Good to hear from you! Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Looking forward to more. Who was your Nomad guide?

Rocco:
It is somewhat curious that we were both able to switch nights from Loliondo to Nudtu--means the Nomad camps were not full--which they were quite full last April/May. I wonder if they had cancellations because of the rain situation. If so, both you and agree that people made a mistake.

bat,

Nomad runs two separate camps in Ndutu, one is their "Bravo" camp, and the other is their "Delta" camp.

In the Loliondo area currently are Nomad's "Alpha" and "Charlie" camps.

They do have a fifth camp that roves different areas.

For the first three nights I stayed at the "Delta" camp, and there were two other couples there (3 out of 4 tents filled and that equals 75% capacity). For my final night, because they were taking down the "Delta" camp to move to a new Ndutu site, I was moved to the "Bravo" camp, that with Alexsandra and I was 100% full.

Nomad will not rotate clients between camps in the same area under normal circumstances. It was only due to my unforeseen extension that I was rotated.

My guide from Nomad is Chedial (sp.?) and he is excellent. Beanbags in the vehicle, fully stocked cooler, cookies/crackers, blankets, vehicle is cleaned twice per day, etc.

Finally, to clarify on my original post, each of the lion highlights were in the Ndutu area, each not more than 15 minutes away from the campsite. We heard the lions roaring each night from camp. Had I not extended my time in Ndutu, I would have missed out on the tree climbing lion.

Also, offroading is permitted in the Ndutu area, unlike in the majority of the Serengeti, and this made for a wonderful safari that reminded me much of the Sabi Sand except with tens of thousands of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, eland, hartebeest and others around, as well as the magnificent open plains for which the Serengeti is known.

I did not really miss the open vehicles while in the Serengeti or in the Crater (just too many predators to get completely comfortable in an open vehicle) but I did elect to use the open vehicle of the Tarangire Tree Tops lodge at a cost of $30 per person per drive (very reasonable, I must say, especially since it was only Alexsandra and I on one drive and I was solo on the night drive).

Also, I did use the CCA open vehicle in Lake Manyara but I am not sure how much this cost as it was comped to me as an agent. It did make for a very nice drive as it would not have been as enjoyable in a closed vehicle since much of the drive takes place right up against the wall of the Great Rift Valley so having an open vehicle was crucial to seeing klipspringers and other wildlife.

That is all for now...I will need to start workingon a trip report and don't want to repeat myself too much.

Cheers from the Mbuze Mawe lobby.

Ok. I'll wait, albeit impatiently--when you read my report you will find that even though it seems that the migration was massed for you, and it was not for us, we share similar opinions about the Ndutu experience.

Wow, Roccco!

Nice to hear from you, Rocco and glad you've had such an amazing safari experience... looking forward to reading the full detailed report when you get back!

Roccco,

Huge male lion in a tree! I too am looking forward to the full report.

Rocco,

Awesome!!! wow!!! will await ur full trip report

Have a gr8 rest of the trip

Hari

Color me jealous.

Very happy you two are having such a good time. I do hope Alexsandra finds someone to tutor her in Swahili; I agree that it's a fascinating language (really difficult, though, or so I think).

Enjoy the rest of your holiday. I cannot wait for the full report.

And, what, no balloon update???

It really does sound wonderful. Glad you are having good experiences in East Africa. I'll have questions later... And thanks for the mini trip report before you even return. Be safe and behave!

Just a little more drama...just as we are sitting here preparing for dinner at Mbuze Mawe, a male lion is roaring for the rest of his pride and the lion has been placed between tents #5 and #6...we are in Tent #5.

I have seen quite a bit of carnage over the last few days so this is a bit disconcerting...I am rooting that they will go for the French woman in Tent #6 who is not at all concerned by the lion and says that she has been around lions before.

The national park ranger has now arrived and is addressing the issue but for now there are quite a few American senior citizens (OAT) stirring about here but none of them are as concerned as I, probably because they have booked all the wrong camps and have not seen what these lions are capable of doing.

Rocco - I'm sure it goes without saying but be sure to get photos of these camps!! Thanks...

Oh, and try not get eaten...

Love hearing about all the excitement. You'll have to post back to assure us you weren't mauled!

Swahili; I'm certainly finding it hard. I've been trying to learn for a while. Now have CDs, Books and posters. Also post-it notes with words and phrases. It's gradually opening up to me as a language... and able to communicate more. Certainly helps on the beaches when you tell the beach boys "Thank you, but there's no business today... maybe later... maybe tomorrow..." in swahilli. Their faces light up if you use a bit of sheng.

"Mambo poa! Uko freshi lakini?"

Don't expect would work in Tanzania.. they speak very correct Swahili there I've been told.

How I would like to be there!

Don't worry, Rocco. Even lions prefer French to American food.

I think the lion would come out the worse for wear if he had the audacity to attack Rocco. And "annoying cheetahs"?

How exciting! Enjoy the rest of your trip, Rocco.

Wheh! Made it back to the room in one piece, but it was a scary little walk with a 5'6" "security guard" armed only with a flashlight.

Even the baboons were barking their alarm calls just minutes before we returned to our room. I am sure the lions will be back in camp later tonight and we have a 4:15AM wakeup call for our hot air ballooning. They will have one more chance at a couple juicy Americans.

Just now it has started raining and there is lightning on the horizon, so who knows what will happen tomorrow morning. I very carefully wrote in on my registration card for the ballooning that if the flight was cancelled for any reason, including weather, that I would be refunded 100%. The ballooning rep did not like this but allowed it, and I was only repeating what he had said verbally.

Signal is barely coming in, but I am able to get a Wi-Fi connection in my room if positioned correctly...just have these damn insects all over my screen as I write!

OMG they have wi-fi at Mbuzi Mawe?!

Patty - My thoughts exactly. Isn't that just crazy?!

$5 per every 15 minutes if you use THEIR computer...FREE if you tap onto their unsecured Wi-Fi network. Shhhhhh!

After being off the internet for the better part of the last two weeks, it is a very welcome addition to have internet access.

Basically, I consider my safari over...but then why am I hiding from lions?

I will have one final game drive tomorrow but expect it to be very anti-climatic since off-roading is not available around here and there are soooo many more visitors to this part of the Serengeti. On the way up here from Ndutu we encountered visitors who were coming all the way from Kusini or from Seronera down to Ndutu...that is a brutal 3 or 4 hour drive minimum in each direction!

Also, Kusini (A&K) had considered closing their camp and relocating their guests to Nomad's Ndutu camps, from what I understand, but then did not do so after all. The reason for this was heavy rains and bad roads in their own area.

You will have an amazing trip report when you get back! Enjoy the rest of your trip - we don't want it to end before it has to.

Rocco,

It truly sounds like a thrill a minute trip......easily, the most interesting and entertaining thread on this board at the moment.......can't wait to read more.......and bombard you with lots of questions.....

Hari

Rocco,

Reading about the Kusini camp and the hours of driving to view animals brings back dreadful memories of my one and only experience of Tanzania. I was there in February 2001, and due to heavy rains in the area, it was a four hour drive each way to gameviewing. That is 8 hours driving each day with no gameviewing other than tsetse flies, then a quick hour of gameviewing then back to Kusini. At least a twice daily event was getting stuck in the mud and waiting for someone passing to help us out. To say it was a disappointing experience would be putting it mildly! Luckily it did not put me off gameviewing, but did put me off Tanzania!

Kind regards,
Kaye

Kaye,

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. For the very experience you had, I think it would be worth it for you in the future to give Tanzania another opportunity with an option such as Nomad or CCA's Tanzania Under Canvas. These are more mobile options that will move you into the best areas and set up camp for the duration of your stay.

The gameviewing I experienced in the Ndutu area was tremendous and even this morning coming back from my hot air ballooning, I saw a cheetah on a small kopje (boulder), as well as a lion pride. Moreover, on the way to the ballooning, right on the Mbuzi Mawe property as we were exiting, we saw six adult lions (four females and two males) surrounding two Dagga Boys. Unfortunately, we only had time to watch for a couple minutes while the Dagga Boys stood back to back...for sure I thought at least one of the Dagga Boys would be lying there half eaten on our return, but fortunately for them, they somehow managed to escape, or so it seems.

The major difference for me between Tanzania and Southern Africa has been the overland safari vs. the fly-in safari, but it has allowed us to see so many beautiful landscapes that I did not mind it at all.

My next trip, however is the following in November/December:

Ntwala Island Lodge, Caprivi Strip, Namibia (2)
Susuwe Island Lodge, Caprivi Strip, Namibia (2)
Kwando Lagoon (2)
Kwando Lebala (2)
Kwando Kwara Island (1)
Kwando Kwara (3)
Michelangelo Hotel, Joburg (1)
Kings Camp, Timbavati (2)
Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, Sabi Sand (2)
Leopard Hills, Sabi Sand (2)
Madikwe Hills, Madikwe (2)
Mateya, Madikwe (2)

It will be a completely different experience than Tanzania but will allow me to explore some very highly regarded lodges.

However, I will be itching to return to Tanzania in July 2007 to possibly explore Katavi, Selous, Ruaha and the Grumeti area of the Serengeti. It really is a wonderful country and can be as luxurious or as basic as one wants. The Crater Lodge, for example, in my opinion, for accomodations, food and service, was on par with Singita.

Anyway, time for my final game drive, although it is thundering in the distance and lightly raining. It would be nice to see one more cheetah and possibly one more leopard.

Hm Saw quite a few Lions on and around moru Kopjes.
Including Lions at kill with a couple of black backed jackals trying to get a piece, and failing. The whole area was crammed with animals in Feb.

What a great report! I can't wait to see these pictures!

I would love to be able to read a leopard's mind when he sees a big huge male lion in a tree.

"Oh **&^% they can climb trees? Now where will I hide?"

Wayne

I have great video from my last trip to Mala Mala of a Leopard thirty feet up a tree getting a whole lot higher as a Lioness launched herself up the tree. She got to about twenty five feet before losing her grip and falling to earth. Meanwhile the terrified Leopard was clinging to the canopy at about fifty or sixty feet up.

Hi Roccco,

What a great time you have been experiencing on this safari and it's fun to read your entertaining commentary. How was the hot air balloon ride? I hope to do one while in Namibia this year as I chickened out on our last trip in '03. Thought it would be a bit bumpy but my spouse said it was as smooth as can be. Enjoy the remainder of your time away. DJE

This is a great intro Rocco!

WOW about that lion in the tree, no kidding about the flies though. LOL about the annoying cheetahs, I got a good chuckle out of that.

I can't WAIT to see your pictures from this trip, they are always so fantastic!

So you are planning your next trip in the intro report before even getting home! That's the spirit.

I'm sure the big male lion climbing the tree had been alerted that you were interested in seeing tree climbing lions. To oblige, was getting up that thing no matter what!

Glad all has gone so well.

Hello from the Palms in Zanzibar. I have a few minutes as I await Alexsandra as she is in the tail end of her 3 hour Swahili class.

Last week, I e-mailed about 10 different companies (some local universities but mostly Zanzibar tour operators) looking for Swahili instruction for Alexsandra. Out of the 10 e-mails I only received 2 responses and of those two only one was able to assist. As a result, Alexsandra will have four mornings of Swahili instruction, as she has become quite passionate about the language, likely because her parents native tongue is a Middle Eastern language (Assyrian, which she is also fluent in) and because she is fluent in Spanish and she finds similarities in Swahili to each of the two languages.

The Palms is beautiful and each the rooms, grounds and service are excellent. I slept until nearly 10AM today and that was much needed.

Two more nights here and then onto the Serena Inn for two nights, Amsterdam for two nights and Paris for two nights.

I was ultimately disappointed to learn that I could have flown out of Ndutu...something that my tour operator did not make me aware of, or else I probably would not have gone up to Mbuzi Mawe, although the staff at Mbuzi Mawe was fantastic and we really enjoyed the company of three Americans we spent a lot of time with at the lodge. It was a bit of a surprise, however, when our first stop en route from Seronera to Zanzibar was in Ndutu!

There were four stops altogether and we felt like we were on a subway rather than on a small plane. Seronera-Ndutu-Lake Manyara-Arusha-Kiliminjaro-Zanzibar.

It is very hot and humid here and we are most thankful for the A/C in the room and in the common enclosed areas of the lodge (with only six rooms, it is too small to qualify as a hotel in my book).

The final couple drives produced more lions and more cheetah, but after being able to offroad in Ndutu, the sightings were somewhat anticlimatic, knowing that we could not pursue the predators had they decided to hunt.

On the final night at Mbuzi Mawe, it was pouring rain and after getting tired of waiting it out, we were escorted back to the room by each the "security guard" who was armed to the teeth with a plastic flashlight, and a park ranger, who was even better equipped with what looked to be an automatic rifle.

I am very tempted to extend Amsterdam by one night and save Paris for another time. Doing so would allow us to return home on a Saturday afternoon, as well as save about $1,400 on accomodations. Oh, and it just so happens that there is a heavyweight championship fight that I am tempted to watch on Saturday night.

I'll have to check the reservation policy on the Four Seasons in Paris as well as see if there are any flights home in business class a day earlier from Amsterdam. I am using ff miles for this flight...I will not change a thing if I can only fly back in economy class, as that is a very long 11.5 hour flight.

Well, times up...will probably go snorkeling right now...the beach is beautiful with the softest white sand and only with people from Breezes resort nearby (Breezes and the Palms are under the same ownership, but while the Palms guests can use Breezes facilities, Breezes guests CANNOT use the Palms facilities....nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!).

Hey Rocco,

Wonder if you are still online? Two questions,

1.) Tell me more about your cheetah sightings

2.) Will you recommend Nomad? How do they compare with the new CCA tents?

Thanks
Hari

Rocco,
You're missing all the foul weather in LA the last couple of days. I couldn't believe it when I looked out my window this morning and it was hailing!

Did you balloon ride? You would not have been able to do that from Ndutu.

Alexsandra is very impressive immediately moving forward with her language lessons. That was one of my weak areas in terms of trip preparation. Good for her. Have fun lounging.