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REDISCOVERING TANZANIA by Mary Jane Headlee
When my husband, Ralph, and I started planning our African safari almost 2 years ago, it was to fulfill our dream of taking our 12-year old son with us. This would be Ralph's eighth safari and my fourth - Ralph is a professional nature photographer and I used to work in the safari business and now manage Ralph's free-lance photography business. This time, however, it was different. Not only were we taking our son along, we were also arranging a small, private, custom-designed safari for 7 of our friends.
There would be two 12-year olds, professional and amateur photographers, and first-time and return African travelers. How did we make this one big happy group? Lots of planning. Some say it's hard to mess-up an African safari but no matter how "perfect" a safari looks on paper, it's not perfect if it doesn't satisfy everyone's needs and expectations. Here are the major questions we asked ourselves:
We did include some extras to take into account our "mixed" group: 3 vehicles throughout the safari, an upgrade from the "medium" level of mobile tented camp to "luxury", a hot air balloon safari in the Serengeti and walking opportunities wherever we could fit them in. Upon booking the safari, I was told that three vehicles for 10 people was probably a bit excessive. But believe me, it was worth the extra expense. Why? Here is where the needs of the different members of our group could be customized. The "die-hard" photographers wanted to be at the park gates at sunrise. So, either one or two vehicles could be loaded up and out on the road at the crack of dawn. However, since it was going to be nearly impossible to get the boys up that early every day (although they did pretty well with many early mornings), the remaining vehicle could leave shortly after breakfast. Or, if anyone had their fill of game viewing and wanted to head back early to camp, we could rearrange the occupants within the three vehicles and send one vehicle back. And if some of the photographers wanted to stay in one spot to concentrate on a special photographic subject, the other vehicle with the non-photographers could continue on their merry way and everyone would meet up later. The key here was flexibility and it worked out perfectly. We traveled to Tanzania on KLM from Los Angeles via Amsterdam, overnighted in Amsterdam, which gave the boys a chance to stretch their legs and expend some of their pent-up energy and then took KLM's day flight from Amsterdam to Arusha. Here is where I must pause and voice my only complaint about the whole trip: for the love of humanity, I am begging the airlines to give us poor travelers in coach class a bit more leg room and feed us edible food. It's a long flight, we pay good money, and it's the least they could do. OK, that's off my chest. Once the whole group had gathered in Arusha we headed off on the two-hour drive to Tarangire National Park - all on paved roads. I had never been to Tarangire and, especially during the dry season when there are many migratory animals around, it is a must. The rolling countryside is varied and beautiful and is dotted with giant Baobab trees, Acacias, and Euphorbias and the Tarangire River provides a haven for large herds of elephant. Besides the countless elephant, we saw large herds of zebra and wildebeest, leopard (one with a week-old cub), buffalo, giraffe, impala, lion, baboon, dik-dik and lots and lots of birds. One afternoon, six of us, along with our guides Alex and Pascal and two Maasai warriors, took a walk outside the park boundaries. This was a great opportunity for all of us, and especially the boys, to spend some time with the Maasai, learn about the flora of the area, see the tiny creatures of the bush, do some tracking (how can you miss an elephant's footprint?) and get a bit of exercise. Kibo's private mobile tented camp was set up just outside the park boundaries on an escarpment overlooking the park. It was delightful! A real home away from home. I highly recommend this type of "camping" to everyone. What a treat to return from a long day of game viewing with hot showers waiting for you. Then you wander out to a roaring campfire where beverages of your choice and appetizers are being served. You're then invited to gather in the dining tent, set with African fabrics, candles and kerosene lamps, for a scrumptious dinner. All the while you are serenaded by the sounds of the African night; the frogs, the insects, the grunts of wildebeest, and perhaps the roar of a lion. Then it's off to your tent where slumber eagerly awaits. You wake to the dawning of another beautiful day with a gentle "Jambo" outside your tent and the splash of water in your basin. This is the life! Our private, mobile tented camp in Tarangire and the Serengeti consisted of four, large tents with attached bathrooms, a dining tent, campfire area, kitchen and tents for our camp staff (discretely out of view). At the medium level of Kibo's mobile tented camps, every two tents share a detached bathroom, but with the luxury level, every tent has its own attached bath. There were seven camp staff members, a chef and three driver/guides for our group of 10. Our guides, Bayo, Alex and Pascal, were also our hosts while we were in Kibo camps and stayed with us throughout the entire safari. They were extremely knowledge and fun to be around. Two of the tents were triples - for our two families with the boys - and they managed to fit in three regular sized, very comfortable, twin beds, plus our wardrobe stand and a table. It was a bit tight, but then, who spends their time inside the tent if you're not sleeping? One of the other tents had a double bed while the fourth had two twin beds. They felt very roomy. On our verandas were chairs, a table and wash basins for each person which were thoughtfully filled with hot water throughout the day. Every tent had a constant supply of bottled water, battery powered lamps for inside the tents and kerosene lamps outside, fresh towels daily, mirrors, bug repellant and daily laundry service. Some of the extras were umbrellas, a machete, and a whistle - just in case - which, thankfully, went unused! The attached bathrooms consisted of a roomy "foyer" where you could store your luggage and change clothes, a separate "compartment" for a flush toilet (a Kibo invention that takes the classic "long drop" and puts a working flush toilet over it) plus a shower area with a bucket shower. Four gallons of hot water never felt so good as at the end of a day of game viewing. After 3 nights at Tarangire National Park, we headed off to Lake Manyara National Park, located at the base of the Great Rift Escarpment. The last time we were there, we stayed at the top of the escarpment, which provided little time to actually spend game viewing in the park. On this trip, we stayed 2 nights at Maji Moto, a permanent tented camp located at the very end of the park. It is the only lodge/camp located within the park boundaries and you get to travel the whole length of the park, game viewing along the way, before getting there. Although small, Lake Manyara is a very diverse park and, with patience, game viewing is very rewarding. Here I would like to stop and provide a short side note. For those who have traveled to Africa before, it is well known that game viewing is made up of long hours of "looking" interspersed with moments of pure adrenaline rushes. This is not a zoo. You don't go from viewing a lion, to viewing an elephant, to viewing a cheetah. Part of the thrill of an African safari is experiencing nature, learning about the habitats and how the animals live and interact within these habitats. And if game viewing is a bit slow on one day, there are always the scenic views, the smaller creatures of the bush, the birds and the ever-changing light. You learn to relax on safari and you certainly learn patience. Maji Moto is a wonderful camp. They are, however, now in the process of moving the whole camp about 5 kilometers further down the park. With the El Niño rains of past years, the lake has risen and the present location of the camp between the lake and the escarpment did not provide the animals with a large enough migration corridor. But I am sure the new location and new camp will prove equally as enjoyable. The accommodations were comfortable and gracious, the hospitality of the staff was exceptional and the food was delicious. The tents are huge and very well appointed with en suite bathrooms. A highlight at this camp was the evening meals that are taken outside in a boma lit with kerosene lamps and warmed by a roaring bonfire. The bushbabies come down to peer at you with their huge eyes and the forest comes alive outside the boma walls. Our next stop was the Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater happens to be one of my husband's favorite places and we planned four nights there so we could have 3 full days in the Crater. Most itineraries allow for one full day in the Crater and that's probably fine for most people, but it doesn't allow time to just sit and watch and wait for things to happen. And those elusive rhinos (only seven at the time we were there) are not seen every single day. Although the Crater is a fairly "closed" eco-system, that does not mean it is static. We had been warned that an invasive plant had taken root in the Crater and that as a way to eliminate it, burning might be taking place during June and July. While this did not happen during our visit, you could see the effect this plant was having - it had covered approximately one quarter of the crater floor, had dried at a 3-4 foot height and the animals avoided it. It made game viewing a bit tricky in places, but again, that's nature. We heard as many different reasons why it had proliferated and, in fact, run rampant, as we heard different solutions for solving the problem. It will be interesting to see what happens. But we did see one rhino (I had always wanted my son to see a rhino in the wild!), elephant, lion, hyena, lots of buffalo, wildebeest and zebra, flamingos and hippo. Our accommodations were at CC Africa's Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. This lodge has been totally revamped and it's hard to describe - Masaai hut meets rococo meets Lord Delemere meets rustic chic. As over the top as it may be, it was fabulous and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. Each individual "hut" is really a two room suite: one room is comprised of a king-sized bed, a sitting area with leather chairs and fireplace and a writing table; the other room is a bathroom that is out of this world. Fresh roses from Arusha fill vases, scented oils are available for your bath, robes, slippers, candles, crystal chandeliers…it's all there. And the view? Well, it's hard to tell if it's better from the bed, the bath, the shower or the vanity table. The lounge and dining room are in the main lodge portion of the camp and it was a treat just to spend time in these spaces. The staff and service were exceptional and the food was fabulous. I will return! With three full days, we were able to schedule a walk in the Conservation area surrounding the park. Led by an armed Conservation guard, our three-hour hike took us up Satiman Hill with a fabulous view. We hiked past a Maasai village, past the men herding their cows, the women carrying wood and the children watching the goats. It was a really good experience for the boys to see how the Maasai live their daily lives. We departed the Crater and drove through heavy fog until we descended onto the Serengeti Plains. This time of year the grasses are dry and had been shorn by the migrating herds. Dust reigned supreme. With a brief stop at Olduvai Gorge we had a long drive ahead of us as our private tented camp had been set up along the Grumeti River at a private campsite. We were hoping that this location would put us near the migrating herds of wildebeest and zebra. We were warmly greeted by the same camp staff that we had in Tarangire and it felt like we were coming home. As nice as the other places were, and as much as we enjoyed them, there is something totally unique in having a little spot of Africa all to yourself. At this campsite we had an armed guard from the park service with us for the six nights we spent here, since we were inside the park boundaries and fairly near a watering hole. During the night various animals, mainly wildebeest and the antelopes, visited us but we always felt safe. With five full days in the Serengeti, we were able to incorporate many different activities. We drove for 3 hours one day and found a portion of the migration - thousands of wildebeest and zebra, along with the lions and vultures - which proved to be one of the highlights of our stay. We also visited many of the kopjes where we were able to do some walking; took a hot air balloon ride one morning (spectacular!) and generally got to see a lot of this very special park. The game viewing was great and our final evening consisted of a surprise champagne "sundowner" on a hill overlooking the vast expanse of the Serengeti. Special touches like this made our Kibo safari one we'll always remember. The two boys, Gray and Scott, were fabulous travelers. Gray is especially interested in nature and it was worth the whole trip just to see the smile on his face when he saw his first leopard...and first elephant...and even the hundredth elephant. I don't think, as a parent, you can derive any greater joy then seeing the world through your child's eyes and to witness them soaking in new experiences and growing with each adventure. Gray summed it up pretty well when we asked him what he would tell his friends about Africa. He said, "I don't know what I can tell them because none of them will understand what I've seen and experienced. How do you tell them about all this?" And just the other day he asked me, "Mom, when are we going back to Africa." When I asked him what he missed most, he replied, "Everything!" That makes it all worthwhile! Here are some tips about traveling with kids on safari:
Nina Rao Rare Earth Explorations 10 Waterside Plaza, #4K, New York, NY 10010 Tel: 212-686-7411 Fax: 212-686-2366 E-mail: info@rareearthexplorations.com Website: www.rareearthexplorations.com Rare Earth Explorations offers monthly departures of small groups (max 10) on luxury as well as 'medium' mobile tented safaris. If you prefer, Rare Earth Explorations custom-designs private safaris as was done for Mary Jane Headlee's family and friends. Mobile camps can also be combined with lodges and permanent tented camps. Based in Santa Barbara, CA, Mary Jane Headlee is the business manager for her husband's free-lance photography company. She has been the editor of the APTA (Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa) newsletter for the past seven years and was involved with the safari business for over 10 years in the planning and designing of safaris and copy writing for brochures, newsletter, and websites. Safaris have taken her to six African countries. Reprint of above article by permission only. Mary Jane can be reached at E-mail: wildshots@west.net. |
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