Detour! Diverting away from the mission of this blog, I post on my journey to an unfamiliar territory: East Africa – Tanzania!  There is little that I can add to the multitudes of books, films and photographs that fill centuries with stories…quintessential Africa, the Serengeti, Mount Kilimanjaro, nomadic Maasai, Swahili, Zanzibar…the vast landscapes, the birds, reptiles and animals.

I am a humble novice.

From Lagos, I meet the Egyptian ARCE group in Addis Ababa and from there we begin our journey of shared newness. There is something special about sharing brand new experiences; each person has their own unique reaction to unguarded moments. We each find our own horizon.  I experience, profoundly, the integral connection among all living things. “It is here in the labyrinths of never ending plains that extremes converge—open expanses, horizon, and desolation.”- Ibrahim al-Koni

Our route: Addis Ababa, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Ngare Sero Lodge, Arusha, Tarangire, Endoro Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Serengeti National Park, Serengeti Heritage Camp, Seronera, Zanzibar, Mbweni Ruins Hotel, Addis Ababa.

Gratitude and thanks to Mary Sedek with ARCE, Leonie with Tanzania Adventures. And Aminielle, our driver and expert guide, who could identify the slightest movement and change of color in the bush and his superior bird knowledge.

For a list of 58 birds sighted on Tanzania trip, click here.

All Photographs and text are under international copyright laws. No re-use without the written permission of Lesley Lababidi 2023.