TANZANIA TRIP REPORT - Part 1
By Bert Duplessis
Sunset over Isinya campsite, near Kilimanjaro. I experienced a wonderful and very productive familiarization trip with Kibo Safaris in Northern Tanzania, in late March/early April. I returned rather tired but filled with a lot of enthusiasm for the country, its tourism attractions and especially its people. They are remarkably friendly and gracious towards visitors.
There were many highlights:
THE CLASSIC VIEW OF MT. KILIMANJARO
My first two nights were spent at Kibo Safaris' private camp site at Isinya, an area which is in the same ecosystem as Amboseli, which is just across the border in Kenya. Very early on my first morning in Tanzania, I stumbled out of my tent, all thoughts and actions focused on the pot of freshly brewed coffee waiting for me on a small table to the left of the tent. Having poured myself a cup, I sat down on a canvas safari chair, staring somewhat mindlessly at a dense grove of fever trees, from the base of which the sunlight seemed to emerge. Suddenly remembering where I was, I turned my head just slightly to the right and looked up, and there it was - Mt. Kilimanjaro bigger than Dallas, perfectly lit by the morning sun. For a truly magical few minutes, Kilimanjaro loomed over the sunrise in full view, snow-capped just like in the guide-books, until some pesky clouds took it away. I could have spent an entire morning just sitting there, watching Kili come and go, listening to the birds, and marveling at the giant acacia Tortilis trees which dominate the area. At Isinya, there is no mistaking the fact that you are in Africa.MASAI MARKET DAY AT ISINY
A Market day at Isinya was amazing. Andy Harris of Kibo and myself went up to the Masai community center a few miles from the campsite, ostensibly to experience a bit of the local culture, to observe the colorful Masai people and so on. The 'cultural experience' that one reads about in the travel brochures. Well, it didn't quite work out like that. As we were walking in amongst the crowd of Masai people gathered under the trees, selling and buying everything from maize meal to traditional Masai knives, I realized that the tables were being turned on us. We had become the 'cultural experience', not the other way around! So there we were, dressed in what must have appeared to the Masai to be the most inappropriate gear considering the mild climate, being pointed at and smiled at in what was obviously a good natured, yet nonetheless slightly disconcerting manner. Several of the women seemed to be giving us the once-over and deciding all too quickly - for reasons that will thankfully remain unknown to us forever - that we didn't measure up! Perhaps my ear-lobes were not big enough?WILDEBEEST MIGRATION ON THE SERENGETI
Some wildebeest seen on the shortgrass plains of the southern Serengeti. Annually as many as 1.5 million wildebeest and thousands of gazelle and zebra move through this area. Yes, Virginia there is a wildebeest migration and it is showing right now, somewhere in the theater of the vast Serengeti Plains. And what a picture it is. My first thought upon gazing out over thousands of wildebeest was that in the face of a spectacle like that, all technology fails. There is no camera or other device which can do justice to such a scene, all sound and fury in a 360 degree arc, non-stop movement and action as the wildebeest succumb to instinct and follow the rain across the Serengeti's sea of grass. Parting ahead of us like water around the prow of a boat, the wildebeest in their hundreds practically engulfed our vehicle, splashing across the muddy, wet shortgrass plains in the Ndutu area. Sounding like a bunch of bullfrogs on steroids, grunting and carrying on something fierce, they bulldozed ahead, seemingly mindless of the rogue hyenas and lions lurking all around. In the space of a couple of hours or so, we must have seen between 200,000 and 300,000 wildebeest. Unbelievable, amazing.
Earlier, in the northern and western sections of the Serengeti, the game-viewing had been very good, considering that we were essentially in transit between lodges, and not on a leisurely game-drive. We enjoyed many sightings of topi, wildebeest, hartebeest, zebra, impala, Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, and several large groups of giraffe in various locations. We also enjoyed scattered sightings of elephants, and some excellent views of lions, which we bumped into on at least five occasions in a short period of time. There were small (and large) groups of hyenas all over the place, we probably saw more than 50 hyenas in the Serengeti in two days of pretty hard driving between camps. A serval cat right by the road put up quite a performance for us, flexing its large ears in an attempt to pick up the sound of its prey. Just south of the Simba Hills, Arnold spotted a cheetah in the short grass plains. It climbed up onto anthills very close to our vehicle several times, trying to judge the distance between itself and some very nervous nearby Tommies and warthogs.
Near Seronera, we got really lucky and found a leopard just as it was clambering down from a large tree into the grass, disappearing quickly. The Seronera Valley is an important transition zone or ecotone, between the southern plains and the northern woodland of the Serengeti. It has year-round water and is perhaps the most reliable area in the park to view wildlife.
NGORONGORO CRATER
It is probably a bit passé to describe Ngorongoro Crater as a Garden of Eden, or the Shangri-La of wildlife, but both descriptions fit. Ngorongoro Crater is one of those exceptional natural places on earth where reality exceeds expectation. Vague images that had formed in my mind over many years of anticipation were instantly reframed and focused, upon my first view of the crater, from the top of the descent road. It turns out that my mental picture of the place had been a pale, monochromatic reproduction of this vibrant, colorful masterpiece. Indeed, Ngorongoro Crater belongs squarely in that rather over-crowded pantheon of 'natural wonders of the world'. If you have not been there already, by all means go and see it for yourself - soon.
Here, in an area of just about 10 miles square, you essentially have a microcosm of practically all the natural habitats of East Africa: lakes, marshes, rivers, grassy plains, woodland, forest and hills. For such a small area, the crater (more correctly a caldera), is extremely productive and as a result it sustains large numbers of an amazing variety of animals and birds. Ngorongoro Crater was truly superb - and so few other people in low season! What a thrill it was to see the rare and endangered Black Rhino on both our trips onto the Crater floor. The rhino were not very close to the road, but being birders, we had a telescope handy so we were able to pull them up nice and close in the Kowa. The rhino was #5 on our Big Five list, and we had managed to find elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino in the space of about 48 hrs. Quite a thrill.
The view over Lake Manyara from my room in the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. Sunday, April 2, was a great morning to find oneself on the floor of the crater. In the crisp, clear morning light the zebra, eland and buffalo which we saw on the way down, appeared startlingly bright, as if someone had just given them a fresh coat of paint. Then, in the distance, we noticed a female cheetah and her three youngsters walking away from a male lion, which they had just spotted. At a steady pace the four cheetah walked in our direction from our right to our left, periodically peering over their right shoulders. We had a grandstand view, with the mountain in the background providing a perfect backdrop. The female cheetah was interested in only one thing and that was to put as much distance as it could, between itself and the lion. Food, as in hunting, was definitely not on its mind. The other animals on the crater floor seemed to realize that too. The many Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles, zebras and wildebeest in the area were somewhat nervous but they didn't take flight, letting the cheetah foursome walk right by them. I suppose this is what makes game-viewing on an African safari so much fun: even when nothing happens, it can be spectacular!
THE QUALITY OF THE GUIDING
The guides were all fantastic. During my stay in Tanzania I was fortunate to be shown around by three different guides, namely Julius Mollel, Arnold Makinda and Haggai Kissila. Guides of their caliber are not easy to find, anywhere in Africa. A really good guide has to exude confidence, as safari participants take their confidence from the guide's. When a group finds itself in a tricky situation, whether it is something as mundane as dealing with a flat tire or as potentially dangerous as a hippo popping up close to a canoe, the group has to be confident of the guide's ability to handle the situation. With the Kibo guides I always felt very safe, they were always totally in control of the situation, and minor problems were smoothed over without involving me, which is the way it should be. All three the guides were extremely knowledgeable, articulate and very enthusiastic - I think they would have kept me going around the clock, had I shown the inclination! As it was, I learnt a great deal not only about the wildlife of Tanzania, but about the plants and trees, history, peoples, foods, geology and much more. A real bonus was the fact that my guides could speak the Masai language in addition to Swahili and English.
At Isinya, I also met Kibo Safaris' managing director Willie Chambulu. Willie took us out on a game drive and I very much enjoyed his pleasant manner and loads of enthusiasm, despite the fact that the game was rather sparse that particular morning. If talking is Tanzania's national pastime, like baseball here in the USA, Willie belongs in the major leagues. He loves to chat about Tanzania, especially about its wildlife and the wilderness areas which are obviously close to his heart.WALKING IN TARANGIRE
Moments after this photographs was taken, this seemingly docile elephant decided to charge our vehicle. He wasn't quite quick enough. We went walking on Kibo's private concession area adjacent to Tarangire National Park, on two consecutive afternoons. I always enjoy being on foot in the African bush - not for the game-viewing (it is much better from a vehicle) but to enjoy the silence, the sounds, and the opportunity to connect with the land, so to speak. A local Masai 'askari' was leading the way. He was an interesting chap, somewhat shorter and a bit heavier than your average tall, lean Masai, but very friendly and super keen. He didn't miss a thing, pointing out and identifying many footprints made by some very big elephants, lots of buffalo, giraffe, dik-dik, baboon, and others, even estimating how long ago the animals had been there. At one particular point he mimed the actions of two elephants which had been fighting, in another spot he showed how the elephants find water by digging in the sandy Tarangire River-bed. The Masai showed me several other signs of the wild, such as a porcupine quill, some colorful feathers, and the telltale dragmark of a large monitor lizard, complete with footprints left and right. At one stage he insisted that we change course in order to avoid two oncoming elephant bulls, one of which he knew to be a short-tempered individual. The askari must have been told that I was interested in seeing birds. The briefing wasn't comprehensive enough, though: he didn't get the fact that I did not exactly want to stop and observe 'every' bird. So every individual turtle dove, sparrow, starling, bulbul and guinea fowl was duly found and pointed out to me as if each one were a newly discovered species... Not that it bothered me - his genuine delight in finding everything was very refreshing. Every morning, he would be standing a discreet distance away from my tent as I emerged for coffee, greeting me effusively as if I had been gone for a week. What a nice person!
LUXURY TENTED CAMPING
I will readily admit to not being much of a 'camper', and to being spoilt rotten by staying in perhaps one too many luxury permanent tented camp or lodge in southern Africa, courtesy of Wilderness Safaris, over the years. That being said, I found the accommodations at Kibo Safaris' two mobile luxury tented camps in Isinya and Tarangire to be very comfortable, and not at all to be confused with 'camping in the woods' in the traditional sense of the words. For one thing, everything is done for you: there are no chores, no pitching a tent, sleeping on the ground, helping with the cooking or anything like that. The tents are spacious and have either two twins or one king size bed. Other items in the tent include a useful clothing stand with hangers, a small table and chair, and a bedside table. The bathroom, which was adjacent to the tent, consists of a bush shower (filled with hot water on request) and toilet. No need to go walkabout at night! I enjoyed a very refreshing shower every evening after dinner, which was served in the large mess tent.
The camp staff, especially the cooks, were unstinting in their efforts to keep me well fed and comfortable. Great job all round - I ate way too much in both Isinya and Tarangire, and will have to spend a bit of extra time at the gym over the next few weeks! The food was consistently delicious, typical dinner fare being bream with a rich tomato sauce, accompanied by an aromatic rice dish, a carrot salad, green beans, dessert and coffee. On a different occasion it was peanut butter soup followed by a braised potato dish, roast pork, two vegetables and dessert. Ample and wholesome. Before my trip, I had heard and read the precautionary tales about 'not drinking the water' and being careful about what you eat in East Africa. I need not have worried - I ate second helpings of pretty much everything without any problems. There was always bottled water available in the tents, on the vehicles or in the rooms at the various lodges. I will admit to having taken a couple of Pepto-Bismol pills with every meal for 'insurance' but it probably wasn't even necessary.
On game drives we literally never saw another vehicle, and had some exciting moments. At Isinya, on an afternoon game drive, we saw a ton of elephants, including one group of about 30. Towards sunset, we were observing one old bull when he suddenly, and without much provocation, charged the vehicle. Fortunately Julius had noticed that the bull was in musth, so the vehicle was pointed in the right direction, and no harm was done... A short walk in a beautiful open grassland plain en route to Arusha from Isinya turned out to be a most memorable experience. Andy I were approaching a fairly large herd of the typical lowland light-colored wildebeest and their young, who proceeded to find themselves 'trapped; between the road and ourselves. Not the most clever of animals, they came running by, moving from our left to our right, in pairs and small groups, galloping away, the youngsters bouncing in stiff-legged fashion.
One major advantage to staying in a mobile tented camp is the absence of any other visitors, which translates into privacy, and quiet. This makes for a very 'pure' African safari experience. Another plus is the fact that staying in a tent gets one very close to nature: there are no walls to close off the wilderness. On my second night at Isinya, I was in the shower when a lion roared loudly not very far from the tent. Momentarily it felt as if the warm water pouring down on me had been chilled slightly, or maybe it was just my blood running cold... That to me, typified the experience of being on a tented safari in Africa. I felt very much part of the environment, and even though I was perfectly safe inside the zipped-up tent, my heart still skipped a beat, and my chest tightened up just a little bit, if only for a moment.
THE BIRD-WATCHING
While we were having some coffee in Ngorongoro Crater, at Ngoitokitok Spring, this Speke's Weaver decided to take a rest on the rear-view mirror. Bird-watchers will have a great time on safari in Tanzania. Arnold and I (with Julius' help on the Isinya section) set a new birding record for a 10-day Kibo trip - we identified almost 300 species (294 to be exact); of which more than 60 were new 'life birds' for me. Notable sightings include an unconfirmed Taita Falcon at Lake Manyara National Park, a Collared Pratincole at Ndutu, two Lovebird species, a couple of new (for me) Louries or Go-away-birds as they are called in East Africa, a Silvery-cheeked Hornbill (so elusive in southern Africa!), lots of new Barbets, and a host of flycatchers including the White-tailed Blue Flycatcher which is a Tanzania endemic. We cleaned up on the shrike family, identifying no less than 15 of these handsome birds, ranging from the Magpie Shrike (aka Longtailed) to the Slate-colored Boubou. Various dazzling sunbirds, a slew of weavers and some very pretty waxbills such as the Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu and Purple Grenadier helped to build our more than respectable total. Arnold did a superb job in helping me identify all the strange new East African birds. It was comforting to run into lots of 'familiar faces' from down south, though.
MANYARA AND TARANGIRE
From Ngorongoro Crater, we went to Lake Manyara for one night, staying at the very pleasant Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. That afternoon, we made our first excursion into Lake Manyara National Park, driving through the majestic natural forest nestled up against the steep Rift Valley wall, from which emerges a multitude of clear streams filled with natural spring water. The game-viewing was a little bit slow, with some nice close-up views of elephant, good numbers of buffalo, as well as giraffe, impala and bushbuck. Lake Manyara National Park is a useful introduction to the wildlife of East Africa, and will be a good first stop for persons who had not been on safari in Africa before. The birding was superb, with several new additions to the trip list. From Lake Manyara we moved on to Gibb's Farm via the aptly named Mto-wa-Mbo, or Mosquito Creek. From Gibb's Farm, which is in the Karatu area, it was a fairly easy drive to Tarangire. My accommodation for the next two nights would be a luxury tent at Kibo's campsite adjacent to Tarangire National Park. We spent the entire next day in Tarangire Park. This being early April, most of the game had migrated from the area, and we found just one very nice group of elephants, lots of giraffe, some waterbuck, impala and a few scattered buffalo. However, the park itself is magnificent with many massive Baobab trees making for a very African landscape. Tarangire is good from about July through October, in the dry season, when the animals congregate along the Tarangire River.
OLJORO ROAD, ARUSHA
I just have to say something about my several trips up and down Arusha's Oljoro (Sombatini) Road, which I believe has to be the epicenter of the Third World. It is an incredible stretch of road, with an astounding number of hair salons, bars, small shops and butcheries scattered along a roadway that is 'under construction', to put it mildly. With piles of dirt on either side restricting the width of the road to the point where two vehicles can barely squeeze by each other, Arushans nevertheless treat it like a 6-lane highway... As a result, Oljoro Road seems to be in a perpetual state of utter chaos, with minibuses, trucks, cars, bicycles, chickens, front-end loaders, children, jeeps, goats, pushcarts, landrovers, assorted pedestrians and cattle jockeying for position in helter-skelter fashion. I cannot even begin to imagine what market day will be like over there. Perhaps I will time my next visit so that I can find out.WHAT TO EXPECT IN TANZANIA
Bert Duplessis of Fish Eagle Safaris with a Masai askari at Kibo Safaris' Isinya campsite, in Northern Tanzania. What to expect in Tanzania? Very warm hospitality, for one thing. Without exception, the people I met seemed genuinely happy to have me as a visitor in their country. You can also expect to see wonderful and abundant wildlife, magnificent scenery and great accommodations (which will be discussed in Part 2 of the trip report). Culturally and socio-economically, Tanzania is very diverse. While you may see late model BMW's running around Arusha, in the outlying areas it quickly becomes clear that Tanzania is not a rich country where people have a lot of 'stuff', like in the United States. Life is simple, luxuries are few and there is little that goes wasted. Sometimes things don't work, the electricity may go off unexpectedly, and 'road network' is definitely an oxymoron. But there is no reason to be apprehensive, as long as you are rmed with a bit of patience and good humor. I have found that people who are enthusiastic about their first visit to Africa always have a wonderful time, despite the occasional little glitches which sometimes affect a trip in a continent where telephone service and other means of communications are woefully inadequate, in the remote areas.
My best advice is to leave the watch at home, relax and expect the unexpected! In Tanzania I am sure you will quickly hear the expression 'Karibu Tanzania' when things do not go exactly 100% as planned or anticipated. In other words, 'Welcome to Tanzania...' Yet I think the vast majority of visitors' lasting memory of Tanzania is bound to be one of smiling faces and young hands held aloft in a friendly wave. Asanté Sana!
To order a brochure, newsletter or 'Frequently Asked Questions' about selecting an African safari destination, send an e-mail message to info@fisheaglesafaris.com with your name, address and telephone number, or call 1-800-513-5222 (713-467-5222 if you're calling from outside North America)
We can also be reached by fax at 713-467-3208. To send us a request for further information, simply complete the response form.
Fly-In
Safaris
Information Request Form /
Client Testimonials / Home
>
