Kenya and
Tanzania

We had a good flight on British Airways and as always the service was wonderful and punctual. We always enjoy our layovers in Heathrow as the shopping mall is very well done. We arrived in Nairobi and cleared immigration (sure glad we had our visas already as the visa lines were very long). We were some of the first people through and it was nice to see a placard with our name on it. We surprised our guide by how quickly we cleared and how little luggage we had. Our tour guide is Oscar and our driver is Godfrey. We took the scenic route as we were driven across town to the Safari Park Hotel. The room is nice with a four poster bed complete with mosquito netting and a soaker tub in the bath.

Tired but pleased with the Safari Park Hotel. Had a day at leisure. Shopped, ate, and explored. The resort is spacious and luxurious.

Jambo (hello) from Nairobi. Unfortunately for us the morning came too early, around 4 am. Old age and jet lag really get to you. We read in our mosquito netted bed until time to shower and head to breakfast. It’s a beautiful day and we get to sit outside to eat. The breakfast is a buffet and very English. It is delicious and we linger over our tea. The service is very proper British but done in the friendly African style. We met Oscar and Godfrey from Private Safaris and were driven to the Nairobi Hospital. On our way we passed the city center, government buildings, and some Embassies. We were surprised at the security we saw everywhere. There were soldiers with guns and checkpoints we had to go through throughout the city and especially near the government buildings where the hospital was. I would hate to have to be rushed to this hospital, the roads are rough and the checkpoints slow. There is a tremendous amount of traffic and very little traffic control, no red lights or stop signs just big traffic circles. Taxis, trucks and brightly painted buses make up most of the traffic. All the vehicles range from a couple of years old and polished to late 60’s and brightly painted with people almost hanging out the windows. We arrived at the Nairobi Hospital at last and were shown around by Dr. Tabu, a trauma surgeon trained in Nairobi and Japan. The hospital is European and was built in 1954. The hospital was a throw back to the 1960’s with wards and non-disposable items. This is a private hospital. When we left the hospital we drove out of the city proper into an area called Karen (Karen Blixen). We make our first stop at the coffee plantation and home of Karen Blixen (Dutch Baroness of Out of Africa fame). The movie Out of Africa was partially filmed here and they have the costumes of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford as well as the original things from the Blixens. This plantation seems small but she made a huge impact on the area with money and aid to the residents. The Karen Blixen Museum was nice too. We leave the plantation and drive through the countryside to the AFCA Giraffe Park. This park was established to save the Rothschild giraffe whose numbers had dwindled to fewer than 120 in the late 70’s. These animals have been displaced by man and were starving in large numbers. At this park they breed the animals and return the young to the wild. We are able to hand feed the giraffes and even get a kiss from one of them. We get to interact with the females and the young because the male is sequestered. Males are not friendly to their young and there are two babies less than a month old. There is a beautiful colonial home that has been turned into Giraffe Manor, a hotel that gives its proceeds to the park. What fun we have and the people running the park were very knowledgeable and funny. We then drove leisurely back to the hotel and spent some time exploring the grounds and looking into the African shops on the property. Yes Trey, we did skip lunch. By 4:30 exhaustion had set in and we napped for a while. This evening we attended a welcome cocktail party and then a lovely dinner consisting of a barbeque of exotic meats. Not too great for a vegetarian like me but Hugh assured me it was delicious. After dinner there was an African Dance performance that was very African-meets-Broadway but couldn’t entice us to stay up past 10:00. We strolled back to our room for bed. Nairobi pictures

Up way too early and very jet lagged. This is a real pain, must be getting old. After we showered and packed our back packs for the Ark, we headed to breakfast. As usual the breakfast is great and we met Godfrey at 7 for our drive to the Aberdares. We left Nairobi a bustling city of 3 million people filled with skyscrapers, crime and poverty and found ourselves in beautiful countryside. The land was very fertile and terraced by hand. We passed plantations growing Del Monte pineapples but also local farms growing mangoes, bananas, corn, beans and coffee. There are farm stands along the way with gorgeous produce. We saw very little farm machinery and lots of oxen and donkeys. Man works hard here but the soil is cooperative. We passed women mostly walking along the road with baskets on their heads filled with produce, reeds cut by the roadside for baskets, and freshly ground flour in sacks. In the distance we could see Mt. Kenya. In the villages we passed through we notice that all the women seem to carry these hand-woven large bags that rest on their backs. They carry everything in them including charcoal, water jugs, food, woven straw mats and even their children. Bicycles are a main mode of transportation here. These bikes are used to transport several people as well as large amounts of goods such as chickens, flour and grain sacks and water jugs. (haven’t seen this since China) Donkeys are the work beast and each farm seems to have a small herd of cattle, beef and dairy, goats and sheep. Our journey took us over rutted paths called super highways and up to the Aberdare Country Club for lunch and a rest before we head to the Ark. We transferred our one small bag that is allowed at The Ark and got to explore the grounds of this estate. It is situated on a mountain and looks down over a valley. We saw giraffe and zebra in the distance and there was a family of warthogs running around the property. We had a lunch outside admiring the view and relaxed a bit before we headed up the mountain. We boarded buses (small buses) and began our journey. The road was very rough and one of the buses broke down. My teeth are rattling by the time we got to our destination and we were hot and dirty. The Ark was built at a watering hole and salt lick in the middle of nowhere. It is entered by elevated boardwalks and each is closed off with a big gate. There will be no leaving once the gates close. We were shown to our room which is closet sized with single beds and a window. We have a small bath with a shower. The lights are very dim. The ark has three floors and the front end of each floor is glass, two have observation decks overlooking the watering hole and with a view of Mt. Kenya. We walked out side and the first thing we saw were water buffalo and elephants enjoying the salt. They were so close we could hear them snorting and running at each other. All afternoon we enjoy the parade of animals including saddleback storks and crowned cranes. Dinner was at 1930 and we are joined by two Swedish nurses who were doing contract work for the UN in Sudan and 2 fellow Americans also on Safari. We enjoyed some more animal watching including a cerval cat and then it was off to bed. We were told they would ring bells for different animals during the night and you could decide whether or not to get up. Hugh and I both woke up at midnight and decided to look outside. We got to watch a pack of hyenas for a while but no cats. Soon it was back to bed for a good nights sleep. Aberdare & The Ark pictures

Up at 6 am for the sunrise and we were amazed at how beautiful and how quickly it comes up. There were no new animals so we grabbed a quick breakfast and it was back down the rutted path to our rendezvous with Godfrey and our trip onward toward Mt. Kenya. The trip back to the Aberdare Country Club was less eventful but just as rough. We transferred our backpacks and we are off. Godfrey pointed out the differences in this area including the ranches, farms, and flower farms. Kenya is a huge exporter of flowers to all over the world. Who knew! Today we have a professional visit to a community hospital. Everyone in America should see a Kenyan public hospital. It makes the TV show MASH look like advanced medicine. This hospital serves a large population and has only one OR suite which was not presently working as they were waiting for a part for the anesthesia machine. The wait for surgery is currently 13 mos. But will be pushed back more now because of this down time. The patients are all in wards and cooking, cleaning, and a lot of the care is being one by families. The windows are open and dust is everywhere. We get to the labor and delivery area and find that they labor two to a bed and even have two to a bed in the postpartum area. They deliver 4000 babies a year and the moms stay is 24 hours. There was no nursery and the babies stay in the crowded bed with the moms. We visit all the different areas, from dental, one sagging chair, to the chemist. I have more meds in my bathroom closet than they have in their pharmacy. They have clinics for each area and also birth control clinic and immunization clinic. The doctors here work for the government and are assigned to the different areas. From the hospital to the equator which was just outside the hospital grounds. We of course had to see a demonstration of the water rotating in different directions on each side of the equator. After the equator we headed to the Mt. Kenya Safari Club which is the opposite end of the spectrum. This is truly lifestyles of the rich and famous. This club was founded by William Holden and the who’s who wall reads like a world society page. We get checked in and have lunch which is very nice. Hugh and I both signed up for massages and I will say that was a much needed 30 mins after all the traveling of the last few days. Hugh really got relaxed and decided to take a nap. I hiked up to the pool for some laps and reading. The weather was warm not hot and very pleasant. Once Hugh was up we explored the grounds. We found an English hedgerow maze which was deceivingly hard. After laughing our way through the maze we continued to explore. The grounds are lovely and we saw a lot of storks and cranes on the ponds. We enjoyed leisurely baths and showers before we dressed for dinner. This is the only place on our itinerary where we had to dress. The meal was leisurely and delicious with an African band playing softly in the background. When we got back to our bungalow the steward had a roaring fire in the fire place. It had gotten very chilly while we are at dinner. We snuggled under the down duvet and slept like babies.

This was a big day and we were up early for a walk and breakfast. After a group picture we flew to the Masa Mara and truly began our safari. We arrived at the dirt field at 9:45 and our plane landed, unloaded, reloaded and took off before 10 am. There were no x-ray machines, body checks, or baggage searches. They did not even take our tickets, they just checked off our names. The Air Kenya flight was relatively smooth for such a small plane. Our service was a basket of mints passed to us by the pilot before take off. We flew over beautiful farm land and across the mountains to the Masai tribal area of Kenya. We made several stops on little dirt runways but arrived safely at our destination.. The open air rover from the Mara Serena was there to pick us up and we met Steven who took us on our afternoon safari. It was a short drive to our compound and we were greeted with cool towels and juice. After a quick check-in we headed to our rooms where we settled in. From our window we could see the Masa and within minutes we had seen elephants, giraffes, monkeys and gazelles. We walked around the compound and found all sorts of viewing areas. We had a quick lunch and continued to explore. We climbed a steep hill and found a quiet spot to view the animals through binoculars. We were off on our safari at 4 and the Masa was incredible. We followed tracks into the deepest areas and then with our guide looking through his binoculars we drove to within touching distance (well close) of elephants, Masai giraffe, water buffalo, lions with cubs, Thompson's and Grant's gazelles, topi, elands, hartebeest, hyenas, and vultures. This trip made our earlier viewing seem silly. I could not imagine we would just drive right up to the animals. The sun set and we were amazed at how dark and cool it got. We drove back to the compound still amazed at what we had seen. A nice shower, dinner (food is excellent with lots of fresh fruit and veggies)and some time to write cap off a terrific day.

Today we started our adventure with tea at 5:30 and off to view the sunrise. It’s was very cool and we had layered our clothing and even had on our hats. Our driver was John and we drove out of the compound just as the sky started to color. The Masa seemed quiet but we heard all sorts of interesting sounds from grunts to high pitched screams. Before the sun is up we saw herds of Thompson gazelles, elands and hartebeest. We were all admiring the sunrise when John stopped and immediately beside us were two very large and beautiful male lions. We were so close we could hear their breathing. So Amazing!! After lots of oohs and ahhs we continued on and John suddenly veered off and drove another short distance and stopped. Right in front of us was a male black rhino. There are only 6 in the Mara and we are so lucky to see this one so close. We watched and photo him until he sensed us and ran off. These animals are very reclusive and it was just great to get this close to one of the big 5. As we continued to weave through the bush we crossed 2 cheetahs out for a morning stroll. They were within petting distance but don’t run off. John says they do not know to be afraid so they just go about their business. We got some incredible shots. John took us down by the Mara River and we were surprised by a beautiful breakfast at rivers edge. The Masai greeted us with hot towels for face and hands, a glass of champagne and a stroll by the river to view the hippos bathing there and there were 20-30just within our view. The tables for breakfast had linen clothes and the buffet included made to order omelet’s and pancakes. What a treat, what a view! The hippos played as we ate and enjoyed the show. We walked along the river and saw 3 Nile crocodiles sunning themselves. On our drive back we saw more giraffe, wildebeest, hyenas and Gazelles. What a great day and its only 10 am. We sat by the pool and read, watched the scenery through binoculars and dozed, and then had lunch. Our afternoon drive with John was great. Again we saw cheetahs, ostrich, and zebras after only a short time. We continued to drive and drive to all the covered areas to look for leopard. So far on our trip no one from any safari company has seen leopards and we were hoping to be the first. We continued to see animals large and small and a variety of birds but no leopard. The sunset was magnificent and we were amazed that we were so far away from the lodge. We got back just as the sky truly blackened and headed for the showers. These drives are dusty and get very cool. After a relaxing dinner with the Leffes, we headed back to read until we fell asleep. No TV, radio, or phones!!!

This morning I woke up with a toothache, something I had no warning about. We headed off for our game drive with John. Let me just say it was very cool in the dark and we didn’t see leopard. We did see giraffes, elephants, lions, gazelles, fisher eagles, storks, and jackals. What variety of wildlife! It was a beautiful sunrise and the day has great promise. After showering and packing for our move to Amboseli we decided to skip breakfast as my toothache was worse. After a quick drive to the airfield we boarded our plane and it was off to Nairobi. The trip seemed long to me but even longer to Harriet who hates small planes. We met Godfrey and Sissy at Wilson Airport and found that we were close to a chemist. We went in and a very helpful young man got me antibiotics, mouthwash, and drops for my tooth. In Africa you do not need a prescription and the cost was much better than the states. By lunch I was feeling better although still cold and hot sensitive. We stopped at a lovely hotel for lunch and ate outside. Then we began a long, hot, dusty trip to the Amboseli National Park. This area was much drier and had less vegetation. After we entered the park the trip to our lodge was like a safari. We saw thousands of zebra, wildebeests, gazelles and impalas. We also got our first cloud covered view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Serena Amboseli is hidden in a stand of trees at a river and is beautiful. We got checked into our room and found it had open areas with screens so we could hear the park sounds. We showered and headed for dinner. Toothache seemed under control until I drank cold soda. Still very sensitive. After dinner we headed to bed and slept well with elephant and assorted animal noises in the background.

Up at 6 for a drive. We are now very used to seeing lions, cheetahs (one hunting today), hundred and more elephants, zebras, wildebeests. We don’t even stop for pictures any more unless the background is extraordinary. Today we were able to get some good shots of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We had a nice breakfast and prepared for our walking safari. Our companions on the walk were Harold and Di from Devonshire, England. We started our walk from the lodge and where we meet Leonard and our Masai warrior. There was a river behind the lodge and there we saw a great grey heron capture and take his time killing a very long green snake. It was fascinating to watch and took much longer than I expected, the bird was very patient. After the wiggling stopped he swallowed the whole snake in one very long gulp. Leonard explained the trees and how they use thorns to keep the animals from eating them and also were used as fencing by lodges and Masai to protect there herds. We saw young Masai boys herding goats, sheep, and cows. We are surprised at how close they are to herds of elephants without any trouble. We saw a lot of different birds, elephants bathing, even bush babies hidden in an acacia tree. It was just amazing how plentiful all sorts of wildlife was even though the terrain looks very arid during this dry season. Our walk was very enjoyable and we had a late lunch before relaxing by the pool for a while. Our afternoon drive took us to an observation mount in Amboseli. Godfrey gave us time to climb and make all the pictures we wanted. The view was nice and we saw more elephants than on any other day. This evening we saw lions (5) lying in the sun, wildebeest, and zebras. Today was Valentines Day so we got to enjoy a barbecue by the pool with live entertainment. It was candlelit and very nice. Then it was off to bed for a well earned rest.

Today we exited Kenya and headed to Lake Manyara, Tanzania. We met Godfrey at 7 am and we were off. We traveled over the next several hours and the “roads” are the roughest I have ever experienced. Every bone was rattling by the time we took a washroom break near the Tanzania border. The stop was the usual potty and gift shop arrangement. I actually made a purchase, my first. I picked up a beaded belt and 2 banana leaf pictures made by local craftsmen. The price was right and these items had definite appeal for some reason. We made our way to the border and after filling out a simple card we were able to exit. Entering Tanzania was easy also and Godfrey escorted us the whole way. At Tanzania immigration we met Cyril our new guide. He was a big guy with a great friendly personality. Cyril works for Leopard tours which we hope bodes well for our search for the elusive leopard. He drives a cool diesel Land Rover Defender. As soon as our paper work was complete we were off to Arusha, one of the 3 largest cities in Tanzania. The roads we traveled on were well paved and even the people here looked more prosperous than in Kenya. We traveled through farmland and larger villages than we had seen earlier. There were still many Masai villages in this area also. Once in Arusha we made a stop at the Arusha Cultural Center where we saw live performances and also arts and crafts. I actually talked to a Tanzanite dealer but there was no bargaining and it was way out of my comfort level. We had a nice lunch at the Arusha Hotel and I am able at last to use the internet. Now everyone knows we are here safe and sound. Although this information was over a week late, areas with dirt roads and generators do not often have the internet. We then finished our trip to Lake Manyara. We actually drove through the Lake bed as it was completely dry. Cyril told us this was a short cut but it was long and hot. We saw animals along the way and I am still amazed that I don’t get more excited when I see these exotic beasts. We arrived hot and dusty at the Manyara Serena. After we checked in Hugh and I went for a walk, it was nice to be up and moving. The setting here is remote with some villages close by. The view is breathtaking and the pool is on a cliff! After our walk we swam and enjoyed the view before dressing for dinner. After dinner it was laundry and sleep. It had been a very long day.

We were up at 6:45 am for an 8 am drive to Manyara National Park. We had a terrific drive through this beautiful park. We see lots of animals including gazelles, giraffes (yes, they do sit), elephants, and lots and lots of monkeys and baboons. We stalked a mother lion and her 3 cubs for a while. It was fun to drive along and follow their progress. We were very surprised when the mother attacked and killed a baboon because the trees were alive with chattering and squealing monkeys and baboons warning each other of the lions approach. This was a great game drive and we saw a large number of hippos out of the water. We lunched at the lodge and then took the lovely dirt road to the Ngorongoro Crater. It was a slow trip and very hot because we kept the windows closed, even though the top was off because of all the dust. We had an hour or two before we needed to dress for dinner so after check in we sat in the observation area of the lodge and looked out over the crater and drank tea and read, very civilized! Dinner was a buffet and when we finished we were ready for bed.

Today we were up early and off for a day in the Crater. The ride is rough and dusty. We are assaulted by the sun but enthused by all the animals we see. We saw more wildebeest, zebra’s and Cape buffalo than I could have imagined. We also saw a pride of 18 lions. We watched a failed kill of a cape buffalo because one lion sprang too early and the buffalo got a head start. As we were driving along we saw this small hill and on the top are 3 of the laziest male lions you have ever seen. They were sunning and sleeping and looking absolutely like they were posed for us. I even got a shot of one lying on his back with his feet up in the air. We saw 2 white rhinos and a pond filled with huge hippos both in and out of the water. We stop for a picnic lunch by the pond and have to stay in the car until we eat as the kite birds will take the food out of your hands. After lunch we drove some more and saw the most amazing variety of birds including a pond filled with flamingos, storks, and hippos. The sheer numbers of animals was almost overwhelming. We were fortunate to watch a white rhino from a distance. By 3:30 we were suffering from the heat and the constant exposure to the brightness of the sun. We headed back to the lodge for a restful afternoon in the shade. When we got back to our room we were amazed at how much dust we had on us. It took two showers to feel really clean. We finished our packing for tomorrow and headed to the reading area for tea. What a lovely last safari. Dinner was good and we lingered over desert.

Up early for the drive to Lake Manyara Airport (aka a dirt runway in a field.). We stopped and shopped at another African curio shop and didn’t buy anything. At this point we had bought very little. At the airport we bid fond farewells to Cyril and waited for our plane. Exactly an hour and 40 minutes later our plane to Arusha arrived. We arrived in Arusha and then took off almost immediately to Kilimanjaro. Luckily, our next flight from Mt. Kilimanjaro Airport had been held for us. This is the kind of wonderful treatment we always experienced in Tanzania! We then flew to Wilson Airport in Nairobi and met up with Oscar again. We went to day rooms back at the Safari Park Hotel and shopped. This time we fulfilled our sacred obligation to contribute to the local economy and we bought some souvenirs. We then showered and Oscar took us for our farewell dinner. We drove through the consulate and embassy areas of Nairobi and through some of the wealthier areas on our way to a gourmet restaurant known as Lord Errol’s. Our meal and wine were spectacular and the service could not be beat. On the way to the Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi our new Toyota van broke a rear spring and we had to stop and get another van. We still got to British Air on time and started our long flights home. We slept well and changed planes in London. We’ve been all over the world but this is the first time we have ever flown five planes in one day and spent 34 hours in route!

We arrived at JFK, cleared customs without a hitch (it helps when you spend under $100) and took a taxi to the NY Hilton. We had stored our winter coats and clothes there and needed them badly. It was a shock as the temperature was in the 20’s! Trey arrived by train and we visited “ground zero” to see where the World Trade Towers had been. We dropped our film off to be developed and went to see Mama Mia at the Winter Garden Theater. It was great and people were dancing in the isles. We had an after theater dinner and Hugh and I were asleep before our heads hit the pillows.

We slept in this morning and had a late breakfast. We lingered over coffee to look at our pictures. Many of our pictures didn’t print well and will need to be reprinted later. Oh well! We went to the Museum of Modern Art and then to eat at a Thai restaurant. Trey left for Penn Station and Hugh and I lingered awhile longer with our meal. We walked back to the hotel. Claimed our luggage and we went to the Newark Airport late evening. I have to admit I was glad to be home and have a dentist appointment in the morning. /susan

We were fortunate to see these at the Masa Mara and at the Ngorongoro crater. These are guarded from poachers and it clearly is a major effort by both Tanzania

People were absolutely great in both countries. Even the immigration agents and airport workers were genuinely personable. Tourism has been down since 9/11 and everyone’s happy to see it improving.

Kenyans are particularly proud about what is being done to combat corruption. Both nations are clearly starting to find newfound prosperity and sense that the future looks good.

The fields were neat and weeds were nearly absent. Cars were clean and there was little trash along roads

Traffic moved efficiently because of good drivers working together.

East African tourism suffered severely when the US embassy was bombed by terrorists years ago. Security was quite reassuring.

The produce was beautiful and the markets were full. Crops were in the fields and pastures full of cattle.

There are very well-defined seasons and we chose one of the dry seasons. We were prepared and preferred this to mud and rain.

Except for the elusive leopard, we were very pleased about the quantity of wildlife and how close we were able to get to them

These require certification and they know their stuff. We are zoologically sophisticated but never knew more than our guides Stephen, John, Leonard, or Cyril. They also had a deep abiding respect for local cultures.

I got the impression that they felt we have less tolerance in our culture than they do.

The population was tall, muscular, and didn’t suffer from obesity. They emphasized that the population was aware of the problems associated with changing to a Western diet.

Without an exception we were questioned about our country and the opinions of Americans. Clearly, the actions of our leaders affects them and they know it. They are happy to find that people are Canadian, American, or Australian and not British!

The future has never looked brighter for them and it shows. Their children are being prepared to have the opportunities their parents are only now are starting to enjoy.

We were on Larium and wore 100% DEET the whole trip as per CDC recommendations. However we never even saw even one single mosquito. This was a surprise but of course we chose to visit in the dry season

Kenya and Tanzania are actually more densely populated than the United States. The land in mostly in cultivation and appears to be good farm land. That is another reason to support conservation efforts and and the great job these wonderful countries have done with these great national parks.

We ran across none of these secretive animals and nobody else where we stayed saw them either. Apparently these are by far the hardest of the “big five” animals to find. We were lucky to see rhinos both at the Masai Mara and at the Ngorongoro crater. Many others didn’t see any.