Though I would not consider such a trip, that price tag for a private jet and all those places over 23 days isn't too bad. What would a 1st class ticket cost? A fair share of the $55K I would think.

The jetsetters were at Sopa? That raises a question and a comment from me. I wonder why they would not stay at the very fancy Crater Lodge, which would seem to be in keeping with their style of travel? Their choice of lodging may confirm the desirability of Sopa for its own access road. It would be my choice again. It appears the access road was a little scary in the rain.

What were you discussing that em-zay” (rich man), “wah-zay” (many rich people) came up?

The crater access road was fine...it was the road from the Ngorongoro Gate up to Sopa Lodge that was bad in the rain.But on the way down, there were several work crews fixing the road, so maybe it will be better in the future.

Em-zays and wah-zays had to do with the richer Maasi villages, people in Tanzania who owned their own cars, people who stayed at Klein's Camp or Crater Lodge, etc.

About the Expedition using Sopa Lodge, I wondered about that too. They were transported from the Lake Manyara Airport and into the crater by Micato Cruisers...had Micato luggage...so probably Micato made the arrangements for the group. Maybe Crater Lodge was fully booked...in the brochure for the trip, however, it reads that lodging will be either at Sopa or Migration Camp.








ca

I believe Micato uses Sopa properties frequently.

After posting, I thought the em-zays and wah-zays had to be the Nat Geo travelers. But I see I was wrong.

I'll look at the photos later.

Loved the "E" ticket ride at Disneyworld - I'm still laughing over that !!! Now how many of you actually remember that?

In the National Geographic book for the Oct 2009 private jet trip, it gives you the choice of going to the Serengeti for two days at the Sopa, or Migration Camp - or Ngorongoro Crater for 2 days at the Sopa.

The accomodations in general on the trip seem to be a mixed bag - the Mayflower in Washington DC, Swissotel in Lima, Sonesta in Luxor, the Sofitel in Marrakech, the Oberoi in Agra & the Monasterio in Machu Picchu. Some of them are not what I would expect for a private jet trip! (at the moment it accomodates 88, but from Dec 2009 it will accomodate only 68)

Is that a tortoise shell next to the fish eagle? Love the baby ostriches.

No, it's off the tree....probably a piece of bark

And the baby ostriches were so well hidden in the grass...it was only the last minute that we saw them.

Sorry I've been remiss....the rest of my report is coming up tomorrow. New computer and my photo files aren't transferred yet. But, just wanted to add that the access road into the crater from Sopa lodge and the exit road from the crater were one and the same when we were there the end of October. Perhaps this was changed the next week while they were working on the rim road....it was a muddy mess when we were there and the Snyder's November report mentions the change.

4th installment safari report (photo link at the end)


Ngorongoro Crater – 10/27/2009 (Sopa Lodge)

We’re up at 6:30 AM, and after a fine buffet breakfast including a made to order omelet station, we got an early start into the crater. The weather was pleasant, not cold, but brisk until noon, with sunshine breaking through a cloud cover. The road into the crater was fine. It had a graduated, not steep drop, and was only a 5 minute ride from Sopa Lodge. And, no dust!

The first wildlife spotted was a terrific photo opportunity: An ostrich, standing on the hill next to us, with a brilliant sky behind him. As we drove through the short and dry grassy landscape early that morning I noticed how few trees were in the area. And as far as the eye could see, it looked flat and dry. We eventually saw the large herds of Wildebeest and Zebra, but not as plentiful as in Tarangire. There were very few other vehicles in the crater within our sight; in fact, we saw no others until we approached a hippo pond where there were almost ten cruisers gathered. This was the first time on our game drives that we saw so many others. And I had read so much about the crater being crowded and a bit like Lion Country Safari. But thankfully, that was not our experience on this day.

At the rest stop, next to a hippo pool, we saw a group of men singing and dancing across
the lake. We heard the music and so did the hippos. They were lazily floating about and once the music started, they’d surface as if to see what was going on. Quite a scene! Only later, when we returned to Sopa Lodge, did we learn that they were from a church choir and were filming a video.

The wildlife we saw that morning included : wildebeest herds, Kori Bustard (which Jackson told us was the best bird for eating in East Africa…sorta like our turkey), More ostriches (even a mating pair), Spotted hyenas, Grant gazelles, Wart Hogs, Thompson gazelles, Crown cranes (which Jackson told us were the national symbol of Uganda), Cape Buffalo herds, Hippos, Egrets, Pelicans, Yellow beaked stork, Blacksmithed Plover, Black billed bustard, Flamingos on the alkaline flats of a crater lake, Jackals, and Vultures flapping over a fresh kill.

After we left the rest stop, the landscape changed a bit and there were more trees and taller grasses. We finally saw some Zebras, (I’d begun to miss them after the hundreds we saw in Tarangire). And then in the scrub grass, a Secretary bird pranced about, almost posing for us ( I was waiting for her to get some coffee or take notes) Learned these birds kill snakes and rats…(hummmmm, wonder why they’re called “Secretary” birds??) (In my youth, I once was a secretary and I did come across many “snakes” and “rats” in the corporate culture.). A lone Hartebeest grazed as we passed, and then we saw some DRAMA! There was a group of 4 – 5 Lions, lying in the grass with a herd of Zebras near-by. About 8 cruisers gathered around as the lions started moving towards the zebras. The lions stalked from one bush to another, the zebras gathered a bit closer, but continued their grazing. The crowd of safari “hunters” were on the alert, cameras and binoculars poised. A few young zebras strayed from the herd; the lions crawled into another bush. But nothing happened. The adult zebras gathered in their young and left.
And so did we. Jackson explained that lions can only run about 100m and that they must be much closer to their prey for a kill.
The landscape changed again on this side of the crater. We drove into a forested area where we finally saw some elephants. (I’d missed them, too, since Tarangire). Jackson explained that there were only bull elephants in the crater and that many had been expelled from their family groups.

Out of the forest, we were in more grassy plains, the weather had changed, it was warm, and I was getting sleepy. Almost dozing in the back seat, with my legs up in our most comfortable Toyota Cruiser for six or eight people, I was awakened by excited conversation between Jackson and George. Sitting on the side of the road were two black maned lions….just taking in the sights..maybe waiting for the dinner bell. The breeze was blowing through their crowned heads and they couldn’t care less that we had stopped behind two other cruisers to hang out and watch them. One of them decided to cross the road in front of us, and brushed up against our vehicle as if to tell us to “get out of his way”. We hung out and watched them for quite some time and eventually we had a crowd of five trucks gathered around. George especially appreciated the crowd of Danish women in the pop-top cruiser ahead of us.

We saw many more hartebeests grazing and then the next highlight of our day! A romantic pair of ostriches…the male with very red legs, the female in all her brown feathered splendor, and then they were one! (Actually, all we could see was just a great big ball of feathers). But it was quick and no romantic gestures followed that I could see.
Such is life in the wild!
We drove around some more, still on the look-out for cheetahs, but to no avail. Jackson did spot more stalking lions, but we couldn’t see their intended prey. They were on a hill off the road and we lost sight of them over the crest, so more excitement for us. Except for the birds….a frantic group of vultures and eagles picked over the carcass of a gazelle as we stopped for our last photo in the crater.

We returned to Sopa Lodge by the same road we’d gone down. So we’d made a complete circle around the crater. We had a late lunch around 2:30 and were greeted by the full Church choir that we saw earlier. Only this time, there was a whole production going on!

As we arrived they were shooting a video of their lead male singer who was dressed in a tuxedo and singing and dancing like a western pop star. Later, about 40 members of the choir, male and female, had several costume changes, and performed many different musical numbers as the production company directed their activity. We watched the performance until about 4:30, until the weather changed as the wind and fog obstructed the crater view.

Our vodka again came in handy as it was cold and damp…no heat in the room. It was a good chance to climb under the covers and nap…so we did!

We were treated to more choir music at dinner. ..Only this time it was the dining room staff singing for our enjoyment. The staff at this lodge was extremely friendly and efficient. And both evenings we were there, they had a full dining room. After being almost the only guests at Boundary Hill we were impressed at how well this venue was run. The greeters when we returned, the staff at the front desk, the people in the gift shop, all were very warm and hospitable. But then, so far, I had found that to be true of most of the Tanzanian people we had met. We were back in the room under the covers with our hot water bottles by 9:30.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi...JEK&feat=email

A professional production with the choir, not what you expected in the crater I am sure.

Your Lion Country Safari comment brought back happy distant memories and smile to my face, I admit. Glad LCS never materialized for you.

Will check photos next time.

I'm glad you didn't experience Ngorongoro madness--on two trips I was able to avoid <i>most</i> of it, but then again I never saw a choir singing down there. Or up at the top, either. It will be a very scenic video, I'm sure! Good pairing of lion brothers and Danish sisters.

But I bet you saw a rhino...we didn't. And what is Ngorongoro madness....is that the crowd scene???

Yes, I meant the crowd scene in the Crater. I think on my first trip we saw a rhino from so far away that even with my binocs it looked like a big, slow-moving rock. Second trip much closer--I knew it was a rhino! You'll have to try again one of these days.

----- Original Message -----


5th installment- Safari report – photo links below – Nudutu Safari Lodge & Mbuzi Mawe

FROM NGORONGORO TO LAKE NUDUTU – 10/28/09 – 10/29/09

(What was a “Gene Simmons” look-alike from “Kiss” doing on the road??)



We left Sopa Lodge at 9:30 AM. The road around the rim was muddy, slippery with rain and fog. And even in this weather, repair trucks (from a China contract) were grading the road in the mud. We saw the same overturned truck from 2 days before and a few stalled 4 wheel drive vehicles, one with a flat tire. Mad me thankful we made it up this road and now grateful we were moving around all the obstructions. I needed four layers of clothes to stay warm and the Massi blanket also helped.



It took us one hour+ to go the 22 km to the gate. And then we were on the other side of the crater where the road was much better. We passed Rhino Lodge, Wildlife Lodge, Crater Lodge and Serena Lodge….so in retrospect, perhaps one of these would have been a better location even though the ascent and descent roads were a distance from these lodges. But we did enjoy all the choral activity and the views at Sopa Lodge.



At around 10:45, the fog lifted. We were near Crater Lodge and could see into the crater again. The landscape changed as we left the crater area. The land was dry and dusty and we saw few animals along the plains.



Many Massi boys were on the road with their herds of cattle and all those animals broke the monotony of the endless flat plain. But, in the middle of nowhere, near the turnoff to the Oldeval gorge, 2 Massi boys stood by the side of the road in full Massi wraps. Only they were black. They had painted faces, half black and half white. They looked like Gene Simmons of Kiss. I didn’t think the Massi celebrated Halloween and then I wondered if this was a tourist photo opp fundraiser that we missed. But Jackson set us straight…it was part of their circumcision ritual and they were most likely spending the week with the elders of the village going through their required initiation into manhood..



Once we arrived at the Nudutu area, we saw an immense flat plain devoid of even scrub grass. It was dry clay soil which we drove through on our way to Nudutu Safari Lodge, and for miles that’s all you can see. This was the calving area where thousands of wildebeest and zebras give birth to their young in January and February. Must be quite a sight! I could only imagine the sounds and smells of driving through this area at that time of year! No wonder Nudutu Lodge is so popular those months.



But today we saw a few Grant gazelles, Thompson gazelles, about 30 zebras, lots of cattle, a large jackal, some wart hogs, and once we got to a forested area, a few giraffes.

But I didn’t expect to see much wildlife here at this time of year….for us it was a break from the long drive into the Central Serengeti.



Nudutu Safari Lodge is a peaceful and quiet camp in a very natural setting, overlooking Lake Nudutu. After a brief walk, we spent the afternoon reading in the large lodge. Our room was comfortable, but plain. Solar heat provided lots of hot water for our showers.

Dinner was served in an attractive dining room and Jackson joined us for dinner. Food was average with great veggies and dessert. There were a few other guests from Italy and Germany, but the highlight in the dining area was the resident “Johnny” Genet Cats who climb around the rafters chasing geckos. They’re cute little critters, and the staff enhances their diet with a plate of kitchen scraps each night.



We had a nice chat with the lodge manager, Marlene, a 30ish young, attractive woman from Holland. We thought she was charming, but an unlikely candidate for the job since she was the only woman on the staff. She’s a psychiatric nurse who came to Africa for a visit and decided to stay because she loves the peace, space, and natural setting. (Different strokes for different folks) I would have worried about my social life at that age.

We were back in our cottage by 9:30. The electricity is only available from 6AM to 10AM and from 6 PM to 11PM so no time for much reading or journal writing in bed that night.

Photo link below for this segment)

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi...-4J&feat=email



.





NUDUTU TO SERONA SERENGETI – MBUZI MAWE TENTED CAMP 10/29/09

We had a great breakfast of home-made pumpkin bread, cheese, and eggs over easy, coffee/tea, George saw a large flock of beautiful lovebirds on a branch, set up his camera, focused, and SNEEZED! Love birds, gone! LOL But he got another chance and a good photo.



Left Nudutu at 8:30AM, and we saw the usual wildlife on the way out: wart hogs, guinea fowl, baby giraffes, and many various antelopes. We drove through the dry, vast bed of Lake Nudutu and saw a herd of Hartebeests near the shore, then some vultures and a secretary bird feeding on a carcass. Then we saw Grant gazelles, elephants grazing on the shore along with zebras and impalas, and Massi cattle. We were confronted with three mean looking Cape buffalo on our path across the lake, but ultimately they ignored us.



Jackson told us of the wonders of elephant “poop”. Seems it’s a native remedy for skin diseases. (Think I’ll tell this to my dermatologist). Observed some more Massi cattle and the young boys in charge of them...... These boys looked to be between the ages of 6-10 and they lived in temporary bombas while they drove their cattle looking for food and water in these dry conditions. I could picture Claimion, the owner of Warrior Trails, experiencing the same kind of life in his childhood.



After about a half hour driving across the lake bed, we entered the Serengeti Plain and soon saw hundreds of Grant and Thompson gazelles chasing some vervet monkeys under acacia trees. Giraffes joined the chase. There was wind and dust, and looked like rain, but it was warm and we had the washboard bumpy road all to ourselves. “Serengeti” means “endless plain” in Swahili and with an area of 14,763 sq K it lives up to its name.



We learned some more Swahili words from Jackson “kaka” – brother, “dada” – sister, and “em-koo” – boss. We were now officially kaka, dada, and George was the em-koo.

Jackson explained why we would see no more Massi cattle, sine the Serengeti was made into a National Park in 1961 and the Massi tribes were relocated into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. But we did see other animals on this dry plain: a Honey Badger jumped into a hole, then a Kori Bustard, a Secretary Bird, three spotted Hyenas and a Jackal near the road..



Briefly stopped at the first Serengeti gate while Jackson paid the fees. And guess who we saw? The choir again! We bought their CD for $7.00, and chatted with the church pastor and the video director. Nice folks. And we learned this is their first music video production and it should be available in gift shops next year. Their music and performance will be a great reminder for us of our time in Tanzania….and if I make a DVD of the trip, it will provide the background music. (I’m getting more technically competent every day!)



By 11:15 AM, it was very hot and dusty as we drove along this endless plain. We saw two lupe vultures in a tree and then they spread their very large wings and flew away.

As we drove past the Lololondo Kopges and Massi Kopges (rocky “islands” with cave like openings), we searched for lions and other wild-life to no avail. But as we drove toward the Seronera area, we saw many zebras and elephants and only three other cruisers on the road. And then there were many lions in the grass, and out of nowhere,



10+ cruisers appeared, most from Leopard Tours, which are radio controlled. We,

Luckily, heard little radio or cell phone chat during our time with Jackson, and yet, we didn’t feel as if we missed seeing what we came for. Every now and then though, he did stop to get some info from other driver-guides as we passed them on the road.



We saw a Topi (a new antelope for us) and then Jackson spied some cheetahs in the grass which were so well hidden, we couldn’t see them. Even with the binoculars, I thought he was making up the sighting, since I had been on a” cheetah” search for days.

But we drove around to the other side of this inlet, and there they were! Our first cheetah sighting! So cute! We watched them a while but we needed a comfort stop and it was looking like rain. After a stop at the Seronara airstrip, we spotted a beautiful leopard up in a tree by the side of the road. And we were the only ones there to visit with him..We waited hoping he’d come down in the rain, but he stayed in the tree, so we said our good-byes after some wonderful photo opps,



Stopped for our “picnic” lunch in the rain at the visitor’s center. Saw some colorful birds looking for crumbs, as we ate our boxed lunch…lucky birds. They got almost all of my lunch. Too much bread for me! And, guess what? The choir was there again, this time selling their CD for $5.00! The rain let up and we walked through the metal sculpture exhibit at the visitor’s center and read some interesting info about the ecology of the

Serengeti





After lunch, we continued our game drive, searching for cheetahs again. But they were hiding somewhere, as it was raining. But we did see some hippos and crocodiles…even a baby croc. We arrived at our destination, Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp and I could feel the altitude of 5,144m. Just a slight hill to climb to reception, and I was huffing and puffing.



There were Cape Buffalos grazing less than 100m from our tent which made me a bit nervous. But once inside, the lovely interior with luxury décor I forgot it was just canvas and a few zippers protecting us from wild life.



There was entertainment in the lobby before dinner. Quite energetic and colorful tribal music, dancing, and acrobatics, held the attention of a large appreciative crowd including many French families with children. Dinner was good, but service was quite slow at our table. We joined a very nice Canadian couple for dinner and conversation. Back to our tent with an escort by 9:30. Heard the buffalos through-out the night.



Next installment will cover the remainder of game drives in the Serengeti and our stay at Migration Camp. (Photo link for this segment below)

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi...7kF&feat=email














--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it now.