Gail South
Kenya & Tanzania ~ November, 2001
MONDAY –Oct 8 - NEWARK / AMSTERDAM
We had planned to leave on Tues., but the airline rescheduling in the wake of Sept 11 left us with a Mon. Departure. We had 3 checkouts at the motel. All of them left early to help us out and we were on the road by 11:30. The www.airportparkinglots.com site I found was terrific. Vista parking was just before the airport exit at the HoJo’s. It was $7 per day (long-term parking is $8) and they took us directly to KLM. We were in the departure lounge by 1:30 Long sleepless flight to Holland, five long hours at the airport there (the 2nd floor, east end, has comfortable chairs for napping), then off at 8 am for an 8 hour flight to Nairobi. Flying over the Sahara was awe-inspiring—nothing but sand, sand, sand. Depart Newark NW8658 4:45 pm—seats 21 A&B
TUESDAY– Oct. 9 – AMSTERDAM /NAIROBI Arrive Amsterdam 6:20 am
Change planes Depart NW8565 11:00 am—seats 33 A&B
Arrive Nairobi 8:15 pm The flight was only about half full, so we were each able to grab a whole middle section to stretch out. Got about 1.5 hours sleep. We zipped through customs and were met by Thomas, a representative of 2AFRIKA, INC, Vintage Africa Safaris, and Henry, our driver for the Kenya portion of our safari, and transferred to our hotel. Slept fitfully. HOLIDAY INN MAYFAIRParklands Road, Westlands, NairobiTel: (254) 2 740-920 / 1Fax: (254) 2 748-823The Holiday Inn Mayfair in Nairobi is set on 12 acres of lush, landscaped gardens and only 20km. from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The hotel was originally built in 1945, and although it has been extensively refurbished, to provide all the modern touches, it still retains the understated charm and elegance of yesteryear. Guests can look forward to experiencing the traditional warmth and hospitality for which Holiday Inn is renowned. All 171-guest rooms have color TV, radio, telephone, tea/coffee making facilities and en-suite bathrooms. It is part of the South African Southern Sun Holiday Inns family. It is located seven minutes drive from the center of Nairobi in the leafy suburb of Parklands. Close to Westlands Shopping Center, the largest and best variety of shopping malls and restaurants in Nairobi, all in easy walking distance of the Hotel. The two superb restaurants, The Spur and Oasis, offer some of the best cuisine in Nairobi. The hotel has also a Casino and club situated in a separate building with the complex. It has two magnificent outdoor swimming pools, a health club with most up to date fitness equipment.
WEDNESDAY – Oct. 10 –MASAI MARA NATIONAL PARK
THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY – Oct. 11,12, & 13 - MASAI MARA NATIONAL PARK
After a good buffet breakfast, where Thomas came and briefed us (don’t drink the water, let your driver arrange any photos of people, tipping hints, we drove via Narok to the Masai Mara National Park. The Masai Mara lies about 270 km (180 miles) from Nairobi and takes about 4.5 hours by road (3 over very badly potholed roads and the rest horribly eroded clay). The route is scenic and the Masai Mara is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where visitors may see animals in the same super abundance as existed centuries ago. Everywhere, little boys stood by the side of the road begging for pens or sweets. Desperate poverty everywhere. Jerry says it makes Bali look middle class. Today is President’s Day and the streets are lined with rickety salvaged tin shacks where people are selling everything. Most children attend primary school, but few families can afford high school. Everyone comes from a tribe: Thomas’s is Luo, near Lake Victoria and they are fishermen; Henry’s is Kukura and they are farmers and business people. We are going to the land of the Masai—herders of cattle and goats (they say warriors, but Henry says the women do all the work and the children do the herding—the men are lazy). They slash their earlobes and hang things from them—it makes them more attractive when they dance. We stopped for a stupendous views over the Rift Valley. We saw some animals, but Henry didn’t stop—I found out why later, when we realized the tremendous number of animals in the park. Here is our hotel for the first 4 nights.
MARA SOPA LODGE--MASAI MARA NATIONAL PARK Tel: (254) 305-2197
Set in the Oloolaimutia valley, the Mara Sopa Lodge blends in perfectly with its surrounding hillside landscape. The accent here is on the Masai people and the fabulous wealth of wildlife, birdlife, and natural flora to be found in the fabled Masai Mara National Park. The Mara Sopa Lodge is located in one of the world’s most celebrated game reserves, the Masai Mara. Situated on a hillside, the lodge lies on the eastern boundary of the Masai Mara National Park, which stretches for 1120sq km and borders the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The lodge was opened in 1986 and houses 100 rooms of which 13 are suites. Each room and suite has a breathtaking view of the Oloolaimutia Valley, and each is furnished with queen size beds and full en-suite bathrooms. Each room and suite has its own private balcony where wildlife and birdlife can be viewed in comfort. The lodge itself is of a rondavel design where the interior design of the public areas and rooms are a reflection of the rich Masai culture and art. One thing we noticed was the smell of burning charcoal everywhere. The vegetation is very similar to Florida—jacaranda and bougainvillea everywhere. Also acacia marching across the hilltops like the cypress in Tuscany. We have a nice room with mosquito netting over the bed. Had a decent lunch and took a nap.
First game drive at 4 pm. The Masai Mara is a northern continuation of Africa’s most famous National Park, the Serengeti in Tanzania. Together, the Masai Mara and Serengeti make up one ecosystem; and animals pass across the political border between the two areas freely, as instinct and the seasons dictate. The greater conservation area of the Masai Mara consists of about 700 square miles, with an inner Reserve of 200 square miles in which wildlife interests are paramount and there is no human habitation (except for a few lodges). In the outer Reserve, the pastoral Maasi are allowed to coexist with wildlife; and the circular manyatta (village community) of the Maasai are seen throughout this outer Reserve area. Here, the Maasai warrior remains a picturesque figure, dressed in his flowing russet cloak, standing guard on the cattle herds that are his wealth and nourishment.
The Mara receives a high rainfall as a result of the altitude and humidity of nearby Lake Victoria, just 100 miles to the west. This predictable and beneficial climate of ample rain means that there is a continual growth of new grasses to support large herds of animals. Frequent showers at night not only keep the plains green but also keep dust to a minimum. By and large, the Mara is an area of breathtaking vistas with vast rolling plains stretching to the horizon. Occasionally, there are rounded hills with intermittent groves of acacia trees; and dense riverine forest hugs the banks of the Mara and Talek Rivers, which have many seasonal tributaries.
The Masai Mara is Kenya’s finest wildlife sanctuary. Everything about this reserve is outstanding. The wildlife is abundant and the gentle rolling grasslands ensure that animals are never out of sight. Birds, too, are prolific. Including migrants, well over 450 species have been recorded, among them 57 species of birds of prey. The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well spread rainfall year round. Rain, when it falls almost always chooses the late afternoon or night. The first sight of this natural wonderland is breathtaking. Here the great herds of shuffling elephants browse among the rich tree-studded grasslands with an occasional sighting of a solitary and ill-tempered rhino. Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, topi and eland and many more species of plains’ game offer a rich choice of food for the dominant predators; lion, leopard and cheetah which hunt in this pristine wilderness. In the Mara river, hippo submerge at the approach of a vehicle only to surface seconds later to snort and grumble their displeasure. Seemingly drowsy crocodile sunbathe on the river banks, mouth agape, waiting with subtle cunning for prey at which to strike with lightning swiftness. But this richness of fauna, this profusion of winged beauty and the untouched fragility of the landscape, are all subordinate to the Mara’s foremost attraction, the march of the wildebeest. Each year, far south in the great vastness of the Serengeti, the wildebeest raise their dignified but quaint heads, sniff the air and, as if by one accord, start the long trek to the Kenya border and the Masai Mara. After exhausting the grazing in Tanzania’s northern Serengeti a large number of wildebeest and zebra enter the Masai Mar. around the end of June drawn by the sweet grass raised by the long rains of April and May. It is estimated that more than half a million wildebeest enter the Mara and are joined by another 100,000 from the Loita Hills east of the Mara
Driving in the midst of these great herds is an unimaginable experience. Whilst the eyes feast on the spectacle the air carries the smells, the dust and the sounds of hundreds of thousands of animals. By July the countless herds have amassed along the swollen Mara River - a final barrier from the short sweet grasses of the Masai Mara. Sometimes the crossing place they have chosen is shallow allowing the majority of animals to pass safely. In other areas the waters boil with drowning wildebeest and slashing crocodiles. Between July and October the wildebeest reside in the Mara. They had begun the trip. There is nowhere else on earth to compare with this wildlife marvel. But the trek is costly. The herds draw ravening packs of predators, especially hyenas and lions, and thousands of the lame, laggard and sick never complete the cycle. More die, by drowning or by the teeth of the cunning crocodile, whilst trying to cross the swirling muddy waters of the Mara and Talek rivers. Once the Mara’s grass has been devoured and when fresh rain in Tanzania has brought forth a new flush there, the herds turn south, heading hundreds of kilometers back to Serengeti and the Ngorongoro plains. There the young are dropped in time to grow sufficiently strong to undertake the long march north six months later. Although July, August and September are the months when the Mara plains are filled with migrating wildebeest and zebra, there is much resident wildlife year round. Apart from the better known species there are numerous opportunities to add some of the rare and less frequently seen animals to the visitor’s checklist. In the southwestern sector you may be lucky enough to see roan antelope, a handsome creature regrettably rare countrywide. Bat-eared foxes peer from their burrows and there are thousands of topi an antelope not found in other major parks save Tsavo. The combination of a gentle climate, scenic splendor and untold numbers of wildlife makes the Masai Mara Kenya’s most popular inland destination.
SUNDAY & MONDAY– Oct. 14-15 – MASAI MARA NATIONAL PARK / LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK
Today we left the Plains of the Masai Mara and drove the journey through the Great Rift Valley to the Lake Nakuru National Park in central Kenya. Lake Nakuru is home to thousand upon thousand of greater and lesser pink flamingoes—it’s a site to behold. This park also provides sanctuary for the Rothschild Giraffe, rhino and leopard.
LAKE NAKURU LODGE—LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK PO Box 561NakuruTel: (037) 85446
The Lake Nakura Lodge is situated in a wonderland which lies in the heart of one of Kenya’s most densely animal populated wetland national parks (Ramsar Site--The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 124 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1072 wetland sites, totaling 81.75 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance), only two hours leisurely drive—on first class roads—from Nairobi through some of the most exciting scenery to be seen anywhere in Africa. Situated in the southeast ecological niche of the park, the lodge is an oasis of comfort and excellent service, with commanding views of the lesser flamingo for which Lake Nakuru is justly famous. The lodge blends well with its surroundings and the animals often browse peacefully close to the lodge and environs, much to the fascination of the visitors. There is accommodation for 120 people, either in family rooms, cottages or suites. The service is unmatched anywhere in Kenya, a country renowned for its hospitality. There is excellent cuisine, which includes outside catering, Bush Barbeque, African night dinners and sundowners.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The earliest introduced species in the Lake is the saline tolerant tilapia )Tilapia, several species and their hybrids of Oreochromis, are one of the major groups of farm raised fish in the world. Tilapia farming and consumption are rapidly increasing in the US. In fact, in every year since 1995, retail sales of tilapia surpassed those of trout. Sarotherodona calicus grahamii) in 1956 from Lake Magadi to curb on the rising malarial menace in Nakuru town. As a result, fish eating birds came in. They include: the Cormorant, Great white pelicans, African fish eagle etc. The fish is in direct competition with the Lesser flamingo feeding on the Blue -green algae. The history of Lake Nakuru National Park (LNNP) started in 1961 when the Southern Part of the lake was designated as a Bird sanctuary under management of the Kenya National Park. Present park size is through various land acquisitions and boundary alterations supported by the then World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Kenya Government. In 1964, the bird sanctuary was extended to include the whole lake and a strip of land around the Lake. Incidentally, the present park Headquarters reflect this acquisition. In 1968, further extension of the park boundary was made and officially gazetted as a National park. 1973 saw Netherlands WWF sign a conservation agreement with the Kenya Government that was instrumental in the acquiring of more land for the park in 1974 with further boundary alterations resulting in present size. In 1976, the park boundary was fenced with a chainlink, and then reinforced later in 1986 with a high powered solar fence through funds raised by Rhino Rescue Trust (U.K.). This was the precursor to the declaration of the park as a Rhino Sanctuary in 1987 and the first 16 black rhinos were translocated from Solio ranch, adding to the two resident ones. Four more black ones were brought in from Nairobi National Park in 1990 and two white rhinos were introduced from Lewa Downs. Further 10 white ones were brought in from South Africa in 1995. Both black and white rhinos total over 75. Rothschild giraffe was translocated in 1974 from Soy plains in Eldoret having invaded the wheat farms. Many leopards have been released in the past into the park from various problematic areas in the region. Similarly, lions have been brought in and now number about 40. All these animal introductions have developed viable populations. Lake Nakuru was declared a Ramsar site in 1990 - a wetland of international importance; Kenya having been a signatory to the convention. The lake has diversified plant and animal life at the production level of the food chain. Blue-Green algae (spirulina platensis) thrives in the alkaline lake waters.
Climate: Rainfall distribution is trimodal with peaks centred around April, August and November giving an average annual total of about 1000mm. Geology of lake Nakuru National park can be traced back to the formation of the Rift Valley and the rocks are volcanic in origin. Lake Nakuru is alkaline and has a fluctuating area depending on seasons of between less than 5KM2. to about 40KM2 in wet season. The lake is a natural “waste-sink” of lake Nakuru Ecosystem that covers an area of 1800 KM with diversified human economic activities ranging from arable farming, industrial production in Nakuru town to forestry activities at higher altitudes of the catchment.
TUESDAY – Oct. 16—AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
Today we returned to Kenya’s colorful capital, Nairobi, arriving about an hour early, so we had a short tour of the city. We saw the site of the American embassy and the Stanley Hotel, where Teddy Roosevelt spotted for game and Hemingway stayed. Then we had lunch at the internationally renowned Carnivore Restaurant. If ever a place in the world is worth a visit, it’s Amboseli National Park with its awesome backdrop towering 19,340 feet toward the African sky.
AMBOSELI SERENA SAFARI LODGE--AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK Beside Acacia trees and a natural spring, amidst more big game than almost anywhere else in Africa, stands Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge. Influenced by Masai Manyatta architecture, the lodge is in total harmony with its environment. Guest rooms are appointed with authentic Africana. Unique guest services and exceptional amenities enhance the distinctive ambiance. An unbelievable experience awaits you! Named for the trees under which it is built, Acacia tortilis, this luxury lodge beckons you away from the stresses of life and surrounds you with luxury. Enjoy the view of the highest mountain in Africa. Awaken early in the morning to the scent of grass and bush, redolent with the essence of untouched wilderness. Dine in style, discover the delights of bird-watching—over 300 species of colorful birds live here, including waterfowl which inhabit the year-round springs. Amboseli (“salty dust” in the Maasai language) is an oasis—a place of peace, a place of solitude. The mountain is omnipresent, even when covered by clouds and sets the stage for your stay. I had a facial to get rid of the salty dust.
WEDNESDAY – Oct. 17—AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK Amboseli National Park, at the foot of Africa’s highest mountain, 5895m
Kilimanjaro, is one of Kenya’s most popular parks. It lies some 240kms.south-east of Nairobi very close to the Tanzania border. The snow capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain, rising above a saucer of clouds dominates every aspect of Amboseli. Gazetted as a national park in 1974 it covers only 392 sq kms but despite its small size and its fragile ecosystem it supports a wide range of mammals (well over 50 of the larger species) and birds (over 400 species).
Nearby is the border town of Namanga, overlooked by Oi-Doinyo Orok (Black Mountain) sacred to the Maasai tribe. This a good place to stop off and buy your Maasai handicrafts from the stalls along the road. Years ago, Amboseli was the locale around which such famous writers as Ernest Hemingway and Robert Ruark spun their stories of big game hunting in the wilds of Africa. It is also the home of the Maasai people, those tall, proud nomads whose legendary prowess in battle and single handed acts of bravery in fights with wild animals has spread across the globe. The Maasai have learned to live in complete harmony with their environment and the wildlife which surrounds them. A part of Amboseli National Park is composed of a dried-up lake bed which in the shimmering heat produces a fairly spectacular site; there is an extremely convincing mirage which shows an expanse of water, complete with birds and animals drinking from and reflected in it. We’d have been quite happy to go birding along the lake shore before we were told it was a mirage. Probably the most famous inhabitants are the elephants. These have been the subject of a long running study by Cynthia Moss whose work was featured in the BBC film “Echo of the Elephants”. Swamps and springs, fed by underground rivers from Kilimanjaro’s melting snows, form permanent watering places for wildlife throughout times of drought. The lake bed is subject to sporadic floods and noxious salts in the gravel bed are dissolved to serve as a deadly poison for what is left of the local woods; very few of the fine acacias, once a feature of this region, remain.
The snows of Kilimanjaro, white and crystalline, form a majestic backdrop to one of Kenya’s most spectacular displays of wildlife - lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, buffalo and hosts of plains’ game, creating Kenya’s most sought after photographer’s paradise. But the Park’s popularity is also causing serious concern. The combination of wildlife, tourist vehicles and Masaai cattle are destroying the delicate but precious grassland. Park rules now insist that vehicles stick to roads and tracks. The Park’s best game runs are around swamps and there is a fine lookout on Observation Hill which offers views over the whole of the Park and beyond. Bird life in Amboseli is variable, to get the most from it you need to be there when parts of the park are still flooded or Lake Amboseli actually exists. For the (fool?)hardy traveler this means the rainy seasons (March-May and Oct-Dec). If you don’t mind getting wet and maybe getting stuck in the mud this can be the best time to visit Amboseli. If you (like us) prefer to stay dry, then go just afterwards. Several parts of the park (including Lake Amboseli) become flooded and large numbers of wildfowl and other wetland birds move in. During and just after the October-December rains the local birds are joined by migrants from the Northern hemisphere, sometimes in fairly large numbers, and birdwatching around the swamps and impromptu lakes can be very rewarding. The Sinet causeway is good spot when the area to either side of it is flooded, and it’s fairly quiet as most vehicles just drive across it on their way to the more popular areas for the big game. The drives around the swamps are generally the most profitable both for big game and birds although the parks popularity with tourists means that any bird that is at all shy generally leaves the more popular (with tourists) parts of the park fairly quickly.
THURSDAY – Oct. 18– AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK / LAKE MANYARA
After lunch, we continued our journey south toward Tanzania. Left Henry at the border, after clearing customs, bargaining for a giraffe, and fixing a flat. Selim took us into meet our new driver, Godfrey, with Predators Safari Club, in Arusha, a journey that lasts about 2 ½ hours via the Tanzania border town of Namanga. We had a picnic lunch en route, and entered the Lake Manyara National Park.
KIRURUMU TENTED SAFARI CAMP
It is difficult to imagine a more spectacular setting for this camp—near the edge of the Mto Wa Mbu escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley and the stunning Manyara soda lake. There are daily excursions into the Great Rift Valley as well as into the national park as well as walking safaris and nature walks with experienced escorts. The swimming pool, bar and public areas all boast dramatic views of the landscape. In the evenings, traditional dance presentations are featured. Lake Manyara National Park includes the northern half of Lake Manyara, with a thin strip of land sandwiched between the lakeshore and a spectacular wooded escarpment to the west. The lake situated along the impressive escarpment of the Rift Valley, takes its name from the Maasai word for “euphorbia tirucalli,” a bush that is used to make a thorny hedge to protect their cattle. Lake Manyara National Park, which covers an area of 330 sq.km. of which 200 sq.km is lake, was made a game reserve in 1957 and registered three years later as a National Park. The park is located between the 600 m high escarpment of the Great Rift Valley and Lake Manyara and is 130 km from Arusha so can be visited on a day excursion from this centre. At the Southern end of the park are hot Sulphur Springs called Majimoto, further along the forest opens up into woodlands, grassland, swamps and beyond, the soda lake itself In general the park is small, because two thirds of the park is covered by the lake. Incredibly, that one third harbors a variety of wild animals, which are supported by open savannah grassland with rocky outcrops, marshes and acacia woodland. Masses of pink flamingos and many other aquatic bird species such as pelicans and hornbills along with tree-climbing lions (lazily resting on the branches of an “Acacia tortillas” tree), herds of elephants, hippos, giraffe, buffalo and other large animals all serve to make this one of the most beautiful little parks in Africa. Due to the high concentrations, this is also one of the best places in Africa to observe elephants at close quarters. At the entrance, there is a hippo pool that will capture your attention if you enter the park for the first time. The park is considered to be one of the best places for bird watching: over 400 species of bird including flamingo, pelican, red billed quelea, storks, sacred ibis, cormorants and Egyptian geese. Other species of birds are African spoonbill, lesser flamingo, white pelican, white faced duck, bee-eater, forest-dwelling crowned eagle, heron, water fowl, crowned crane, snipes and pratincoles. Wildlife interest at Lake Manyara is not confined to birdlife only, many game animals such as buffalo also inhabit the park, elephant, giraffe, impala, hippo and a great variety of smaller animals also inhabit the park. The park contains the most pachyderms per km sq. in Tanzania. Most famous spectacle in the Lake Manyara National Park is the tree-climbing lions that spend most of the day spread out along the branches of acacia trees six to seven metres above the ground. Nestling at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment the park is noted for its incredible beauty. As visitors enter the gate they pass into the lush forest, home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys. Include the hippo pool where you can see a lot of gregarious hippos in big numbers.
FRIDAY – Oct. 19 – LAKE MANYARA /SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Godfrey prefers all day drives, so we take a picnic lunch and stop for an hour in the middle of the day. We left in the morning and drove slowly to the world famous Serengeti National Park via the Olduvai Gorge, the famous archeological site where the Leakeys discovered remains of Australopithecus, Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus, bringing crucial understanding to the study of the evolution of the human species. Undoubtedly the most famous wildlife sanctuary in the world, Serengeti is unequaled for its natural beauty and the greatest concentration of plains game anywhere. Looking over the seemingly endless Serengeti plains, the hillside Serengeti Sopa Lodge is a tranquil oasis set in thousands of square kilometers of National Park. The Serengeti Plains are host to a dramatic annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and numerous other species of game indigenous to the area. We will be here 2 nights. SERENGETI SOPA LODGE Discover Serengeti. It was 1913 and great stretches of Africa were still unknown to the white man when Stewart Edward White, an American hunter, set out from Nairobi. Pushing south, he recorded: “We walked for miles over burnt out country... Then I saw the green trees of the river, walked two miles more and found myself in paradise.” He had found Serengeti. In the years since White’s excursion under “the high noble arc of the cloudless African sky,” Serengeti has come to symbolize paradise to many of us.
The Maasai, who had grazed their cattle on the vast grassy plains for millennia had always thought so. To them it was Siringitu - “the place where the land moves on forever.” The Serengeti region encompasses the Serengeti National Park itself, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa Game Reserve, the Loliondo, Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Over 90,000 tourists visit the Park each year. Two World Heritage Sites and two Biosphere Reserves have been established within the 30,000 km² region. Its unique ecosystem has inspired writers from Ernest Hemingway to Peter Mattheissen, filmakers like Hugo von Lawick and Alan Root as well as numerous photographers and scientists. The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves. It is the migration for which Serengeti is perhaps most famous. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June. So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or crocodile infested river can hold them back. The Wildebeest travel through a variety of parks, reserves and protected areas and through a variety of habitat. Join us to explore the different forms of vegetation and landscapes of the Serengeti ecosystem and meet some of their most fascinating inhabitants. Another interesting feature are the “Kopjes,” massive islands of granite standing in a sea of grass, which provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik dik.
SATURDAY – Oct. 20 – SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
The Serengeti is a sense of seeing to the ends of the earth, the sunburnt savannah shimmering to the horizon. Yet, after the rains this golden horizon is magically transformed into an endless green carpet flecked with wildflowers. But there are also wooded hills, towering termite mounds and rocky kopjes, rivers lined with elegant stands of trees, ebony and acacia, stained orange by the dust. It is so vast you may be the only human audience when a pride of lions masterminds a siege, focused unswervingly on their next meal.
SUNDAY – Oct. 21 – SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK / NGORONGORO
Drove today from the Serengeti National Park, Nearly 3 million years ago, Ngorongoro towered alongside Mt. Kilimanjaro as one of the highest peaks in Africa. Forged during the tumultuous birth of the Great Rift Valley, its volcanic top erupted at the time that ancient man first walked the plains. Onward to the largest intact caldera in the world – Ngorongoro. Its enduring charm stems from its overwhelming physical beauty and the abundance of wildlife permanently resident on the crater floor. Today, Ngorongoro’s caldera shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven left on earth. Some of Africa’s last black rhino are protected within its rim, black-maned lions stalk the grasslands, flamingoes crowd the soda lakes and giant-tusked elephants wander the forests. Spread out along the upper most rim of the site, the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge offers breathtaking views of the crater floor far below.Accommodation is arranged for a 2-night stay in a double room with private en-suite facilities on a full board meal basis. NGORONGORO CRATER SOPA LODGE
MONDAY –Oct. 22 – NGORONGORO Today, you will spend an entire day game viewing in the Ngorongoro crater enjoying a picnic lunch en-route. Here animals are found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Ngorongoro is one of the most spectacular game haunts in Africa and has been designated a World Heritage site. Nearly 100 square miles, it contains an impressive variety of wildlife incluiding black-maned lions; the highly endangered black rhino, herds of gnu, zebra, elephants, hippo and hyena…the most important predator within the crater. The birdlife is also prolific, with flocks of flamingoes on the soda lake, plus other species of water and plains birds.
TUESDAY –Oct. 23 – DEPART NGORONGORO/ KILIMANJARO/AMSTERDAMIts a short drive back to Arusha today where we had a picnic lunch at the Park Village Restaurant, then visited the Cultural Heritage Centre next door and bought three beautiful pieces of Tanzanite. Then transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport at 3:30 for our 9:15 pm return flight to Amsterdam with onward service to the United States. Depart Kilimanjaro NW8481 9:15 pm—seats 41 F&G
WEDNESDAY – Oct 24 – DEPART AMSTERDAM / NEWARKArrive Amsterdam 8:15 am
Change Planes Depart Amsterdam NW67 10:40 am—seats 43 H&G
Arrive Detroit 1:05 pm Depart Detroit NW 362—seats 14 A&B
Arrive Newark 5:11 pm