Tanzania 2012
Leaving Tarangire we drive through many small towns, Masai, non-Masai, and we get a true exposure to the life of the Tanzanian people. Small mud and stick shacks, mixed with small farms, goats, cattle and donkeys. Along the way we see busy town centres full of small shops of all kinds, populated by the colourful outfits of the locals.
Along the roadway we see little kids dressed up as Masai and Zulu warriors in an attempt to get tourists to stop and pay them for pictures. We also see the recently circumcised Masai warriors with the Black & White faces, a key part of their culture.
Lake Manyara
Lake Manyara is a beautiful National Park in the shadow of the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, with its placid soda waters frequented by flamingoes and other water birds. This lake located between Tarangire and Ngorongoro has a diverse landscape and varied game.
Freddie drives us into the park and immediately we are in the midst of a large troop of Baboons.
As we work our way through the narrow roadways, staring at the trees with hope that we will see the famous tree-lounging lions.
B&W Casqued Hornbill 
Masai GiraffeBlue Monkey
When we arrive at the edge of the lake we realize first that the lake is much smaller due to the dry season, and second, that doesn't seem to have had any effect on the number of birds here. The biggest difference according to Freddie is that the Flamingos have mostly left, or are located at the far side of the lake.
Yellow Billed Stork, Pelican, Egrets, Herons, Grey Headed King Fisher, African Fish Eagle, Marabou Stork
We never did see Lions or Leopards in the trees, but we certainly saw a ton of birds and monkeys! We left the park, and started the drive to last seasons Amazing Race highlight stop of Ngorongoro Crater.