Tanzania is a land of contrasts: the lush, green foliage of the mountains gives way to the dry, arid plains of the Serengeti. You can see the Masai people in their traditional dress, living in mud and stick huts, and there are large urban areas with population in the millions. This East African nation made for a perfect first-time safari for an exclusive group of Bee Kalt Travel adventurers.
Our journey began with a night in Arusha at the Arusha Coffee Lodge. They have lovely accommodations in individual cottages. Our stay here was all too brief as we left early in the morning to catch our charter flight to the Serengeti. A short flight brought us to the Kogatende airstrip where our drivers were waiting to meet us. They would be our guides for the next 8 days and nights.
Our first stop was a semi-permanent tented camp called Lemala Serengeti Camp. The canvas tents had wooden plank floors and en-suite baths. Well, showers. Bush showers to be exact. The tent "butler" would fill up the bag with hot water when you were ready to take a shower. They had flush toilets too, which is
my minimum requirement for camping. I admit, I'm much more of a glamper than a camper. Our afternoon game drive was exciting, and we spent a bit of time watching a pod of hippos playing and fighting in the river.
In the evening, we sat around the campfire with pre-dinner drinks, enjoyed a wonderful meal and retired early, listening to the sounds of the bush at night.
The next morning, we packed up and left in pursuit of the Great Migration. This is one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the world. Millions of wildebeest and zebra follow the rains and grasses moving in a circular pattern from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya. The herds were a bit ahead of schedule this year, but we managed to catch them in the Northern Serengeti. It was a spectacle indeed! We sat in our vehicle in the midst of the animals, listening to the cacophony of mooing and braying. We stayed for a while, and then drove on to our next camp, in the central Serengeti.
Serengeti is the Masai word for endless plain. The plains are so vast, they seem to stretch on forever. We arrived in the late afternoon at our next stop, a luxury tented camp called Mbuzi Mawe. Things were looking up: fixed canvas tents with four poster beds, running water and real showers. We had to be careful to zip up our tents and keep things put away because a naughty baboon has learned to unzip the doorway and help himself to whatever he can find inside. Apparently he has a fondness for Colgate toothpaste, and he ate one person's snacks and immodium! From this location, we enjoyed a fantastic experience of hot-air ballooning, taking off in the light of the early morning sunrise. We floated above the trees, passing over lions, gazelles, hippos and more.
Our journey continued with a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is the largest intact caldera in the world. It has one of the largest concentrations of animals in all of Africa. We spent a thrilling day on a game drive in the crater, spotting lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, flamingos, pelicans, and of course, wildebeest and zebras. Our home here was the Serena Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, perched on the Crater's edge with fantastic views of the crater below.
After all of this driving and game-viewing, we took a day off and landed at a very luxurious retreat called The Manor. It has just 20 rooms in Cape Dutch style cottages, located in the highlands with beautiful views of the coffee plantation and surrounding hills. Here we relaxed, and took advantage of some of their offerings: spa treatments, horseback riding, walking or biking through the coffee plantation. Dinner was very elegant, in a cozy dining room with upholstered chairs and cloth covered tables. Not what you would normally picture when on safari!
Enough of taking it easy, time to move on to our last safari stop: Tarangire National Park. This park is known for its elephants and baobab trees. The baobab is a huge tree that looks almost prehistoric, and many are hundreds if not thousands of years old. The gnarley branches reach out in all directions toward the sky. We were greeted with a glass of baobab fruit juice at our next lodge.
We stayed at Tarangire Treetops, a fabulous lodge with tents built on platforms among the ancient trees. You can see the star-studded night sky through the mesh walls of the tent. The lodge has a swimming pool for the guests and a watering hole for the resident game. Here, we enjoyed a dinner in the boma, an outdoor fenced in dining area, where we sampled a variety of local dishes and a selection of grilled meats. They also had a performance of Masai dancers and invited some of us to join in!
Our last evening together was concluded with a special "Sundowner" atop Sunset hill. A toast to a splendid safari while watching a perfect African sunset.
Good to know: U.S. Citizens require a valid passport and a visa to enter Tanzania. A visa can be easily purchased upon arrival at Kilimanjaro airport for $100.00.
If you would like to plan your perfect African safari, Call the Safari Specialists at Bee Kalt Travel!
Tel: 248-288-9600 or Toll free 1-800-284-5258
email:
travel@beekalt.com
http://www.beekalt.com/
I learned about a new gorilla tracking opportunity that will come available in May of 2012. Our partner, Wilderness Safaris, will open a new camp in the Republic of Congo in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park. This area is in the heart of the Congo basin, in a seemingly endless tropical forest. This is a different experience from mountain gorilla-trekking in Rwanda or Uganda. Here, in the Congo, you will have the opportunity to track the Western Lowland Gorilla as well as see many other kinds of wildlife. Sign me up! 
A tour of the city of Stone Town is a must while you are there. The history of the island is quite fascinating, having been conquered by many different Empires through the ages: Portuguese, Sultanate of Oman, British and German. There is a variety of architecture to be seen in the narrow streets and the elaborately carved wooden doors. Walking through the public market was quite a cultural experience.
Our journey began with a night in Arusha at the Arusha Coffee Lodge. They have lovely accommodations in individual cottages. Our stay here was all too brief as we left early in the morning to catch our charter flight to the Serengeti. A short flight brought us to the Kogatende airstrip where our drivers were waiting to meet us. They would be our guides for the next 8 days and nights.
In the evening, we sat around the campfire with pre-dinner drinks, enjoyed a wonderful meal and retired early, listening to the sounds of the bush at night. 
The next morning, we packed up and left in pursuit of the Great Migration. This is one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the world. Millions of wildebeest and zebra follow the rains and grasses moving in a circular pattern from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya. The herds were a bit ahead of schedule this year, but we managed to catch them in the Northern Serengeti. It was a spectacle indeed! We sat in our vehicle in the midst of the animals, listening to the cacophony of mooing and braying. We stayed for a while, and then drove on to our next camp, in the central Serengeti.
After all of this driving and game-viewing, we took a day off and landed at a very luxurious retreat called The Manor. It has just 20 rooms in Cape Dutch style cottages, located in the highlands with beautiful views of the coffee plantation and surrounding hills. Here we relaxed, and took advantage of some of their offerings: spa treatments, horseback riding, walking or biking through the coffee plantation. Dinner was very elegant, in a cozy dining room with upholstered chairs and cloth covered tables. Not what you would normally picture when on safari!
We stayed at Tarangire Treetops, a fabulous lodge with tents built on platforms among the ancient trees. You can see the star-studded night sky through the mesh walls of the tent. The lodge has a swimming pool for the guests and a watering hole for the resident game. Here, we enjoyed a dinner in the boma, an outdoor fenced in dining area, where we sampled a variety of local dishes and a selection of grilled meats. They also had a performance of Masai dancers and invited some of us to join in! 
During our stay at Singita, we saw four of the Big Five: Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant along with Zebra, Impala, Wildebeest, Giraffe and too many other to mention. Renee and I toasted our successful game drive with a traditional sundowner - a cocktail hour in the bush! I've written more about Singita in a previous post from May 2010, and I still feel that this is one of the most luxurious safari experiences out there. The Singita Ebony Lodge has just completed a renovation, refreshed, but still maintaining the colonial feel and decor. 
After our two night stay at Singita Boulders, we moved on to check out neighboring Leopard Hills Lodge. Singita is a hard act to follow, but Leopard Hills did a fine job of keeping up. This small lodge has eight suites, built into the hillside, each with its own private deck and plunge pool. We particularly enjoyed the "Boma" dinner that night - an outdoor dinner served under the night sky - lovely.
Our driver guide at Leopard Hills was Dangerous Dave. We thought perhaps it was a misnomer because with his red hair and wide smile, Dave didn't look all that dangerous. We soon learned how he got his name as we tracked a pack of endangered African Wild Dogs to their den site. We sped along in our open-air 4 wheel drive vehicle, on the road, then off the road, bumping over the rocky terrain and through the thick brush. We found our dogs though, and we could hear the yelping of newly born pups in the den.
Our next day started with a cooking class, arranged by Le Quartier Francais. We had so much fun learning how to prepare some typical South African dishes. We tried not to eat too much today because we had reservations at The Tasting Room that night! It was hard to do, and we had to resist when we visited the Moreson wine farm, with it's renowned Bread and Wine restaurant. Home baked breads, selections of soups, salads and house made charcuterie make for another adventure in dining.
Finally, it was time for our much anticipated dinner. The decor of The Tasting Room is understated, with the emphasis on the cuisine. We perused the menu, deciding between the five course choice menu, or the nine course "surprise" menu. The idea of the surprise menu is to have diners experience things that perhaps they may not usually order. We opted for the surprise menu and got our tastebuds ready! We also went with the wine pairing, which gave us a different taste of wine with each course. The meal was heavenly and we enjoyed course after course, each artfully and dramatically presented. Each wine was poured and served with an explanation or description. Both Renee and I agreed it was one of the best meals we have ever had.
