.......This area is a bit out of the way and we had 5 hours of dirt road ahead of us which, along the route, becomes increasingly sandy, dusty, scorching. I didn't know exactly what to expect but, often, on the horizon endless arid expanses would appear, whirlwinds of sand, crevices, craters; the unmistakable sign of a region that is geologically very active and constantly shifting. All around us, total desolation and vegetation burned by the sun. We see Baobabs for the first time. By now the dust had gotten everywhere. Passing through Maasai villages we finally see the cone of the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano emerging. Finally arrived, we set up camp with our tents near a river. There are 6 of us, the Belgians, the guide and the cook. I feel a sense of total isolation, the silence is absolute, it feels like being outside the world.
The place is wonderful, it isn't a hospitable land for man but the atmosphere is surreal, indescribable. Veronica still has a fever and I leave her resting in the tent, I climb the hill to admire the sunset and the red sun setting behind the mountains. The children return from grazing with the animals. Some of them stop to look at me, come closer, they don't speak a word of English. They pluck up courage and start touching my hands, they compare themselves to me, I think they had rarely come into contact with a white person. A little girl stays beside me, we sit on a rock and look at the volcano. She is truly beautiful and her eyes...... I want to take photos of her and she is happy to oblige; she takes me to her animals and I finally manage to understand her name, perhaps her age.... little else.
She asks me absolutely nothing in return and I would have wanted to know so many more things, I dreamed of being able to help her in some way but, how to communicate? Impossible! She gave me a unique gift, her spontaneous and sincere smile; before saying goodbye I leave her some colors I have in my pocket; it seemed to me I had made her happy. The same little girl, as soon as she saw me the next day, ran toward me to say hello....I would have wanted to tell her......but tell her what....tomorrow we would be leaving and when would I ever see her again.... Just a few moments, the animals move away and with them my little friend goes home. Lake Natron also means pink flamingos, Maasai villages and Maasai children selling beads, rivers that spring up suddenly from the rock and hidden waterfalls where you can swim.
In a desert-like horizon we get back in the car to reach the Serengeti; climbing up the mountain I remember what happened in the last few days and I think about many things, will certain experiences teach me something? Will I manage not to forget what I have seen? Another lump in my throat and a few little tears.....finally I fall asleep...the road is long and after about 9 hours we arrive at our destination. We start again with the most classic of safaris: Serengeti, an endless park, after having seen myriads of animals that migrated to the Maasai Mara, here I was a bit disappointed. It's all a question of seasons....in any case I remember it as the oasis of hippos. More craters, but this time lush ones, we are at the Ngorongoro.
From the top, before descending into the volcanic caldera, it's cool and the panorama is breathtaking; the slopes surround an oasis of peace where the animals find refuge, there are so many animals.... But at the same time there are also a lot of people. When we stop for lunch, it feels like being at a Jeep rally....but the crater is so big that when we set off it seems like there's no one there. We treat ourselves to the luxury of a night in a Lodge at Lake Manyara. We finally manage to wash properly and eat an abundant meal....too abundant!! The comforts of the Lodge don't displease us but in the end...the sense of freedom you breathe in the isolated camps of the savannah is something else. The Lake Manyara park I think was the most disappointing; in a relatively small area, we didn't see many animals.
It must be said that I, after about 13/14 days of safari, had reached such a level of tiredness that I could hardly keep my eyes open during our excursions. From Lake Manyara to Tarangire the distance is short. Having set up the tent again for our last night camping, I head immediately to a classic "on the road" shop to buy local handicrafts. Until that moment I had refused to weigh down my luggage with statues, masks and whatever else but the call of shopping at a certain point was too strong, especially when I was able to admire the typical local painting, naif "Tinga Tinga". The combination of colors is a spectacle and the representation of the savannah with its animals is the most classic subject. Happy to have put something so nice and characteristic in my backpack that will remind me of this trip for a long time... I return to the campsite.
Tarangire I think is one of the most underrated parks; for me it was a pleasant surprise because to an endless expanse of Baobabs is added a good variety of animals and breathtaking panoramas; having said goodbye to the last antelopes, giraffes, lions, elephants (how many....!!!) We return to Arusha for the conclusion of our Tanzanian safari; 8 truly intense days have already passed, we are sorry to have to say goodbye to our Belgian friends but we make an appointment in Zanzibar to spend another evening together. The warm atmosphere of the Hotel Le Jacaranda awaits us, we put our things in order and think about how many things we have seen and how intense the last few days have been. We move to Moshi to Kilimanjaro airport; along the way our hopes of seeing Kilimanjaro are made vain by a blanket of clouds.
The plane takes off and after a few minutes, turning around, we see above the haze the clear outline of the snow-capped peak....finally a glimpse....just for a few moments. Now the horizons change drastically, no more savannah and animals but beaches and tropical sea: will it really be like that? Zanzibar, here we come......
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