Zebra Foal Suckling, Ruaha National Park
Caption: Zebra foal (Equus quagga) suckling from its mother against a backdrop of earthy winter colors, Ruaha National Park, Tanzaia.
Camera: Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSi); Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM Telephoto Zoom; Focal Length: 300mm; Aperture: F/8; Shutter Speed: 1/1250; ISO: 400.
The main purpose of a road-trip to Tanzania last year was to see the wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park. As so often happens on a long trip, our party simply didn’t have enough time to visit some of Tanzania’s other national parks, in particular Lake Manyara and Taringire, which are both fairly close to Arusha and Serengeti.
We didn’t consider Ngorongoro Crater because of the exhorbitant costs involved. For South Africans, paying park fees in US dollars is extremely expensive, so a guided trip into the crater was impossible on our limited budget.
However, travelling by road did mean we could visit Ruaha National Park, near Iringa in central Tanzania, on our way home. Ruaha’s location puts it out of reach for most visitors who fly in to Tanzania, which is a pity as it’s a spectacular wilderness area.
We were bowled over by the rugged beauty of Ruaha, by the giant baobab trees, the winding Ruaha River, distant mountain ranges, and the diversity of vegetation clad in earthy winter colors.
While the wildife viewing was good, it certainly wasn’t extraordinary. For us though, the raw, natural beauty of Ruaha, together with the feeling of being in a truly wild place with few other people or vehicles, was sufficient compensation. If you’d like to see some pics of Ruaha, please see our page of Ruaha Safari Pictures, which we hope will give a better idea of this wildlife gem, one of Tanzania’s best-kept secrets.
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+Scotch Macaskill
Tanzania is so rich in wildlife your almost guaranteed to see some animal action regardless of which park you visit. You’ve captured a great shot here, I like how the landscape is slightly blurred making the zebras really stand out. Tanzania safaris are great for photographing wildlife in action as there’s such a variety of species and environments.