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| Serengeti vista |
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| female Lion |
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| Thompson's Gazelle |
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| Hyena |
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| Zebra standing head to read to look out for cats |
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| Superb Starling |
We saw numerous cheetahs which was a thrill. On our drive
back to the airport we spied a mom with three cubs. What a gift! We saw
hundreds of zebras and thousands of various antelope: hartebeest, Thompson’s
gazelle, topi, and Grand gazelle. We saw
jackals, hyenas, mongoose, warthogs, monkeys, giraffes, lions, cerval, lizards,
elephants, and so many birds including an adult and a juvenile eagle. And one lone wildebeest on our last day!
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| Our tent |
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| inside our tent |
After
arriving at our Serengeti camp around 1:00 we freshened up in our incredible
accommodations before having a wonderful lunch. There are eight guest tents, a
kitchen tent, a dining tent, and a lounge tent. The staff area is set back from
the guest area. There was a small tent near the common area that was a bathroom
with toilet inside and washing station outside but under a canopy. During our
stay we met people from CO, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and London.
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| Panorama from our bed |
Our tent was huge with a sitting area, a king
size bed, a wall
of window screen to observe wildlife that was ever present at
our front door. Our windows faced the small river where animals came to drink
or cool off. Elephants would draw water into their trunks then splash
themselves at midday to cool off.
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| Tricia cleans up her act in the Serengeti |
Our bathroom had two sinks and two showers:
one inside and one outside with a privacy screen yet I could easily view the
Serengeti and animals near the camp. Soap, shampoo and body lotions were
provided as well as washing powder for washing our underwear. All other laundry
was done free of charge. I managed to
use both showers in the time we were there. I like showering outside as much as
I like eating outside.
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| Panorama view from the toilet |
The flush toilet had a full view of the river with the
wildlife. What a treat. We had good lighting in the tent, all solar powered.
The company, Asilia, has won international awards for their energy innovations.
They collect rainwater, use solar power to heat water and to provide
electricity. They do not use paper product unnecessarily and no plastic water
bottles. They take a potion of their revenue to support community projects
including 12,000 kids in primary schools.
The tent
floor was an integral part of the tent made of a strong but smooth material and
then covered with area rugs.
The staff
were incredible. Every need was anticipated. They kept my eye medication in a
refrigerator in the kitchen and ran to get it for me twice a day. Any time we
came back to camp we were welcomed at the disembarking area with a damp scented
wash cloth to wipe our faces and hands to refresh. No plastic water bottles
here. Our room had an endless supply of drinking water in stainless steel
bottles that were refilled each time we left the tent. Staff came in when we
were out to tidy up, keeping the tent spotless. Our first night I peeled back
the covers on the bed and lo and behold we each had a hot water bottle to warm
our bed. It gets chilly at night. Yahoo!!
Each evening
we were asked when we would like to be awaked up and if we wanted tea or
coffee. Each morning someone came to the tent with a tray with a thermos of hot
filtered coffee, mugs, cream and sugar. What a treat. We could get used to
this. Between 6:30 pm until 6:30 am guests were to be accompanied to their tent
from the dining tent or the lounge tent to ensure safety as animals are in the
immediate region. Our escorts were dressed in traditional Masai robes and
beaded jewelry. The only woman on staff was Diana who was the manager. All the
staff were courteous and fun to be with. All staff were black Tanzanians who spoke English.
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| The intrepid explorer |
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| Lenga at the wheel of our chariot |
Our safari
schedule started from our airport pick around 9:30 and went until we reached
camp, a 75 minute drive but we took hours, stopping to view game quite often.
We arrived around 1:00. That first
evening we left camp at 4:00 and returned at 6:30 when it was starting to get
dark.
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| A picnic breakfast |
Second day we started at 6:30 in the morning with a picnic breakfast in the bush and returned to camp at a
12:30. Our second day we left at 6:30 and had breakfast around 9:00 in the Serengeti served by Lenga complete with a table with tablecloth and chairs. Our meal was an egg and bacon sandwich on French toast, watermelon, sausage, various breads both savory and sweet, and French press coffee made on the spot.Again we went out at 4-6:45.
Our last day we started at 8:00 and viewed
game until time to be at the airport 10:30. That is the day we saw the cheetah
with her three cubs. They came within a few feet of our vehicle. That was such
a thrill!
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| three Cheetah pups |
Our guide was
excellent. Lenga is 27 years old, a Masai and has an eagle eye for spotting
wildlife. He also knew the animals’ behavior, habitat and information about
unusual physical attributes of various animals. He was very courteous to us and
to those in the field. He would go behind a vehicle that had stopped for clients
to view wildlife instead of crossing in front of them. Not everyone followed
this practice. In additional he was a great birder, knowing the names of each
one we spied and there were many.
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| 2 female lions |
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| Lions cleaning up after a kill |
On the second
day we got caught in a torrential rain on the afternoon safari. We were in an
open vehicle each day. It had roof.with open sides making for excellent
viewing. When the rain started Lenga
asked if we wanted him to close the sides of the vehicle with drop down tarps
that had windows and we declined. Needless to say we got drenched. He asked if
we wanted rain gear and after a while we took it. Probably should have done that
sooner but after decades of white rafting neither of us minds getting wet. This is when we spied two female and two males lions. They just waited out the rain storm. We
changed into dry clothes when we returned to camp which had not gotten one drop
of rain!.
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| The male lion looks on after the women do the work |
Food:
each meal was healthy, mostly western cuisine and well prepared. In a word: delicious!
Upon arrival we were asked if we had any
food allergies or special needs. I mentioned that I was lactose intolerant and
they easily accommodated my request. No cream on my desserts! We had fresh
salads, fresh veggies and a variety of meals: beef, pork, chicken, lamb and
fish. Lunch was served outdoors and the other meals were in the large dining
tent. While out on safari snacks were available, roasted cashews, peanuts and
freshly baked goods like an apricot loaf or cookies. Each evening at 7:30 we had
cocktail hour before dinner around a camp fire which they called Tanzania TV! .
The sky was incredible: two nights with lightening. It was quite a show.
Salads
included watermelon with feta, roasted veggies with mozzarella, tomatoes and
cukes. Meats were lasagna with beef, bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, beef with
gravy. In camp
breakfast included three fresh fruits: pineapple, watermelon and another melon
we didn’t know. Egg sandwich, eggs to order, sausage, ham or bacon, various
breads as described above.
We left the
Serengeti around 11:30 and we were so grateful for our safari. We felt as
though we had a magical experience in every way. The Asilia organization had
really thought through how to ensure a wonderful time for their guests.
Although we didn’t see our migration we had no complaints about our time in the
Serengeti.
We were picked up at the airport by the travel agent’s son and
delivered to our hotel. We showered as it had been a dusty day on the trail. We
ordered lunch in the room and in the evening went out with project staff and
volunteers, eating at a local bbq place where we ordered fish. It was delicious
and the setting was…plastic: tables, table cloths and chairs. The restaurant
was owned by a Muslim couple and was frequented by many Muslims, and a few
expats besides us.
The next day
we went to a National Museum with Wes Hare from Albany OR, someone Ron has worked with over the years and another couple from the project who live in Atlanta. We dined at a seafood place overlooking bay with boats bobbing in the water. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful time in Tanzania.
Our plane
left at 11:00 p.m., allowing us to sleep for five or six hours after taking a
sleeping aid. We arrived in Amsterdam
about eight and a half hours later. After a two hour layover with hot Americanos
we boarded the plane for home. We missed the eclipse although we had daylight
the entire 10 hour flight. We were too far north and we had been requested to
keep the shades down so people could sleep.
Neither of us slept on the return trip. We arrived in home in Portland at 1:00. I
walked over to the coop and picked up three salads and after eating those, we
took a nap, two hours for Ron and four for me. By 8:00 he could hardly keep his
eyes open. We crawled into bed at 9:00. I slept until 4:00 a.m. and he slept
until 7:00. Just as Dorothy in the Oz said ‘There’s no place like home!’
The tent
floor was an integral part of the tent made of a strong but smooth material and
then covered with area rugs.
