Wrapping Up

Well I think this will be my final post of this blog. I've been home for a week and the jet lag seems to have finally subsided. I'm going to bed and waking up around my usual times, so that has been much welcomed over the past couple of days.

I can say that while there were some unexpected surprises some of which remain unresolved with British Airways and my tour operator, this has been truly a once-in-a-lifetime journey that was so very worthwhile. It was not without sacrifice, discomfort and inconvenience, but that said, I would do it all over again if I thought my experience would be matched by all I got to see firsthand during my 15 days in East Africa.

My time spent in Nairobi prior to the safari was much needed if for no other reason than to acclimate to the eight hour time zone difference from the Midwest of America. Everyone at Ngong House was wonderfully accommodating and welcoming. I couldn't have asked for anything more from anyone!

I also enjoyed visiting many of the more well known tourist sites including the Karen Blixen House, the Giraffe Centre and Kazuri Beads. I am also proud to say I'm a supporter of the work being done by Dame Daphne Sheldrick and everyone involved at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. To be able to see their efforts first hand was quite humbling.

Once connected with my tour operator and travel companions, we were off on safari. I believe it is fair to say that the safari "experience" was not all everyone expected it to be. That is unfortunate and I hope each will take away and remember only what were their personal highlights. For me, there are many . . .

. . . seeing the sunrise and sunset in some pretty spectacular locales.

. . . watching the creation of life as elephants and lions mated.

. . . observing animals stalk and hunt for food; protecting their kill from other predators; scavengers dining on the remains left behind; and watching the migration that spans hundreds of miles in search of greener feeding land.

. . . learning about a culture and its people, being further reminded of all that I am fortunate to have in family, home and friendship.

To those inclined to take on an African safari, I support your desire to expand your boundaries and explore that which is beyond your comfort zone. Travel in a developing country will test your limits and abilities to be open minded and non-judgemental given your own cultural bias and perspective.

My personal advice is to not give in to the easier way of travel, flying from park to park, country to country. I believe that as important as having the opportunity to see nature in its most natural state, so is experiencing life "on the ground" as only seen through driving the long harsh roads between villages and camps. Admittedly not for everyone, but if you are looking for a comfy posh holiday abroad, perhaps an African safari isn't for you.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area - Tanzania

Before putting a wrap on this blog, I thought I owed it to folks to share two pretty wonderful experiences we had during our only game drive on the crater floor of the Ngorongoro.

The crater floor is the collapsed cone of an extinct volcano. Today it provides a diverse habitat to many of Africa's most popular animals including lions, cheetahs, elephants, wildebeests, zebras, hippos and rhinos. I was personally amazed at the arid dryness throughout the area that allowed us to actually see evaporation off the surface of the alkaline lake in the distance. And yet, not but a few miles away, elephants were observed drinking the cool fresh water provided by springs peculating up through the earth's surface.

As for those two experiences, the first was that of a pair of lions, presumably a male and his mate sharing a mid morning kill. By the time we arrived on the site, there were some 20 safari vehicles lining the roadside observing out in the distance as the two fed. What was more interesting was the flurry of activity surrounding them, as a pack of some 20-25 hyenas were attempting to take away some morsel to eat. Also, there were a handful of jackals what we were told are allowed to co-dine with lions as they pose no threat to them. Hyenas however, are another story. The lions defended and chased away lone hyenas as they attempted to steal away something for themselves.

One was successful in getting what appeared to be a leg or some part of one. As the dog-like animal scampered off with its steal, others were chasing behind trying to catch and take away the meal. Eventually, another did catch and take the food away. Curiously, that was the end of the chase as if pack leader, alpha dog was in possession of the food. It went off in an opposite direction to feast on the spoils of victory.

Later in the day after lunch we stumbled upon a cheetah resting in the tall straw like grass. Not seemingly aware of anything around, it stood up and stretched. As it sauntered right to left across the crater floor, its posture changed. It went from taking a stroll to what was clearly a stalking position. Walking, crouching, stopping to lay in the grass . . . the cheetah had it sights on a gazelle some 200 yards off in the distance.

We continued to watch, as our driver repositioned our vehicle moving quite a distance backwards as the cheetah continued to make its way towards a small group of gazelles. We stopped as it stopped. We watched as it watched. I found myself holding my breath as I saw the cheetah go totally flat in the grass. Just 32 seconds later, the cheetah was on the gazelle taking it down to the ground.

It was an amazing feat of speed and hunting prowess that allowed this cheetah to capture its next meal. The gazelle did not go down without fighting, kicking and rolling over on the cheetah with everything it had left inside. In less than two minutes, however, it was over. The gazelle was dead and the cheetah was now catching its breath after what had to be an extreme amount of physical exertion to overtake and kill the prey.

I've read that only about 1:100 safari visitors are witness to a kill. It was an amazing thing to experience first hand. The beauty of the lean cheetah making way across to what was seemingly a totally unsuspecting gazelle, is almost beyond words. The tragedy of the death of the gazelle while sad, is all part of the food chain in the wild. What is more tragic, death by starvation or at the jaws of another?

Sights AND Sounds From Africa

A collection of short videos taken during my African Safari holiday.

From the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - Nairobi






From Amboseli Nat'l Park - Kenya






Lake Nakuru Nat'l Park - Kenya



Maasai Mara Nat'l Reserve - Kenya









Ngorongoro Conservation Area - Tanzania






Serengeti Nat'l Park - Tanzania



Tsavo West Nat'l Park - Kenya

More Photos - Lodging & Meals (pt 2 of 2)

With too many photos for a single blog page, here are more from the last five nights of our safari.

Inside our room at the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge (Lake Manyara Nat'l Park - Tanzania)






Breakfast from the buffet - Lake Manyara Serena Lodge





Jane & I at a table w/a view - Lake Manyara Serena Lodge






Nice spacious beds - Serengeti Sopa Lodge (Serengeti Nat'l Park - Tanzania)



The bathroom in our room was huge and beautiful - Serengeti Sopa Lodge






"Everything is better with chocolate sauce" was a reality here at the Serengeti Sopa Lodge


View from the sitting area in our room at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Ngorongoro - Tanzania)






Dinner at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge







Tent Accommodations - Voyager Ziwani (Tsavo West Nat'l Park - Kenya)






View of Kilimanjaro from the Voyager







Salad at the Voyager

More Photos - Lodging & Meals (pt 1 of 2)

I didn't really do justice to the fantastic camps/lodges we stayed at or their outstanding dining which was all-inclusive throughout our safari. The following are photos taken from the various places we stayed during our first six nights.

View from our room at Mara Simba Lodge (Maasai Mara - Kenya)








Dining area - Mara Simba








Inside our tent - Mara Sarova Camp (Maasai Mara - Kenya)




Dessert case - Mara Sarova Camp







Swimming pool view - Lake Nakuru Lodge (Lake Nakuru Nat'l Park- Kenya)



My dinner selections from the buffet - Lake Nakuru Lodge






Our "cabin" - Oltukai Lodge (Amboseli Nat'l Park - Kenya)





Cooked to order eggs - Oltukai Lodge








Pool at the Oltukai Lodge








Perhaps the best dinner selection on any buffet table . . . the seafood "chowder" with shrimp & calimari over rice - Oltukai Lodge






Jane & I helping at the grill - Oltukai Lodge






A special occasion being celebrated - Oltukai Lodge

The Maasai People

Kenya has 42 tribes, with the Maasai in their traditional red shuka probably being the most recognized to those from outside of East Africa. Maasai are also found in Tanzania especially in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and surrounding land. We saw a lot of Maasai herdsmen as they moved their cows and goats throughout the countryside in search of pastures for their livestock to graze. I do not believe that throughout our 12 day safari while moving between parks, there was not a single day that we didn't witness the migration of the Maasai with their herd.

Their existence is a poor one by most standards, measured in their culture by the number of cows, goats and children they have. Practicing polygamists, many have multiple wives and households. Prearranged marriages are the norm, with girls being "given" as early as age 10. Her family will receive gifts from the man's family, in the form of livestock.

Boys become men at the age of 14 through a ritualistic practice that includes public circumcision followed by up to three months away with others donning black clothing and white face paint. When they return, they are of age to consider taking a wife, although most will wait until late teens. During our time passing through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, we saw several groups of these young men.

While in the Maasai Mara, our guide arranged for us to make a visit to the neighboring Maasai Village (for a price of $25/person). We were met by one of the tribe's elder warriors, who served as our guide throughout their village. A group of Maasai greeted us by performing their ceremonial Welcome Dance, followed by the women's greeting. (You can see "us" in this photo with the ladies.)

The men demonstrated how they make fire, the old fashioned way like you did in scouts, by rubbing sticks together over highly flammable straw. We were also shown how they make and maintain their houses using cow dung and water. The thatch roofs are also maintained and transported from location to location when the tribe migrates away from this particular village in search of better pastures for their cattle.

At the center of their village were two large areas, fenced in and enclosed using sticks, for their cows and goats. Kept separate at night, there is always a warrior standing guard to protect against attacks from lions. While this particular tribe does not seek to kill the lions, they will do so if necessary in defense of their homes, families or livestock. Other Maasai tribes, however, are not so kind to the lions as they still practice old rituals that include hunting and killing lions, which by tradition is necessary to demonstrate warrior qualities.


The Maasai people seemingly depend on the tourism to the area in support of their financial needs which include outside medical services and clothing. Wherever we went, there was a constant reminder of their poverty whether through the aggressive attempts to sell their beaded jewelry or wood carvings, or the outright begging for money at park entrances. Even the privilege of taking their photo is a means that they use to generate cash from tourists. Check out the dollar bills in the hands of the young black-clad men above!

Many of the lodges we stayed at employ the Maasai as porters, servers and in other service staff positions. More often than not, they wore uniforms of the resort although some resorts did have traditionally attired Maasai around on the property. I personally got a kick out of the one at Oltukai Lodge (Amboseli Nat'l Park - Kenya) whose job it was to chase away the annoying monkeys using a slingshot.

In talking with workers at some of the lodges, it became clear that doing so was at great inconvenience to the employees and their family. One young man named Joseph supported his one wife and two kids through employment with a lodge. He told how he lives on site for two months at a time, being allowed to return home for about two weeks, before having to report back to work again for another two month cycle.

During his work cycle, his hours are generally 5:00a until 10:00p, seven days a week with no time off until his return home to his family. While this requires much sacrifice, he explained to us that this is necessary if he wants to provide for his family and to pay to send his children to a decent (private) school. While there is "government school" (aka public school), he told of poor learning conditions which he felt was not good enough for his kids.

I also learned from a young single Maasai mom that the Maasai lifestyle is not necessarily embraced by all who are born into the tribe. She was the eldest of three children. Her father wished better for her, so he has refused to "sell her" to wed within the tribe. She went to school to learn cosmetology and is employed by a lodge as a masseuse and manicurist.

She told of how poorly the Maasai men treat their women and that her father wanted better for her and her younger sisters. While they still live on Maasai land, it is only through the grace of the tribe as her uncle is one of the tribes most senior elders.

As an employee of a lodge many hours from her village, she rides the bus over four hours to work. Once there, she works for six weeks straight doing a variety of duties as necessary. Her break to go home to her three year old son lasts only eight days, at which time she must return to the lodge for another six weeks.

Some of the lodges offered evening entertainment provided by the local Maasai, often through song and dance. For those who did not have an opportunity to visit a local village, this was a great opportunity to take photos of the Maasai in their traditional clothing. Check out the video below of the Maasai Dance taken at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Tanzania).




I could not help but to feel that these people, while trying to work to earn a living in support of their families, are little more than slaves to the tourism industry. Reports of poor wages and being largely dependent on tips add to my perception in that regard. That said, they are to be respected for doing what they can in order to earn a living in hopes of creating a better life for future generations of Maasai.

Third World? You wouldn't know it by the looks of the accommodations!

We utilized eight lodges or camps in the seven parks visited during our safari. The tented camps (Mara Sarova and Voyager Ziwani) were very authentic to the experience of going on safari back at the turn of the 20th century, with the exception of the bathrooms and outstanding dining facilities.

With no locks on the front . . . mmmm . . . tent flaps, and mosquito nets around the beds, it really felt like we were staying out in the wild. While at staying at the Voyager in Tsavo West, we were also cautioned to not leave the confines of our quarters after midnight as the power generators would be turned off at that time and the local hippos would make their way onto the property to graze the lush green grass. Sure enough, when I got up to use the bathroom at around 3:00am, I could hear SOMEthing outside the bathroom tent window munching. Jane said she heard the same thing at some point in the night as well.


Much of the lodging experience was built around meals. Many of the lodges had very extensive buffets, featuring a wide range of choices given the international nature of their clientele. There were some meals that I felt a bit challenged by, mostly because of my general nature to not be very adventurous in my food choices. That said, I never found it difficult to find something good to eat.

My favorite dining was at the lodges that provided a full four course meal ordered off menu. Breakfasts were generally still buffet style, but lunch and dinner were plated service. I found dining in this manner to be far more relaxing, providing for more opportunity for us to have conversation about the day's activities.

Every place we stayed had a swimming pool, and by all accounts from my travel companions, they were in good shape with the exception of one that appeared suspect due to green water. The views from the pool decks were outstanding and provided a wonderful place to relax at the end of a long day.

For me, I didn't find much time for relaxation poolside, however, as I did not skip any of the afternoon game drives in favor of swim time. Others in my group did however enjoy the opportunity to do so.

I found the greatest tranquility at sunrise and sunset, especially at the lodges that provided the vantage point for a great view.



Sunrise at Oltukai Lodge (Amboseli NP - Kenya)



Sunset at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Ngorongoro - Tanzania)

Sunset at Voyager Ziwani Camp (Tsavo West NP - Kenya)