Back from Tazania
Feb 4th, 2011, 11:28 PM
#1
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Back from Tazania
Am tired, hungry and jet-lagged....
Awaiting my flight back to SFO from AMS, usnig the free internet at Schipol (2 slots of 30 mins, Yay !)... I thought of adding a quick post here to update any future travelers.
The migration is near Moru/Hidden Valley currently, not near Ndutu.
I did not have to pay $100 for visa (since I already had a 1 yr multiple entry visa which was expiring a couple of days after I entered last week). Thx, Sandi !
My swahili was highly appreciated everywhere and I was treated like royalty....lol
Had unlocked my blackberry, used a local sim for phone calls this time (Zain One)....much easier than roaming on the US ATT sim. Top up cards can be bought easily at any store on the way to safari.
Highligths of our trip included Serval, Bat Eared Foxes (4 sightings), some hunts (some failed, 1 successful) . Also had a nice sighting of a male Leopard in Lake Manyara NP on the last day...with no one around. Bliss !
Saw 2 leopard females in Seronera both with 2 cubs....amazing. Total 11 Leopards in this trip....almost beat the Cheetah numbers (14).
TP
Awaiting my flight back to SFO from AMS, usnig the free internet at Schipol (2 slots of 30 mins, Yay !)... I thought of adding a quick post here to update any future travelers.
The migration is near Moru/Hidden Valley currently, not near Ndutu.
I did not have to pay $100 for visa (since I already had a 1 yr multiple entry visa which was expiring a couple of days after I entered last week). Thx, Sandi !
My swahili was highly appreciated everywhere and I was treated like royalty....lol
Had unlocked my blackberry, used a local sim for phone calls this time (Zain One)....much easier than roaming on the US ATT sim. Top up cards can be bought easily at any store on the way to safari.
Highligths of our trip included Serval, Bat Eared Foxes (4 sightings), some hunts (some failed, 1 successful) . Also had a nice sighting of a male Leopard in Lake Manyara NP on the last day...with no one around. Bliss !
Saw 2 leopard females in Seronera both with 2 cubs....amazing. Total 11 Leopards in this trip....almost beat the Cheetah numbers (14).
TP
Feb 5th, 2011, 08:30 AM
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TigerPhoto, I'd love to hear more about you leopard and cheetah sightings. Where did you find them and which ones? Where did you stay and for how long?
Tom, I'm leaving for there in 3 weeks and we have the same guide that we used in 2008 and 2009. His English is better than mine.
Tom, I'm leaving for there in 3 weeks and we have the same guide that we used in 2008 and 2009. His English is better than mine.
Feb 7th, 2011, 12:15 PM
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Thx, all. Still dealing with the jetlag...
@WildlifePainter: The leopards (2 females with cubs) were right around the Seronera river on sausage trees. I am pretty sure you will sight at least one of them. I did end up seeing another male leopard on a tree on my way to the Retima Hippo Pool, and one more in Lake Manyara NP and one right by the Ndutu Lake.
As for Cheetahs, we saw the famous "Kaka Tatu" (code word for 'Three Brothers') near Ndutu multiple times. Others were sighted nearby and also on the Kusini Plains.
2 new code words I picked up from the radio chatter this time around:
1. Sharibu - Lioness
2. Kaka Tatu - Three Brothers (Cheetahs)
Other code words that I know of:
1. Pembe Moja : 1 Horn (Rhino)
2. Kichwa Kubwa: Big Head (Lion)
3. Madoadoa : Spotted (Leopard)
@WildlifePainter: The leopards (2 females with cubs) were right around the Seronera river on sausage trees. I am pretty sure you will sight at least one of them. I did end up seeing another male leopard on a tree on my way to the Retima Hippo Pool, and one more in Lake Manyara NP and one right by the Ndutu Lake.
As for Cheetahs, we saw the famous "Kaka Tatu" (code word for 'Three Brothers') near Ndutu multiple times. Others were sighted nearby and also on the Kusini Plains.
2 new code words I picked up from the radio chatter this time around:
1. Sharibu - Lioness
2. Kaka Tatu - Three Brothers (Cheetahs)
Other code words that I know of:
1. Pembe Moja : 1 Horn (Rhino)
2. Kichwa Kubwa: Big Head (Lion)
3. Madoadoa : Spotted (Leopard)
Feb 8th, 2011, 06:10 AM
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Thanks for the information and I will look for your leopards and the cheetah brothers. Are these Eleanor's boys by any chance? The Ndutu webpage says 2 of her daughters had cubs last year. We saw Elanor and her 6 cubs in 2008 and again in 2009. A real highlight!
Feb 8th, 2011, 10:39 AM
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A link that maybe helpful for your linguistic endeavors, Tom.
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...r-our-trip.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...r-our-trip.cfm
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