Saturday, August 26, 2017

The Wildebeest Migration of One

August 17-19 2017
Ron and I have become so aware of how precious life is at this point as we move through our 70’s. One of our dearest friends died while we were in Iringa, less than two or three months after he found out he had cancer. As a result we decided to splurge and go on a safari while we were in Tanzania. I suggested we see the famous wildebeest migration where over a million animals move from Kenya to Tanzania following the grazing areas and rain fall. We booked with a travel agent in Dar Es Salaam before we left home, specifying that we were only interested in the wildebeest migration. Before we left home I again reminded her that we wanted to see the migration and she wrote back that they couldn’t guarantee it but there was a very good chance we would see it.  We met with the travel agent the night before we took off and she gave us the name of the camp where we would be staying. After she left I looked it up in the internet and discovered that the wildebeest traveled through that part of the Serengeti in March and April. I became irritated and disappointed but knew there was nothing to do but go with the flow at that point.


Zanzibar island
Our trusty plane to the Serengeti
We left early this morning and flew to Zanzibar (15 minutes) to pick up more passengers. On the way we passed by Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
Mt Kilimanjaro from the air


Our GREAT guide Lenga

Then we flew to an airstrip where Lenga Nasa, our guide, picked us up. We entered the park immediately and drove to our camp stopping along the way as he pointed out various wild animals. Although camp was 75 minutes away we spent several hours getting there as we stopped frequently to view and photograph game. Neither of us could believe how many animals there were to see! 



A happy leopard after the kill
Leopard kill awaiting a future meal
Ron ended up taking 700 photos in two and a half days. So I won’t go through what we saw each day but will have Ron post some samples. Briefly we saw one leopard resting under a tree where she had deposited her kill on a branch in the tree and we could see where she had eaten part of the carcass. 


Lilac breasted roller

Female mwanza flat head agama
Male mwanza flat head agama

Lappet faced Vulture

The one wildebeest who didn't migrate
Cheetah cub


Wart hog

White  bellied bustard
Superb Starling

Black faced velvet monkey

Green bee eater
Grey breasted francolin

Bateleur eagle

Hartebeest

Mud pie shrike

Elephant

Giraffe

Wart hog






Topi Antelope

Wart hog



Geraffe

A Thompson Gazelle
Topi Antelope

Mama Cheetah


Hekmeted Guinea fowl


Secretary bird (on the way to the office)

Tawny eagle
Superb starling

Verreaux eagle owl

Egyptian Goose
Geraffe


sunset in the Serengeti



another elephant

An elephant cooling off in the water

more Serengeti vistas

more Vultures
Cheetah

Cheetah

Female Ostridge
resting Hyena

Steinbok

Banded mongoose

African Buffalo
Black faced velvet monkey





   





Serengeti vista

female Lion
Thompson's Gazelle

Hyena

Zebra standing head to read to look out for cats

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! 


Our tent
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.
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. 



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. 





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.

The intrepid explorer



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. 

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!


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.



2 female lions
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!. 
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!’

1 comment:

GalleyWenchTales said...

Welcome home! Sounds like a great trip.