Africa Great Migration, Ireland, England 2019: 5 - Nairobi to Serengeti

Sunday, July 14, 2019

We had to forsake the breakfast buffet for a 5;45 AM departure with Philip taking us to the airport. It was necessary to go through security at the entrance to the airport parking area, again on entering the building and again after check in. Grandson Esteban was already there – his flight had arrived early. The one hour flight on an ATR 42/72 was on time, and gave us a great view of Mount Kilimanjaro as we flew past.

We had our visas before arriving at the Kilimanjaro airport, which sped things through immigration. Our driver and guide for the trip, Robert, was there to pick us up and take us to the Rivertrees Country Inn, which has comfortable separate villas. Esteban and I will bunk together, and Marilynn will share a room with Patricia. As we arrived in the morning the rooms were not ready for several hours, but we were entertained by a number of Colobus Monkeys, which have long, bushy white tails – quite unlike any monkey we have seen. Watching them and trying out Kilimanjaro and Serengeti beers passed the afternoon. Lunch and dinner were not included in the all inclusive tour.

Monday, July 15, 2019

Robert picked us up at the hotel at 8:30 for a drive to Arusha, a clean, fairly modern city of a million people. Here money was changed into Tanzanian shillings, Esteban got a SIM local card and we stopped at the office of Predators Safari Club. Marilynn had been in touch with Bestway Tours to say the vehicle we had was not satisfactory and they immediately contacted Predator management We had expected the open type safari vehicle we had experienced on other safaris.

The manager insisted we had a new vehicle which was far from true, but they did lubricate the windows that wouldn't open and clean the rest. The entire roof of the vehicle opens upward so occupants can stand to take photos. Because of the amount of driving and dusty roads in the game reserves the vehicle proved to be the most practical choice, however the seat spacing, which was less than economy class on a plane, made it impossible for me to sit at all comfortably with my long legs. This was to give me a great deal of grief as we would spend a lot of time in the vehicle. Two nice features was a refrigerated cold box for drinks, and a bank of 4 chargers to top up cameras and cell phones in the passenger area. The four of us were the only passengers.

After a lengthy drive we arrived at Lake Manyara National Park, where the trees were filled the storks, many with young. We were able to walk around to get some good photos while Robert got the park permit. It wasn't far before we stopped to watch a large pack of baboons of all ages, who were grooming each other, ignoring our presence. Once inside the park it was not permitted to leave the vehicle except in an authorized picnic area with a great view of the salty lake. Here we stopped to dine on a plentiful packed lunch while looking at the thousands of pink flamingos and white pelicans in the distant lake

Our usual good luck was in full force. As the day went on we had close encounters with many elephants, some of whom were only a foot or two from our vehicle, zebra, wildebeest, giraffes, gazelle, antelope, cape buffalo, mongoose, wallaby, diki diki – the smallest and most shy of antelope, various types of monkeys. Many animals had young babies.

We arrived at the Manyara Serena Lodge at about 6:30 PM and were shown to our very nice rooms. In a short while we met up with Marilynn & Pat for a celebration drink after such a lucky first day of viewing animals. After a good buffet dinner it was off to bed as we were all exhausted.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

We were fed, packed and on the road shortly after 8 AM. All our driving now will likely be on washboard gravel or dirt roads with lots of dust from passing vehicles. There are fleets of vehicles in the parks, as it is high season, thus lots of traffic on the principal roads. We were shortly driving through dense vegetation with big trees and fog. Once on the lip of an extinct volcano the fog cleared and a dried salt lake could be seen below. The temperature was very cool!. The next stop after a long, rattling ride, was the entrance to the Serengeti National Park where there were dozens of similar vehicles to ours, with each driver getting the park permits. It was a slow process.

This is the Olduvai, part of the great rife valley where the Afrocanthorpus skull was found, dating back to the earliest human form. For me, it was a visit to the last part of the great rift valley that I had not been to before..

After leaving the park entrance we were on the vast plains of Serengeti, over 1.5 million hectares of flat savanna where in many places it was possible to see the horizon in every direction. Initially there was not a lot of wildlife, rather herds of domestic animals being cared for my Masai tribal people. They are one of the largest African tribes, with sprawling lands that include large portions of Tanzania and Kenya.

We stopped at a Masai village where we were greeted by a tribesman who collected $20 US entry fee per person. After a welcome tribal dance we were invited into one of the typical huts and to the kindergarten where there were a lot of young children who showed off their ability to count. A prominent collection box was there to assist in the purchase of school materials. Then there was the extensive handicraft market, where Marilynn found the prices to be higher than in the cities for similar craft items. After tips for the guide it turned out to be a not inexpensive visit to a well organized commercial venture.

Shortly after leaving the village things began to pick up with wildlife. We added jackal, guinea hens, hartebeest, springbok, ostrich and vultures to our list of sightings. The days highlight was when we were able to get close to a cheetah with two older cubs and later a lion with his female who gave a live mating performance beside our vehicle. The last big sighting was a leopard in a tree where it had hauled a wildebeest it had killed and was eating. This is the first time every we were able to see the three big cats in a day. Robert, who has been a guide for 13 years, certainly has the instincts and ability to find the animals and to get into the best position to view them.

Tonight we stayed at the beautiful Serengeti Serena Lodge, where the villas are round in shape and have thatched roofs. We get little chance to see these places in daylight, other than after breakfast in the morning, as our arrival is at or after dusk. After drinks and another buffet dinner we turned in. This was our first experience of having to phone for a guard to escort us to and from the bar or restaurant, as wild animals are present.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

It was with reluctance that I mounted up another long drive. The bouncing around on washboard dirt roads is taking a toll on legs, back and shoulders due to the fact that I can't fit into a seat. This morning brought plentiful herds of animals we had seen previously.

Robert announced we would have to return to the park entrance as he had been able to get only a one day pass and we had to be out of the park by 2 PM. The option was a 160 km drive over rough roads to renew the permit at the airport near where we would be staying, but that option disappeared when he found they were no longer issuing permits at the airport, so we go out of the park, drive something over 40 km on the main highway and come in another entrance nearer to our destination.

The problem arose when the computer in Arusha went down. Apparently without this computer park permits over 1 day can not be issued. This amazed me, as it meant everyone in the park would have to make the long drive to an entrance to renew permits daily, taking a chunk out of everyone's safari and causing more congestion at the park entrances. Astonishing, they rely on one computer with no manual backup for permits that give the country one of its largest sources of foreign income. However, this is Africa!

We had out box lunch where we exited the park while Robert took care of some paperwork with the bureaucrats. Our hopes of riding on pavement for awhile were dashed when we found out the main road was dirt and not in better shape than the roads in the park; Eventually we arrived at the park gate where we would reenter, giving us some time out of the vehicle. Two other vehicles arrived while we were there and were processed fairly quickly, but we were still there half an hour later. We were wondering why Predictor Tours didn't arrange the permits once they were paid for the trip to save all the exit/entry delays we experienced.

Back in the park we gradually began to see wildlife, and eventually the great migration. It is different than I expected, the wildebeest and zebras were spread out grazing over miles of rolling hills, while a group would now and then gather to continue their journey. It is an ongoing process over months, not a massive procession passing through. There were internal disputes which seemed to be solved by head butting.

As we drove to our lodging we continued to see thousands of mostly wildebeest. We are staying at the Mara Under Canvas camp for three nights. It is much more basic than where we have been staying, but it had everything including friendly and helpful staff. The tents are large with comfortable beds. If a shower is required it is necessary to order it well in advance so they can heat water and bring it to the tent in buckets which are poured into a container above the shower. There is running cold water and a toilet in the tall tent.

A great feature for us was that all alcohol is included, so Esteban and I started right off with two double scotch each right away. 'The bar, dining tent and accommodation tents all look over a valley teeming with wildebeest.

After dinner we climbed into our comfortable beds and quickly fell asleep, only to be awakened by an enormous amount of noise from bellowing wildebeest just outside our tent, and a lot of shaking. A peek through the drapes revealed three zebra rubbing on our tent posts to scratch themselves.

In spite of the fact that tomorrow we visit the Mara River to see if there are animals crossing, I have let them know I won't be going. I'm so sore from the time spent in our vehicle that another full day right now is not a comfortable option. Apparently there are 11 crossing points in the river, spaced well apart, and we will be visiting some in the next couple of days, driving less and returning to camp for lunch, making half day at at time possible. I have also asked Robert to arrange a flight and transport to the last hotel we will stay in, as making the long return drive in our vehicle is out of the question.