Saturday, August 29, 2015

Arusha Tanzania - August 11 & 12

August 11

Our flight left at 10:05a and arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 7:45p. It was an 8 hour and 35 minute flight. So, our total flying time (not counting any layovers we would have had) was 19 hours. We’re glad we split it up and spent the night in Amsterdam. Since it was a day flight I finished one of my books and we also watched a movie. We probably dozed a bit as well. The same great service and food helped the flight go by quickly. We arrived and stood in line to get our Tanzania visa. We paid in one line and then stood in another to get photos taken and finger prints. Well, actually we had to stand in a third line as the camera was not working in the line we were in. It all went pretty quickly however.
We were picked up by Duma Explorer and our driver was Kasimbo. Too bad it was dark as we could have seen Mt Kilimanjaro. We were on our way to Arusha Coffee Lodge which was around a 90-minute ride. We decided to spend 2 nights there to adjust to the time difference and rest after the long flights.
Here is the link to the Safari company we used:  www.dumaexplorer.com
Here is the link to the Arusha Coffee Lodge:
What a greeting we got upon arrival! I think everyone that worked there was lined up to greet the new arrivals with warm wash cloths and a welcome drink. We got checked in and they grabbed our bags and we were shown to our cabin. What a charming place! We unpacked a few things and got ready for bed. We had chocolate candy on the night stand so of course we ate that first.
 this wasn't our arrival, but a large group the next morning
not our luggage but a cute photo
 


 our cabin
 our cabin
 our cabin
 lizard on our deck
 what a charming room









 
August 12
It was COLD in Arusha. The water bottles made the beds warm, but man the bathroom and especially the toilet seat was freezing! The room had a fireplace, but they never lit it. The shower was nice though and we washed out a few things and hung them to dry. Next to the coffee machine were the most wonderful shortbread cookies. We went to the indoor restaurant and had a very good breakfast and the dining room had an open fire. We then wandered around the grounds which had quite a few lovely birds and beautiful flowers. We opted not to go into the town of Arusha (not much there) and just walked about the coffee plantation and relaxed. I can't imagine if we would have flown in the evening and gotten right up early the next morning to start the safari. Plus, if anything had gone wrong with the flights we may have lost a day.
 walkways around the grounds
 another cabin
 coffee plantation
 






 from the parking lot
 Golden-breasted Bunting
 African Pied Wagtail
Common Bulbuls 
 Common Bulbul
Ring-necked Dove
 
 Fork-tailed Drongo
 Fork-tailed Drongo
 African Green-Pigeon
Baglafecht Weaver 
 Baglafecht Weaver
 Arrow-marked Babbler
 Collared Sunbird
 Collared Sunbird
 Black-headed Weaver
 Maribu Stork
Northern Fiscal
Behind the Coffee Lodge was a large open lawn and gardens where we had lunch. It was a bit cool out, but they had a nice buffet and it was quite peaceful out there.

 
For dinner we opted for a lighter meal in the bar area. We turned in early, excited that the safari would start the next day!

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