21 December 2014

In to Africa !


Big Brothers


Ready for Safari!!


Young brothers 


Serengheti National park




Serengheti planes 


Masai, going through the period of circumcision


Rock garden, Morogoro 


Taking a bath at Rock garden 


Ian chilling out after a long walk 


Beautiful


Morogoro Town


Back in Serengheti


Gnu

Baby lions 

Nice 



Ready for the journey home


let's take a bath


Baobab Tree


Serengheti planes


looking for carcasses

on the move 
what a wonderful world 

Good night, see you tomorrow 

Where is my breakfast 

Still tired? 


Nogrongoro Crater


The sun is shining 

Hippos 

It´s time for a nap

Serengheti planes 

Everyone needs water 


Wonderful panorama, where are we going next?


Quick stop in Moshi to view the Kilimangiaro

The peak of Africa



Camaleon 
Relax 


Water falls in Moshi 


Cinnamon at the spice tour 


Nutmeg - Noce moscata

Chiara and her smile 


beauties 

Pupas - turning into Butterflies 



Beautiful butterfly 

Sunset 

love is in the air 

Butterfly center on Zanzibar
Safari buddies - From left: Caro from Germany, Habi from Spain, Janire from Spain, Veronica from Spain, Chiara and Ian 
On the top of the Ngorongoro 
Driving towards the Serengheti 
Ngorongoro conservation area
Masai village 

Cattle passing by

The Maasai people of East Africa live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Great Rift Valley on semi-arid and arid lands.


The Maasai live in Kraals arranged in a circular fashion. The fence around the kraal is made of acacia thorns, which prevent lions from attacking the cattle. It is a man's responsibility to fence the kraal. While women construct the houses. Traditionally, kraals are shared by an extended family. However, due to the new land management system in the Maasai region, it is not uncommon to see a kraal occupied by a single family. 
Driving around, trying to find some lions 


Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world and has been instrumental in furthering the understanding of early human evolution


This site was occupied by Homo habilis approximately 1.9 million years ago, Paranthropus boisei 1.8 million years ago, and Homo erectus 1.2 million years ago. Homo sapiens is dated to have occupied the site 17,000 years ago.

Olduvai Gorge is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley that stretches through eastern Africa. It is in the eastern Serengeti Plains in Arusha RegionTanzania and is about 48 km (30 mi) long. It is located 45 km (28 mi) from the Laetoli archaeological site.


Morogoro Town center

Where Chiara was going for her Sunday food shopping 

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is a conservation area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located 180 km (110 mi) west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera within the area, is recognized by one private organization as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa

Thomson's gazelle


Giraffe

Baboon

Wondering around 

Just had a lovely breakfast 

so thirsty 

Pumba

The Mikumi National Park is a national park in Mikumi, near MorogoroTanzania. The park, established in 1964, currently covers an area of 3230 km² and is the fourth largest in the country.

The Mikumi is bordered to the south with the Selous Game Reserve, the two areas forming a unique ecosystem. Two other natural areas bordering the national park are the Udzungwa Mountains and Uluguru Mountains.



The Mikumi park is crossed by Tanzania A-7 highway.

Morogoro - Ready to leave for our safari in Arusha

East Africa, here we are!


Fully packed - can`t wait!


 Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites.This site is significant in showing increased developmental and social complexities in hominins. Evidence of this is shown in the production and use of stone tools, which indicates the increase in cognitive capacities.

Riders on the storm

there is a killer on the road 

Find the lions 

marvellous 

where are the hippos 

just amazing! 

filling up the tank - let's goo!

great!

Morning brunch at the camp site in Serengheti national park 

Good morning Africa 

Ready for the crater

just amazing 

contemplating the hippos 

This site is significant in showing increased developmental and social complexities in hominins. Evidence of this is shown in the production and use of stone tools, which indicates the increase in cognitive capacities.

Mount Kilimanjaro with its three volcanic conesKiboMawenzi and Shira, is a dormant volcanic mountain in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level.

According to English geographer Halford Mackinder, in 1848 missionary Johannes Rebmann of Mombasa was the first European to report the existence of Kilimanjaro

Grazing on the Ngorongoro planes 



Do you fancy some veggies?

or some ginger?

So much rice! 

and loads of cabbages 

coffee plantations around the Kilimanjaro lowland hills 

if you can't climb it, drink it ! kilimanjaro beer 

Relax on Zanzibar - boats in Stone town 

Prison Island
The island saw use as a prison for rebellious slaves in 1860s and also functioned as a coral mine. The British First Minister of Zanzibar, Lloyd Mathews, purchased the island in 1893 and constructed a prison complex there. No prisoners were ever housed on the island and instead it became a quarantinestation for yellow fever cases.

The station was only occupied for around half of the year and the rest of the time it was a popular holiday destination. More recently the island has become a government-owned tourist resort and houses a collection of endangered Aldabra giant tortoises which were originally a gift from the British governor of the Seychelles.

The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world.

The carapace is a brown or tan color with a high, domed shape. It has stocky, heavily scaled legs to support its heavy body. The neck of the Aldabra giant tortoise is very long, even for its great size, which helps the animal to exploit tree branches up to a meter from the ground as a food source. Similar in size to the famous Galápagos giant tortoise, its carapace averages 120 cm (47 in) in length with an average weight of 250 kg (550 lb).

living in a dream 

Chiara in front of the House of wanders 

Stone town center

Stone town 

Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa. Its architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture,With the East African culture being preeminent, there is a unique mixture of ArabPersianIndian and European elements. For this reason, the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Due to its heritage, Stone Town is also a major visitor attraction in Tanzania, and a large part of its economy depends on tourism-related activities.



The first stone houses in Stone Town were probably built in the 1830s, gradually replacing an earlier fishing village.[3] At the time, the Zanzibar Archipelago was controlled by the Sultanate of Oman.

n the 19th century Stone Town also flourished as a trading centre. It was especially renowned for the commerce of spices (mostly cloves) and slaves. Around middle of the century, the sultanate had a close relationship with the British; David Livingstone, for example, is known to have stayed in Stone Town in 1866 while he was preparing his final expedition into the interior of East Africa. In the same period, several immigrant communities from OmanPersia and India formed as a consequence of the town's intense commercial activity.

The heart of Stone Town mostly consists of a maze of narrow alleys lined by houses, shops, bazaars and mosques. Since most streets are too narrow for cars, the town is crowded with bicycles and motorbikes. The seafront has wider streets and larger, more regularly placed buildings.



Stone Town's architecture has a number of distinctive features, as a result of Arab, Persian, Indian, European, and African traditions mixing together. The name "Stone Town" comes from the ubiquitous use of coral stone as the main construction material; this stone gives the town a characteristic, reddish warm colour.[4][5] Traditional buildings have a baraza, a long stone bench along the outside walls; this is used as an elevated sidewalk if heavy rains make the streets impracticable, or otherwise as benches to sit down, rest, socialize.[Another key feature of most buildings is large verandas protected by carved wooden balustrades. The most well-known feature of Zanzibari houses are the finely decorated wooden doors, with rich carvings and bas-reliefs, sometimes with big brass studs of Indian tradition


Tortoises generally have the longest lifespans of any animal, and some individuals are known to have lived longer than 150 years.

natural cosmetics 

just relax

on Zanzibar

quite nights 

long days 

paintings in the narrow streets of Stone Town

embassy 

natural jewellery


hyena

rock garden falls and springs 

early morning toiletry 

ready to go

grazing gazelle 

Helloooo

beautiful 

horizon 

hello mother 

find the lion 

leopard 

Just chilling 

smile !!

Because of the variety of animals present, the Ngorongoro Crater is a well known tourist attraction.

Magic



There is a picnic site here open to tourists and a huge swamp fed by the spring, and the area is inhabited by hippopotamuselephantslions, and many others. 

Following the recommendations of the ad hoc committee of scientists convened after the year 2000 drought, an ecological burning program was implemented in the crater, which entails annual or biannual controlled burns of up to 20 percent of the grasslands.[16] Maasai are now permitted to graze their cattle within the crater, but must enter and exit daily.

Hadza people

The Hadza, or Hadzabe,[3][4] are an ethnic group in north-central Tanzania, living around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley and in the neighboring Serengeti Plateau.

The Hadza number just under 1,000.[1][5] Some 300–400 Hadza live as hunter-gatherers, much as their ancestors have for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.
The Hadza are not closely genetically related to any other people.[2] While traditionally classified with the Khoisan languages, primarily because it has clicks, the Hadza language appears to be an isolate, unrelated to any other.[6] As descendants of Tanzania's aboriginal hunter-gatherer population, they have probably occupied their current territory for several thousand years, with relatively little modification to their basic way of life until the past hundred years.[7]

Since the 18th century, the Hadza came into increasing contact with farming and herding people entering Hadzaland and its vicinity;[8] the interactions were often hostile and caused population decline in the late 19th century.[9] The first European contact and written accounts of the Hadza are from the late 19th century.[9] Since then, there have been many attempts by successive colonial administrations, the independent Tanzanian government, and foreign missionaries to settle the Hadza, by introducing farming and Christianity.

These have largely failed, and many Hadza still pursue virtually the same way of life as their ancestors are described as having in early 20th-century accounts.[11] In recent years, they have been under pressure from neighbouring groups encroaching on their land, and also affected by tourism and safari hunting.

After documentaries on the Hadza on PBS and the BBC in 2001, the Mang'ola Hadza became a tourist attraction. Although this has given being Hadza monetary value, it also introduced alcohol to Hadza society for the first time, and alcoholism and deaths from alcohol poisoning have recently become severe problems.[13] There has also been a concomitant epidemic of tuberculosis.

The origin of the name "Kilimanjaro" is not precisely known, but a number of theories exist. European explorers had adopted the name by 1860 and reported that "Kilimanjaro" was the mountain's Kiswahili name.[11] But according to the 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia, the name of the mountain was "Kilima-Njaro".[12]

Lion king 

Jackfruit 

Curry 

yes darling ?

manual pollination of the vanilla flower

Chocolate 

butterfly eggs 

pupae

butterfly center On Zanzibar

what an amazing creature 

The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people who lived under a communal land management system. The movement of livestock is based on seasonal rotation. Contrary to many claims made by outsiders, particularly the Hardinian school of thought, this communal land management system allows us to utilize resources in a sustainable manner. Each section manages its own territory. Under normal conditions, reserve pastures are fallowed and guarded by the warriors. However, if the dry season becomes especially harsh, sections boundaries are ignored and people graze animals throughout the land until the rainy season arrives. According to Maasai traditional land agreement, no one should be denied access to natural resources such as water and land.

Livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep are the primary source of income for the Maasai. Livestock serves as a social utility and plays an important role in the Maasai economy. Livestock are traded for other livestock, cash or livestock products such as milk and siege. Individual, families, and clans established close ties through giving or exchange of cattle. "Meishoo iyiook enkai inkishu o-nkera"- so goes a Maasai prayer. The English translation of this praye is: "May Creator give us cattle and children. Cattle and children are the most important aspect of the Maasai people.

Traditionally, the Maasai rely on meat, milk and blood from cattle for protein and caloric needs. People drink blood on special occasions. It is given to a circumcised person (o/esipolioi), a woman who has given birth (entomononi) and the sick (oltamueyiai). Also, on a regular basis drunk elders, ilamerak, use the blood to alleviate intoxication and hangovers. Blood is very rich in protein and is good for the immune system. However, its use in the traditional diet is waning due to the reduction of livestock numbers.


More recently, the Maasai have grown dependent on food produced in other areas such as maize meal (unga wa mahindi), rice, potatoes, cabbage (known to the Maasai as goat leaves), etc. The Maasai who live near crop farmers have engaged in cultivation as their primary mode of subsistence. In these areas, plot sizes are generally not large enough to accommodate herds of animals; thus the Maasai are forced to farm. Our people traditionally frown upon this.  Maasai believe that tilizing the land for crop farming is a crime against nature. Once you cultivate the land, it is no longer suitable for grazing.


Researchers dated Olduvai Gorge using radiometric dating of the embedded artifacts, mostly through potassium-argon dating and argon–argon dating. German neurologist Wilhelm Kattwinkel traveled to Olduvai Gorge in 1911,[1] where he noticed many fossil bones of an extinct three-toed horse. Kattwinkel's discovery inspired Professor Hans Reck to lead a team to Olduvai Gorge in 1913. There, he found a hominid skeleton, but unfortunately the start of World War I halted his research.

In 1931, Louis Leakey found Olduvai fossils in Berlin and thought Olduvai Gorge held information on human origins, and thus began excavating there. Louis and Mary Leakey are the archaeologists responsible for most of the excavations and discoveries of the hominid fossils in Olduvai Gorge. Their finds, when added to the prior work of Raymond Dart and Robert Broom, convinced most paleoanthropologists that humans originally evolved in Africa.

The geology of Olduvai Gorge and the surrounding region was studied in detail by Richard L. Hay, who worked at the site between 1961 and 2002. His finding revealed, millions of years ago, the site was a large lake, with shores covered with deposits of volcanic ash. Around 500,000 years ago, seismic activity diverted a nearby stream which began to cut down into the sediments, revealing seven main layers in the walls of the gorge.

The land of the Masai warriors 

Ready for a walk 

 run run run 

Mikumi national park 

bon appetit 


yes sir?

cuties

posing 

elephant herd 








The annual ungulate migration passes through the NCA, with 1.7 million wildebeest, 260,000 zebra, and 470,000 gazelles moving south into the area in December and moving north in June. This movement changes seasonally with the rains, but the migration traverses almost the entire plains in search of food.[18]












Datooga, known as the Mang'ati in Swahili, are a pastoralist Nilotic people of Manyara RegionTanzania. In 2000 the Datoga population was estimated to number 87,978.[1] 


driving around 

shopping

fish 

spices 



Ordering a banana wine 

on our way to Prison Island 

prison island 

wonderful clear waters 

giant tortoises 

157 years old 

Stone town - Zanzibar

The House of Wonders (or "Palace of Wonders", also known as "Beit-al-Ajaib"), in Mizingani Road on the seafront, is probably the most well-known landmarks of Stone Town. It was built in 1883 and restored after the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896. Formerly the Sultan's residence, it became the seat of the Afro-Shirazi Party after the revolution. It was the first building in Zanzibar to have electricity as well as the first building in East Africa to have a lift. Since 2000, its interior has been dedicated to a museum on Swahili and Zanzibar culture.

Fishermen 







squid 

  • The Darajani Market is the main bazaar of Zanzibar. Despite being chaotic and reportedly home of pickpockets, it is one of the main visitors attraction of Stone Town because of its colourful, chaotic maze of stalls selling everything from kangas to exotic fruits to consumer electronics. It is located in centre Stone Town, in the surroundings of the Anglican Cathedral.[5] The main structure was built in 1904 and later restored and expanded.




Slavery memorial - Stone Town

The Anglican cathedral of Christ Church, in Mkunazini Road, was built at the end of the 19th century for Edward Steere, third bishop of Zanzibar, in a large area in centre Stone Town that previously hosted the biggest slave market of Zanzibar; the place was deliberately chosen to celebrate the end of slavery, and the altar was in the exact spot where the main whipping post of the market used to be.

Kilimanjiaro low land 

Rock garden - Morogoro 



Elephant skull 


Brothers 

Good night

Buffalo


let's eat leftovers 

waiting for someone?

getting ready of the party 

yeeey so much fun 

who would like a drink?

Me please...

we are fine, thanks 

Hadza men usually forage individually, and during the course of day usually feed themselves while foraging, and also bring home some honey, fruit, or wild game when available. Women forage in larger parties, and usually bring home berries, baobab fruit [1], and tubers, depending on availability. Men and women also forage cooperatively for honey and fruit, and at least one adult male will usually accompany a group of foraging women. 

The Hadza move camp for a number of reasons. Conflict is resolved primarily by leaving camp; camps frequently split for this reason. Camps are abandoned when someone falls ill and dies, as illness is associated with the place they fell ill. There is also seasonal migration between dry-season refuges, better hunting grounds while water is more abundant, and areas with large numbers of tubers or berry trees when they are in season. If a man kills a particularly large animal such as a giraffe far from home, a camp will temporarily relocate to the kill site. (Smaller animals are brought back to the camp.) Shelters can be built in a few hours, and most of the possessions owned by an individual can be carried on their backs.

The Hadza are predominantly monogamous, though there is no social enforcement of monogamy.[5] While men and woman value traits such as hard work when evaluating for mates they also value physical attractiveness. In fact, many of their preferences for attractiveness, such as symmetry,[25]averageness[26] and sexually dimorphic voice pitch[27] are similar to preferences found in Western countries.The Hadza are predominantly monogamous, though there is no social enforcement of monogamy.[5] While men and woman value traits such as hard work when evaluating for mates they also value physical attractiveness. In fact, many of their preferences for attractiveness, such as symmetry,[25]averageness[26] and sexually dimorphic voice pitch[27] are similar to preferences found in Western countries.

During the wet season, the diet is composed mostly of honey, some fruit, tubers, and occasional meat. The contribution of meat to the diet increases in the dry season, when game become concentrated around sources of water. During this time, men often hunt in pairs, and spend entire nights lying in wait by waterholes, hoping to shoot animals that approach for a night-time drink, with bows and arrows treated with poison.

Preparing a fire to smoke some cannabis




ginger

nutmeg 





butterfly 




The new land management system of individual ranches has economically polarized our people; some Maasais, as well as outside wealthy individuals, have substantially increased their wealth at the expense of others. The largest loss of land, however, has been to national parks and reserves, in which the Maasai people are restricted from accessing critical water sources, pasture, and salt lick. Subdivision of Maasailand reduced land size for cattle herding, reduced the number of cows per household, and reduced food production. As a result, the Maasai society, which once was a proud and self-sufficient society, is now facing many social-economic and political challenges. The level of poverty among the Maasai people is beyond conceivable height. It is sad to see a society that had a long tradition of pride being a beggar for relief food because of imposed foreign concepts of development.

To make Oldowan lithics in Olduvai Gorge, lava and quartz were usually used. And only in specific period (1.65-1.53 m.y.a), chert was used and it causes huge differences between the each assemblages of Olduvai Gorge.




where is my lunch?

shall we rest?

too hot 

where shall we go?

little accident!

Banana 

of different colours and sizes 

so beautiful


in peace!


black and white

Ray-ban 

Ready for dinner 

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) has a healthy resident population of most species of wildlife. The Ndutu Lake area to in the west of the NCA has particularly strong cheetah and lion populations. Common in the NCA are hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), and jackals.[18] The population of African Wild Dog in the NCA may have declined recently.[when?][18] Servals occur widely on the plains to the west of the Ngorongoro Crater.[18]


lovely 

cat fish from lake Victoria 


large selection of beans 

At the market in Moshi


different stages of coffee

prison island 

The British authorities were concerned by the risk of disease epidemics affecting Stone Town, then East Africa's main port. To combat this threat Changuu was turned into a quarantine island serving all of the British territories in East Africa. The old prison was converted into the facility's hospital and in 1923 the island was officially renamed Quarantine Island.[1] Quarantine cases would be taken from the ships and monitored on the island for between one and two weeks before being allowed to progress with their journey.

In 1919 the British governor of Seychelles sent a gift of four Aldabra giant tortoises to Changuu from the island of Aldabra.[1] These tortoises bred quickly and by 1955 they numbered around 200 animals. 

The Peace Memorial Museum, located at the intersection of Creek Road and Kuanda Road, is hosted by another historical building designed by J.H. Sinclair. It has several exhibits on the history of Zanzibar, including some of the medical tools of David Livingstone, old coins and post stamps, and local craft.



Stone Town is located roughly in the middle of the west coast of Unguja, on a small promontoryprotruding into the Zanzibar Channel.

The Forodhani Gardens are a small park in the main seawalk of Stone Town, right in front of the Old Fort and the House of Wonders. They have been recently restored by the AKTC. Every evening after sunset the gardens host a popular, tourist-oriented market selling grilled seafood and other Zanzibari recipes.

The "Big Tree" is an old and massive landmark fig tree in the surroundings of the Old Dispensary, in front of the ferry boarding point. It is a popular meeting place.




Mercury was a Parsi born in the Sultanate of Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens. 

The Roman Catholic cathedral of St. Joseph was built by French missionaries between 1893 and 1897. Its facade, with two high spires, is one of the most well-known landmarks of Stone Town. A tall palm tree that used to be right in front of the church (and that appears in many pictures of the cathedral) is no longer there.


Jaws corner

Jaw's Corner is a small square in the center of Stone Town, popular for its coffee, board games, and political discussions.

The Darajani Market is the main bazaar of Zanzibar. Despite being chaotic and reportedly home of pickpockets, it is one of the main visitors attraction of Stone Town because of its colourful, chaotic maze of stalls selling everything from kangas to exotic fruits to consumer electronics. It is located in centre Stone Town, in the surroundings of the Anglican Cathedral.[5] The main structure was built in 1904 and later restored and expanded.

Stone Town's architecture has a number of distinctive features, as a result of Arab, Persian, Indian, European, and African traditions mixing together.

Walking around the streets of Stone Town 

While Stone Town was included in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 2000, this designation does not provide complete protection for the town's heritage. Despite the establishment of a Conservation Authority,[5] about 80% of the 1,709 buildings of Stone Town are in a deteriorating condition.


Cat

Chiodi di garofano


Pepper


enjoying our holiday 

Women fishing on Zanzibar

What a wonderful holiday !