Review Safari Vicky
My friend Lindsay and I booked an 8 day safari with Tanzania Safari Wonders for January 2007. We specifically wanted to go to Lake Eyasi alongside the normal safari routes, but had quite a limited budget having seen the costs quoted on the internet for other companies, and thus we needed an itinerary that was made to our requirements. Additionally we wanted to be sure our trip would be a safe and memorable experience and therefore we looked into several companies before booking. The company owner Damian was incredibly helpful in answering all of our questions, reassuring us and putting together the ideal itinerary for us. He even phoned on numerous occasions to ensure we were happy with everything. We paid by bank transfer in advance of travelling out and despite afew minor delays there weren't any problem with this.
On arrival in Kenya we had a few problems with the overnight train from Mombassa to Nairobi which broke down and delayed us by a day, but we phoned Joyce with Tanzania Safari Wonders in Arusha to explain and she was very understanding and happy to delay our trip by a day. She met us off the shuttle bus from Nairobi in Arusha along with Mhando our guide and driver and they took us to the hotel we had booked (a lovely family run place with little bungalows and a pool called Outpost Lodge for anyone looking for somewhere to stay before and after their safari!) We had a few drinks with them in the bar at the hotel whilst they talked us through the itinerary and answered our questions. Joyce then kindly gave us a lift into town to change travellers cheques and showed us an internet cafe and she also arranged for our bus back to Mombassa after our safari.
Our safari was wonderful. Mhando was a fantastic guide - very knowledgeable with great english and very friendly. He was also a fantastic driver which was quite important when we were there as some unseasonal rains had made the parks quite boggy and we saw lots of vehicles stuck in the mud! We were really lucky that we had the entire 4WD to ourselves and so we had plenty of space and easy access to the windows and out of the lifting roof (which stayed up above you as a sun shade which was great). Safari (our cook) was also great and kept us well fed and watered throughout the trip. He was also a great problem solver - despite a tent pole that went walkabouts half way though he managed to rig our tent up nicely on one side with a piece of wood! All these things add to the adventure of camping!
We started by visiting Lake Manyara which was a lovely park with loads of wildlife all quite close up and a very nice campsite with a pool in the nearby village of Mto Wa Mbu. We then headed on to the Serengeti via a Maasai Boma (touristy but fun) and Olduvai Gorge where the Leakey's found human remains that are many thousands of years old.
Our campsite in Serengeti truly was in the middle of the national park with limited wash facilities and wasn't fenced, but there were quite afew others there and it was perfectly safe and an amazing experience to go to sleep surrounded by stars, bush and wild animals. Animals seemed to be harder to find in the Serengeti, especially with the long grass but we were lucky enough to see a leopard in a tree directly above the road which was pretty special. We also passed through the wildebeest migration which was truly one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. I'd done a safari in South Africa before so had seen most of the animals, but not in these numbers - Wildebeest as far as the eye could see in their thousands.
We travelled up from Serengeti to the rim of Ngorongoro crater where our next campsite was based with great views over the crater and hot showers! Ngorongoro was I think my favourite of the safari destinations as there is so much variety in such a small place which makes it easier to find the animals. We saw a young male lion fast asleep in the middle of the road, a few cheetah, and we were lucky enough to see six rhino aswell! We had lunch at a lovely lake filled with Hippo with stunning views before heading out up the incredibly steep winding road out of the crater.
All of our stops up to this point had been on the typical tourist route but now we took a detour out to Lake Eyasi. If you have the time then do make a trip down here as it really was a fascinating cultural experience. There are still very few tourists who come down here and we were the only people in our lovely little campsite, so its a great way to see the real country. It also made a for a great mix to have some cultural experiences as well as viewing animals. We met a local guide here who took us out for a day to a local Hadzabe tribe family. They still live as hunter gatherers, very different to the Maasai wearing their animal skins and not herding animals or growing crops. We spent the morning watching them make their arrows and then followed them for afew hours through the bush as they hunted with their bows and arrows, and even had a go ourselves (I was quite hopeless by comparison!). We waded though rivers and up and down hills and saw them catch a squirrel which they promptly roasted on the fire for breakfast. It was a slightly uncomfortable thing for me to see an animal being killed but they do it to eat and not for sport and its a good reminder of where our food comes from. We also saw them smoke bees out of a tree and collect the fresh honeycomb which was fascinating and also incredibly tasty!
We spent the afternoon visiting another tribal group (Datoga) and saw them metal working by bellowing the fire, melting scrap metal such as padlocks and casting items including arrowheads and some lovely bracelets, both of which were for sale. We then visited the lake for a lovely view of sunset.
Back on the tourist trail we headed into Tarangire National Park as our last stop. I think this was probably my one disappointment as the animals were in short supply. I understand that it is the place to go in the dry season as the river attracts the animals but in the wet season they all travel elsewhere so unfortunately we saw very little apart from the Tsetse flies! Still the Baobab trees were quite impressive. I think if I could change things though I think I would have spent an extra day in Serengeti instead of here.
On route back to Arusha we stopped at afew handicraft shops and a snake park and I'm glad we did this last as I learnt far too much about all of the poisonous snakes out there! If you don't want to stop at these places though then just tell your guide as some people find some of them abit too touristy.
So in conclusion we had a fantastic time. The transport was very comfortable and reliable, our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and our cook kept us well looked after, and the safari itself was amazing.
Vicky (United Kingdom)
D_Tory@hotmail.com