photos from Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, and Namibia

Continuing with my picture-posting marathon, I'm posting a few photos from Africa (Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, and Namibia) below. They're posted chronologically, beginning with Tanzania. I took many pictures before Tanzania, of both Uganda and India, but I sent those memory cards back to the US. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait until later to post those pictures.

For now, though, some shots from Tanzania:

While cruising around the Serengeti, Dina and I found a few cheetahs stalking their prey (unfortunately, they weren't successful):





Other shots from the Serengeti:





We were there during the wildebeest migration, which is impossible to capture in a photo:



The Maasai strolling along the plains:



The next couple photos were taken in Ngorongoro Crater, near the Serengeti. Dina described the crater, which was incredibly lush and full of wildlife, as being like Eden:





When we made a bathroom break in the crater, this family of monkeys was guarding the building:





This woman was afraid to leave the bathroom:



Our campsite in Ngorongoro (this is where Dina and I almost ran into a water buffalo, literally):



After visiting the game parks in northern Tanzania, Dina and I traveled to the beautiful "Spice Island," Zanzibar.

The locals enjoying the perfect water:



The famous doors of Zanzibar:





More lounging around on the beach:





After traveling back to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I boarded the Tazara Express train and headed to Zambia. These are a couple friends I made on the two day ride, Moudy and his daughter, Cherry:



The first class lounge, where I spent most of the trip:



View from the train:



At every town we passed, locals would run outside their homes to wave and greet us:





I eventually crossed the border into Zambia, and, after a day of taxis and bus rides, I finally arrived at Victoria Falls:



There are few guardrails in the park, so you can get very, very close to the falls:









I had lunch with a couple friends, Emily and James, at a hotel that kept zebras on their property:



The view of the Falls from the bridge:





From Livingstone (the town near Victoria Falls), I took a bus to Namibia. These next photos are from the first half of my time there (I posted pictures from the second half yesterday):

A drinking spot in the Kalahari Desert:



The Kalahari grasshopper:



My group and I visited a reserve that takes care of orphaned animals, including cheetahs. I was shocked when I was invited to walk inside the cheetah's area during feeding time, but it was an amazing experience:



















They also take care of warthogs and three-legged pugs:





Sunset at the quiver tree forest:















The trees are called quiver trees because the indigenous people used the bark to store their arrows: