>
dmunk2000@ writes ...
>
> Wow, Bill, your pictures are incredible -- I only hope to see 20%
> of what you have photographed while I am out there.
Thanks Doug ... I think if you do two things you'll probably see 80% of
what we saw plus another 20-30% of things we didn't see :) Thing one
would be to skip breakfast at the lodge, just have them pack a box
breakfast for you and leave at 6 AM if inside the park or earlier so
you can be at the gate by 6 AM if outside the park. The people who eat
breakfast usually miss out on the exciting stuff that happens at first
light since they seem to arrive around 8 AM. Thing two would be to
wait around if the conditions look promising, like we did for the
cheetahs killing the wildebeest, the copulating lions, and the lions
fighting over the buffalo ... we first got there at 6:30 AM and the
actual fight didn't take place until 9:05 AM but it was worth waiting
for (though at least 30 other jeeps pulled up, looked around and left
before the fight). So sometimes you just have to resist the urge to
keep moving and stop for a couple hours, but only if the situation
looks real promising.
The things we saw that you will probably miss are the cheetahs (because
you're not going to the plains), the breeding birds and 19 billion
insects (because you're skipping the rainy season).
> Instead of going to the Serengetti in October, I am hoping you could
> help me with what other park would be great to see during that time ...
> so if possible, I'd like any other suggestions on a park that will be
> worth seeing in October, in addition to Ngorogoro.
Our guides told us that Tarangire was usually better than Serengeti in
October because it has a free-flowing river and in dry season the game
is concentrated around the water. I think Tarangire has more elephants
than any other park in Tz (for sure more than the other northern
circuit parks) and when we were there (January) we also saw a lot of
birds, plains game and very nice scenery with the baobab trees. We
only saw 3 lions but I understand they are easier to see in Oct.
I personally also like Lake Manyara N.P. because there were so many
bird species to photograph and some interesting vegetation since it's
at the base of the Great Rift Wall and has perennial water, but some
people find Manyara disappointing because it's not very big.
So for a photo trip I'd do 3 nights at the Tarangire Sopa lodge, 2
nights at Lake Manyara Serena and 3 nights at the Ngorongoro Sopa or
Serena. For non-photo trips you could easily slice off one day from
each locale. These are all pretty close to each other so you won't
have to drive for four hours over bumpy dirt roads and each has a very
different feel to it.
> Can't wait! Thanks for all of your help!
Have a great trip.
Bill
Honeymoon Lodges Tanzania/Zanzibar 
