot A1000 | 24mm | f/5.6 | 1/400th | ISO80

We spent four days on safari in Tanzania.  We hired Kessey Brother Tours on the recommendation of a friend that hired Kessey Brothers to climb Mt. Kiliminjaro. Our tour was focused on Lake Manyara, Ngongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park, all in Tanzania. Our guide, Hillary (apparently in Africa, Hillary is a common man’s name, not a woman’s name…he made fun of our Secretary of State for having a man’s name…) drove us through all the parks and generally took care of us.  He was an excellent guide, and if you hire Kessey Brothers, ask for Hillary. 

One of the things I was most amazed about was the sheer number of animals.  We went into the safari with the impression that we would drive for an hour, see a few animals, drive for another hour, see some more animals.  Once we got into the conservation areas, there were more animals than we knew what to do with!!  The number of zebras was astounding, and at this point,  I wouldn’t fear for the extinction of the zebra.

Fun zebra fact of the day: gestation period for a zebra is between 12 and 13 months and the mother is the primary caretaker in the first year after birth.  After the first year, the males group together and do an all-male bachelor group until approximately four years when the zebra is old enough to start its own family. 

Canon Rebel XSi | Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L | 400mm | f/8.0 | 1/200th | ISO400

Last July, we took an amazing safari in Tanzania – mostly in the Serengeti.  The road between the Arusha Airport and the Serengeti was about half paved and half gravel.  The thing was, once you hit the gravel portion, it was just bumpy for the next two hours.  Anyone who has made that drive can tell you how bad it can be.  I was pretty thankful that we stopped just before the entrance to the park to have lunch and snap this photo.  As you can see, it’s a whole lot of nothing-ness in the background, but this is what central Africa looks like.  More to come of the safari!!

Canon Rebel XSi | Canon EF 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5 | 35mm | f/7.1 | 1/200th | ISO100