Great forum - future safari

Old Oct 27th, 2006, 05:37 AM
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Great forum - future safari

I've just discovered this forum and think it's fabulous. So much valuable information - just great! As I was reading through all the safari trip reports, I couldn't believe it - but "Sandi" was at Saruni the exact same time as my husband and I were during June 2005. What a coincidence! Anyway, we are starting to think about another safari (once you get the bug, it's hopeless LOL). Can't make our minds up to either go back to Kenya/Tanzania or give Botswana a shot... I will continue to read over all the wonderful info, in this forum, and try to make my mind up!

Maddy
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 06:55 AM
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Welcome, Maddy!

I know the dilemma...we struggled initially with whether to go to East Afrcia or Botswana for our first trip. Now we are planning a second trip and it didn't take long for us to decide on East Africa again...there are still too many stones unturned there for us to consider another destination yet. Besides, we want to go back to see our beloved guide. Whatever you decide, you'll have fun planning and reading all of the valuable information here on the forum.

Even though you're new here and your previous trip was last year, we'd love to hear about it so please consider posting a trip report.
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 09:05 AM
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Welcome, Maddy. Tough choice. Of one thing I'm reasonably certain: no one on this board will ever talk you out of a safari, no matter the destination.

Let's hear about your last trip!
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 09:51 AM
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Maddy:

Where did you go on your first trip? Maybe that will give us some ideas.
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 10:06 AM
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Wow - this is great - now I get to relive my safari!! I am trying to put together a "little" trip report to share with you. We were on safari for 16 days - totally awesome... I won't make it too long :c) I did take 2,00+ photos, however. In a few days, I will post a link to share some of them with you also. Thanks for your interest!

Maddy
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 10:12 AM
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Welcome, Maddy! Looking forward to your report and pics.
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 10:23 AM
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Oh, what the heck. I say go to Botswana. Simple, right?

Do tell us about your safari - we love to hear about them.

I haven't made it to East Africa yet and 2007 is already planned for Botswana (2nd trip there). Maybe 2008.

Cindy
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 10:51 AM
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Karibu, Maddy! Tell us about your trip!
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 12:04 PM
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Ships in the night.

Were you the folks who saw the cheetah catch that poor Tommie that got in the way of what the cheetah was actually after?

Were you the couple in Chalet #6 at the top of the hill?

I'm just trying to remember who was at the camp when we were? Certainly can't remember names so far from then... only happenings. And, if I'm way off

... nice to have you on board.

Have to agree with Calo... there are just so many places to see/stay in Kenya, it's due a return visit (as I can say without prejudice)!!!
 
Old Oct 27th, 2006, 12:31 PM
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Still working on that report - turning out to be longer than I anticipated LOL!

sandi - Can't remember the chalet #. I have long red hair - my husband is very tall and has white hair. I remember you were there with 2 other gals. Do you have a link to some photos? We were there with another couple - he's Italian & she's Ukranian - they were the ones who didn't want to be separated at dinner LOL! I laughed when I read that - they can be a little weird

Maddy
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 12:38 PM
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welcome maddy--you'll have fun reliving your last trip by reporting on it. And even more fun deciding where to go next.
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 12:47 PM
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Yes, yes... remember that Ric had no luck with girl/guy/girl/guy seating. Your friends insisted in sitting together. So much for trying to be a good host and having guests meet one another.

Guess, you weren't the couple in Chalet #6 - she had short dark hair. I'm trying to remember the seating at the table for lunch (I didn't join for dinner_... you were at the farther end from where we were sitting next to Ric and his friend Davide.

Believe the below is the link to my photos from 2005:


http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePh...1&sort_order=0

If not, and if you don't mind, post your email and I'll send these direct. I can't chance posting my email address on the chance of being sent to outer Mongolia for two weeks (or longer). LOL!

The link for my 2006 years photos can be found in the East Africa Trip Report Index that LyndaS has been good enough to compile and keep current. A search will bring up this thread... and there may even be a link there to my photos from 2005.
 
Old Oct 27th, 2006, 02:57 PM
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Sandi - I just found your photos - TANZANIA & KENYA MAY/JUNE 2005 under New East Africa Trip Report Index. The link you supplied above didn't work. Your photos are great - looks like you had a wonderful trip. I will surely check out your 2006 report. You aren't going to believe this, but I am in one of your photos LOL! In your Kodak gallery, looking at all the little thumbnails at the bottom of the page, it is 3 rows up from the bottom, the 4th photo in from the right. That's my friend Paul, with the hat on, Isac our guide squatting next to him, I'm next to Paul, and Larissa (Paul's wife) behind us. How funny is that! Talk about a small world... My email: [email protected]

I should be finished with my report tomorrow and will post it then :c) Then I will select some photos to share.

Maddy
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Old Oct 27th, 2006, 04:37 PM
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Sandi's 2005 photos (I believe):

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&x=0&y=-qa0w3g

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Old Oct 28th, 2006, 05:20 AM
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Hi everyone - thanks for all the replies. As promised, here is my report.

I planned our trip through a wonderful safari planner, based in Santa Barbara, CA – Chuck Aljian – www.safariplanner.com. He is a wildlife photographer - being bit by the safari bug (10 yrs. ago), he plans and designs custom, photographic safaris, in Africa. At every location, we were greeted, escorted, driven, flown and guided every step of the way – everything flowed very smoothly. His communication skills are excellent (phone calls and emails). All our phone calls were well over an hour, each time. I will use him again.

There were 4 of us (my husband and I, plus another couple). Here is our itinerary, and my report:

June 6-9, 2005: Miami to London
We flew from Miami to London Heathrow (we live on Marco Island, FL). Spent 2 nights in London - none of us had ever been there, so it was a nice way to break up the long flights. On June 9th we flew from London to Nairobi - arrived late and stayed in Nairobi Serena overnight - next morning started our big adventure!

June 10-12 (3 nights): Saruni Camp – Masai Mara, Kenya
Bush plane to Saruni Camp - private conservation area outside Masai Mara Reserve. Saruni has accommodations for only twelve people in six tented cottages. It is pretty remote in a beautiful setting. The camp is lovely – informal, but upscale. Didn’t want for anything. Food was fantastic – Italian cooking (owner Ricardo Orizio lives on property). Our guide – Isac – was fabulous. Night drives were lots of fun. Saw tons of animals - lion, hyena, jackal, giraffe, eland, elephant, hippos, warthog, impala, topi, hartebeest, dik-dik, cheetah (on hood of land rover – so much emotion - I was crying like a 2 yr. old), and a leopard hunting at night. Went to the rhino preserve – it was cool to be standing fairly close to them. Waterbuck, cape buffalo and baboons right outside our tent. Heard wonderful animal sounds as we went to sleep. Great Masai interaction – I was doing the Masai jumping dance with them (what a tourist LOL!) Being our first stop, our mouths were hanging open in awe!

June 13-15 (3 nights): Campi ya Kanzi - Chyulu Hills, Kenya
Chartered bush plane to Campi ya Kanzi (camp has its own airstrip). It’s located on a private ranch in southern Kenya beneath Kilimanjaro between Amboseli and Tsavo – the land is owned by Masai herdsmen and the camp is run by Luca & Antonella Belpietro. First, let me say some positive things… Beautiful camp, lovely accommodations, delicious Italian food. Great Masai interaction (not canned). Game drives – saw lots of animals & birds. The scenery is just gorgeous. Now, one BIG problem… While we were staying there, Edward Norton – the movie actor – was also there, with his entourage of 5 other people, which included his father & wife, Ed’s girlfriend (who was dressed like she was ready to go to some posh restaurant in Hollywood), Ed’s cameraman (just finished shooting a movie) and his girlfriend. Now, this should not be a problem – right?? Wrong… Every time one of us entered a room, where Ed Norton was, he would vanish as if we were going to accost him. Give me a break… The worst part was that our lovely hosts were completely wrapped up in catering (bowing and scrapping to be exact) to Ed and company. One night, everyone at the camp waited until after 9 p.m. to eat dinner because Norton and crew were not back from their day’s activities yet. We later found out that Ed has contributed a LARGE sum of money to Campi ya Kanzi’s conservation project. The camp should have been reserved exclusively, for them, during their stay. I am sure if any of you stayed there, you would have a wonderful experience – we just had lousy timing.

June 16-18 (3 nights): Tarangire River Camp – Tarangire, Tanzania
Chartered bush plane to Namanga, the boarder town of Kenya and Tanzania. Here we said hello to our Tanzanian guide, Nixon (Kibo Safaris) and continued toward Tarangire National Park. We had Nixon, and a private vehicle, for the remainder of our safari. Tarangire River Camp is also on a privately owned Masai concession. Very nice camp – maybe between 15-20 luxury tents – the food was good (not great). Beautiful acacia & tortilas trees - and the baobabs were awesome – there’s one huge one in the middle of the main lounge – right through the roof :c) One of the Masai that worked at the camp – Julius – was so much fun. We went on a walk with him – this guy was a riot – so animated!! We had a great time. And, of course, saw tons of the main attraction – Elephants galore! It was fantastic – they were everywhere. Lots of babies – oh so cute. We even had a mock charge by a huge bull – very exciting (a little scary actually). He even stood up on his rear legs, trumpeting and shaking his head – this guy must have escaped from the circus LOL! Had a great visit with the Datoga tribe – very different looking than the Masai. All the children were picking up goats to show us how strong they were – so cute!

June 19-21 (3 nights): Ngorongoro Crater Lodge - Tanzania
Drove to the crater early a.m. What can I say – the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is unbelievable. Everything was over-the-top, but we loved it. The service was fantastic, the food delicious, the butler, the hot bath, with rose pedals, etc. etc. All great… The crater was like one big bowl of animals and birds… Early morning fog swirled around our heads, but eventually burned off. Standing, in the middle of the crater, is a surreal experience, to say the least. The flamingos, at the lake, were gorgeous. Saw lots of lions, at various kills and a leopard up in a tree. Seemed like we saw every animal and bird specie on earth… We really didn’t encounter a lot of other vehicles. Must have picked a good time to be there. At the lodge, there was an elephant, under our friend’s balcony! I don’t know how he got under there – but there he was – awesome! It was certainly worth the $$ to stay here for a few nights.

June 22-24 (3 nights): Serengeti – Private Mobile Luxury Tents – Outfitted by Kibo Safaris

After breakfast we drove to Oldavai Gorge – very interesting history. Saw lots of baboons there. Then we proceeded onto our fantastic, private campsite, in the northwestern Serengeti. We wanted to be close to whatever was left of the wildebeest migration. And, there were plenty of wildebeest left… Every night we went to sleep to the sound of “gnu, gnu, gnu” and lots of lions and hyenas calling all night long – unbelievable. The wildebeest and zebra were all around us. And so were their predators. Our Hemingway style tents were wonderful – bucket showers and all – our camp attendant always had hot water for us. Our laundry was done – just as nicely as in the permanent camps. The Kibo people couldn’t have been better. Our dining tent was very nice – delicious meals cooked with an African flavor. It was Nixon’s birthday (our guide) – we asked the cook if he could whip up a cake – and he did!! Fantastic! We gave him little gifts – he was all choked up and so appreciative.

We did lots of day game drives, during the day - the only other vehicle we ran into was National Geographic doing some shoots for one of their upcoming issues. There were a zillion hippos at a hippo pool – two males got into a standoff – very exciting. Saw some crocs at Grumeti River – boy they are big! Saw several thousand wildebeest, zebra, tommies, and yes, lions. During the evenings, we sat around the campfire listening to the animals. Saw some fruit bats flying around.

One night, there was a commotion that woke us up – a hyena tried to walk off with the food box!!! The icing on the cake happened during our last day in the Serengeti. Early in the morning, as we were getting ready in our tents, I looked out and there was a lioness walking right past the window of our tent!!! I grabbed my husband’s arm and pointed – then I ran over and zipped the tent closed – you never know LOL!! As she passed by I called over to our friends – they said “there are 3 more over here!!” I grabbed my camera, lay on the floor, unzipped the zipper just enough to fit my lens through. Snap, snap, snap. Before we knew it, there were 6 lions around our tents. They grabbed the canvas water basin, outside the tent, and flung it up in the air. (I kept thinking of Adam, our attendant, who just filled those basins with water!!) The water went flying, along with the iron stand that was holding it. All the lions were playing with it, like they were kittens playing with a ball of yarn LOL! Then as quick as he could get there, our guide jumped into the range rover and came racing over trying to chase the lions away. When he got them far enough away he told us to jump into the vehicle. I hopped into the range rover, in my PJ’s, camera in hand. My friend Paul also made it. The lions started to return so my husband Don and Paul’s wife stayed in the tents. We eventually chased the lions off, but boy was it exciting! Then the lions started to follow some zebra – I’m sure they were on the breakfast menu.

Well, all good things must come to an end… I could go on and on, but this is way too long already :c) I will put together some photos, for you to look at.

June 25: Departed Serengeti for flight to Arusha. Larissa and I were crying like babies as we said goodbye to our guide, Nixon. I’ve never experienced that kind of emotion when ending a trip… Truly overwhelming. We connected to our flight to Nairobi - day room at the Serena – that evening, off to London. Stayed 1 night in London, then departed for Miami. Back home, on Marco Island, June 27.



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Old Oct 28th, 2006, 06:06 AM
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Maddy -

Glad you found the correct photo link (thanks Kevin for providing). Your trip report is great; thanks for sharing.

I sent you a separate email.
 
Old Oct 28th, 2006, 06:48 AM
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Hello Maddy! Welcome - I just discovered this forum a few months ago and everyone here couldn't be nicer or more helpful. Our first safari is coming up in 96 days!!! Many of our destinations were booked because of recommendations from the forum. I LOVED your report about the lions outside the tents. The adrenaline must have been flowing! Guess I'd better pack some pyjamas...
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Old Oct 28th, 2006, 06:59 AM
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Maddy thanks for sharing
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Old Oct 28th, 2006, 10:03 AM
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Maddy, thanks for you report. It sounds like you had wonderful and very expensive safari. The lions outside the tents make me especially jealous. I had to google Edward Norton – not someone I would accost.
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Old Oct 28th, 2006, 10:21 AM
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Everyone - thanks for your comments! We really had a great time. Can't wait to do it again... Next year we have a lot going on, so probably 2008. I think, at this point, we are defintely leaning toward returning to East Africa. I've just started investigating different camps. There is so much wonderful information on here - just fabulous!

carolines - you are going to have a great time - emjoy!

nyamera - trust me, no one wanted to accost him either... Some people have very inflated egos LOL!
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