KathBC

Wow! What an informative report especially for this solo, soon to be 1st timer.

Note to self- no gherkin talk at buffet

"To think that prior to my first safari in 1994 I was so concerned about wearing the proper khaki colors that I worried my white socks might scare away the animals if light reflected off of my ankles at the floor of the vehicle. Despite my agent’s assurance that would not be the case, I wanted to take no chances and dyed my five pairs of white socks beige."

This cracked me up and so sounds like me right now stressing over the khaki clothing requirement. Made worse by not having a single beige piece in my closet and then wondering what to do with all that beige after safari. Now reading this I'm not going to stress so much.

atravelynn

KathBC, how soon?

LALeslie, I wonder if anyone will believe either of our eccentric human sightings without photo proof.

christabir

atravelynn - I love all of your reports. There is such joy in all of your experiences - the great, the good and not so good. Thanks for reminding me why I love to travel. You should write professionally (if you don't already).

KathBC

I've still got a bit of a wait...end of May 2011.

Plenty of time to check out more beige! Hey maybe I can just dye it when I get home!?

Marija

I so enjoy your reports, Lynn. I'm jealous that you met up with Sonali but won't visit the natives across the border. We'll put on pith helmets if that's an incentive. Maybe even a blond wig. No photos though.

WindowlessOffice

Lynn, this report is fascinating! I'm with KathBC on the chuckles over the beige clothing (I bought a LOT of it for my upcoming trip), but the other details were most helpful, too.

It's great to get a sense of the length of the mid-day breaks; you've convinced me that I should bring the adapter to recharge my Nook batteries, as it's entirely possible I'll read enough to drain them during my stay. (I had considered only bringing the plug converter on the belief that I shouldn't need the adapter if all I was recharging was my camera batteries, but I probably shouldn't risk that.) I'm going to try to just sit and do nothing for at least part of the breaks -- I seem to have lost my ability simply to relax lately -- but the Nook (and notebooks, etc.) will be good to have, too.

And thanks for the tip about the beanbag. I keep forgetting to pack one, but I am adding it to my packing list right now. I just hope I come back with photos half as nice as some of y'all who have posted in this forum; they're lovely.

DJCat

Bookmarking - very enjoyable report

KathBC

Re bean bag, is this used strictly for attached long lenses?

My camera doesn't have any lenses to be attached so I'm trying to visualize what exactly the bean bag is used for and if I would have need of one.

Percy

Wow , your really had a great trip .

Very Good, lovely reading and lots of detail .

I don't think I missed any of your trip reports and I sure enjoyed this one.

I will keeping following.
Thanks for letting us all know about your adventure !

Leely2

The Crowned Eagle is quite impressive.

So are the bandas. They look really nice, like a cabin in Yosmemite or something. What was the bug-invasion situation in the bandas like? (In Rwanda at Kinigi Guest House your tip about pushing your duffel up against the gap between door and floor served me very well.)

atravelynn

What a nice compliment Christabir, but nothing professional.

I'm making a 2011 resolution Marija and can't wait to see you in a pith helmet.

Windowless, everybody gets great photos and you will too.

KathBC, no changeable lenses for me either. You set your camera on the bean bag on top of the vehicle or on the open window. It steadies the camera, even with image stabilization.

You had quite the adventures too Percy.

Leely, I recall that mind the gap advice. Glad it kept the insects out. Fishing Lodge in Aberdare was too high up and cold for insects and I don't remember any in Kinnas Bandas. I slept under the mosquito net each night.

sb1020

Hi travelynn

Another question-as I am not entirely clear. When you are at a camp that has vehicles and guides (as most do I think) and you arrive with your own driver/vehicle-does that mean that you use your own driver/guide or the one of the camp? And if you use your own, is it cheaper for the stay as you do not use that camp's guide and vaehicle? Basically you pay only for room and board and save on the cost of safari?
If you use your own driver/guide, where do they sleep and I suppose that this is all calculated into the cost?
Also- If you are using one driver/guide , are they as proficient in sightings and where to go in many different areas as the guides in the private camps who basically stay in that one region?
thanks Sandy

Nikao

you are basically answering your own question Sandy; the camp guides are more experienced in that particular area most of the time, so people tend to use them. Especially because they are included in the price and as far as I know its not possible to pay less and use your own driver. When I was in Tanzania we did a mix of both; in some areas using our own vehicle and guide (also to be in full control what were doing) and in other areas using the camps vehicle.

wildlifepainter

Hi travelynn,
Great report so far and I too, have been eagerly awaiting it. I have a question on your lodge picks in the Mara. You suggested that 3 or 4 lodges might be a good idea if time permits. What would your choice be after Fig Tree and Serena areas and would it make a difference if you were going in the Jan./Feb. time frame. I'm thinking about Kenya and Rwanda for 2012. I'm considering just flying into the Mara and then the gorillas for about 2 weeks. Can you fly onward from the Mara or do you have to return to Nairobi? This would be my 5th safari if that helps (3 Tanzania, 1 Botswana). Any thoughts? Thanks.

atravelynn

Sb1020,
If you arrive by road with your own guide and vehicle, then you use them. You do not use the camp's guide and vehicle because you have your own.

If you fly to the camp/lodge and are picked up by the camp/lodge staff, then you use the guide and vehicle from the camp. That means you either share with others doing the same thing or if you arrange in advance and pay extra, you have the camp's guide and vehicle to yourself.

You can also have your own guide/vehicle that is not employed by the place you are visiting drive to the airstrip and meet you when you get off the flight. That guide and vehicle stays with you during your stay.

I've done all of these and they all have produced good results. On this trip I left from NBO with and E&S guide Ben, and vehicle and visited Aberdare, Meru, Shaba, and Samburu. It was an unusual arrangement to have William in his own 4x4 take me on a separate outing in Aberdare with both my E&S guide and me as "passengers."

Then I flew from Samburu to Mara and Ben drove back on his own. Guide Raphael was there at the airstrip to meet me in an E&S vehicle and we stayed together the whole time and he drove me back to NBO and dropped me off at the airport.

You have a question on what is least expensive. Ans: probably flying to the camp/lodge and sharing a camp/lodge guide and vehicle with others. If I had flown to Fig Tree and Mara and shared a vehicle, that part of the trip would have been less expensive.

But one thing to consider is that some of the camps that routinely employ that fly-in and use our camp vehicle/guide arrangement are inherently more expensive than the lodges where you arrive with your own guide. They are more expensive for a variety of reasons: They may own their own concession and offer greater privacy and seclusion because no one else besides the camp's guests can use it; the smaller, exclusive, more remote and personal tented camps are more expensive to run; there may be more expensive food, drink and amenities; and you pay for the guide's intimate knowledge of the area that is gained by remaining in a confined region.

The added expense can provide added value to your safari, it just depends on your budget. You also have to decide whether you'd rather have your own private safari than sharing at a camp/lodge and then figure what you're willing to spend or forego to afford that luxury.

So many decisions--but check the reports, nobody ever comes back and says, I screwed up my safari by choosing x over y. It's all good. The only screw ups I've seen involve people choosing really cheap shady operators.

The arrangements for your guide/driver are part of your original quote. Each camp/lodge has accommodations for the guide. I noted at the bandas the guide and chef stayed on the other end of the banda. Usually they have their own village.

Local vs. Circuit Guides: The guides who stay in one area usually have an advantage over roving guides because they know that one area extremely well. However, most experienced circuit guides from reputable companies travel to these parks repeatedly so they are not out of their element. The guides also communicate a lot with each other so they share the important stuff.

Part of a good experience is having a guide that can spot animals and that can read signs/spoor to help locate animals. It's not like the animals always hang out in one secret place that only the local guides know.

Nikao, Did you arrive at a camp with your own vehicle and driver, but use the camp's guide and driver instead? I have used local rangers that hop in the vehicle along with us (especially in Uganda) but have not exchanged my own vehicle/guide for one at the camp. I'd like to know more about that.

Wildlife Painter, You cannot fly from the Mara to Rwanda on scheduled flights. Maybe you could in your own plane.

I have not been to Kenya in Jan/Feb, but I think it is less important to be near the Mara River at that time because you won't see a wildebeest crossing and there will be many other sources of water for the animals. Twaffle had a fantastic trip at that time of year at Serian, which is pretty close to the Mara River. I think she is planning a repeat.

That would make a good question as its own post and I'd be interested in the responses. Where to stay in the Mara in Jan/Feb?

One thing I had considered about a future green season trip that I may take some day is staying closer to the park entrance from Nairobi, which is usually less expensive. It's less expensive because it can get more crowded. But Jan/Feb is not the busy season. It is also less expensive because animal concentration tends to be closer to the river, but the rains make water more widely available and tend to disperse the animals so why pay a premium for river front property?

I'd like to know what other people who travel in Jan/Feb think about that strategy. Or where they suggest to stay.

What also would sway me in Jan/Feb was deals being offered by various camps.

Mara and gorillas would be a great combo!


<i>I'll resume the report after Thanksgiving.</i>

atravelynn

*****************MERU*****************

From the Aberdare Park entrance to the Meru Park Entrance = 5.5 hours including stops totaling 1 hour. From the park entrance to Kinnas Bandas = 30 minutes. Kinnas Bandas are described in detail above under “Bandas are the Bargain of Kenya!” but here are some additional Kinnas details:

In my 3 nights there, the KWS staff offered to change the bedding.

Midday was extremely hot in Meru (I’m guessing 90+ F) but the bandas remained cool and comfortable inside. The windows had curtains that could be pulled back for breeze or pulled shut over the screens at night.

There was a lovely outdoor patio where we ate our meals, surprisingly without harassment from tse tses or anything else. I was told that Elsa’s is located in a higher tse tse intense area than Kinnas. I can’t attest to tse tses at Elsa’s, but they were not bad at all at Kinnas.

Nor were the tse tses a real discomfort when I was standing up in the open-topped moving vehicle. They caused much more discomfort for Ben, who was confined to the dark interior. He brought a horse tail attached to a stick as a swatter.

If not visiting Elsa’s grave while in Meru makes me a bad person, then so be it, but I did not pay my respects. We did drive by Pippa’s grave, an Adamson cheetah. Maybe that brought good cheetah karma for Meru, where we surprisingly saw a pair. I also did not visit the rhino sanctuary because I was on a Lesser Kudu mission, but the sanctuary would be another plus for a Meru visit.

The evidence of lions was a constant yet we never saw any in Meru, so it was as if the mysterious spirit of Elsa was ever present but invisible. We’d hear them loud and clear at night and see numerous sets of tracks on every road. We even heard a chase around our banda at night and saw the tracks the next day.

<u>Lowdown on Lesser Kudu</u>
I kept track of the Lesser Kudus I saw and photographed for any other Lesser Kudu enthusiasts who may contemplating a visit to Meru. Though they are abundant in Meru, they are not easy to see (thank goodness for Ben’s sharp eyes) and even harder to get a picture of due to their shy nature and preference for browsing in thick brush.

Drive #1 in evening as we entered park: 0
Drive #2 in morning: 1 male, photographable

Drive #3 in afternoon: Herd of 1 adult male and 1 young male with 3 females and 2 fawns running along road, all photographable; 1 female with fawn, no photos

Drive #4 in morning: 1 female, no photos; 2 males and 2 females, no photos

Drive #5 in afternoon: 1 male that I did not see but Ben saw;1 male and 4 females, no photos; 2 males and 4 females, no photos; mother and fawn, no photos; 1 male looking at a cheetah!! looking at a giraffe!!, photographable

Drive #6 in morning: 1 male, photographable

atravelynn

<purple><b>QUOTE OF THE TRIP</b>
I am crediting myself with the quote of the trip in the form of a one-woman Way, Way, Way Off Broadway play.

SETTING
Kinnas Banda bathroom

TIME
Immediately after the short rains, so to speak

ATRAVELYNN (in monologue)
“What the hell?!”

(Atravelynn exits stage left and the bathroom is empty for a moment. She returns promptly with a pair of reading glasses and peers into the toilet bowl.)

ATRAVELYNN (in monologue)
“There’s a lizard in my toilet!”

The End
</purple>

Specifically it was a baby agama, about 3 inches long. Apparently it had lost its grip on the ceiling and had taken a plunge.

The fact that a small lizard appeared in my banda toilet should in no way reflect poorly on the banda itself. The lovely Mara Serena lodge had many tiny lizards gripping the walls. Lizards can be found adorning the canvas of the finest luxury tented camps throughout Africa, adding to charm and contributing to the safari ambiance. The agama in the commode is completely a function of one reptile’s momentary lapse of suction and not a function of the caliber of the establishment.

I did not take a picture of this poor creature in the toilet bowl for documentation because (a) I thought it would be in poor taste and (b) any delay could further jeopardize the survival of the lizard.

The one act play turned into an action adventure as I raced outside to find a long stick, rushed back to the bathroom, and thrust the stick into the toilet bowl. The agama immediately grabbed onto this lifeline and I was able to lift it out of danger and whisk it outside.

I gently placed the stick with the tightly clinging agama on the ground. Nothing happened. Oh no, had the cold water taken its toll on the little reptile? Was I too late in my rescue attempt? Ben assured me the agama just needed time to warm up in the sun. At this point I did snap a photo and it is #22 in the Meru album. In a flash the young agama darted off and as it fled, tears streamed down my cheeks and a song welled up in my breast and then sprang from my lips…

<b><i>“Born free, as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows, born free to follow your heart!”</b></i>

The tears and my crooning in the bush are silly figments of my imagination, but I did mention to Ben that it would be funny to sing the Born Free song as the lizard ran off.

How fitting that I would enact my own little Born Free saga in Meru, the land of Elsa.

Moral of the play: Keep the toilet lid shut.

wildlifepainter

Oh, you're too funny! Back for reading glasses for a better look, perfect! Thanks for a big laugh on cleanning day. I'll hum a little Born Free while I vacum.

Nikao

Lol... Reminds me of my own experience where we heard something running in circles through our tent, but couldnt see what it was as it was before sunset... Like scared children we sat on the bed just until the creature jumped in the toilet compartment. I rushed out to shut that compartment and we told the staff 'something' was in our tent. Didnt see the creature since we had to go on a game drive, but the staff told us it was a giant beatle .. Lol

atravelynn

Nikao,
Do you know if the beetle was freed or flushed?


Wildlifepainter
Just doing my little part to make the post-Thanksgiving cleanup a little easier.