RWANDA AND THE GORILLAS!

Arrived in Rwanda via Nairobi about 10:00am. The interesting thing was that the flight was on a very large plane that had about 30 people on it. I laughed because I was in a seat at the back of plane with a 100+ seats ahead of me that were open. I asked the flight attendant if this was truly the right plane to Rwanda since it was huge…he said it was. They were taking a large plane because they needed to take a lot of freight. Oh, and the flight was stopping in Burundi. Yes, I did think of Imelda and I did not get off the plane.

On this flight, we met two women (Debbie and Mary) that worked at the Oklahoma zoo, one worked with gorillas and one with birds. We were excited that they were doing the gorilla trek the same day as us. They were then heading out to the Congo to visit a friend working with the gorillas.

Bill, from Volcanoes Safari’s, picked us up and started giving us a tour of the city. Bill showed us an area of Kigali that they are building HUGE homes. He told us that the government is paying people to move out of their small homes to make way for the big mansions. These were million dollar homes he told us. He then took us to lunch at a place he frequents. They had a buffet of sorts of traditional Rwandian/African fare. It was delicious! And those tiny bananas were so sweet….yummy!

Then off to the Genocide Memorial. I found the memorial very well done. It is a two story complex with different rooms and hallways dedicated to certain aspects of the genocide. The first hallway chronicles the genocide from the beginning to the end with pictures, text and video. Then you flow into different rooms. One room has clothing of those murdered in glass cases while a video of a survivor plays on a large screen. There is a room dedicated to the children of the genocide…I honestly could not get all the way through that one. Another room has walls full of pictures given by the families of those killed. Another area had the history of other genocides that had occurred throughout the world. Once you are done walking through the inside, you can walk through the gardens outside and then amongst the mass graves.

I think everyone that takes a trip into Kigali must stop the memorial. Bill also took us to the barracks that the Belgians were killed at the beginning of the genocide. Again, very touching. You can see all the bullet holes and the corner of the inside of the building where the grenade was tossed. There is a chalkboard in one of the rooms with a plate of glass over it. On the chalkboard are the writings of some of the family members. What struck me first was a big skull and cross bones with the name of Dallaire next to it. Outside they have created a memorial garden what has granite posts dedicated to each of the Belgians that were killed. Each post has the initials of the person and then these large “cuts” or “notches” indicating each year of their age. So if the person killed was 28 years old, there are 28 notches. Again, very well done and very touching.

After these two stops, we started to make out way to Gorillas Nest. I was so amazed that the roads are filled with people…all roads! Rwandan’s dressed in beautiful colors, carrying all sorts of stuff on their heads, kids, men, everyone. It was amazing. Bill just cruised down the middle of the road at high speed and somehow, everyone knows instinctively to step out of the way…how does that happen? The countryside was beautiful but it was interesting to see what almost every piece of land was being cultivated. I know Rwanda has a large population and you wonder how it can continue to sustain all these people. So, a couple of hours later, we were about to turn onto the final road that takes us to Gorilla’s Nest and there was a bus that had gotten stuck trying to get over the bridge and was in the process of being dug out. So, now what? Well, lucky for us, we had Bill. Bill knew there was another back road to the hotel, he just wasn’t sure which one it was. After a few exploratory twists and turns, along with driving down the middle of a large open market area, he found the right road. It was bumpy, but he got us to the Nest with a small 30 minutes detour.

At the Nest, we checked in and we were taken to our room. I was a little nervous about staying here based on some comments given on the board, but the found the room to be more then adequate. Volcanoes Safari had originally booked us into their hotel, Virunga, but I didn’t want to be 45 minutes away from the park entrance. Bill did take us to Virunga on the way to the Nest and the views were fabulous. I did talk to some other people that stayed there and they loved it. But since my goal was strictly gorillas, I thought the Nest was the best place for us. The bed was very comfortable and we slept great. I would warn others to make sure you shut all the windows upon arriving in your room. We thought we shut all our windows when we left for dinner, but found out one was still open hidden behind the drapes. There is no heat, so anything you can do to keep the cold out is best.

Dinner at the Nest wasn’t very good. It was buffet style and very ordinary. We didn’t have high expectations, so it was fine. The next morning our alarm went off and we showered, packed and were ready to go. Only one small problem. My husband forgot to adjust his watch to correspond with Rwanda time, so we got up at 4 am and not 5 am. So, we had another hour to kill before breakfast. Finally, it was breakfast time and again it was buffet style and not bad. They had cereal, toast, eggs, omelets, etc. The time had come….off to the Park!

Upon arriving at the park, we ran into Debbie and Mary and discussed which groups we wanted to see. I had requested François (based on input here) but he was not guiding this day. Bill requested Group 13 for us since it had a newborn baby and lots of young gorillas. Debbie and Mary did Susa. There were seven of us in our group; us, another couple that did Susa the day before, a single man and a professional photographer and his assistant. The photographer is putting out a book in July on baby animals. A short 10-minute ride to where we parked the cars to begin the hike. It took about ½ hour to walk to the wall. The walk to the wall was stunningly beautiful; I could have sat in those fields all day.

Now, I had heard the climb over the wall could be challenging and was happy to see there was a sort of break in the wall making it easy to get into the park. Our hike to the gorillas took another hour. The walk was muddy and there was one area that was rather steep. I am afraid of heights so when I saw that I had to walk up and what would happen if I slipped in the mud (long, long slide down he mountain) it took my breath away. The other woman in my group recognized my fear and said she was also afraid of heights and just to keep my eyes looking at her back at all times. So, I trudged on, and silently and sometimes not so silently cursed my way up the slope. Thank god for bamboo, because without it, I would have surely slid down into oblivion.

Having surmounted the slippery slope, and having not been stung by nettle (yet), our guide asked us to drop our gear and to take what we needed as the gorillas were up another (not so) steep slope. We begin to hike again and within 5 minutes gorillas surrounded us. My first sight was of the youngsters tumbling down the hill and them chasing each other back up. I was so flabbergasted, I could not move. Luckily, my husband shoved the video camera in my hand or I would have never even thought of it. We had to keep moving back as the youngsters kept tumbling over into where we were standing.

I was standing next to gorillas!! The youngsters were hilarious and I watched them for a long time and only moved on when they went into the bushes. The Silverback was above us on the slope and we could see him munching on leaves. We climbed further up and again I could not believe my eyes. A silverback! And some of his females. The gorillas continued to move up the hill, so we followed. Everywhere I turned there was a gorilla. The guide then pointed out the new mom and her baby. I never saw more then the foot or the top of the head of the baby as mom was very protective. The photographer was getting pushy trying to capture a picture…he never did. Lucky for us, my husband was able to get a beautiful picture of the baby because he took the time to wait for the mom to eventually move.

We started to make our way back down the hill as time was running out and we again ran into the silverback and some of the females. He was so regal. He moved amongst us with no fear and came close to us a few times. The guide was always trying to move us away and to keep us together. As we were watching the silverback for the last time, we heard some gorilla squabbling going on above us. The silverback turned to take a few steps into the open and almost ran right into my husband. They both looked at each other, both equally startled. My husband said he stopped breathing until the silverback moved on past him.

It was so sad to leave, but I knew we had to. On the way down the hill, I ran into stinging nettles and, damn, those things hurt. Luckily for me, I was hit only three times. I was getting tired from the hike and watching the gorillas, I started getting sloppy on the way down and slipped twice onto my butt. I was happy I could amuse everyone else in the group. When we got back to the steep part, I just sat down and scooted down….again, everyone amused.

After we said our goodbyes to everyone, Bill took us back to Kigali. On the way back to Kigali we saw two local tribunals taking place. We saw about 8 tables outside in a row with people sitting at them. We saw someone addressing the audience made up of those that lived in the village or town. We also saw a few men armed with large guns. Bill said the trials go on for half a day or so and then the guilty are taken to jail right away after sentencing.

Stayed at the Hotel Des Millnes and agreed with everyone on the board……needs a remodel. Swam in the pool, which was very refreshing. We tried to eat dinner that night by the poolside bar but they had a convention and it was packed. It was also Valentines Day. We decided to go back to the room and order room service since we had a 6:00 flight the next morning. Long story short, room service never came. So we ate Cheese-Its (yes I am being serious) and went to bed.

NEXT-OFF TO TANZANIA AND SWALA (SO WE THINK)

Thanks for the timely report! What a great visit you had with the gorillas-we're headed there in Nov and I can't wait. What did you wear for the trek?

LAKE MAYNARA

Bill got us to the airport and it was dark inside. The parking lot was empty and I wondered how we were supposed to find the plane we were taking. Bill was surprised to see the pilots waiting for us in the darkened terminal. The pilots opened the door for us, took down our names and we followed them through security…all of this in the dark. We went through passport control as soon as we found someone to stamp our passport and we were on our way. It was only my husband and I for the first part of the trip. We landed in Mwanza, picked up more passengers and then landed in Lake Maynara airstrip.

We were met with Claude from CCAfrica and he told us we were not going to Swala. What? With the rains, no one was going to Swala because they could not cross the river. So CCAfrica put us into Tree Lodge for the night. I asked Claude if I was staying for two nights and he said yes. So, off we went with 4 others to the park. What a fabulous game drive. I saw tons of elephants, giraffes, a hippo, baboons, monkeys, the tail of a black mambo snake, a leopard in a tree (I could only see the tail and the foot, does that count?) and many other animals. I told my husband I felt like I was on one of those cars they have at Universal Studios (that is what the vehicles reminded me of) and we were driving through a manufactured “safari world”. I was once again amazed.

The scenery was spectacular. Everything was very green and lush. There was even a waterfall which made a stunning backdrop to a bunch of buffalo.

We finally made it to the lodge at 7:00pm and they had a bath waiting for us. The rooms are gorgeous and the location is outstanding. Now for the bad part. After unpacking, sorting laundry and going to the bar for a drink before dinner, Claude comes over and tells us what time we need to leave in the morning for the Crater Lodge. Huh? Oh yeah, he failed to mention that I was being transferred in the morning. I already had two nights at the lodge and did not want a third. The manager came over and wanted to discuss it with us in front of other guests. I suggested we move elsewhere and got really upset that they were telling us this now, after we made plans for the next day already. I was never given an explanation on why I wasn’t told this from the beginning. I would have certainly tried to make other arrangements earlier in the day to secure a room elsewhere for two nights.

At this point it was late, so we skipped dinner so we could repack everything. They wanted to transfer us to Crater Lodge in the morning and I refused to go that early. We ended up negotiating a private safari in the park until 1:00 and then we were driven to the entrance of the crater at about 3:00. The game drive out of the park was great and I saw my first lions during the last ½ hour. Our guide, Tawanda, and tracker, Arnold, were a pleasure to be with.

Final thoughts....we LOVED Lake Maynara and I wish I had more time there.

NEXT, CRATER LODGE

Moremiles-

That was a question that plagued me until the weekend before we left. I shopped for the “right shoes” and almost gave up and threatened to just wear my Keds. I finally found a good pair of comfortable trail shoes that were lightweight and I could wear the rest of the trip. I was very happy to have some traction.

I bought a pair of $8 cargo pants (on sale) to wear for the hike and they were the same pants that I wore on the plane. They were thin, but at this point I was too exhausted to shop anymore. The other people in my group had the same thin type of cargo pants I did, and we all laughed that we would regret it. I actually wasn’t stung with nettles on the leg, only the arms. Then, I just wore a t-shirt with my fleece pull over.

I did bring gloves for the nettles and used them. We did bring cheap rain ponchos and did not use them.

Monica

THE CRATER

We were met at the Ngorongoro Crater Park entrance by a guide from the Crater and proceed up the bumpy and picturesque road. I recognized the lodge from the pictures on the Internet. They look like Hobbit Huts. We were met by Irene, manager, and our butler, Patrick. We stayed in South Camp and actually had the hut next to where we would eat our meals…very convenient. The views were too die for…ok, perhaps I could struggle to stay here for three nights J. The rooms are fabulous and way over the top. Our room had two decks, one off the bedroom area and one off the bathroom. We had a fireplace, a sitting area and two sinks with a large shower area between them. Even the toilet had a view of the crater.

The food was good, but not outstanding. There was plenty to eat each night and we actually asked Patrick to lighten up on our portions. The first night after we ate, I was not feeling well. Within a couple of hours after dinner, I was projectile vomiting (just trying to paint a picture, a disgusting picture, but a picture none-the-less). My husband was sure that the drink I had that night, Kailua and Milk, was the culprit. But, an hour or so later, my husband got sick and we determined the only thing we both had that day was a sandwich made by the Tree Lodge at 6:30 that morning which we ate at 1:30. Now why we thought that it was a good idea to eat a sandwich made 7 hours earlier in the day that sat unrefridgerated was a good idea, is beyond me. I wouldn’t do that at home. I told the story to an English couple we met and her rule is..never eat a sandwich you haven’t made. Good advice…a little too late for me, but good advice.

We were due to have a private safari the next morning, but called and rescheduled for the afternoon. Even the afternoon was a bit touchy, but I wasn’t going to miss safari time just because my insides had been turned upside down! The bumpy ride down didn’t help, but the discomfort was so well worth it once we were in the crater. Saw lions, rhino, cheetah, zebra, hyena, wildebeest, warthogs, etc. I love the lighting from about 4:00 on and the crater took on a magical look.

When it came time to leave, I could not understand why we were heading to the steep looking mountain….there is no way there was a road there. Our guide, Martin, indicated that , “oh yes there is a road on that mountain.” Really? Now, I just thought some of the people on the board were exaggerating about the road to and from the crater since I didn’t think the one down was that bad. But, dear god, the one out took my breath away. That was an E ticket ride for sure. Now here is the best part (and I am getting ahead of myself but I can’t resist), do you know they take school children in buses into the crater? That is a great idea isn’t it? Show the children the animals, get them to buy into the fact they need to be preserved, etc. Do you know that school buses comes up that very same dirt road? I only know this because when we got back to the lodge on the second day, we told Irene we saw a school bus stuck in the mud in the crater. That is when it occurred to me that it had to come back up. I asked Irene if they go up another road, and she told me they tend to go up the same road. She then told us that at the one sharp switchback, the bus actually has to make the turn, back up, pull forward, back up and then pull forward. For those of you that have done that road, can you possibly imagine that??? Whoa.

So, the second day into the crater we got in at about 7:00 am and returned to the lodge at 2ish. We saw about 5 lions, another cheetah, more rhino, zebras, jackals, hyenas, warthogs, ostriches, and elephants. We also saw a hundred or so wildebeest babies. Some of the placentas were still attached to the mom. Some babies had been born recently as they were trying to get the hang of walking. It was amazing to see this nursery of babies. We had lunch at the hippo pool (very good) and returned back the wildebeest nursery since we were so fascinated.

I know many people described the crater like a zoo and I do agree it was less wild then the Lake or the Serengeti, but I did like the fact I could see some of the animals up close and really take in what they looked like. Plus, seeing Rhinos was thrilling. The only time it got crazy with vehicles was at a lion sighting we came upon. There were already 10 vehicles there and within a span of 10 minutes another 10-15 showed up. I wasn’t disgusted or annoyed by it since I figure we all should have the thrill of seeing such a magnificent sight. The lions were rustling in the bushes and finally one male and one female strolled out for about 30 seconds and went back into the bushes.

Final thoughts on the Crater Lodge: I really did enjoy it (especially the bubble baths each day), but found three nights to be one night too many. I would recommend the lodge for a stay once in your life.

NEXT-THE MIGRATION AND THE SERENGETI (my favorite)

And, pictures on the way.

Thanks! Waiting for the rest.

EXCELLENT report!
Thrilling to read of another Rwanda traveler. It also makes me sorry once again I missed the Kigali memorial and the Belgian soldier memorial.

sure, Crater is like a zoo, but a really really big one where the animals get to walk around a lot. Nakuru is sort've like that, and that is the only place where I saw a rhino on my trip. Can't wait to see your pictures.

Welcome back Monica!

Hi Monica:
I am really enjoying your report.
What would you think about a second night on the gorilla portion?

That was a good idea to include your book and packing list.

You had a great description of the genocide memorial. I agree it is important to visit if you possibly can.

Being unable to move at the first sight of the gorillas is understandable, especially when the first sight is tumbling babies.

It appears your time in Manyara was productive despite it not being what you had expected. Your insistence on a proper game drive in the morning at Manyara was a good one.

I am so sorry you became ill. Those boxed lunches are quite common and undesirable side effects from eating them are not. Based on your analysis, I would agree that it was the sandwich. I wonder if requesting cheese sandwiches, not meat, would diminish the odds of a problem? That's what I get anyway and have never gotten ill.

Good for you not to let a couple of unpleasant surprises ruin things.

Your description of the crater road will give people an idea of what to expect. Those drivers have a specially skill to navigate it. You are lucky to see rhino in the crater. They can be hit or miss. Newborn wildebeests has to be a treat too.

Looking forward to the Serengeti.

Marija, Bat, Waynehazle and Atravelynn, thanks for your kind words.

I have a new appreciation for all the trip reports posted on this site, as they are more time consuming then I ever imagined!

Bat,

To answer your question whether I would add another gorilla trek…the answer is YES! I met a group of people from San Diego that did two treks in Uganda and two in Rwanda and I decided the next time I come back, that is what I am doing. I don’t think you could ever get tired of staring into those gorilla eyes….not ever!

Trying to finish Serengeti…………..

Thanks for your report, Monica; I'm enjoying it. I also really like the way you've organized what you packed/brought here--very easy to read and helpful.

Glad to hear you're now a committed gorilla trekker. It's something I very much want to do.

Monica, I am really enjoying your trip report, so keep it coming! I also can't wait to see your pictures.
Chris

So you are going back! 2009 has popped up as a common year for several Fodorites to visit or revisit the gorillas. I'm thinking July or Aug.

No hurry on the Serengeti part.

Enjoying your report. Was Tree Lodge full the second night and that's why you ended up with 3 nights at Crater Lodge? Sorry to hear you were ill. I know how it feels! Looking forward to more.

thanks monica.
lynn--I am thinking 2009--a GTG?

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your report. I am enjoying it so much. Waiting for more when you get time.

I'm enjoying your report too and look forward to the Serengeti!

Atravelynn-you apparently travel quite a bit, and not just to Africa. So, if you're thinking July or August for gorillas, I know you have something specific in mind. As long as Zimbabwe doesn't pull a trump card for you

I've kept my Namibia portion of the trip for this summer, so Namibia won't trump Uganda/Rwanda for me this year, so it looks like gorillas in 2009. Please let me know what you have in mind. Don't want to intrude on your trip (unless you welcome tag-alongs), but would definitely welcome the knowledge. Once I get Namibia/Bots planning complete, I am going to start planning for the next trip so I am not so rushed (like I am with Botswana this year).

I would love to tack on a Masai Mara extension, since I'll likely fly through Nairobi anyway, and would prefer to do that in September. I would love a couple of nights at Little Governor's or Kichwa Bateleur's or somewhere similar in location on my return. Yes, I know, I try to fit too much in. Hence my asking for your advice/knowledge about July/August. Timing for me would be based on the best time for the gorillas, not the Masai Mara.
Thanks,
Dana

Here are some animal pictures. Next...pictures of where we stayed.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=5g2idk1.9vog9kxx&Uy=-4gk4c8&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0

Patty-

Yes, Tree Lodge was full for the second night (depressing because I did plan on using their pool in between game drives...perhaps next time). You know what was interesting; Tanzania Under Canvas was not full every night (one night there was only 3 of us) even with Camp 2 (Klein's Camp) being closed. Perhaps people were canceling reservations because of the weather....weather was stellar by the way!

Monica

Marvelous pictures by the way!

Monica,

Even in perfect weather in September, Tanzania Under Canvas was not running full. When we left there were only 2 people remaining in the 8 person setup. There were 6 people during our four nights. I got the impression from the staff that the camp was often not full. It was the trip highlight for us, so I was surprised.

THE SERENGETI

Rocco had recommended staying the last 4 nights at one place. In my quest to see as much as possible, I wondered if I might miss out on something. His advice was spot on. I didn’t feel hurried, I enjoyed the time so much more as I felt I got a better perspective on the area and took the time to “smell the roses”.

So back to the trip…..The next morning we headed back to Lake Maynara for a flight to the Serengeti to Tanzania Under Canvas. I was excited but a little apprehensive since we had met some people that came out of Camp 1 and complained about the management, confusion and overall experience. The flight in was memorable. During the flight, the pilot turned around, said there were animals on the runway and that we would be buzzing the runway to scare them off. Ok, sounds reasonable. The next thing you know we have taken a hard left and are dive-bombing the runway. It was fun in a scary kind of way. We learned we had four giraffes on the runway, aka strip of grass, and a few minutes latter we arrived. We were picked up and the guide wondered why he had 7 passengers instead of the 5 he was told about. Oh no, do we have another problem? He called the camp and said he would hear back from management, in the meantime, relax and enjoy the game drive. Hmmmm…..

During the game drive, his cell phone rang and was told we were expected and we would be in Camp 3. Wahoo! I learned that Camp 1 was the first mobile camp of Tanzania Under Canvas, Camp 2 is Klein’s Camp which is a permanent camp (which was closed due to water…no one in or out) and Camp 3 was the newest mobile camp. Camp 1 and 3 were in Ndutu. Camp 1 and 3 are not always with each other, but in Ndutu they end up being in the same area.

We were greeted by the camp staff, offered juice and taken to our tent. Wowee……this place was a dream come true. Big tent with a comfy bed, a flush toilet, bucket showers, lights and two washbasins. Our tent was overlooking a riverbed (with very little water) where herds of zebra gathered daily.

Dale was our butler and Emme would be our guide. We did a safari that day at 4pm and went to see the migrating herds. It was very impressive; animals as far as the eye could see. The sun was setting and the scenery was spectacular.

Back at camp, we showered with our bucket shower under the stars (how do they get the water temperature just right?) and then to the campfire for drinks before dinner. Let me stop here and tell you the food was outstanding. Herman, King of the Kitchen, is an amazing cook and I always looked forward to the meals. Lamb, chicken, pork, mash potatoes, pizza, pasta with killer sauce and desserts that make your heart sing. Chocolate mousse, baked bananas with sauce and one night they even baked us a cake for our anniversary. I also loved the lunches in the bush. They came with a bunch of little dishes and then always a dessert. As Rachel Ray would say, Yumm-o!

Speaking of our anniversary, the camp staff made it so special. I mentioned the cake, but when we returned from our game drive, there was a bottle of COLD champagne with a card waiting for us in our tent. After dinner they sang and danced for us and then another bottle of COLD champagne with the beautiful cake. It was so much fun and really touched our hearts.

We did our safaris with one other person, David from Toronto. David was a great safari mate and he was volunteering in Africa for a couple of months. He had lots if interesting stories to tell us and we enjoyed his company. The first full day of safari we went out from 8:00am until dusk. It took us all morning to find a pride of lions but it was worth the wait. We saw lots of other animals that day including zebra, elephants, hyena, eagles, and giraffes. The second day we stayed out until 4 and had the pleasure of seeing a mom cheetah with her two 1-year-old offspring eating a kill. Stayed and watched them until they were done eating and the vultures came in. We then were looking for lions and decided to stop for lunch. We spread out our blanket in the midst of the plains of the Serengeti and ate. Emme started chuckling while eating his lunch in the car. He then came over and then told us he saw a lion. All three of us looked suddenly sat up much straighter. Sure enough, a female was just lying in the tall grass.

This is the only time I felt a little frightened. The Lion got up out of the grass and took a few steps towards the vehicle and she got a little too close for my comfort. I immediately stopped filming and jumped behind my husband. Emme laughed for a good 5 minutes at my actions. Ok, so I was a little intimidated…………

Speaking of lions. The first night as we were being escorted to our tent, Dale noticed eyes shining back at us. I stopped and he assured me it was just a hyena. My husband says, it looks like a lion to me. Dale again assured us it was a hyena. When we got to the front of our tent and we looked again, Dale said, and I quote, “Ohhhhhhh my god, it is a lion…..get in the tent.” He didn’t have to ask me twice. He zipped us in and told us not to come out for any reason. Pretty sound advice, I thought. I then proceeded to make sure every window was zipped up in case the lion decided it wanted in to eat the ½ of a power bar I still had left inside the tent (this is were my husband rolls his eyes). Strangely enough, I sleep very well that night.

The other two days of game drives were spent looking for leopards (never saw one), seeing lions, cheetahs, and other various animals. We did see a serval cat on our last night on the way back from the plains and also got lucky and saw a caracal cat.

The vehicles at the camp were very nice and you are able to charge items within the vehicle, although ours did not work. We were able to charge back at camp, which worked well for us. When it came time to leave, I was so sad. The 4 days had been magical. Just in case I wasn’t clear….I LOVED THIS PLACE!!!

TIME TO GO HOME (BOO HOO)

Our plane was leaving at 9:30 in the morning and we were going to start making out way back to Nairobi. I had no idea it would take until 4:15 to get into Nairobi. We must have stopped 7 different places, changed planes in Arusha and then again at Kili Airport. When we arrived at Kili, there was not a CCAfrica person to meet us. One of the guys asked us if we were going on Safari Link and I told him I had no idea. After some confusion, he found a CCAfrica person and she thought we were on Kenya Airways. She told us to follow the original guy through security, which we did, but suddenly he disappeared. Now what the hell am I supposed to go? My husband found the guy, he was sure we were on Safari Link and since that plane hadn’t left yet, I was inclined to agree. He had to convince the women at the counter that we belonged on that place since I had no tickets and finally we got on the plane. When we landed at Wilson airport in Nairobi, our guide said he thought we were suppose to be on Kenya Airways. I talked to a CCAfrica rep when we landed and he said we were supposed to be on Regional Air. Hey, I was where I needed to be, so it was all good!

Our guide then took us to our 5:00 appointment at the Sheldrick Orphanage. This is not to be missed. I adopted Chyulu and got to see all the baby elephants come walking in from a day in the bush. They know which stall they live in, so they go charging by us to get to the stall so that they can have their bottle of milk. They each have a keeper that stays with them overnight…yes, right there in the stall. The staff was also treating a one-year blind rhino that had just arrived within the last two weeks. Daphne and staff were working with an elephant using aromatherapy. This organization does great work and I highly recommend a visit.

Off to the Norfolk Hotel for a quick shower, burger, fries and beer.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As a first timer, I was very overwhelmed by everything I saw. It seemed too surreal and I think on my next trip I will be able to absorb more of it without being on such an adrenaline rush (or maybe not). It truly took my breath away.

Thank you to all my fellow fodorites for your help and inspiration.

AND, more pictures on the way…………….

Monica,
What a wonderful stay in the Serengeti. Serval and caracal, in addition to everything else. Your two lion encounters were a little scary. So Emme knew there was a lion nearby but didn't tell you? Did I get that right? And what happened to Dale after he zipped you in your tent? Did he have to face the lion alone?

Beautiful pictures. The dik dik is a great shot. You have some lovely birds of prey. The sparing elephants in the green grass are lovely. The 3 cheetahs presented some excellent action shots. The gorillas were out in the open for you. I love the mother and baby. In addition to the many outstanding animal shots, your landscape and sunset shots were beautiful. The wildebeest in the sunset were a perfect combination for Tanzania.

By the way, what were your other honeymoon destinations before Africa emerged?

Dana,
I may start a new thread mentioning my 2009 plans. I have to be back in the US by about Aug 21 so no Sept in Kenya for me. I'm thinking 4 gorilla trips and a golden monkey trip in Rwanda, maybe Nyungwe too, 4 nights Samburu (I know that's a lot but I want to fully appreciate the gerenuk) and 4 Mara.

"The Lion got up out of the grass and took a few steps towards the vehicle and she got a little too close for my comfort. I immediately stopped filming and jumped behind my husband. "

So the lion could eat him first?

Monica, the light and color in your photos are just incredible. And those gorillas, wow. I am so very, very jealous.

Marija-

TUC was one of the highlights of our trip also. I can’t figure out why it isn’t packed all the time myself. When we first booked it, I even had to wait list for an extra night…go figure.

Atravelynn

-In answer to your questions….

Emme saw the lion while we were all munching on lunch. He was amused because we had just spent the last hour looking for lions (he kept saying, I know there are lions out here) and as soon as we gave up to eat, suddenly one appeared. Just when you least expect it!

Poor Dale, he was in a real hurry to zip us in for the very reason you mentioned, he had to walk back to camp by himself with a lion next to our tent. He could have hung out with us a while, but his main goal was getting as far away as possible.

I can’t take credit for most of the pictures as my husband and his new camera did most of the work. I do have to admit, he did a pretty good job.

We thought about going to Egypt or Peru/Amazon. I am now trying to decide what to do for the next trip and I am contemplating Africa again (Botswana and then doing some more gorilla trekking) or the Peru trip.

Waynehazel-

Would you think less of me if I said yes?

Leely-

Thanks for the compliments….all my husband’s doing. But, the light in the evening from about 5:00pm is stunning in Africa, how could you go wrong?

Still bugging husband to upload lodge pictures….. hopefully by this weekend.

Hi Monica - I'm a frequenter of the Europe boards, but it's a tad slow here at work so I search the forums for trip reports. Even though the only place I've been to in Africa has been Egypt, I found your trip report to be a great read! Most of all, I just LOVED the photos! So amaaaaazing!! I'm assuming these were taken with a digital camera? Were there any special lenses, filters, etc used? They all look like they should be in magazines like National Geographic. And the colors...wow. I can't wait to see the other ones!

GREAT photos! You managed to get a nice one of a kori bustard displaying its feathers. I saw several of these but was never close enough to get a good photo. Thanks for sharing.

Trafaelwyr-

Thanks for the feedback. I asked my husband about all the camera stuff (all I know is that we carried it in backpack that was REALLY heavy!) and he said that the camera is a Nikon D200, the lens was an 80x400VR4.5. No filters were used. I do know he had to clean the camera alot...dust everywhere.

I was in charge of the video camera and near the end of the trip you can see from the videos that my "video camera cleaning duties" had come to a complete halt. Ahhhh, I kinda miss all that dust!

Monica

New pictures added into the same photo album. Scroll to the bottom to see pictures of the lodges/camps we stayed at.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=5g2idk1.9vog9kxx&Uy=-4gk4c8&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0

Great photos-TUC looks fantastic!

Wonderful photos. What a lovely anniversary celebration.

Thanks for adding the accomodation photos.

Beautiful pictures!

The bathtub with the toes in the middle is definitely priceless.

What a great report, Monica! And you have great pictures, too. Many beautiful wildlife shots. I also really liked "Acacia trees in the Serengeti". I don't take many landscape shots and that one is very cool.

Moremiles, bat, waynehazel, Patty, raelond and sundowner-

Thank you so much for the feedback.

Waynehazel- that picture of my toes in the bathtub at the Crater is one of my favorites. My husband rolled his eyes when I insisted we take that picture, but I knew it would be a keeper.

Sundowner-I fell in LOVE with those Acacia trees. Something about those trees that blend into the plains of the Serengeti makes one anxious to get back!

Moremiles-TUC is not to be missed. The camp staff made TUC my favorite part of my trip. And, to be honest, anyplace that serves food as wonderful as they did, moves right to the top of the list.

Monica,
I can't believe I never finished reading this the first time. I switched gears, went to Botswana instead, and obviously got off on a tangent.

Now that I have finally read it through, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your report. Your report has convinced me to do several gorilla treks and also to give TUC serious consideration for the Serengeti portion of my trip. Thank you.

Now I'm going to look at photos. Better late than never!

Fantastic photos. Wonderful gorilla shots and loved the year old cheetah. Beautiful sunsets too. And TUC looks fantastic. Thanks!

Dana_M-

Thanks for the feedback. How was Botswana? That is my next Africa trip. And if you can get to see the Gorillas, I say do it. We just framed the picture of the Silverback with the slight smile to hang in our living room. Every time I see that picture, I can't help but smile myself!

Monica

Fabulous trip report, Monica. Thanks so much. Your itinerary sounds exactly like what I'd like to do - see gorillas, as well as the big herds on the Serengeti. How did you go about making all the arrangements? You mention Volcanoes Safaris and also CCAfrica... did you have one tour company make all the plans, or did you work with several? Is there an easy way for me to go about estimating the cost for a trip like this? I've done a lot of traveling, but never planned a trip to Africa. Am becoming more and more sure that such a trip is in my future!
Thanks again - great report and great pictures.
Karen

Monica,
Botswana was wonderful. You will have a fantastic time. When are you going? Have you posted questions or an itinerary?

Hi Karen-

I actually used a travel agent who had been to Africa a few times. I loved working with him and he was a good sport about enduring all my many questions. Let me know if you want his contact info and I will post it.

I wanted something higher end because it was an anniversary trip so the trip was expensive. We started with quotes from Micato, but that was way more then I could afford. CCAfrica was about half the Micato price and I thought CCAfrica did a good job. I would use them again in a heartbeat. I would start getting some quotes or look at some of the brochures as some of them have prices in them.

My recommendation for Rwanda would be to spend more time then I did. I would do at least two treks and then spend a day going to see Dian Fosseys’ old research station…..that is my only regret.

Hi Dana-

I am just in the research phase of Botswana but have been paying special attention to anything posted on this board. I am hoping we can plan for next year. I just finished putting together my trip this summer to Alaska (we are doing a bear safari), so my husband asked that we do that trip and then I can start obsessing on Botswana. J

Monica

Did I hear bear? What are you doing in Alaska, Monica?

Yes, we are spending 4 days at Hallo Bay to spend time with the bears (so I call it a bear safari). There are 10 people in camp at a time, they break you into two groups and you spend all day looking for and at bears.

I am a little nervous since you do all of this on foot rather then a vehicle like I did in Africa, but I am thrilled to be able to sit and watch bears for hours, and hours.