August 11: Arusha Coffee Lodge for our stay
upon arrival in Africa.
August 12: An extra night here to recoup from
our long flight before the safari. (about 28 hours of travel)
August 13 - 14: Tarangire National Park for 2
nights at Tarangire Treetops
August 15 - 16: Ngorongoro Crater for 2 nights at Sopa Lodge
August 17 – 18: Serengeti Serena Lodge for 2
nights
August 19 – 21: Sayari Mara Camp for 3 nights
August 22: Flight to Kigali, Rwanda overnight
at Kigali Serena
August 23: City tour, lunch and drive to
Ruhengeri (Volcanoes National Park) Sabinyo Silverback Lodge for 2 nights
August 24: Gorilla tracking, nature and
cultural walk if time allows.
August 25: Golden monkey tracking and drive
back to Kigali airport for flight home.
The best flights are on KLM from Panama to
Amsterdam and then on to Kilimanjaro.
Safari planning:
I’m not saying that anything I have planned is
the best way to experience a safari for everyone, but I hope with all the
research I did it will be the best experience for us.
First, you have to figure out
if you prefer a tour group or a private safari. I didn’t think very long about
joining a pre-arranged group tour vs booking a private tour for just the 2 of
us. Most reviewers agreed that there is little difference in price and unless
you were booking with people you know, it wasn’t a great idea. (though of
course tons of people do the group safaris and are pleased) But, when I looked
over their itineraries there was little time actually spent on safari. (lots of
down time and shopping). While I will of course shop a tiny bit (Julie if you
are reading I know you will relate), I didn’t want to spend time in towns
shopping for the entire day when I could be seeing animals. Most of the lodges
have a gift shop and when visiting local Maasai villages they will have
handicrafts. Many group tours had mornings at leisure with safari in the
afternoon. Early morning and late afternoons are the best times to see the
animals. Plus, it just takes one person being a pain to make a fun trip not as
fun. One guy complained that a lady on his tour wouldn’t use bush toilets and
had to be driven back to the lodge every time she had to go. Some may want to
sit for hours and watch a lion or cheetah move in for the kill, others may want
to just hurry on. So, on a private safari the guide/driver is all yours. You
decide if you want to come back to the lodge for lunch or take a picnic and
stay out all day, some days can start early with a boxed breakfast or after
breakfast in the lodge. I suspect we will do a combination of those things.
Second, the decision on
which country or countries to visit had to be made. Initially I wanted Kenya
and Tanzania, but research convinced me to skip Kenya unless we wanted to add
another week to the trip. Kenya has become quite crowded with tourists and only
a portion of the Serengeti is located there. The Maasai Mara portion is the
northern most part of the Serengeti in Kenya. So, just across the border in
Tanzania is the other side of the Mara River so by staying in that area we will
experience the same wildlife with fewer crowds. Nothing wrong with Kenya and
I’m sure no matter where you choose to safari it is fantastic, but instead of
having more travel time I chose to concentrate on Tanzania and have more time
actually spent on safari instead of moving between 2 countries that share the
same type of experience. Reading reviews it seems Tanzania has more variety in
landscape as well. So, once I accepted the fact that I didn’t HAVE to include
Kenya (which I thought I really wanted to do), I needed to decide between
Rwanda and Uganda for tracking Mountain gorillas. Both are excellent options,
but I chose Rwanda as the travel time to get where the gorillas are is way less
and the actual hiking to find gorillas is supposed to be a bit “easier”
terrain-wise.
I considered South Africa as
well, but we felt that we will probably do that from a cruise ship. (with an
overland trip and rejoin the ship or just day safaris from the ports) So, East
Africa seemed the best place to do an in depth traditional safari.
Third, putting together an
itinerary and choosing the types of lodges and fourth choosing a safari
operator.
I put together an idea of
where I wanted to go and several agents gave me input on which ones to skip and
where to spend more time in another area. There were definitely choices that
quickly rose to the top for a first timer. I skipped Arusha National Park to
spend more time at Tarangire National Park. Everyone needs to research the
different parks and make their own decisions. Time of year also dictates where
you should spend more time. I decided that 2 nights in each place was more beneficial
than spending 1 night in different lodges. The migration is in the Southern or
Western Serengeti earlier in the year, while from mid July to October they are
into the far north near the Tanzania/Kenya border and the Mara river. If seeing
babies is important, then early in the year is better. (we would also like to
see that and if we are fortunate enough to visit South Africa we would choose
that time of year)
Choosing where to visit and
for how long to stay at each place took reading tons of reviews as well.
Choices can be anywhere from basic camping (pitching your own tent etc.) to
several levels of lodges (more like regular hotels) and luxury tented camps
with wood floors, flushing toilets and all the comforts of home with canvas
walls. Our basic camping days are long behind us, so those weren’t even
considered. So, a mix of luxury tents and lodges of different price/quality levels,
keep the costs down and provide different experiences. Plus, we thought a
treehouse experience would be very interesting to add to the mix.
Research also said it was a
good idea to submit the itinerary to 6 to 8 different operators for pricing as
well as any suggestions they might have on changing the itinerary or lodging
choices. After a few tweaks were made, I submitted the exact same itinerary to
several operators so I could compare apples to apples. I submitted to NEI since
they have so helpful with our Amazon River Cruise and pricing was good except
for hotel in Manaus. (we will book the hotel ourselves) From TripAdvisor, I
narrowed my list down to Base Camp, Good Earth Tours, Duma Explorer, Roy’s
Safari, East African Safari Company (EASTCO), African Dreams and
Access2Tanzania. All of those and others have great websites that have tons of
great information for planning your safari. Unfortunately, NEI came in at
almost twice the price of the lowest operator. He has been so nice and helpful,
but that’s a HUGE difference. Eastco switched out the lodging that I most
wanted in favor of staying in a camp they have a stake in. I’m sure they would
have done what I wanted, but it seemed their safari style wasn’t the same as
mine. Access2Tanzania wouldn’t correspond by email. They demanded that I set up
a time on their calendar where they would call me and discuss my needs. I gave
them the itinerary and told them I live in Panama and don’t have a traditional
phone and preferred to work through email. I could answer any questions they
might have as to my “needs”. They didn’t respond, so I scratched them off the
list. Base Camp came in at the lowest price with everyone else in between them
and NEI. All operators had pretty glowing reviews, but 1 commented that they
had some minor issues with Base Camp. They got straightened out, but while on
safari they had to argue that some things had already been paid for and had to
produce the email proving it. They also said while their guide was good at
spotting, he was very quiet and didn’t talk much. Guides are always subjective,
but Duma Explorer wasn’t that much more and they have such good reviews I
wondered how many they wrote themselves..lol Anyway, they also at no charge
include Flying Doctors evacuation insurance and that tipped the scales in their
direction. Another plus, despite being a local Tanzanian Company they have an
office in the States to mail a check to for final payment (vs a bank transfer
to Africa). They also accept credit card for the down payment whereas most
needed a bank transfer for that too.
The most expensive companies
have offices in the States and broker to a middle man such as another tour
company and then that company deals with local people on the ground, so lots of
layers that need their fees added on. Dealing with their middleman company
directly was less than them, but still way more than dealing directly with a
Tanzanian company. Duma is owned by an American woman who worked in Africa for
years and she and her Tanzanian husband founded this company.
I also compared 2 different
gorilla tracking companies and both were very responsive and very close in
price. Both have glowing reviews. Any of the above safari companies that would
also arrange the Rwanda portion (most didn’t) were almost double the price of
booking it on my own with either Rwanda Gorilla Trek or Mapendano Voyages. I
chose Rwanda Gorilla Trek Africa.
Ok, the choice is made to go
with Duma Explorer and Rwanda Gorilla Trek Africa. http://www.dumaexplorer.com/about-us http://www.rwandagorilla.com/
To elaborate on the lodging
and parks chosen:
For our arrival day I wanted
to stay partway between Kilimanjaro Airport and Arusha. Honestly, I spent the
least amount of time researching this one. Arusha Coffee Lodge was highly
recommended and it seemed like a nice place to relax after around 28 hours of
travel. We will spend 2 nights here pre safari to have a full day to recoup. http://www.elewanacollection.com/arusha-coffee-lodge/arusha-coffee-lodge-at-a-glance
I wanted to have a treehouse
experience and there were a couple options to choose from. One was in Manyara
National Park and it got great reviews except it was a long drive in and out to
get to it and the wildlife is generally around the entrance to the park. Also,
very mixed reviews on Manyara itself. While some loved it, many said they could
give it a pass. So, then I checked out Tarangire Treetops. Fantastic reviews
and lots of wildlife close by and the treehouse are built into the huge Baobab
trees. It’s also one of the few parks where you can go on guided bush walks and
do night safaris. Since it is located just outside of the park they are allowed
to do that. So, I added an extra night there to take advantage of those things
and do a half day game drive at Manyara on the way to Ngorongoro crater.
“Tarangire National Park is a lovely park notable for its large concentrations
of elephant, zebra, wildebeest, eland and oryx. Tarangire is also famous for
its many baobab trees, instantly recognizable with their massive trunks.
Tarangire’s hills, rivers and swamps provide a variety of vegetation zones and
habitats, which attract diverse mammals and birdlife (300 species).”
“Lake Manyara National Park (a portion of your transfer will be a
game drive within Tarangire NP). Set in the Great Rift Valley, Lake Manyara is
a lush green park famous for its tree-climbing lions, large elephant herds,
monkeys, hippos, and its incredible birdlife, including flamingos. Despite its
small size, Lake Manyara offers a diversity of habitats including open
grasslands with rocky outcrops, forests, and swamps, and the lake itself.”
We will spend 2 nights at Ngorongoro Crater, a
2000-foot-deep caldera created by the collapse of an extinct volcano.
Ngorongoro is a self-contained “Garden of Eden” which is home to some thirty
thousand large mammals: zebra, wildebeest, elephant, black rhino, waterbuck,
gazelle, eland, and hartebeest, as well as predators such as lion, hyena and
jackal. Birdlife is also plentiful and varied. Ngorongoro is truly one of the
great wildlife wonders of the world, and we’ll be staying at Crater’s edge for
great views of the valley and sunsets. There are “better” places to stay, but the Sopa lodge is the closest in proximity to getting to the bottom
of the crater to be amongst the first to reach the bottom before the crowds
arrive.
Then we spend 2 days in the
central Serengeti at Serena Lodge. They have been described as “hobbit houses” http://www.serenahotels.com/serenaserengeti/default-en.html On our way to the Serengeti
we’ll visit Olduvai Gorge, the “cradle of mankind” where Dr. Louis and Mary
Leakey discovered the earliest human fossils after 28 years of searching. “The
world-renowned Serengeti, a 5,600 square mile park which offers perhaps the
most spectacular array of wildlife on earth. During your two days of
exploration, you will likely see lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, elephant,
giraffe, jackal, hippo, baboon, dik dik and many other animals. The Serengeti
is the site of one of the greatest animal migrations in the world; however,
resident populations of animals are plentiful and varied year-round.” We’ll
also meet the Maasai people at a local village.
Now the real splurge of the
trip, staying in the luxury tents next to the Mara River. Here we spend 3
nights. They also offer bush walks and night game drives. “Set
close to the banks of the Mara River, and boasting dramatic views out across
the wide plains of the northern Serengeti, Sayari Camp offers an exclusive
window and unparalleled access to the greatest migration on the
planet. Here, in this immense remote wilderness, guests can enjoy
fabulous landscapes and terrific game viewing with practically no crowds.
Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high, but nothing compared to
when the migration starts arriving when the area then turns into a wildlife paradise
par excellence.” And it does it all in remarkable luxury, with 15 tasteful
hillside suites to retire to after a day of safari adventure. Intimate, stylish
and elegant, it’s no surprise that this luxury Serengeti lodge is regularly
voted one of the top safari escapes on the planet.” http://sayaricamp.asiliaafrica.com/Home.aspx
From here we will fly to
Kigali, Rwanda where we will be met by Rwanda Gorilla Trek Africa and staying
at Kigali Serena for 1 night.
Next morning we will take a Kigali
city tour; visit the Genocide memorial site, Nyamata church, local markets, local
art and crafts among others. After lunch we will travel northwest through the beautiful
terraced hillsides that characterize much of Rwanda’s landscape. It’s a gradual
climb to the base of the awesome Virunga volcanoes, viewing as many as five
peaks depending on visibility that day. We will spend 2 nights at the Sabinyo
Silverback lodge. http://www.governorscamp.com/property-descriptions/silverback-lodge-parc-national-des-volcans-rwanda
The next morning we wake early to prepare for our day of Gorilla
tracking. We assemble at the Park Headquarters to attend a briefing on the Dos
and Don’ts while with Gorillas. Tracking gorillas takes 2-6 Hours depending on
their movements. You are allowed to stay with these giant apes for 1 hour for
observation and photographing. Descend to the lodge for a rest. In the evening,
we’ll go for a cultural walk to Ibyu’wachu and learn more about the Banyarwanda
tradition.
“Located along the borders of Congo and Uganda, Parc National des
Volcans (PNV) offers some of the most striking scenery in Africa, punctuated by
seven rainforest-covered volcanoes – the Virungas – that are home
to almost half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas. Currently
(subject to change), there are seven habituated groups that may be visited –
Amahoro group (17 members; 1 silverback), Group 13 (21 members; 1 silverback),
Sabinyo group (9 members; 1 huge silverback named Guhonda), Susa group (38
members; 4 silverbacks); Umubano (9 members; 1 silverback); Kwitonda group (16
members; 1 silverback); and Hirwa group (9 members, 1 silverback).”
Our last day will be spent tracking Golden Monkeys in the morning
before our transfer and flight from Kigali home. “The Golden Monkeys, are one
of the most endangered primates in Africa. These little known, attractive
monkeys, which reside only among the Virunga Volcanoes, are very active and
playful, chattering away, climbing the vegetation and jumping from branch to
branch. You’ll also observe them feeding on bamboo leaves and shoots. It is
usually only a short walk to reach them.” We will arrive early in Kigali for last minute shopping before
being transferred to the airport.
Gorilla Tracking requires permits that often need to be secured a
year in advance. It’s also a costly addition to a safari, but it’s a once in a
life time experience.
OK, that was probably way too much information for most of you,
but for me I’d rather be well researched instead of disappointed that I assumed
something would be the way I thought it would be.
We haven’t made our air reservations yet (too early) but we also
need to decide if we will spend time in Amsterdam on the way there or on the
way back. Even if it’s just for a night it would break up the flying time. We
have been to Amsterdam before so touring there isn’t as important, not that we
wouldn’t enjoy some time there. It’s a year away, so plenty of time to work out
the travel dates for our flights.
Because of the small plane from the Northern Serengeti to Kigali, Rwanda, we will need to pack light. A 33 lb. carryon duffle bag each and a backpack. Since we really only need SPF hiking clothes that easily wash and dry overnight it shouldn't be too hard. (yeah, right) It will mostly be warm/hot temperatures, but we will have some "colder" mornings and nights at the Crater and in Rwanda, so need to toss in another layer of clothes.
I’ve moved on to researching our Antarctica cruise for 2016. Since
it’s a destination we definitely will only do once in our lifetime, we decided
to do a longer one that includes South Georgia, the Falklands and Antarctica.
Probably will go with Quark. We are also planning a South America “around the
horn” trip, probably on Princess. We are trying to do the more “adventure type”
itineraries now since we recognize that we aren’t getting any younger….. More “sedate”
trips can be done later if our health and funds hold out.
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