Unlike Mama Wilson's, the Maramboi Tented Camp is owned by Kibo Safaris, the company that OATs hires to provide guiding services. Because the middleman is eliminated, there is free beer and wine!   Lake Manyara is within easy walking distance and provides a nice view. The individual tented cabins are spacious and comfortable. The private baths have solar heated hot water showers and a flush toilet.

The center photo shows our room. Most rooms don't have 3 beds, and ours was removed part way through our stay when it was needed by new guests. Mosquito netting was attached to our bed frames shortly after we arrived. We always used the netting at night to provide an extra layer of protection to the bugs (which were a minimal nuisance because of the dry spell we experienced).

The third photo shows the eating pavilion  A swimming pool is visible at the left.

These photos were taken from the camp site, looking towards Lake Manyara. The Great Rift is in the background.

On one of our drives to Tarangire National Park for game-viewing, we passed a weekly market. We stopped for a chance to make purchases and also to take pictures. In general, most Tanzanians don't like their photos taken (without receiving a fee for service), but at a market place it is OK to take panoramic pictures.

In the Maasai community, the woman do most of the physical work.
Our guide Alex, also a Maasai, said the men like to sit and think - so Sandy thought the photo at the left appropriate!

The Maasai herd cattle, goats, and donkeys .
Their wealth is proportional to the size of their herd, which lets them afford multiple wives.

In Tarangire National Park we enjoyed the scenery as well as the wildlife.

We left early for our second day at the park, so our guides brought a picnic.
We breakfasted on a bluff which provided a wonderful view (the 3rd photo was taken after leaving this site).

On the morning of Dec. 4, we left for Ngorongoro Farm House. On the way there we stopped at a Maasai Village for another cultural experience. This was enlightening, entertaining, and great fun.

On our arrival, the Maasai women greeted us and made us feel welcome.

The cattle had been kept in their enclosure later than usual so we could witness the drawing of blood from the day's reluctant donor. The blood serves as a source of vitamins necessary due to the Maasai's limited diet.

Because the women do the house building and maintenance,
it was appropriate that only our women tour members "helped" thatch the roof.

Sandy good naturedly agreed to help replaster a house using a mixture of cow dung and mud!
Afterwards she had help washing it off her hands.

Kids are cute the world over, and these were friendly too.

Here we are inside the house of wife number one.
She had built a relatively spacious and artistic house and yipped with glee when we complimented her.

This photo was taken on the way to Ngorongoro Farm House.