Tanzania Trip

Arriving in Tanzania is always a great pleasure for me as I find the game viewing amazing and the people wonderful. Especially after the depressing people of Madagascar where I had just spent two weeks (see previous article), the always friendly Tanzanians (and Kenyans ) were a welcome relief.

Our group flew in Arusha for a 12 day safari of the Northern Circuit of Tanzania: Tarengire, the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Lake Manyara. We all managed to meet at the Arusha Hotel which is a really very comfortable hotel in the center of town opposite the Clock Tower, near the Tourist Office, most airlines and several shops. We all arrived somewhat late and tired but we managed dinner at the hotel restaurant which I thought was very good. The hotel has a swimming pool and gym as well as Wi Fi throughout. There is also a small casino on the lower level. All of the properties we stayed at offered quite a good Internet connection other than Swala where it was a bit slow.

The next morning we were off in two land rovers for the 7 of us to start our adventure. I was bringing three couples, all good friends for their first trip to Tanzania. Actually three of them had never been on safari, one couple had come with me to South Africa and again last year on the Kenya trip. All are involved in my girlfriends orphan program in Nairobi.

After breakfast, our first project was to get some Tanzanian money. Having seriously depleted my cash reserves the previous two weeks in Madagascar where changing money is not easy, debit card withdrawals impossible and credit cards rarely accepted, I was very happy to see Barclay's ATM where my Citibank Cirrus card worked as a direct debit card; not a cash advance.. Our next stop was the Shoprite grocery store where we stocked up on wine, water, nuts and other things we thought we'd need for 12 days but no doubt would never use. Then we were off to our first destination, Tarengire National Park. I had been here twice before and think it is one of the prettiest parks in Tanzania. The landscapes go from open fields to swamps to thick brush and the park is covered with hundreds of beautiful Baobab trees. For me Tarengire is just as special as the better know Crater and Serengeti.

We stopped at the Tarengire Safari Lodge for lunch. While the lodge is pretty much at the 3 star level and therefore not part of Resorts Online, it had the most beautiful setting on a hill overlooking the Tarengire River. The lunch was an OK buffet and a welcome stop after the 2+ hour drive from Arusha. We then proceeded on to our destination, Swala Camp which is part of Sanctuary Lodges owned by Abercrombie & Kent. Last year we visited Olonana in the Masai Mara, also owned by Sanctuary which I thought was fabulous so I was looking forward to Swala and I was certainly not disappointed. It is a very comfortable tented camp set deep in the bush. We didn't see another car for at least two hours prior to getting there. But we did see lots of game, especially hundreds of zebra and elephants. After a welcome shower we regrouped around the fire for drinks and hor d'ourves and then dinner. At Swala all drinks are included so I am afraid we may have had a bit too much to drink, at least I did!!! The wine just flowed at dinner and you lose track of how much you eventually consumed.

At 6:30 the next morning they came to the tent with tea and coffee and at 7 we had breakfast before heading out on an all day drive with a picnic lunch. Needless to say when you are talking people for the first time on safari you always worry about what they will see but we saw pretty much everything you could ask for during the course of the day. I cannot count the number of herds of elephants, zebra, wildebeest, impala and water bucks. We had several sittings of Kudu, Eland, Dik Dik, Steinbock, Warthogs, banded mongoose, a large heard of buffalo, lion and three different leopard sittings, one with a kill up in a tree. While our guides were not great with birds, we certainly saw enough of them and I even recognized an ostrich. I tend to have trouble once birds get smaller than that! But we did see three differently eagles, Tawney, Bateleur and a Marshal with a kill in it's claws. Trust me, there were lots of birds!! The one thing we could not find which I saw last time was a grove of trees by one of the swamps where there were lots of pythons in the branches.

Lunch was at a lovely picnic site in the very south of the park overlooking the swamp and the hotel had prepared a wonder lunch basket of quiche, vegetables, salads and wine! Not your usual lodge picnic! By the way, what they call the swamp is really a marshy area of water where you see lots of game and dozens of different birds. They are really quite beautiful and green.

Back at the camp we again had drinks and snack around the fire followed by dinner where I believe everyone was a bit more conservative with wine. It turned out we had made so much noise the night before that one couple we were talking to seemed to have heard everything we said so we ended up just invited them to join our table so they would not have to eavesdrop!! So now we were 9 very well behaved and tired guests! I can't tell you what a magical place Swala is and just how much everyone enjoyed themselves. It was going to be tough to beat this.

The next day we again started early for our drive out of the park and to the world famous, Ngorongoro Crater. The way out ended up taking over 3 hours as we kept see such great game, especially a pair of lions we thought might still hunt but didn't and then a herd of Giraffe coming down to the river to drink. There is nothing more special than seeing Giraffe when they spread their legs to drink. Eventually we were out of the park and continued for two more hours to the entrance to the Crater reserve.

Another 30 minutes and we were at the Serena Lodge. As you drive up to the rim of the crater where the lodge is located at 7500 Ft, you pass what only can be described as a rain forest out of Tarzan or Uganda. I imagine no one has really explored what is in there. We arrive at the lodge just in time for lunch which as at most of the larger lodges is a buffet. In this case the restaurant and bar overlook, as do the rooms, the expanse of the crater which is simply impossible to describe.. I can see the anticipation for the next day's trip down into the crater. They have raised the entrance fees to $50 per day per person and $200 per vehicle so our day in the Crater is costing $1100 for 7 but I don't think anyone minds. Actually tonight is the World Cup Rugby finals so I don't think anyone cares about anything other than watching the game. Personally I have no interest and will have an early evening.

Having been satisfied that South Africa won, the others were in a good mood the next morning as we headed off at 6:30 notwithstanding the lack of sleep! It is about 30 minutes to the crater from the Serena. We then proceeded to spend the day having some amazing game experiences. I think we saw 4 lion sittings including watching a kill from start to finish. There were thousands of zebra and wildebeest and our first glimpse of the Thompson and Grant's Gazelle's. We also came across a Golden Jackal and several great hyenas sittings. Perhaps the highlight of the day was watching a cheetah come across the plains and pass right in front of our Landover. I thought we were going to witness some ostrich's mating but while we did see the foreplay which is quite colorful with feathers going in all directions as they dance around, the female turned out to be a big tease and just wondered off.

Having pestered our driver to find us a rhino, he eventually prevailed but it was quite a ways in the distance and didn't really look real but at least we saw a black rhino. Elephants eluded us until the end when we came across an old bull with magnificent tusks in a small hippo pool with dozens of hippos in and out of the water snorting and farting. It was a real symphony but they didn't seem to mind each other. The bird life was amazing and this one setting must have had 50 different varieties. During the day we saw some of the larger birds such as Corey Bustard and Secretary Bird and a this pool we had Crown Crane, Grey G Heron, Cattle Egret all over the elephant and dozen other varieties that I could not name.

Eventually everyone was so exhausted that we headed back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner. We stopped to pee at our lunch spot before heading up and found our way was blocked by an Elephant. Somehow we managed to share the facilities and made our way back to the lodge. Tomorrow it is off to the Serengeti which is normally the highlight of any trip to East Africa but I am not sure what is left to see!!

The drive to the gate is about 2 hours and then it was another couple of hours to get to the hotel, the Serengeti Serena located in the middle of the park. We took our time getting there and came across several lion sightings, one of which was quite special. We saw a male lion on a ridge and went over to have a look. On the other side of the ridge was the rest of the pride, four females, another large male and about 8 cubs, some as young as two weeks old. All of them were lying on top of each other in the open with the cubs playing and climbing over the adults. Finally the male on the top of the ridge got up and walked straight towards us. He actually got so close to the vehicle that you could have reached out and touched him on the head!! Fortunately he didn't eat any of us and just walked around and over to the rest of the pride. Eventually we had to leave and along the way we saw a couple of cheetahs just on the side of the road under a bush and a family of Spotted Hyenas in another clump of bushes. Needless to say there were the usual herds of impala, gazelles, topi, zebra and wildebeests with a few giraffes thrown in.

Finally we arrived at the hotel and went off to lunch. The Serena sits on a hill and the rooms are in separate bungalows up and down. The view from the room is spectacular. Lunch and dinner were terrific buffets. The central location near the Seronera Park Headquarters makes the hot air balloon an option. Currently the price is $450 per person and you must book well in advance. We didn't and only two of my group could get space. The flight is very weather related and it is quite possible they will cancel or the flight can be very short depending on the wind making it a very expensive breakfast: they do an elaborate buffet in the bush after you land.

The next day we headed to the Western part of the Serengeti by the Grumett River. Here we stayed at another Serena owned property, Kirawira Tented Camp which is also a member of Small Luxury Hotels. I had been here before and it is a beautiful tented camp with a wonderful Edwardian lounge looking like a set from "Out of Africa". All the tents overlook the Serengeti and have a spectacular view. As with most of the lodges we stayed at, they offer massages and have a swimming pool.

It is a long drive, about three hours to Kirawira and the scenery changes dramatically: it is much greener that most of the Serengeti we drove through. Along the way the drivers took us to the Grumett River which is very dry but still had some spots where you can see some enormous crocodiles and hippos. The game varies throughout the year and is best visited in June-July to see the start of the migration but we still saw some large herds of wildebeest, zebra, impala, Thompson and Grant's gazelles as well as buffalo and several large groups of giraffe and lions. Near the Grumeti river or actually in the middle of it, there is an island that is surrounded by rather large crocs and hippos and after crossing a very shaky suspension bridge you come to a small island that is home to some White Colobus monkeys not often seen.

Our next destination was in the northern part of the Serengeti, Mbuzi Mawe (which means Klipspringer). It is set amidst some spectacular rock formations and is also a beautiful luxury tented camp. I should mention that almost all of the camps served outstanding food, especially Kirawira and Mbuzi Mawe which have a la carte menus rather than a buffet offered by the larger lodges. We had come here hoping to catch the return of the migration which should be coming back to the Serengeti from the Masai Mara in October. As we saw the migration last year returning to Tanzania while staying at the Mara Serena and Mara Intrepids in Kenya, I assumed we could see it arrive back on this side of the river now. Apparently it is not so simple and I could never get a straight answer as to where the migration was. This was especially frustrating as my girlfriend was at the Mara Sarova, in the Masai Mara with some of her girlfriends who had joined her in Nairobi while visiting the schools and orphanages we work with. She emailed that they were seeing huge herds of animals all headed for us in the Serengeti but we could not find them!!!

Eventually we had to head out of the park and on to Lake Manayara. We stopped again at the Ngorongoro Serena for lunch as it is about half way and had another spectacular view of the crater before going on to the Lake Manyara Serena. The Lake Manyara Serena sits on a hill overlooking the lake with a breathtaking view from all the rooms and lounge area. There is an infinity pool which overlooks the lake. Most guests only stay one night and do a few hours drive in the park. I strongly recommend staying two nights and one whole day down in the park. It is one of the most beautiful parks in Africa and goes from plains to rain forest in a matter of minutes.

The next day we did an all day drive and saw lots of game. The park is home to some 400 species of birds and I am sure we saw most of them near the water. While I am hardly a birder, the variety of birds is just amazing. The lake is also home to some huge pods of Hippo, Cape Buffalo, Zebra, Wildebeest, Baboons, warthogs, giraffe and of course the famous climbing lions which I have yet to see. We did see leopard last time but not on this visit. But the park is so beautiful that even if you don't any game, you are overwhelmed by the mixture of lush vegetation, water plants and the mountains that surround the park. There is also a Hot Springs with water so hot you'll burn your fingers if you stick them in.

We ended up back in Arusha with a night again at the Arusha Hotel before flying back. Another option if you have a day to kill before your flight would be the Serena Mountain Village about 12 km's from Arusha on the way to the airport which is another 30 Km's. It is set in a lovely garden overlooking Lake Dulati and offers nature walks, excellent bird watching, canoeing and Wi Fi as well as a refreshing escape for the bustle of Arusha. It was a nice way to end the trip before the long flight back to Paris.

From a practical point of view I would suggest getting a local sim card for your cell phone through Celtel when you arrive. This will allow you to receive calls at no charge and send sms's for very little. I was told at the airport in Nairobi that I should get Safaricom which roams with Vodaphone but other than in Arusha and Lake Manyara the reception was almost non-existent while Celtel seemed to work at all the lodges and in much of the game parks.