Soaring into the Land of Serengeti....

SoaringintotheLandofserengeti 

Soaring into the Land of Serengeti....  

 A taste of Tanzania experience will remains vivid in our memories …… The below describe our experiences. Words are quite superfluous. Each picture probably tells (more than) a thousand words … most important question that needs an answer is "Where is your next holiday going to be?”   Can Tanzania be one?

CAPITAL CITY: Dodoma
MAJOR AIRPORT: Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) 
CURRENCY: Tanzania Shillings (and cents). Credit cards are accepted in most hotels / restaurants.

TIME ZONE: 1 Hour behind U.A.E (GMT +3)

WEATHER: Pleasant temperatures all year. Slight showers in April / May /June and Oct / Nov
MAX. 32 DEGREES CENTIGRADE / MIN. 10 DEGREES CENTIGRADE

LANGUAGE: Swahili, but English is commonly spoken country wide

The game viewing safaris in Tanzania are quite outstanding! African safaris in Tanzania are famous for being one of the best wildlife destinations in the world, yet it has much more to offer.  

DAY ONE: (Tuesday), we assembled at Arusha Coffee Lodge to meet our host Takim Holiday team.
After sumptuous lunch, a 2 hours’ drive found us at Lake Manyara National Park.

Where you can connect with others

This relatively small wilderness reserve was named after the alkaline lake filled with thousands of flamingos roaming the banks for food and hippos bathing in the waters. However the most famous inhabitants of this park are the tree-climbing lion. Late evening we checked in at the outstanding MANYARA SERENA SAFARI LODGE situated on a high ridge of dramatic ochre and terracotta-streaked cliffs, the Lodge looks out across the flamingo-filled waters of Lake Manyara with the volcanic Great Rift Valley.

At boardwalk opened – to view hippo inside the lake Manyara park..

 

DAY TWO: (Wednesday), after breakfast, headed to Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the southern Serengeti eco-system - 

at ngorongoro gate 

at crater View point

our second hotel inspection at NDUTU SAFARI LODGE .The Lodge nestles unobtrusively under a canopy of giant acacias with views towards Lake Ndutu. The lodge offers a superb base in which to explore the range of habitats that lie within easy reach. Swamps, woodland, soda lakes and the world famous Serengeti short grass plains make Ndutu Safari Lodge one of the best places to watch wildlife.

Where is Ndutu?......

It’s just where you want to be…..
In the heart of the Serengeti Plain, at the head of Olduvai Gorge, beside a small lake set in beautiful acacia woodland, with the mighty backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater highlands.
The road was a drama by itself …..

Later we found ourselves at Serengeti National Park- Naabi Hill Gate where we stopped for park registrations. Most of the outcrops of boulders and scanning the landscape from the top of each one, the rocks’ kopjes merged lions and lioness to warm themselves in the morning. There was thousands upon thousands of wildebeest and zebra roaming around. 

 

Serengeti - Meaning “endless plains” in the Maasai language, the Serengeti still offers the most incredible game-viewing in Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tanzania…

Nestled within a protective rock outcrop

 

Proper morning game drives never start at dawn, they are out long before. The grail is to be somewhere before the sun raises its burnished head. When this ‘somewhere’ is the untarnished and our guides are the extraordinary magic invariably ensues all is at place.

Lions not at sunrise but in the sunrise. Cheetahs, not on a kill, but making one. Notice both predators in plural. Though we missed a kill event

Safari continued to an exclusive luxury camp- LAKE MASEK LUXURY TENTED CAMP situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area overlooking Lake Masek. This unique location is witness to the Wildebeest Migration which takes place from December to April each year.  The camp is eco-friendly as all the electric power is supplied by solar panels and water is collected during the rainy season. All the products used are biodegradable in order to ensure that the environment is kept pristine. 

We saw lots topis (a chocolate brown antelope), hartebeests, klipspringers, impalas, gazelles and we had an excellent sighting of a pair of Kirk's dik-dik browsing in the flourishing plant life.

Do you know when lions and elephants meet; the interaction can often end with casualties on either side. Given the chance, a pride of lions will take down a young elephant. The same goes for elephants that will trample young lion cubs if they come across them. Lol, we missed this....

 

 

Central Serengeti offers year-round game viewing and is thought to be one of the best.

We spent a night at LEMALA EWANJAN TENTED CAMP - set within the game-rich Seronera Valley in a secluded part of Central Serengeti. The camp offers breathtaking views of the Serengeti plains and its prolific wildlife and sunsets. The Seronera valley is renowned for its year round game viewing due to its abundance of water, as well as its large population of resident cats. The camp is  sited  right at the end of a blind valley, so there is no reason for vehicles to interrupt your view during the day, and at night you enjoy uninterrupted views across the plains with no electric lights in sight.

Between April and June and again between November and January this area receives the annual wildebeest migration, turning the area into an exciting wildlife paradise.

DAY THREE: (Thursday). After breakfast, we had further site inspection at SERENGETI KATI KATI TENTED CAMP a mobile tented camp located in Central Serengeti, strategically located to cover the vast Serengeti Plains. The camp offers comfortable accommodation and a unique opportunity to enjoy a real safari camp experience. A cosy mess tent is located in the centre of the camp where meals are served. The campfire is ready every evening for appetizers and snacks before dinner. 

Just gotten a whole lot closer... Stare up, face to face with an elephant, and realise the immensity of these age-old mammals. –

 

There are moments when elephants decide to get very close to humans, re-affirming what is a fascinating and age-less connection.

Do you know when lions and elephants meet; the interaction can often end with casualties on either side. Given the chance, a pride of lions will take down a young elephant. The same goes for elephants that will trample young lion cubs if they come across them. Lol, we missed this....

 
Lunch today was at FOUR SEASONS SERENGETI - an incredible experience!  The Safari Lodge is designed with a versatility that’s ideal for all kinds of travellers. If you're not spiritual, you may be after coming here! Surrounded by nature and elegance, this lodge was the highlight of visiting the Serengeti. Frequent elephant and zebra sightings on premises, informative and organized discovery center for learning. The managers and other staffs of the lodge are friendly, largely local, and exemplifies customer service...

Friendly welcome by managers 

Infinity pool overlooking Serengeti

 

We had a chance to explore the lodge unique Discovery Centre a part museum and part lecture theatre, offering an interactive experience where you can learn about the wildlife, history and people of the Serengeti. Situated in the Lodge’s main building, the centre’s focal point is an interactive map of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, which highlights the movements of the Great Migration.

a unique Discovery Centre

Afterward,  we found ourselves in the Serengeti’s Leading Camp the SERENA MBUZI MAWE TENTED CAMP- Scenically located in a glade, known as ‘The place of the klipspringer' (Mbuzi Mawe), and guarded by three million year-old granite towers, this luxury tented-camp in the Serengeti is unique. Cleverly located on one of the main annual migration corridors for over one million wildebeest, half a million zebras and gazelles, and their accompanying cast of predators it is also located at the very epicentre of one of the world's most famous national parks.

Overnight today was at KIOTA CAMP located in Central Serengeti the only place where we enjoyed our bonfire -evening campfires. The staffs were young and amazed by everyone. We were very well looked after at this camp. Everyone is polite and go out of their way to be friendly and happy. Every comfort is thought of and attended to. The Kiota Camp opens in May 2015. This is a sister camp to Chaka Camp in Serengeti. 

In the evening the camp staffs provided a warm glow, where we sat around the bonfire enjoying our drinks ... amazing – the only place we got such a treat!! with spectacular views of Central Serengeti 

 

This is the best place I got a chance for a Dawa drink - Dawa means "medicine" or "magic potion" in Swahili.
A Recipe compiled through different sources while researching African Beverages. 

DAY FOUR: (Friday). After breakfast, we bid farewell to the beautiful Serengeti as we head off via Simba kopjes, Naabi Hills gate driving towards Ngorongoro highlands. By noon we arrived at RHINO LODGE for a quick site inspection. This lodge is located on the edge of the Ngorongoro crater rim, offering a perfect base from which to explore the Ngorongoro crater and its surroundings. With 24 comfortable ensuite rooms, a cozy living space, friendly local staff and generous, all with verandah overlooking a stretch of high montane forest. Each room has its own shower, toilet and hand basin. To keep away the cold each room has a wood-burning stove, and hot water bottles can be filled if you want one. 

 

Lunch today was at NGORONGORO SERENA SAFARI LODGE the regularly voted one of the best hotels in the world, this unique lodge in Tanzania clings to the rim of the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, the largest and most perfect volcanic crater on Earth. Long and low, the lodge is built from local river stone and camouflaged with indigenous vines. Designed to blend completely into the landscape, it is entirely invisible from the floor of the Crater 600 metres below.

 

Afterward, we dropped into the incomparable Ngorongoro Crater. At 16 kilometres in diameter and walls sweeping up some 700 metres, the crater offers a picture perfect backdrop to its wildlife residents known as ‘the eighth wonder of the world' the Ngorongoro Crater and one of Africa's best-known wildlife arenas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it offers a unique biosphere, which has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. Deep within the Crater, enclosed by towering walls, some 25,000 large mammals wander the plains, lakes and forests of ‘the land that time forgot', dominated by enormous bull elephants, rhinos and lions.
An encounter with a lioness 

I have always had a love for nature

In the late evening, we checked in at NGORONGORO SOPA LODGE 

standing well over half a kilometre above the crater floor and offers unparalleled views across this enormous caldera. The lodge faces the always magnificent sunsets to the west, and located at the highest point on Ngorongoro crater’s entire rim. Themed around traditionally circular African houses with conical roofs, and decorated with examples of Africa’s rich tapestry of artistic traditions by way of rich woodcarvings and sculptures, the lodge harmonizes perfectly with its dramatic surroundings. But the drama does not just stop with the great outdoors: it also flows through the split level interiors of the main building which all offer an unsurpassed generosity of space while somehow managing to combine an almost magically welcoming ambience of both warmth and cosiness.

DAY FIVE:  (Saturday). After breakfast, we bid farewell to Ngorongoro heading towards Karatu. Our first designation in Karatu area being NEPTUNE NGORONGORO LUXURY LODGE 

 

set in an 50 acres of virgin Tanzanian bush in the Ngorongoro volcanic landscape, this all suites wood log cabin style retreat is located a few steps from the Game Reserve Gate and 20 minutes' drive away from the Ngorongoro Crater .This all inclusive property features 20 spacious private log cabins with fire place, a restaurant, a bar and conference facilities. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have time to indulge in moments of relaxation at their swimming pool or at the Mvua African Rain Spa after all the long drives.

Our next stop was at NGORONGORO FARM HOUSE a small and exclusive lodge facing the Oldeani Volcano, only 5 kilometers from the Ngorongoro Lolduare gate, built to offer our clients an original experience reminiscent of the atmosphere of the old days. Just like other lodges in this KARATU village, this is a perfect stopover within any safari in the Northern Circuit of Tanzania and a privileged place to visit the Crater or enjoy a bunch of activities: Like a walking safari to the adjacent forest leading to the Oldeani Volcano or an excursion to the nearby Lake Eyasi in the Rift Valley, still inhabited by a tribe of hunter-gatherers, the Hadzabe, a relic of ancient times who still follow a style of life similar to the humans who inhabited the Earth before the discovery of agriculture. 

Another interesting tribe are the Datoga or Barabaig, also called Mangati (fierce enemy) by the Maasai who expelled them from the Ngorongoro Highlands during their unstoppable advance to the south sometime in the 19th century. A visit to the village of Karatu or the Njia Panda school, rehabilitated with the contributions of their clients, can also make the day of anyone interested in cultural interaction or in helping to the development of the rural communities of Africa.

an excellent one for us for which we are extremely thankful to all who made it..

 Lunch today was at GIBBS FARM - an amazing, peaceful sanctuary to rejuvenate the senses while on safari in Tanzania, the farm featuring cozy, well-appointed cottages, breath-taking scenery and wildlife and unique cultural activities that allow one to fully experience the rhythms and beauty of the farm, community and nature. The lodge team work with local community to a refreshing change.”

You can immerse yourself in the peace and serenity of Gibb's Farm. ... Outside, the farm's organic vegetable and terraced flower gardens provide a wonderful Experience a sense of place

The veranda overlooking the gardens at Gibbs Farm, Karatu

KITELA LODGE was our next stop , a small, exclusive lodge situated on top of a valley overlooking a coffee plantation, the Eastern wall of the Ngorongoro crater and a beautiful waterfall consisting of  of 20 spacious suites in cottages built in the style of an old colonial farm offering guests a relaxing, quiet atmosphere surrounded by beautiful gardens.   

The lodge is on top of a valley overlooking a coffee plantation

Before our final overnight stay, popped in at ACACIA FARM LODGE,a romantic Country Lodge nestled in an active mixed farm located high on the spectacular Great Rift’s escarpment area with commanding panoramic views of the amazing Karatu farmlands and the nearby Ngorongoro forest area. Unrivalled area’s natural beauty is finely complemented by the elegant lodge. 

Unrivalled area’s natural beauty is finely complemented by the elegant lodge

A timeless tranquillity emanates from the exuberance of birdsong, mature trees and the lovely coffee plants, where I missed to have an overnight..lol 

Late evening, we checked in THE MANOR AT NGORONGORO, a luxury lodge located on the Shangri-La Coffee Estate within a 1500-acre Arabica coffee estate, The Manor is reminiscent of an elegant up-country farm home in the Cape Dutch-style of architecture. 

It’s kind to blend East African hospitality ...

Hotel is designed with every possible comforts 

amazing Karatu farmlands

Our meal was not as expected - the risotto wasn't cooked and practically inedible hence went hungry for the ones who choose that meal set up... I think it was just one day mishap as the lodge is known to have excellent services. Wish we could have stayed longer in this absolutely beautiful lodge to make a rule ....

DAY SIX:  so the time has time to bid farewell to our Takim Holiday team

Kwaheri (Goodbye) Tanzania after visiting their offices in Arusha ......  
 

Takim Holidays Brand new picnic bags, the most exotic 'Masai Shuka' picnic blankets to go along with it on safari

an excellent office (above)  and garage below

Takim team – Abbas & Staff - ‘Thank you for the way you go out of your way to ensure the comfort and well-being of everyone. 

The End

Sincerely,

James Gikonyo.

{Am a Travel planner with ambition to help all my clients make the best decisions about travel arrangements to East Africa. I am passionate to my job designing flexible tour packages to meet the needs of different clients and selling them along travel products}.