Tanzania Trip Report - June - 2007
Jul 3rd, 2007, 08:04 AM
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Tanzania Trip Report - June - 2007
Tanzania ¡V June ¡V 2007
Day 1
Car pickup at 1:30 to JFK ¡V normal traffic ¡V arrive, check in (seats are as confirmed) and go to KLM lounge. Kill the next 3 hours and then board flight to AMS. Business class is how we remember and the food/drinks are great.
Arrive AMS on schedule, kill 3+ hours in KLM lounge and board flight to JRO.
Flight is uneventful and Laura sleeps and I get maybe, two hours. Food/drink again, is excellent.
Arrive JRO and are meet by Habib from Roy Safari¡¦s and informed that he will be our guide/driver for the duration. We are then driven to Mt. Village Serena where we check in and asked if 8:00 AM pick up will be OK to go to Roy offices for rundown of itinerary and we find out that this will be one of a few late sleepins¡K.. ƒº
Day 2
Breakfast at Mt. Serena was great with the normal fruits and cereals and chef on board to cook eggs, omelets, french toast, pancakes, etc.
Go to Roy offices and go over itinerary and then it is off to Lake Manyara. One observation: I would not go walking after dark in the area surrounding Mt. Village Serena. Picked up a couple hundred dollars of Tz schillings for drinks, etc. Also next door, got a Celtel SIM and topped off with 50,000 Tz schillings of time. Called to NJ every day and talked for about 10 minutes and still have approximately 15,000 schillings of time left.
Drive is over asphalt highway and we enjoy the sights of normal activity in the villages we pass. We had our first ¡§box¡¨ lunch¡K¡K..they should really change what they provide. How about a couple good items and not a dozen mediocre ones?
Arrive Lake Manyara Serena, check in and agree to go on a game drive at 3:00 PM. We now find out that Habib has eyes better than our binocs¡K¡Kƒº We see hippos galore, baboons, monkeys and our first leopard. Many, many ellies and different game that I cannot remember. We meet at 5:45 (we find out that this is a great time to meet and leave) for a game drive and then proceed to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.
OK¡K¡K¡K..now how do you live at home without a butler¡K..decisions, decisions.
Day 3
Arrive at NCL middle of the afternoon and are greeted by our butler, bathroom attendant and camp manager (we are staying at North Camp ¡V Room 3).
It is chilly (in the room). Outside is a comfortable 65F. At 4:00 PM we ask that our fire be started. We sit and enjoy the fire and have a few drinks¡K¡K¡K.ah the good life¡K. ƒº
Day 4
We meet at 5:45 (the time we start most days) and proceed to the crater. It is dark and cloudy¡K..thank goodness we don¡¦t see much of the descent.
We see (no rhino¡¦s ¡V they are only 13 w/one baby left in the crater). We continue to look but alas, no rhino¡K. ƒ¼
We see male/female lion by the road mating. I couldn¡¦t keep up with him. Must be a lot younger. We see ellies, giraffes, zebra, etc. We finally see 2 cheetahs stalking some tommies and go in for the kill¡K¡K¡K¡Kthey get him/her. We finally see a kill after 2 complete safaris¡¦s¡K¡K.yea. We see various lions with kills that have been made earlier in the AM. Various birds¡K¡K¡Kwe will not name, because we cannot remember. We are not big birders.
The ascent: good thing we are only staying 2 nights because Laura would not go up the crater road more than once. In fact, once was enough for me. Thanbk goodness for 4 wheel drive¡K¡K¡K¡Kbut¡K¡K..they should have guard rails. I could not look down.
Back to NCL for the PM¡K¡K..light the fire early ¡V 3:00 PM to take the chill out of the room. Can we take the butler home¡K.????? After dinner¡K¡K.cognac in front of the fireplace. What can we say¡K¡K¡K.loved it.
Meals at NCL: We can only say¡K¡K¡K.5 star chef. The meals were fantasic and were the best of the trip.
Will finish later.
Day 1
Car pickup at 1:30 to JFK ¡V normal traffic ¡V arrive, check in (seats are as confirmed) and go to KLM lounge. Kill the next 3 hours and then board flight to AMS. Business class is how we remember and the food/drinks are great.
Arrive AMS on schedule, kill 3+ hours in KLM lounge and board flight to JRO.
Flight is uneventful and Laura sleeps and I get maybe, two hours. Food/drink again, is excellent.
Arrive JRO and are meet by Habib from Roy Safari¡¦s and informed that he will be our guide/driver for the duration. We are then driven to Mt. Village Serena where we check in and asked if 8:00 AM pick up will be OK to go to Roy offices for rundown of itinerary and we find out that this will be one of a few late sleepins¡K.. ƒº
Day 2
Breakfast at Mt. Serena was great with the normal fruits and cereals and chef on board to cook eggs, omelets, french toast, pancakes, etc.
Go to Roy offices and go over itinerary and then it is off to Lake Manyara. One observation: I would not go walking after dark in the area surrounding Mt. Village Serena. Picked up a couple hundred dollars of Tz schillings for drinks, etc. Also next door, got a Celtel SIM and topped off with 50,000 Tz schillings of time. Called to NJ every day and talked for about 10 minutes and still have approximately 15,000 schillings of time left.
Drive is over asphalt highway and we enjoy the sights of normal activity in the villages we pass. We had our first ¡§box¡¨ lunch¡K¡K..they should really change what they provide. How about a couple good items and not a dozen mediocre ones?
Arrive Lake Manyara Serena, check in and agree to go on a game drive at 3:00 PM. We now find out that Habib has eyes better than our binocs¡K¡Kƒº We see hippos galore, baboons, monkeys and our first leopard. Many, many ellies and different game that I cannot remember. We meet at 5:45 (we find out that this is a great time to meet and leave) for a game drive and then proceed to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge.
OK¡K¡K¡K..now how do you live at home without a butler¡K..decisions, decisions.
Day 3
Arrive at NCL middle of the afternoon and are greeted by our butler, bathroom attendant and camp manager (we are staying at North Camp ¡V Room 3).
It is chilly (in the room). Outside is a comfortable 65F. At 4:00 PM we ask that our fire be started. We sit and enjoy the fire and have a few drinks¡K¡K¡K.ah the good life¡K. ƒº
Day 4
We meet at 5:45 (the time we start most days) and proceed to the crater. It is dark and cloudy¡K..thank goodness we don¡¦t see much of the descent.
We see (no rhino¡¦s ¡V they are only 13 w/one baby left in the crater). We continue to look but alas, no rhino¡K. ƒ¼
We see male/female lion by the road mating. I couldn¡¦t keep up with him. Must be a lot younger. We see ellies, giraffes, zebra, etc. We finally see 2 cheetahs stalking some tommies and go in for the kill¡K¡K¡K¡Kthey get him/her. We finally see a kill after 2 complete safaris¡¦s¡K¡K.yea. We see various lions with kills that have been made earlier in the AM. Various birds¡K¡K¡Kwe will not name, because we cannot remember. We are not big birders.
The ascent: good thing we are only staying 2 nights because Laura would not go up the crater road more than once. In fact, once was enough for me. Thanbk goodness for 4 wheel drive¡K¡K¡K¡Kbut¡K¡K..they should have guard rails. I could not look down.
Back to NCL for the PM¡K¡K..light the fire early ¡V 3:00 PM to take the chill out of the room. Can we take the butler home¡K.????? After dinner¡K¡K.cognac in front of the fireplace. What can we say¡K¡K¡K.loved it.
Meals at NCL: We can only say¡K¡K¡K.5 star chef. The meals were fantasic and were the best of the trip.
Will finish later.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 09:43 AM
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Day 5
Leave for Serengeti Serena after leisure breakfast. Box lunch from NCL is the best by far. Also, the breakfast box lunch from NCL is great. Compared to the other box lunches, it like eating Filet instead of hot dogs.
After entering area around Serena, we see our first and only lion in a tree. This is great. We see lots of lions in this area, so it must be one very large pride. All the usual animals’ sightings.
Check in to Serena.
Day 6
We see our second leopard in a tree with a Tommie tucked between a couple branches. He has made the kill early AM and carried it up prior to daylight and will sleep the rest of the day before eating. We did not get a chance to see him and the kill the following morning Usual sightings of animals.
Day 7 – 8 - 9
We now drive to the Western Serengeti. We are staying at Kirawira and it is a fine tented camp. The food here is one step below NCL but 10 steps above the normal Serena.
Here we see the same pride of lions every day which consists of 1 male, 4 females and 6 clubs. On day 9 we watch the male mate and follow one lioness for over 3 hours. We only see 2 cheetahs on 2 different days in this area. We see our first snakes of the trip. 2 black mambas and 1 spitting cobra. Habib immediately rolled his window up, but did not inform us to do the same But, we did follow his lead.
Ellie’s: We saw 2 young boys who played in the water trumpeting for about 5 minutes. Habib commented he had never seen this kind of play/action. We also encountered a herd of ellie’s that we counted to about 60-70 including babies.
Croc’s: So many we could not count and huge. Saw the first wilde in the jaws of about 4 crocs and they were doing the death roll trying to get their fair share.
I could go on and on but will just comment on a few more observations.
Roy’s: Would recommend them in a heartbeat. They were professional and fast in their correspondence with us and pricing was more then competitive. Their vehicles were top notch w/AC, cold drinks (cold water, beer, and soda), animal/bird books, binoculars and fly swatter.
Comment on the flies: Starting in central Serengeti (day 5) at 4:00 PM the Tse Tse flies came out. If you didn’t have repellant they were dreadful. Habid said when he cleaned the vehicle one night he counted over 100 dead flies. Laura was the Queen of spotters and became the Queen of swatters
Drinks were extra but we considered them to be reasonable in price. Even hard liquor was reasonable.
If we had to do over: Forget the Serengeti Serena and pay the extra money and add one day to NCL and one day to Kirawira. The added comfort would be worth the money. And also then fly between the two lodges/camps.
Food: NCL – a 10. Kirawira – a 9. Serena – 8. They were all excellent in breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Boxed Food: NCL – 8. Kirawira – 2. Serena – 2. The reason Kirawira got a 2 was it is still a Serena.
Guide: Habib. I would recommend him to anyone. Courteous, kind, clean and the best eyes in Africa. A real gentleman. Set up breakfast and lunches (the few we had) with table, chairs and table cloth. Always had hot water for us to wash our hands and insisted we wash with his hot water prior to eating and after using public wash rooms.
Clothes: Take warmth for the Crater and the AM’s. It is chilly in the AM and down right cold at the crater. Even in the crater it was cold. Safari pants and shirts were the norm in the dining rooms, even at NCL.
Cell Phone: Buy one and get the SIM and top off minutes. Could not believe how cheap it was to call the US every day. In Kirawira, the camp manager showed us where to stand to get the best reception (a very small area in the lounge).
Insects: Only the flies at 4:00 PM. No other bugs to speak about.
Weather: In the 60’s and 70’s. Perfect describes it.
Tipping: We talked to other guests and found them to be very tight with a buck. They were very tight with their tips to the guides also (we asked). It was recommended to leave $10 US per day for guide/driver. We left $200 US. We tipped $2.00 for the 2 (or 3 if our carry on was included) bags carried from the vehicles and again when carried back. We left $2 US for breakfast/lunch on the table and $3 US at each dinner. We tipped at each lodge/camp approximately $7.00 per day. We tipped the butler $30 US and bathroom attendant $25 US for their 24 hour service. We may have over tipped in some cases and under tipped in others, but we were happy with what we gave.
We also gave Habib clothing and shoes from both of us for himself, children or anyone in need. This also made our luggage a little lighter and we felt we helped out a little.
The trip home (other wise know as the trip from hell home): Caught the plane at Grumeti airstrip and made 5 stops at other camps for pick ups and it took 3 hours. Then had the day room at Mt. Village for 5 hours. Roy Safari arranged lunch for us instead of the box lunches, which was a very nice touch. And the lunch was great. OK back to going home.
Left Mt. Village for airport, checked in and thank goodness they had a business class lounge. Killed some time and Laura said the women’s room had a million mosquito’s. First she had seen and of course got bitten about 2 dozen times.
Back to the flight from hell: Flight took of a little delayed and 45 minutes to Dar and one hour layover. Then the 9 hour and 20 minute flight to AMS. Then the 6 hour layover. Then the 1 ½ hour delay and then the 8 hour flight to JFK.
Bags arrive after about ½ hour and we go through customs without a hitch.
Now where is our driver??
After numerous calls to my office through a pay phone with a credit card (no cell with me) which will be billed at about $25 US per minute, we finally find the driver after about an additional hour.
Now for the 1 hour ride home. Oh, it’s Friday night riding on Long Island and trying to get out of the City. Our flight arrived at 3:30 PM and we finally arrive at our home at 8:00 PM. But, we are finally home. We go to bed at 9:15 on Friday night – 44 hours after we awoke (EST) on Thursday morning.
If I think of any more, I will add and if anyone has any questions, please ask in this thread. Or another. I read most of them
Leave for Serengeti Serena after leisure breakfast. Box lunch from NCL is the best by far. Also, the breakfast box lunch from NCL is great. Compared to the other box lunches, it like eating Filet instead of hot dogs.
After entering area around Serena, we see our first and only lion in a tree. This is great. We see lots of lions in this area, so it must be one very large pride. All the usual animals’ sightings.
Check in to Serena.
Day 6
We see our second leopard in a tree with a Tommie tucked between a couple branches. He has made the kill early AM and carried it up prior to daylight and will sleep the rest of the day before eating. We did not get a chance to see him and the kill the following morning Usual sightings of animals.
Day 7 – 8 - 9
We now drive to the Western Serengeti. We are staying at Kirawira and it is a fine tented camp. The food here is one step below NCL but 10 steps above the normal Serena.
Here we see the same pride of lions every day which consists of 1 male, 4 females and 6 clubs. On day 9 we watch the male mate and follow one lioness for over 3 hours. We only see 2 cheetahs on 2 different days in this area. We see our first snakes of the trip. 2 black mambas and 1 spitting cobra. Habib immediately rolled his window up, but did not inform us to do the same But, we did follow his lead.
Ellie’s: We saw 2 young boys who played in the water trumpeting for about 5 minutes. Habib commented he had never seen this kind of play/action. We also encountered a herd of ellie’s that we counted to about 60-70 including babies.
Croc’s: So many we could not count and huge. Saw the first wilde in the jaws of about 4 crocs and they were doing the death roll trying to get their fair share.
I could go on and on but will just comment on a few more observations.
Roy’s: Would recommend them in a heartbeat. They were professional and fast in their correspondence with us and pricing was more then competitive. Their vehicles were top notch w/AC, cold drinks (cold water, beer, and soda), animal/bird books, binoculars and fly swatter.
Comment on the flies: Starting in central Serengeti (day 5) at 4:00 PM the Tse Tse flies came out. If you didn’t have repellant they were dreadful. Habid said when he cleaned the vehicle one night he counted over 100 dead flies. Laura was the Queen of spotters and became the Queen of swatters
Drinks were extra but we considered them to be reasonable in price. Even hard liquor was reasonable.
If we had to do over: Forget the Serengeti Serena and pay the extra money and add one day to NCL and one day to Kirawira. The added comfort would be worth the money. And also then fly between the two lodges/camps.
Food: NCL – a 10. Kirawira – a 9. Serena – 8. They were all excellent in breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Boxed Food: NCL – 8. Kirawira – 2. Serena – 2. The reason Kirawira got a 2 was it is still a Serena.
Guide: Habib. I would recommend him to anyone. Courteous, kind, clean and the best eyes in Africa. A real gentleman. Set up breakfast and lunches (the few we had) with table, chairs and table cloth. Always had hot water for us to wash our hands and insisted we wash with his hot water prior to eating and after using public wash rooms.
Clothes: Take warmth for the Crater and the AM’s. It is chilly in the AM and down right cold at the crater. Even in the crater it was cold. Safari pants and shirts were the norm in the dining rooms, even at NCL.
Cell Phone: Buy one and get the SIM and top off minutes. Could not believe how cheap it was to call the US every day. In Kirawira, the camp manager showed us where to stand to get the best reception (a very small area in the lounge).
Insects: Only the flies at 4:00 PM. No other bugs to speak about.
Weather: In the 60’s and 70’s. Perfect describes it.
Tipping: We talked to other guests and found them to be very tight with a buck. They were very tight with their tips to the guides also (we asked). It was recommended to leave $10 US per day for guide/driver. We left $200 US. We tipped $2.00 for the 2 (or 3 if our carry on was included) bags carried from the vehicles and again when carried back. We left $2 US for breakfast/lunch on the table and $3 US at each dinner. We tipped at each lodge/camp approximately $7.00 per day. We tipped the butler $30 US and bathroom attendant $25 US for their 24 hour service. We may have over tipped in some cases and under tipped in others, but we were happy with what we gave.
We also gave Habib clothing and shoes from both of us for himself, children or anyone in need. This also made our luggage a little lighter and we felt we helped out a little.
The trip home (other wise know as the trip from hell home): Caught the plane at Grumeti airstrip and made 5 stops at other camps for pick ups and it took 3 hours. Then had the day room at Mt. Village for 5 hours. Roy Safari arranged lunch for us instead of the box lunches, which was a very nice touch. And the lunch was great. OK back to going home.
Left Mt. Village for airport, checked in and thank goodness they had a business class lounge. Killed some time and Laura said the women’s room had a million mosquito’s. First she had seen and of course got bitten about 2 dozen times.
Back to the flight from hell: Flight took of a little delayed and 45 minutes to Dar and one hour layover. Then the 9 hour and 20 minute flight to AMS. Then the 6 hour layover. Then the 1 ½ hour delay and then the 8 hour flight to JFK.
Bags arrive after about ½ hour and we go through customs without a hitch.
Now where is our driver??
After numerous calls to my office through a pay phone with a credit card (no cell with me) which will be billed at about $25 US per minute, we finally find the driver after about an additional hour.
Now for the 1 hour ride home. Oh, it’s Friday night riding on Long Island and trying to get out of the City. Our flight arrived at 3:30 PM and we finally arrive at our home at 8:00 PM. But, we are finally home. We go to bed at 9:15 on Friday night – 44 hours after we awoke (EST) on Thursday morning.
If I think of any more, I will add and if anyone has any questions, please ask in this thread. Or another. I read most of them
Jul 3rd, 2007, 10:46 AM
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Thank you so much for the post (particularly about the weather and attire at NCL - we will be camping most of the time then have two days at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and did not want to hassle with an extra dinner outfit). We are leaving day after tomorrow for 3 1/2 weeks - can't wait!!!
Jul 3rd, 2007, 10:55 AM
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Thanks for report. And the info about recommending Roy's. I have one of their itineraries on my short list and had some reservations about choosing them. You have alleviated my reservations and they have jumped to the top of the list so far for me itineraries.
Sue
Sue
Jul 3rd, 2007, 11:12 AM
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Walking around the grounds of Mt. Village is OK but I would not recommend leaving the grounds. In fact, there were 3 guards at the gate when we arrived both times and when we left both times.
Forget the extra dinners outfits. Everyone looks the same. Safari clothes, t-shirts, golf shirts, jeans and dockers. About the dressed up we saw anyone was in golf attire (golf shirt and dockers).
I would reccomend Roy Safari's in a minute.
Forget the extra dinners outfits. Everyone looks the same. Safari clothes, t-shirts, golf shirts, jeans and dockers. About the dressed up we saw anyone was in golf attire (golf shirt and dockers).
I would reccomend Roy Safari's in a minute.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 12:33 PM
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For those who leave JFK via AMS to NBO or JRO, for the return trip, to avoid that 6-8/hr layover in AMS, consider flying into EWR. Yeh, Newark. Not my favorite airport, but cuts the layover to about 3/hrs.
Of course, depends on where you are heading for home from EWR, but into Manhattan it's now my choice. Using a car service, whether from EWR or JFK... same price. If public transport, then you may have to reconsider.
Just a suggestion, folks.
Of course, depends on where you are heading for home from EWR, but into Manhattan it's now my choice. Using a car service, whether from EWR or JFK... same price. If public transport, then you may have to reconsider.
Just a suggestion, folks.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 01:14 PM
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Sandi,
Good info.
When I checked on availability of using frequent flyer miles, I was using EWR. I confirmed the reservations at the lodges/camps and within 3 days, all the seats allocated to Newark were gone and I had to use JFK.
Heck.......I would have flown into Boston and driven home not to be in coach
I always fly into EWR since we live NJ about 25 minutes away from EWR.
Good info.
When I checked on availability of using frequent flyer miles, I was using EWR. I confirmed the reservations at the lodges/camps and within 3 days, all the seats allocated to Newark were gone and I had to use JFK.
Heck.......I would have flown into Boston and driven home not to be in coach
I always fly into EWR since we live NJ about 25 minutes away from EWR.
Jul 13th, 2007, 04:52 AM
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Glad your trip with Roy's was a success. You saw 3 snakes in the dry season. Were the black mambas together? I liked your hint about rolling up the window if you encounter one of these spitting creatures, whether or not the guide gives that instruction.
Interesting note on the tse tse flies. Thanks for the comments on tips and itinerary.
The only real snafu was on your way home back in the US. Better here than over there where every moment counts.
Interesting note on the tse tse flies. Thanks for the comments on tips and itinerary.
The only real snafu was on your way home back in the US. Better here than over there where every moment counts.
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