Better Late Than...TZ/Kenya including pictures
Feb 7th, 2011, 05:21 AM
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Better Late Than...TZ/Kenya including pictures
New Year's resolution:
Learn Lightroom so I could process my trip photos (notice I did not say "master Lightroom") Lightroom still has the best of me, but I muddled through.
And, as an after thought, might as well post some form of a trip report. How can I be planning other trips if I can't even cough out a report?
Animal Highlights:
Wild dogs in Tsavo
Lions chased into trees by Cape Buffalo in the Mara
Serval in Serengeti
Cheetah with 6 cubs
Plus, bat eared fox, leopard, honey badger - no pix
and tons of awesome creatures
Apologies to all the wonderful photographers (especially senor biggs!): I am an amateur. At several points during this trip, the Canon Rebel owned me, not the other way around. The focus is not always sharp, especially early on. My moms pix I have yet to process. I also am missing some photos - especially from the Serengeti - and will keep searching. I'm sure I had photos of an African wild cat!
First, Tanzania pictures:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...hotos-_-Sharee
The beginning is one day in Amsterdam, then onto Tanzania. I will post Kenya later this week.
Itinerary, starting from home on January 17th, 2008:
Northwest Arkansas to Houston to Schipol, Amsterdam.
O/N Amsterdam - B&B in old town
Arrive NBO - O/N Intercontinental
Early flight to Arusha, visit Manyara, O/N Kirurumu Camp
Ngorongoro Crater, O/N Serena Lodge
Morning Crater visit, afternoon rim walk, O/N Serena Lodge
Serengeti - 3 nights Olakira
Serengeti - 3 nights Ndutu Lodge
Flight to Arusha then Wilson, then Mara - 2 nights Olonana Camp
Mara - 2 nights Saruni
Fly to Chyulu Hills - 2 nights Campi ya Kanzi
Tsavo West - 3 nights at Ndolwa, stayed only 2
Tsavo West - Finch-Hatton's 1 night
Fly to Nairobi - 1 night Giraffe Manor
Organized by Africa Serendipity, with ground coordination by Roys Safari in Tanzania, and both led us to our friend and guide Raphael.
Lions treed by Mara Cape Buffalo: As my mom's birthday approached in early December, I was spurred to get at least some photos processed so I could give her something in print. I was inspired by a thread about Blurb.com. What huge improvements since I last produced an online book a few years ago. So, I processed about 50 pictures, added some cheesy dialog between the Lions and Cape Buffalo that chased them into the trees, unfolding it like a story. It's meant to be cutesy/goofy. Here is a link to the Cape Buffalo and Lion encounter. I have a sketchy video, too, but again, it seems to be missing at the moment. I will upload the regular photos in the Kenya album, in case viewing these pictures in the book format is difficult.
http://www.blurb.com/books/1803693
An introduction:
My mom and I are both innkeepers. We've been at this "career" for just over 8 years, and both came from very different backgrounds. Mom has been an entrepreneur for a long time, and I retired from the fire department. Her inn hosts 150 weddings a year, my inn is smaller, so I have been working on a "side" project for about 5 years of rebuilding a small, historic resort. Open year round, we both do not get time off. Not just no vacations - no days off. So, when we started planning East Africa in 2006, it became an obsession, and grew to a 26 day mega-trip. 21 days in Africa (10 in Tanzania, 11 in Kenya) 3 in Paris, 1 in Amsterdam - plus one sucked up to travel. We splurged on lodging, but because we live in the lodging business, it's always a highlight for us to see how other similar businesses work. We planned the trip both around wildlife, but also around unique settings.
Lodging:
Intercontinental, Nairobi: Adequate, but we did not like it, especially since we were spending about 6 hours there for I'm sure an exorbitant price. We chose it originally because it was our first visit to Africa, and the name recognition gave us a false sense of comfort, plus the location was easy to the airport. I think. It was dark and we were tired. It could have been on the other end of Kenya, and I doubt we would have noticed
It was big, impersonal, and the food was not good. We arrived so late at night after 2 hitches at the airport. More later on the hitches. The dinner buffet was almost inedible. This coming from two gals who were starving, tired, and not foodies. The sleep was fine. We only had about 5 hours before we had to get up and go extra early to the airport to deal with one of the hitches. By leaving at 5:30, and missing the breakfast that was part of our B/B, I was on the hunt for coffee at the coffee bar in the lobby. I was hassled by the gentleman at the coffee bar, given a bill for the cup of coffee, and I had to explain to him that we had paid for breakfast, but had to leave early. I finally got the coffee, gulped it down, and headed for the airport.
Kirurumu Camp, near Lake Manyara: comfortable tent, very lovely view. Food was tasty. Impersonal experience. It was fine for one night. Three guys helped with our 2 duffles, so I tipped all three, which was what they were expecting. The gal at the front desk was overly concerned with me settling the bill for one drink as we were checking out. A bit rude, unsmiling, and pressuring. So that left us with a slight pall over the whole place. The gift shop had some unusual items.
Serena Lodge, Crater edge: Again, not nailing it yet. It's a large and corporate. But the staff was very friendly, which I was starting to feel like everyone in Tanzania was just not going to meet my ridiculously high "friendly" standard. I base it off of the crazy friendly state of Arkansas, where we live. We are all just stupid friendly here. Love it. So, the room had a wonderful view, and I'm glad we were not on the first/lower floor, which would have a view of bushes. VERY long walk to our room. But then, all rooms have a view, and it's a large place. Quiet, but it was not full. Food was tasty - buffet breakfast.
Olakira Mobile Tented Camp (Asilia), Serengeti: located in Ndutu. Loved it. Beds the most comfy of whole trip. Friendly staff, kind staff. Felt more genuine. Room had nice touches. Bucket showers worked fine, once we worked out the system. Very good food. Yes, I would go back to this one!
Ndutu Lodge, Serengeti: Loved it, too! family run, at least that was my understanding. Yes, it's larger, but everything felt genuine. The staff was not pushy, always ready to help. Comfortable rooms, great views with animals roaming through, and seemingly great bird watching. It was relaxed and we felt cared for. Perfect.
More later, but for now, the first round of photos is up.
Learn Lightroom so I could process my trip photos (notice I did not say "master Lightroom") Lightroom still has the best of me, but I muddled through.
And, as an after thought, might as well post some form of a trip report. How can I be planning other trips if I can't even cough out a report?
Animal Highlights:
Wild dogs in Tsavo
Lions chased into trees by Cape Buffalo in the Mara
Serval in Serengeti
Cheetah with 6 cubs
Plus, bat eared fox, leopard, honey badger - no pix
and tons of awesome creaturesApologies to all the wonderful photographers (especially senor biggs!): I am an amateur. At several points during this trip, the Canon Rebel owned me, not the other way around. The focus is not always sharp, especially early on. My moms pix I have yet to process. I also am missing some photos - especially from the Serengeti - and will keep searching. I'm sure I had photos of an African wild cat!
First, Tanzania pictures:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...hotos-_-Sharee
The beginning is one day in Amsterdam, then onto Tanzania. I will post Kenya later this week.
Itinerary, starting from home on January 17th, 2008:
Northwest Arkansas to Houston to Schipol, Amsterdam.
O/N Amsterdam - B&B in old town
Arrive NBO - O/N Intercontinental
Early flight to Arusha, visit Manyara, O/N Kirurumu Camp
Ngorongoro Crater, O/N Serena Lodge
Morning Crater visit, afternoon rim walk, O/N Serena Lodge
Serengeti - 3 nights Olakira
Serengeti - 3 nights Ndutu Lodge
Flight to Arusha then Wilson, then Mara - 2 nights Olonana Camp
Mara - 2 nights Saruni
Fly to Chyulu Hills - 2 nights Campi ya Kanzi
Tsavo West - 3 nights at Ndolwa, stayed only 2
Tsavo West - Finch-Hatton's 1 night
Fly to Nairobi - 1 night Giraffe Manor
Organized by Africa Serendipity, with ground coordination by Roys Safari in Tanzania, and both led us to our friend and guide Raphael.
Lions treed by Mara Cape Buffalo: As my mom's birthday approached in early December, I was spurred to get at least some photos processed so I could give her something in print. I was inspired by a thread about Blurb.com. What huge improvements since I last produced an online book a few years ago. So, I processed about 50 pictures, added some cheesy dialog between the Lions and Cape Buffalo that chased them into the trees, unfolding it like a story. It's meant to be cutesy/goofy. Here is a link to the Cape Buffalo and Lion encounter. I have a sketchy video, too, but again, it seems to be missing at the moment. I will upload the regular photos in the Kenya album, in case viewing these pictures in the book format is difficult.
http://www.blurb.com/books/1803693
An introduction:
My mom and I are both innkeepers. We've been at this "career" for just over 8 years, and both came from very different backgrounds. Mom has been an entrepreneur for a long time, and I retired from the fire department. Her inn hosts 150 weddings a year, my inn is smaller, so I have been working on a "side" project for about 5 years of rebuilding a small, historic resort. Open year round, we both do not get time off. Not just no vacations - no days off. So, when we started planning East Africa in 2006, it became an obsession, and grew to a 26 day mega-trip. 21 days in Africa (10 in Tanzania, 11 in Kenya) 3 in Paris, 1 in Amsterdam - plus one sucked up to travel. We splurged on lodging, but because we live in the lodging business, it's always a highlight for us to see how other similar businesses work. We planned the trip both around wildlife, but also around unique settings.
Lodging:
Intercontinental, Nairobi: Adequate, but we did not like it, especially since we were spending about 6 hours there for I'm sure an exorbitant price. We chose it originally because it was our first visit to Africa, and the name recognition gave us a false sense of comfort, plus the location was easy to the airport. I think. It was dark and we were tired. It could have been on the other end of Kenya, and I doubt we would have noticed
It was big, impersonal, and the food was not good. We arrived so late at night after 2 hitches at the airport. More later on the hitches. The dinner buffet was almost inedible. This coming from two gals who were starving, tired, and not foodies. The sleep was fine. We only had about 5 hours before we had to get up and go extra early to the airport to deal with one of the hitches. By leaving at 5:30, and missing the breakfast that was part of our B/B, I was on the hunt for coffee at the coffee bar in the lobby. I was hassled by the gentleman at the coffee bar, given a bill for the cup of coffee, and I had to explain to him that we had paid for breakfast, but had to leave early. I finally got the coffee, gulped it down, and headed for the airport.Kirurumu Camp, near Lake Manyara: comfortable tent, very lovely view. Food was tasty. Impersonal experience. It was fine for one night. Three guys helped with our 2 duffles, so I tipped all three, which was what they were expecting. The gal at the front desk was overly concerned with me settling the bill for one drink as we were checking out. A bit rude, unsmiling, and pressuring. So that left us with a slight pall over the whole place. The gift shop had some unusual items.
Serena Lodge, Crater edge: Again, not nailing it yet. It's a large and corporate. But the staff was very friendly, which I was starting to feel like everyone in Tanzania was just not going to meet my ridiculously high "friendly" standard. I base it off of the crazy friendly state of Arkansas, where we live. We are all just stupid friendly here. Love it. So, the room had a wonderful view, and I'm glad we were not on the first/lower floor, which would have a view of bushes. VERY long walk to our room. But then, all rooms have a view, and it's a large place. Quiet, but it was not full. Food was tasty - buffet breakfast.
Olakira Mobile Tented Camp (Asilia), Serengeti: located in Ndutu. Loved it. Beds the most comfy of whole trip. Friendly staff, kind staff. Felt more genuine. Room had nice touches. Bucket showers worked fine, once we worked out the system. Very good food. Yes, I would go back to this one!
Ndutu Lodge, Serengeti: Loved it, too! family run, at least that was my understanding. Yes, it's larger, but everything felt genuine. The staff was not pushy, always ready to help. Comfortable rooms, great views with animals roaming through, and seemingly great bird watching. It was relaxed and we felt cared for. Perfect.
More later, but for now, the first round of photos is up.
Feb 7th, 2011, 11:39 AM
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What a powerpacked itinerary. Is that 20 days in Africa?
Did you overnight in Amsterdam because you were traveling in winter and wanted an extra day for potential bad weather?
I could not get the photos. Maybe it's a temporary glitch or just me.
Did you overnight in Amsterdam because you were traveling in winter and wanted an extra day for potential bad weather?
I could not get the photos. Maybe it's a temporary glitch or just me.
Feb 7th, 2011, 12:11 PM
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Many thanks for report. Would like more.
Photo link to kodakgallery did not work for me either. Just got a kodak blank page. The http://www.blurb.com/books/1803693 sort of tried to work, got two picture pages then nothing but blanks.
Happy you liked Ndutu Safari Lodge, I will be there in two weeks for 6 nights
What was the wildebeest activity like there, Serengeti and Ndutu? You don't mention that in your highlights?
regards - tom
Photo link to kodakgallery did not work for me either. Just got a kodak blank page. The http://www.blurb.com/books/1803693 sort of tried to work, got two picture pages then nothing but blanks.
Happy you liked Ndutu Safari Lodge, I will be there in two weeks for 6 nights
What was the wildebeest activity like there, Serengeti and Ndutu? You don't mention that in your highlights?
regards - tom
Feb 7th, 2011, 04:05 PM
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These crazy links! Try this one:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...hotos-_-Sharee
Lynn, definitely was never late to the fire but still have dreams where I miss a call! Yes, 20/21 days in Africa. It was a dream. I was almost ready to come home, but was already planning the next trip on the long flight back.
We over-nighted in Amsterdam so we could stretch our legs, head off fatigue and give us a buffer day. We used air miles and it was no problem. Mom's idea, and it was actually not a bad idea.
tom, loved the migration. I guess it was such a huge deal, that I overlooked it! And you asked me in another thread a while back when I mentioned Kenya 2012, what about Tanzania for 2012. I've actually had to percolate on that one. For me, I was more draw to Kenya. I felt a huge difference in the people. I'm still mulling this over, but really, we wanted to see more of Kenya, plus it's more affordable, especially since TZ will be in high season. Mom would love to, and I absolutely adored the Serengeti. Still an option, but leaning towards a large itinerary in Kenya.
I hope that link works! I tested it, and of course it worked for me, but I was logged into Kodak... who knows. This one looks more like one Patty posted in one of her trip reports. Thanks for the encouragement!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...hotos-_-Sharee
Lynn, definitely was never late to the fire
but still have dreams where I miss a call! Yes, 20/21 days in Africa. It was a dream. I was almost ready to come home, but was already planning the next trip on the long flight back. We over-nighted in Amsterdam so we could stretch our legs, head off fatigue and give us a buffer day. We used air miles and it was no problem. Mom's idea, and it was actually not a bad idea.
tom, loved the migration. I guess it was such a huge deal, that I overlooked it! And you asked me in another thread a while back when I mentioned Kenya 2012, what about Tanzania for 2012. I've actually had to percolate on that one. For me, I was more draw to Kenya. I felt a huge difference in the people. I'm still mulling this over, but really, we wanted to see more of Kenya, plus it's more affordable, especially since TZ will be in high season. Mom would love to, and I absolutely adored the Serengeti. Still an option, but leaning towards a large itinerary in Kenya.
I hope that link works! I tested it, and of course it worked for me, but I was logged into Kodak... who knows. This one looks more like one Patty posted in one of her trip reports. Thanks for the encouragement!
Feb 7th, 2011, 04:32 PM
#6
Thanks for the report and the pictures.
Got the second picture link,as the first one did not work for me either.
Got any pictures of the Wild Dogs. I never saw them when I was there.!
Got the second picture link,as the first one did not work for me either.
Got any pictures of the Wild Dogs. I never saw them when I was there.!
Feb 7th, 2011, 04:35 PM
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Wild dogs coming - only a couple pictures of a group of about 17 (?) can't remember, in Tsavo which was the last couple days of the trip. I will work on those photos as we get snowed in tomorrow. Again. Glad the link worked!
Feb 7th, 2011, 04:43 PM
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New link to kodakgallery works fine.
This (next week ) will be my first time in Tanzania, Serengeti, Ngorongoro. Been to Kenya only once, Little Governors camp, Maasai Mara and loved it, love to go back. So many safaris, so little $$$ .
regards - tom
This (next week
) will be my first time in Tanzania, Serengeti, Ngorongoro. Been to Kenya only once, Little Governors camp, Maasai Mara and loved it, love to go back. So many safaris, so little $$$ .regards - tom
Feb 7th, 2011, 04:48 PM
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Excellent, tom - can't wait to hear your full report when you get back. May you have awesome sightings!
I am considering Little Governor's for the next trip. Glad to hear your liked it, and I know it's a favorite of folks around here.
Yes, so little $$$ - safe travels!
I am considering Little Governor's for the next trip. Glad to hear your liked it, and I know it's a favorite of folks around here.
Yes, so little $$$ - safe travels!
Feb 7th, 2011, 05:46 PM
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I copied and pasted the link and it worked. It appears your first animal on safari may have been a giraffe in Nairobi National Park, just like me. Nice job with the hartebeest in front of the city skyline, a Nairobi National Park Special!
One more vote for LG for a future trip!
One more vote for LG for a future trip!
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