We spent the next two nights at the Rift Valley Photographic Lodge near Mto wa Mbo. The day in between, we toured the Lake Manyara National Park, which was interesting particularly because of its large forest and many varieties of birds.
1 The sun setting beyond the western wall of the Rift, looking across "Lake" Manyara
2 Same view, next morning
3 Lake Manyara National Park has a large forest sheltered just below the Rift escarpment. Here on the red-clay road, we met a family (families?) of baboons. There were more in the trees and brush along the roadside.
4 A female Bushbuck crossing the road
5 Leaving the forest, the grassland between the escarpment and the lake
6 Black-faced (and blue-balled) vervet monkey
7 Edge of the forest, between the lake plain and the Rift escarpment
8 Blue monkey
9 View from picnic (breakfast) area over Lake Manyara
10 Breakfast in the "shade" of a giant acacia
11 We saw large numbers of these white butterflies.
12 Gray-headed Kingfisher
13 Blue-naped Mousebird
14 Siv and Manny
15 A baobab stands out on the Rift wall.
16 African grey hornbill
17 Driving back out through the forest
18 Male Bushbuck
19 Male Bushbuck
20 Male Bushbuck
21 What was this bloody plant called? We have seen it in India and Morocco also. A kind of breadfruit?
22 A huge banana grove near Mto wa Mbu
23 Driving across the dried-out lake to the Rift Valley Photographic Lodge was rather odd, as there was no road, tire tracks went in all directions and the lake bed was extremely bumpy. Fortunately, Manny knew the way by heart.
24 Bicycle freight
25 Rift Valley Photographic Lodge
26 View from the Lodge across the dried-up lake towards the Rift escarpmrnt
27 Slate-colored boubou
28 A magnificent baobab stands next the the lodge's swimming pool.
