Safari, 2024
In August, 2024, I took a 15 day Safari to Kenya and Tanzania, through Globus.
The tour had 18 people and we travelled in jeeps, 6 people to a jeep. The jeeps had roofs that could be raised, so we could stand up on the seats and get a good view of the animals. Every day, we would wake up early. If we were staying overnight, we would have an early breakfast, usually at 6:00, and then go on a 3-4 hour game drive at 7:00. After lunch, we would have another 3-4 hour game drive at 3:00. If we were leaving the lodge/tent, we had to leave our luggage out by 6:00, so they could be loaded into the jeeps, have an early breakfast at 6:00 and be on the way at 7:00. We would get to the next place in time for lunch, and have another 3-4 hour game drive at 3:00, before dinner.
The accommodations all had WiFi, but no TV, so after dinner, we usually just took a shower and went to bed. Most of the accommodations had electric fences so that big animals like lions and elephants could not come in. Water Buck, Antelope and Baboons could jump the fences. Some of the accommodations were lodges, but some were tents. They were all very nice. Even the tents had electricity, hot water, private toilets and showers, hair dryers, mosquito nets, etc. In Serengeti, there were no electric fences, so if it was dark, we had to be escorted by people with large bore rifles – going to breakfast early morning, and walking back after dinner. It was cool enough to require a sweater in the mornings and evenings. It was really cold in Ngorongoro Crater and they put hot water bottles in the bed under the blankets.
n Day 1, we arrived in Nairobi, where we were put up in a hotel. Since my flights arrived late night, I arrived 1 day early and paid for an extra night in Nairobi.
On Day 2, I took an optional day tour, where we visited the Nairobi Safari Walk and the Giraffe Center. At the Nairobi Safari Walk, we walked on raised boardwalks, where we saw pygmy hippos, zebras, rhinos, ostrich, cheetah, leopard, antelope and other animals. Then we went to the Giraffe Center, where they try to reintroduce the endangered Rothschild Giraffe back to the wild. The center has 1 male and 3 female Rothschild Giraffes, and babies born here are reintroduced into the wild. We were provided with pellets called Giraffe candy, that we could use to feed the Giraffes.
Day 3, we met the rest of the tour group and drove to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the largest Rhino sanctuary in in East Africa. We stayed in tents that were right in front of a watering hole, where we could see animals all the time. We stayed 2 nights in Ol Pejeta. We did a game drive in the afternoon of Day 3, the morning of Day 4 and the afternoon of Day 4. We had a barbeque dinner in the bush on Day 3.
Day 5 we drove to see Thompson’s Falls and on to Lake Nakuru National Park. After lunch, we went on a game drive.
Day 6, we drove to Maasai Mara. After lunch, we went on an afternoon game drive, and visited a Maasai Village. We went to the river where the wildebeest and other animals cross during the annual migration. We saw crocodiles and hippos in the river. Some herds had crossed the week before, and some herds were slowly making their way to the river, but no animals crossed while we were there.
Day 7, we rose early to do an optional hot air balloon ride, followed by a hot breakfast in the bush, and then went on a morning game drive. In the afternoon, we went on another game drive. We did not see any animals on the hot air balloon ride, which was a waste of money.
Day 8, we had a hot breakfast in the bush, then a short game drive, followed by a flight to Amboseli National Park, in a small 10 seater plane. After lunch, we went on an afternoon game drive. We stayed overnight at Amboseli, and did a morning and afternoon game drive on Day 9, at Amboseli, followed by complimentary drinks and snacks before dinner.
Day 10, we crossed the border into Tanzania, and had lunch at Arusha. After lunch we went to our lodge in Lake Manyara. It was too late for a game drive.
Day 11, we went on a morning game drive to Lake Manyara Conservation Area and on to Ngorongoro Crater, where we had a late lunch.
Day 12, we descended into Ngorongoro Crater. Because of the time it takes to descend and ascend, we took a boxed lunch with us and had it under a grove of Acacia trees. This crater is the world’s largest unflooded caldera, more than 2000 ft deep, and most of the animals stay in this area year-round. The crater is thought to have been formed 2.5 million years ago, when an active volcano’s cone collapsed inward after a massive eruption. It is now a natural sanctuary for some of the densest populations of large mammals in Africa. Due to its enclosed area, it has effectively formed its own ecosystem.
Day 13, we drove to Serengeti National Park, doing a game drive when we got there. Because the park is so large, we took a boxed lunch with us, and continued on our game drive all day. We stayed overnight and enjoyed another morning and afternoon game drive on Day 14.
Day 15, we flew back to Arusha, this time in a larger 15-20 seater plane, and arrived at the hotel around noon, where rooms had been reserved for us. My flight back was at 9:00 PM that day.
