Tanzania Safari Synopsis -- Feb/March 07
Mar 14th, 2007, 08:59 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 259
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tanzania Safari Synopsis -- Feb/March 07
We just got back Saturday night from our trip to Tanzania, and since I couldn’t sleep anyway I thought I would start to try to “give back” to the Fodor’s Africa Forum from which I learned so much. After a while, however, I succumbed to the slumber monster, so this entry is a few days later. This first effort will be the “Cliff’s Notes” version, with mostly just the basics and not too much “fluff,” which I will try to follow up at a later date with the expanded/only slightly expurgated version, hopefully eventually with reference to my strictly amateur pictures and maybe even videos. There isn’t really a Fodor’s “template” to follow, so I’ll just dive in.
This comes with my usual caveats:
1. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of management. My experience, opinions, and memory may, and often do, differ from those of others.
2. Historical data is not necessarily an indication of future performance.
Itinerary:
Feb. 19-20 – KLM from Houston/Amsterdam/Kilimanjaro
Feb. 20-21 – Kia Lodge near airport
Feb. 22-23 – Sinya/West Kili area, Kambi Ya Tembo - Elephant Camp
Feb. 24 – Arusha National Park; stay at Kigongoni Lodge near Arusha
Feb. 25 – Tarangire, Treetops Lodge
Feb. 26-27 -- Manyara, Serena Lodge
Feb. 28 -- Ngorongoro Crater, Serena Lodge
Mar. 1-3 – Nduta area, Olakira Tented Camp (located in Ngorongoro Conservation Area)
Mar. 4-5 – Seronera area, Serena Lodge
Mar. 6-8 – Zanzibar, Matemwe Bungalows
Mar. 9-10 (and almost 11), KLM/Continental from Zanzibar/Dar Es Salaam/ (eventually)AMS/Houston
Our merry band – Dear Wife of 33 years and game-spotter extraordinaire, whom I have dubbed “Cheetah Girl”; Dear Friend, a lovely woman and intrepid traveler who, along with DW, put her trip entirely in my hands (an admittedly questionable decision that turned out OK); and Self
Safari Operator – Ally at Sunny Safaris (based in Arusha) arranged the trip, and our excellent guide was Gerald. Other than some plane delays, which was certainly not Sunny’s responsibility, we had essentially no problems on our Hakuna Matata trip. Ally was responsive during the planning process, although I pretty much knew (thanks to this forum) what we wanted when I first contacted operators. Sunny was among the most economical (if you can use that term when discussing the cost of a safari) of the operators I polled. Gerald was a wonderful guide – professional, friendly, careful, prompt, knowledgeable, accommodating, and an amazing game-spotter with 10 years of guiding experience. His nice, large Land Cruiser was a roomy, comfortable (if you can use that term when discussing roads in the bush), and reliable vehicle. The most often seen vehicles were clearly those with Leopard Tours (probably about 40 of them), followed by Ranger Safaris (~30), then Roys and Sunny (~20 each), and then a host of others, including Good Earth, CCAfrica, Africa Under Canvas, Bobby Tours, etc. Most of the vehicles appeared to be in pretty good shape, at least on the outside. Everyone we talked to seem to like their guide just fine.
Things that worked out well (in no particular order) --
Good mix of locations, activities, and camps and lodges. We moved more often than some people like to do, but we really enjoy seeing different camps and parks. The trade-off between tented camps and large lodges, as many have said before, is the intimacy and warmth of the camps versus the lower cost and sometimes location and convenience of the lodges. Our stays were arranged so that we could get laundry done at least once every three days.
Using Fodor’s packing advice and lists. We still probably took too much.
Good weather! After all of the problems people had experienced in the previous couple of months, I was quite concerned about rain. Everything was indeed very green and lush, and the grass was very tall in some places, but we had only two rains, and even those were non-events. Once was at Treetops Lodge near Tarangire, but we were on a game drive in the park at the time and it didn’t rain on us. The other time was on the afternoon when we were resting in the Serena Manyara Lodge prior to our bush dinner and night game drive in the park later that evening. We felt very lucky.
Nice people and wonderful service. The only ones I felt were not quite as friendly were the people at the reception at all three Serena lodges.
Going to the Sinya/West Kili area for a couple of days. This area is off the beaten path, but Kambi Ya Tembo, although a simple camp, gave us what I feel is a bit more of an authentic experience. The boma we visited was definitely not a “tourist” destination, and seeing the Maasai in their natural environment was quite enlightening. Sylvester and his mostly Maasai staff at KYT were very warm and friendly, and made for a great start to our safari.
At least adequate food everywhere, very good at some places. Better prices for cokes ($1) and beer ($2) than I expected, at least everywhere except the Serenas.
Not too many bugs. Tsetse flies were really an annoyance only at Tarangire, and the mosquitoes were manageable.
Good, but not spectacular, game viewing (I know this would be the first factor to consider for most serious Africa-philes). The migration, as others have said, is an amazing spectacle that has to be seen to be believed. Our first contact with it was on the road from the Ngorongoro Crater to Ndutu, when suddenly Gerald just veered to the left and took off cross-country (which you can do in Ndutu). He had seen the long dark line on the horizon, and was headed towards it. As we bounded across the grass towards a huge throng of wildebeests, I was tempted to yell “Yee-haa!” (after all, we are from Texas). I knowingly said to the ladies, “That is the great migration,” whereupon Gerald simply said, “That is part of the migration.” He estimated about 400,000 in that particular group, and we would see many more in the next two days. Once we reached them, we were surrounded by wildebeests on all sides as we slowly drove straight through them for at least 5 minutes. Other than that, we saw just about all the various animals we expected to see, plus a few we didn’t necessarily expect to see (gerenuks, bat-eared fox, caracal, genets). We saw 2-3 dozen lions (mostly just lazing around), about 10 cheetahs, and about 8 leopards (although most, but not all, of the leopard sightings were pretty brief and/or distant). We did have an exciting viewing at Tarangire of 6 lionesses and 4 cubs at a giraffe kill, with 2 envious hyenas trying unsuccessfully to gain a seat at the “table.” Fortunately (for us, not the giraffe nor the hyenas), the action took place about 10 meters (I am still speaking “metric,” albeit with a Texas accent) from the road, so we had front row seats for the show. The best leopard sighting was a mother and two cubs in and around some pretty thick brush in Ndutu, but Gerald then found the male (saw that tell-tale tail) in a tree not far away. We got pretty close, so close that the male took minor offense when I leaned out too far to get a picture.
Flying back from the Serengeti – As we were driving the long, bumpy, dusty roads from Ngorongoro to Ndutu to the Seronera, I kept thanking my lucky stars that I had taken Fodorites’ advice to fly back east, especially since we were going all the way to Zanzibar.
Starting the trip with a day of rest at Kia Lodge, an oasis only five minutes from Kili airport with a view of both Kili’s (the airport and the mountain), and ending the trip with three restful days at Matemwe Bungalows, an isolated but beautiful small resort (12 bungalows and three brand new villas) on the very tidal northeast coast of Zanzibar across from Mnemba Island.
Not having to use either the travel insurance nor Flying Doctors memberships we had purchased, nor hardly any of the medicines and such that we took “just in case.”
Taking along a Tekkeon supplemental battery pack for those times when I ran low of power (batteries, not personal energy). It is fairly large and heavy, and I only needed it a couple of times, but I would have hated to have run out of juice in the middle of an exciting sighting.
Things that were less than optimal:
• One of my requirements for a camera is that it fit in my pocket (I know, that is blasphemy among many Fodorites). As a result, my pictures will be mediocre at best, and terrible by the standards set by Bill H., Julian, and others, but they will serve my purpose of providing memories of our trip.
• A minor issue, but each of us had a little bit of fairly mild stomach issues. We drank only bottled beverages (other than coffee and tea and ice, which we were assured were made with good water), but two of us were pretty liberal in what we ate (i.e., we did not abide by the “eat only fruit that you have peeled yourself” advice). The third of us was more careful, and that person may have had the most “unease.” On balance, I am satisfied by our decisions regarding this issue and the results of our choices.
• Hot air balloon ride – DF loved it (it was her first balloon ride and she had been pretty apprehensive) and was ready to go again. Although I enjoyed it and am glad we did it, like some other Fodorites I think once was probably enough.
• Arriving at DAR from Zanzibar expecting a 6-hour layover, during which we planned to get a day room at a hotel to clean up and have dinner before our long flight home, only to find out that our KLM plane was still on the ground in Amsterdam. In other words, our flight from DAR back to Amsterdam was not going to leave for at least 12 hours, so of course we would miss our connection at AMS. It’s a fairly long story, but the bottom line is that amazingly it wasn’t all that bad. KLM paid for rooms and dinner at a nice hotel, so we actually got on the plane (a Continental Airlines flight since we had clearly missed the KLM flight) clean and well fed and even after a couple of hours sleep in a comfortable bed. Getting up at 1:00 a.m. to go back to the airport and then spending almost 5 hours in a fairly warm and dark airport wasn’t all that much fun (and in the cruelest cut of all, the duty free shops were all closed), but a little Ambien on the first flight helped me catch up on my sleep.
As you can see, the “good” items greatly outnumber and outweigh the “not so good” items. All in all, I think we had a great trip, I have little to complain about, and I would do it again in a minute. I may have some of the detailed trip report to post soon, but be careful what you wish for. Just think, if this is the “highlights” package, what is the full report going to be like?
This comes with my usual caveats:
1. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of management. My experience, opinions, and memory may, and often do, differ from those of others.
2. Historical data is not necessarily an indication of future performance.
Itinerary:
Feb. 19-20 – KLM from Houston/Amsterdam/Kilimanjaro
Feb. 20-21 – Kia Lodge near airport
Feb. 22-23 – Sinya/West Kili area, Kambi Ya Tembo - Elephant Camp
Feb. 24 – Arusha National Park; stay at Kigongoni Lodge near Arusha
Feb. 25 – Tarangire, Treetops Lodge
Feb. 26-27 -- Manyara, Serena Lodge
Feb. 28 -- Ngorongoro Crater, Serena Lodge
Mar. 1-3 – Nduta area, Olakira Tented Camp (located in Ngorongoro Conservation Area)
Mar. 4-5 – Seronera area, Serena Lodge
Mar. 6-8 – Zanzibar, Matemwe Bungalows
Mar. 9-10 (and almost 11), KLM/Continental from Zanzibar/Dar Es Salaam/ (eventually)AMS/Houston
Our merry band – Dear Wife of 33 years and game-spotter extraordinaire, whom I have dubbed “Cheetah Girl”; Dear Friend, a lovely woman and intrepid traveler who, along with DW, put her trip entirely in my hands (an admittedly questionable decision that turned out OK); and Self
Safari Operator – Ally at Sunny Safaris (based in Arusha) arranged the trip, and our excellent guide was Gerald. Other than some plane delays, which was certainly not Sunny’s responsibility, we had essentially no problems on our Hakuna Matata trip. Ally was responsive during the planning process, although I pretty much knew (thanks to this forum) what we wanted when I first contacted operators. Sunny was among the most economical (if you can use that term when discussing the cost of a safari) of the operators I polled. Gerald was a wonderful guide – professional, friendly, careful, prompt, knowledgeable, accommodating, and an amazing game-spotter with 10 years of guiding experience. His nice, large Land Cruiser was a roomy, comfortable (if you can use that term when discussing roads in the bush), and reliable vehicle. The most often seen vehicles were clearly those with Leopard Tours (probably about 40 of them), followed by Ranger Safaris (~30), then Roys and Sunny (~20 each), and then a host of others, including Good Earth, CCAfrica, Africa Under Canvas, Bobby Tours, etc. Most of the vehicles appeared to be in pretty good shape, at least on the outside. Everyone we talked to seem to like their guide just fine.
Things that worked out well (in no particular order) --
Good mix of locations, activities, and camps and lodges. We moved more often than some people like to do, but we really enjoy seeing different camps and parks. The trade-off between tented camps and large lodges, as many have said before, is the intimacy and warmth of the camps versus the lower cost and sometimes location and convenience of the lodges. Our stays were arranged so that we could get laundry done at least once every three days.
Using Fodor’s packing advice and lists. We still probably took too much.
Good weather! After all of the problems people had experienced in the previous couple of months, I was quite concerned about rain. Everything was indeed very green and lush, and the grass was very tall in some places, but we had only two rains, and even those were non-events. Once was at Treetops Lodge near Tarangire, but we were on a game drive in the park at the time and it didn’t rain on us. The other time was on the afternoon when we were resting in the Serena Manyara Lodge prior to our bush dinner and night game drive in the park later that evening. We felt very lucky.
Nice people and wonderful service. The only ones I felt were not quite as friendly were the people at the reception at all three Serena lodges.
Going to the Sinya/West Kili area for a couple of days. This area is off the beaten path, but Kambi Ya Tembo, although a simple camp, gave us what I feel is a bit more of an authentic experience. The boma we visited was definitely not a “tourist” destination, and seeing the Maasai in their natural environment was quite enlightening. Sylvester and his mostly Maasai staff at KYT were very warm and friendly, and made for a great start to our safari.
At least adequate food everywhere, very good at some places. Better prices for cokes ($1) and beer ($2) than I expected, at least everywhere except the Serenas.
Not too many bugs. Tsetse flies were really an annoyance only at Tarangire, and the mosquitoes were manageable.
Good, but not spectacular, game viewing (I know this would be the first factor to consider for most serious Africa-philes). The migration, as others have said, is an amazing spectacle that has to be seen to be believed. Our first contact with it was on the road from the Ngorongoro Crater to Ndutu, when suddenly Gerald just veered to the left and took off cross-country (which you can do in Ndutu). He had seen the long dark line on the horizon, and was headed towards it. As we bounded across the grass towards a huge throng of wildebeests, I was tempted to yell “Yee-haa!” (after all, we are from Texas). I knowingly said to the ladies, “That is the great migration,” whereupon Gerald simply said, “That is part of the migration.” He estimated about 400,000 in that particular group, and we would see many more in the next two days. Once we reached them, we were surrounded by wildebeests on all sides as we slowly drove straight through them for at least 5 minutes. Other than that, we saw just about all the various animals we expected to see, plus a few we didn’t necessarily expect to see (gerenuks, bat-eared fox, caracal, genets). We saw 2-3 dozen lions (mostly just lazing around), about 10 cheetahs, and about 8 leopards (although most, but not all, of the leopard sightings were pretty brief and/or distant). We did have an exciting viewing at Tarangire of 6 lionesses and 4 cubs at a giraffe kill, with 2 envious hyenas trying unsuccessfully to gain a seat at the “table.” Fortunately (for us, not the giraffe nor the hyenas), the action took place about 10 meters (I am still speaking “metric,” albeit with a Texas accent) from the road, so we had front row seats for the show. The best leopard sighting was a mother and two cubs in and around some pretty thick brush in Ndutu, but Gerald then found the male (saw that tell-tale tail) in a tree not far away. We got pretty close, so close that the male took minor offense when I leaned out too far to get a picture.
Flying back from the Serengeti – As we were driving the long, bumpy, dusty roads from Ngorongoro to Ndutu to the Seronera, I kept thanking my lucky stars that I had taken Fodorites’ advice to fly back east, especially since we were going all the way to Zanzibar.
Starting the trip with a day of rest at Kia Lodge, an oasis only five minutes from Kili airport with a view of both Kili’s (the airport and the mountain), and ending the trip with three restful days at Matemwe Bungalows, an isolated but beautiful small resort (12 bungalows and three brand new villas) on the very tidal northeast coast of Zanzibar across from Mnemba Island.
Not having to use either the travel insurance nor Flying Doctors memberships we had purchased, nor hardly any of the medicines and such that we took “just in case.”
Taking along a Tekkeon supplemental battery pack for those times when I ran low of power (batteries, not personal energy). It is fairly large and heavy, and I only needed it a couple of times, but I would have hated to have run out of juice in the middle of an exciting sighting.
Things that were less than optimal:
• One of my requirements for a camera is that it fit in my pocket (I know, that is blasphemy among many Fodorites). As a result, my pictures will be mediocre at best, and terrible by the standards set by Bill H., Julian, and others, but they will serve my purpose of providing memories of our trip.
• A minor issue, but each of us had a little bit of fairly mild stomach issues. We drank only bottled beverages (other than coffee and tea and ice, which we were assured were made with good water), but two of us were pretty liberal in what we ate (i.e., we did not abide by the “eat only fruit that you have peeled yourself” advice). The third of us was more careful, and that person may have had the most “unease.” On balance, I am satisfied by our decisions regarding this issue and the results of our choices.
• Hot air balloon ride – DF loved it (it was her first balloon ride and she had been pretty apprehensive) and was ready to go again. Although I enjoyed it and am glad we did it, like some other Fodorites I think once was probably enough.
• Arriving at DAR from Zanzibar expecting a 6-hour layover, during which we planned to get a day room at a hotel to clean up and have dinner before our long flight home, only to find out that our KLM plane was still on the ground in Amsterdam. In other words, our flight from DAR back to Amsterdam was not going to leave for at least 12 hours, so of course we would miss our connection at AMS. It’s a fairly long story, but the bottom line is that amazingly it wasn’t all that bad. KLM paid for rooms and dinner at a nice hotel, so we actually got on the plane (a Continental Airlines flight since we had clearly missed the KLM flight) clean and well fed and even after a couple of hours sleep in a comfortable bed. Getting up at 1:00 a.m. to go back to the airport and then spending almost 5 hours in a fairly warm and dark airport wasn’t all that much fun (and in the cruelest cut of all, the duty free shops were all closed), but a little Ambien on the first flight helped me catch up on my sleep.
As you can see, the “good” items greatly outnumber and outweigh the “not so good” items. All in all, I think we had a great trip, I have little to complain about, and I would do it again in a minute. I may have some of the detailed trip report to post soon, but be careful what you wish for. Just think, if this is the “highlights” package, what is the full report going to be like?
Mar 14th, 2007, 09:25 AM
#3
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,222
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think your game viewing sounds great not good! I suspect that the longer you're away from Africa, the better the game viewing on this safari will seem. 
Thanks for this summary. I am looking forward to the detailed version. And welcome back to all three of you!
Thanks for this summary. I am looking forward to the detailed version. And welcome back to all three of you!
Mar 14th, 2007, 02:23 PM
#5
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,880
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hguy, thanks for the report. As you know we were in these same places (almost) a month before you and enjoy reading about the trips of others.
Two comments ... you wrote <b>Good, but not spectacular, game viewing</b> and then mention a caracal, which is very hard to find (I haven't seen one yet) and a 'spectacular' sighting in my book.
You also mention four leopards at Ndutu, including cubs ... trust me, that qualifies as 'spectacular' We've spent 12 days at Ndutu and for many hours we've trolled the woodlands where the leopards live scanning for them but have never seen one, just kills in trees. And I've yet to see leopard cubs, so I would call that a wonderful sighting.
The 10 cheetahs is more than most people see (especially with the grass high) and 8 leopards is more than we've ever seen on a single trip, so I think you did really well on the critters.
You also mentioned <b>but each of us had a little bit of fairly mild stomach issues</b> ... one of the four people in our group this past year had stomach problems as well and since we all ate the same food and he was the only one walking off with a shovel and roll of toilet paper when we stopped for picnics we guessed he was perhaps having a reaction to the malaria pills (travelers diarrhea was listed as one of the possible side effects). Just fyi ...
Anyway, thanks for the write-up.
Bill
Two comments ... you wrote <b>Good, but not spectacular, game viewing</b> and then mention a caracal, which is very hard to find (I haven't seen one yet) and a 'spectacular' sighting in my book.
You also mention four leopards at Ndutu, including cubs ... trust me, that qualifies as 'spectacular'
We've spent 12 days at Ndutu and for many hours we've trolled the woodlands where the leopards live scanning for them but have never seen one, just kills in trees. And I've yet to see leopard cubs, so I would call that a wonderful sighting.The 10 cheetahs is more than most people see (especially with the grass high) and 8 leopards is more than we've ever seen on a single trip, so I think you did really well on the critters.
You also mentioned <b>but each of us had a little bit of fairly mild stomach issues</b> ... one of the four people in our group this past year had stomach problems as well and since we all ate the same food and he was the only one walking off with a shovel and roll of toilet paper when we stopped for picnics we guessed he was perhaps having a reaction to the malaria pills (travelers diarrhea was listed as one of the possible side effects). Just fyi ...
Anyway, thanks for the write-up.
Bill
Mar 15th, 2007, 03:54 AM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 259
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the comments, and of course you guys are right about our game sightings, I should have been, and really I am, more than satisfied with what we saw and did. I think that after reading all of the Fodor's trip report for about a year I had subconsciously coalesced all of those sightings into my "wish List." I also think that the great up-close and personal sightings we had in Botswans in 2004 spoiled me a little. Do ya think that maybe it was too much to expect a lion pride/buffalo herd confrontation, a "Lion King moment" (Simba sitting atop Pride Rock at the Gol Kopjes), rhinos walking up beside the jeep, and a cheetah jumping on the bonnet (Gerald told us that one of the cheetahs we saw at Ndutu does that sometimes), in addition to a million wildebeests? I guess my sights were set a little high, our "critter count" was indeed quite good.
By the way, the caracal we saw was a young one just walking down the road fairly close to the Serengeti Serena. We followed it down the road for over a minute before it went off into the brush. Unfortunately, we also saw it the next day, dead in the road. The bat-eared fox we also saw in the road near the Serena, pre-dawn on our way to the balloon trip.
I have started my detailed trip report ("detailed" may be understating it, it's looking like about one single-spaced page per day). When I sit down at my computer I put in my newly acquired "The Best of Africa Songs" CD and it inspires me. ["Jambo, jambo bwana, habari gani, nzuri sana, . . ." -- when my wife hears it she runs screaming from the room, perhaps a little over-exposure?] I seem to have successfully lowered expectations about my pictures, since no one is clamoring for them. I will try to post some of the report later today, the pictures, such as they are, will hopefully come later. The videos are another matter entirely, apparently I have to get a special cable to fit a special connection that my not-so-special primary computer doesn't even have.
Kwaheri, for now.
Julian,
Yes, I will provide some more pictures for your Safari Photo Album (I assume you mean pictures of the various places we stayed) as soon as I can get around to it.
Bill, you take wonderful photographs, but that "picture" you painted of your friend with the shovel and roll of toilet paper is just TMI.
By the way, the caracal we saw was a young one just walking down the road fairly close to the Serengeti Serena. We followed it down the road for over a minute before it went off into the brush. Unfortunately, we also saw it the next day, dead in the road. The bat-eared fox we also saw in the road near the Serena, pre-dawn on our way to the balloon trip.
I have started my detailed trip report ("detailed" may be understating it, it's looking like about one single-spaced page per day). When I sit down at my computer I put in my newly acquired "The Best of Africa Songs" CD and it inspires me. ["Jambo, jambo bwana, habari gani, nzuri sana, . . ." -- when my wife hears it she runs screaming from the room, perhaps a little over-exposure?] I seem to have successfully lowered expectations about my pictures, since no one is clamoring for them. I will try to post some of the report later today, the pictures, such as they are, will hopefully come later. The videos are another matter entirely, apparently I have to get a special cable to fit a special connection that my not-so-special primary computer doesn't even have.
Kwaheri, for now.
Julian,
Yes, I will provide some more pictures for your Safari Photo Album (I assume you mean pictures of the various places we stayed) as soon as I can get around to it.
Bill, you take wonderful photographs, but that "picture" you painted of your friend with the shovel and roll of toilet paper is just TMI.
Mar 15th, 2007, 05:27 AM
#8
hguy47, I enjoyed reading the Cliff Notes version of your trip. It sounds like you had a great time. I saw that movie, Blood Diamond, and somewhere during the movie someone said TIA, This is Africa. I thought that was so appropriate and I think everyone should be able to say TIA at least once during their trip. It sounds like you may have had your TIA moments with some flights and stomach issues.
And I can sympathize with you about "Cheetah Girl" running from the room because of over-exposure. My family does the same thing. And I really try hard to keep it all to myself and not drive them crazy but it's really hard!
Looking forward to seeing your pics and hearing more about your trip.
Cindy
And I can sympathize with you about "Cheetah Girl" running from the room because of over-exposure. My family does the same thing. And I really try hard to keep it all to myself and not drive them crazy but it's really hard!
Looking forward to seeing your pics and hearing more about your trip.
Cindy
Mar 15th, 2007, 09:34 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 196
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
hguy47, Than you for the report! I let out a shriek (here at work but then everyone here now knows I'm obsessed with Africa)...my husband and I also just "rode through" the migration a couple of weeks ago in the Serengeti! Thousands upon thousands of thundering hooves to the left of us the right, behind, merging in front...and we BOTH had the urge to yell "yee-hah!" - and we're not even from Texas! I fully understand your rush of adrenalin...what an experience that was!!!
Mar 15th, 2007, 11:00 AM
#10
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 14,440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Welcome home and hope you are enjoying the Africa tunes as you write. I'm with Bill on the spectacularness of the caracal. I've seen only one briefly at night. To follow one down the road is spectacular.
Your comments on the # vehicles you saw are a helpful guide. Glad Sunny worked out so well.
Your comments on the # vehicles you saw are a helpful guide. Glad Sunny worked out so well.
Mar 15th, 2007, 11:52 AM
#11
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 617
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I can tell that your full length trip report will be a treat to read. I'm particularly interested to hear more about your experiences in West Kili as we're planning to be there for a few days next year, and there is never much written about it on the Forum.
With regard to your pictures, we don't all take professional quality photos, but we all manage to capture images (good or bad) that will help us remember our precious times in Africa!
With regard to your pictures, we don't all take professional quality photos, but we all manage to capture images (good or bad) that will help us remember our precious times in Africa!
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
brbrt
Africa & the Middle East
41
Apr 5th, 2007 03:30 PM
