East Africa, Victoria Falls and Madagascar

[Fruitloop50]

After lunch we were taken to our rather large tent. There is plenty of room but the lighting is dreadful, just dull lamps. One for each bed, one on the desk, and one in the corner where the couches are. The bathroom lighting is a bit better.

There is no phone in the rooms and the only method of communication with staff is by using a whistle. There are twenty four tents and they are spread out over a huge area so we aren't sure how that will work for everyone. Also we read reviews online where people used the whistle on numerous occasions and never got a response. Fortunately our tent is the second closest to the main building.

​

 

[Fruitloop50]

Next we went out on a game drive.



Dinner menu

We had the fish and chips, vegetable cacciatore, and chocolate fondue. The fish and chips was really nice but the sauce in the cacciatore was really bland, and the naan was really sweet (just like the bread rolls we get when we have soup).

I was looking forward to the fondue but it wasn't what I was expecting. It was little cubes of chocolate cake mixed with chopped bananas, apples and grapes, and with a little bit of cream on the top. It was actually pretty good.

​

There was a turndown service while we were at dinner and when we got into bed later we found out there was hot water bottles inside.
​

 

[Fruitloop50]

The next morning a light breakfast was served in the restaurant at six o'clock. There wasn't much on offer, and we weren't really hungry, so we just had cereal, fruit and toast.

At half past we headed out on an all day game drive.




​

 

[Fruitloop50]

 

[Fruitloop50]

Next we went to the Mara River and we could see where the bridge was washed away in the floods last month.



Nearby there is a stone pillar marking the border of Kenya and Tanzania, where the Masai Mara meets the Serengeti.



A short time later we stopped for lunch. The lodge had provided us with a boxed lunch that was nothing to write home about, but we were starving so we ate most of it. There was a chicken wrap with a bit of salad, a ham roll that was all bread and one really thin slice of ham, a small piece of chocolate cake, an apple, an orange, a juice box and a packet of chips.


Then it was back to more animals

 

[Fruitloop50]

And a fantastic sunset to end the day

 

[Fruitloop50]

Dinner menu



We had the soup, the avocado salad and the chicken and wedges, and enjoyed it all.

 

[Fruitloop50]

Dickson had suggested that we have a bush breakfast today, where the kitchen packs a breakfast box for you, rather than having breakfast in the restaurant. We were happy about that because it meant we could sleep in until six instead of half past five. After dinner last night the chef came out and asked us what we would like in our boxes from the options available.

Our drive started off with a beautiful sunrise


​

Not long after we came across a huge male elephant blocking the road. Male elephants are solitary and like walking along the roads. We can't get too close to it because it might become aggressive so we just have to sit and wait.

It would walk along for a bit, and then stop for a while, then walk a bit more. After about twenty minutes we came to a place where you can go straight on, or turn down another road on the left. The elephant turned left, which of course is where we wanted to go.

Dickson told us that sometimes you can get stuck behind them for hours. We hoped that this wasn't going to be one of those days.


​

Eventually, after forty five minutes, one of the ranger vehicles that patrol the park came up behind us. They spoke briefly to Dickson, and then drove towards the elephant at a great speed. When they got close the elephant turned around to look at them, as if staring them down, and then walked off the road and into the grass.

We asked Dickson why the rangers weren't worried about the elephant becoming aggressive, and he told us they all have guns. We aren't sure whether they would use the guns to shoot the elephant, or just shoot into the air to startle it. We hope it's the latter.

Not long after we saw a couple of vultures in a tree.


​

We stopped at a hippo pool in the Mara river. There was about eight hippos in the water and we watched one walk down from the treed area into the river. There was also a crocodile in the water near the bank.



We had our breakfast here but I forgot to take photos. I had a toasted cheese sandwich and a croissant with jam. MrF ordered some weetbix and milk. When he opened his box there was a lidded cup with milk, a couple of weetbix wrapped in plastic, and a spoon … but no bowl. Perhaps he should have ordered a bowl!

Fortunately he also had a toasted bacon sandwich, and we both had some fruit. The sandwiches were huge and really nice.

 

[Fruitloop50]

After breakfast there was more great animal viewing.

 

[Fruitloop50]

Next we drove to one of the park gates to exit the park and visit a nearby Masai village. Dickson told us it was where he was born and grew up, and that he still has two brothers living there.



On arrival we were greeted by one of the chief's sons who explained to us what the village will do with the donation we give them. It will be used mainly for helping to educate the children in the small community school they have there, and for when they get older and go to other schools.

Next about a dozen of the men, wearing traditional dress, performed the Adumu dance for us, also known as the jumping dance. Traditional Masai songs and chants are also performed during the dance. The Masai warriors who perform the dance are judged on the height of their jumps, as well as the grace and dexterity of their moves. The dance is extremely competitive and the warriors' strength, agility, and endurance, as well as their bravery and heroism, are all displayed via their dance.


​

Next we walked into the village through one of the 'gates', a gap in a big round fence that encircles the village. The fence is about six feet tall and made from small branches.



There are thirty two very primitive small huts, and the village is home to one hundred and fourteen people. Masai men can have multiple wives if they choose to, and they have to have one hut for each wife and her children. He then decides which wife's hut he will sleep in each night.

The huts are small square or round buildings and all the materials used for building them are natural and collected from nearby areas. The frame is built by fixing timber poles into the ground that are then interlaced with a lattice of smaller branches.

The frame is then plastered with a mixture of water, mud, cow dung and even human urine. Finishing touches are done with a mix of cow dung and water. The roof is also plastered with cow dung, to make it waterproof, and then covered with grass.


​

The huts are tiny, roughly three by five metres in size, and with a height of only abou tone and a half metres. It is very dark inside as there are no windows. There are usually two 'beds', one for the parents and the other for the children. We went inside one and even we had trouble standing upright, and we are short.



Building and maintaining the huts is the women's responsibility, as well as cooking and cleaning. The men's responsibilities are security and to maintain the fence. Each night they have to block up the gateways with more branches to protect the village from predators. The villages move location every ten years or so, and everything has to be rebuilt from scratch.

​

 

[Fruitloop50]

In one of the fields just outside the fence, there was a small market set up with about half a dozen stalls. We tried to buy something from each one but they were all very similar. The things for sale were mainly jewellery, carved wooden objects, and other small trinkets.



When we got back to the lodge we went to the restaurant for a late lunch.



We both just had mains, the burger and the fish. Both meals were excellent.



The dinner menu

We both just had mains again, the lamb stew and the butter bean casserole. The butter beans were really good but the lamb was bland.


​

 

[Fruitloop50]

We decided not to have a game drive this morning on the way to the airstrip. Instead we had a bit of a sleep in and a later breakfast. The later breakfast is the same as the six o'clock one with the addition of eggs cooked to order.

After breakfast we drove to the airstrip. Our flight was with Air Kenya again, but this plane was a lot bigger than the one we flew over on the other day. We arrived at Wilson airport just before 1pm and were picked up by a driver who drove us back to the Hilton.

We had booked a day room and rooms are available from 10am to 6pm. The guy checking us in took ages because he answered his mobile phone after he started, and spoke for quite a while. Then he told us to sit in the lounge while waiting to see if the room is ready. How ridiculous, if it's available from ten, and that is what we have paid for, why isn't it ready over three hours later.

We also asked him to confirm that we were booked on the five o'clock shuttle to the airport this evening but he refused to check, just saying it will be okay. After ten minutes waiting in the lounge MrF went back to reception to see what was happening.

The numpty wasn't there anymore and he spoke to a lady who said we shouldn't have had to wait for the room at all, and promptly gave him the keys. We weren't very hungry so just had some snacks for lunch.

We had dinner at the airport before catching our Precision Air flight to JRO. It took off ten minutes late at ten past eight, and landed forty five minutes later. The plane is an ATR 42/72 and the seats are in a 2x2 layout. For a snack we were given a packet of cashews.

When we booked the flight we chose seats in row four and so thought we would be amongst the first off the plane. However getting on and off was done using the rear door so we were virtually last off.

Once we deplaned we walked across the tarmac to the terminal. Before entering the terminal we had to show proof of yellow fever vaccinations because we were arriving from Kenya. Once inside the terminal we bought our visas and then went outside to catch a shuttle to the hotel.

We are staying at the Kia Lodge, about one kilometre from the airport. There aren't any other hotels for miles so we didn't really have any choice. The rooms are all little semi detached stone 'cottages' with thatched roofs, and the decor is pretty dated.

There is an air conditioner that barely works and terrible lighting. There isn't even a lamp on the desk. And they don't have internet in the rooms. And there is no tv. And the bathroom has quite a few ants in it.

​

 

[Fruitloop50]

Breakfast was included and was a small buffet with hot dishes to order off a menu. After breakfast we drove back to the airport to catch a flight to the Serengeti National Park located in northern Tanzania. It covers almost fifteen thousand square kilometres, and is ten times larger than the Masai Mara.

The flight is with Auric Air on a small plane with twelve seats. There are single seats on one side and bench seats on the other that seat two people. The aisle was only about twelve inches wide and you had to walk sideways and squish your body against the seats to get through.


​

The flight left on time at ten, and with one stop on the way, we arrived at the Seronera airstrip at quarter to twelve.

We were met by our guide Lazaro. Before we drove out of the car park he produced two big silver round tins. One contained home made double choc chip cookies, and the other one contained banana chips.
​

After stuffing our faces we headed off for the approximately one hour drive to our camp. The first thing we noticed was how different the landscape was to the Mara. There was a lot more trees and shrubs, and virtually no termite mounds.

We had chosen to stay in the central Serengeti because this is where the annual migration was expected to be at this time. Well, we were certainly in the right area. After driving for only about fifteen minutes we saw thousands of wildebeests with a lot of zebras as well.

Some were walking, others were running, and they were crossing the road in front of us and all over the grasslands around us. It was an amazing sight.

Lazaro suggested that rather than stopping along the way to take photos, we could drive straight to the camp to get lunch, and then come back to see everything on our afternoon game drive. We agreed and we arrived at the camp at one o'clock.
​

We are staying at the Nyikani tented camp (Nyikani is Swahili for wilderness). It is a much more traditional type of tented camp than Mara Engai, and is located just up from the base of a hill. It consists of twelve standard tents and one family tent.

The lounge tent and dining tent are located next to each other and have a nice view.


​

 

[Fruitloop50]

As soon as we arrived we went to the dining tent for lunch. It was a set menu with ceasar salad for entree, and tuna with brown rice and avocado for main. The dessert was fruit salad. We both had the entree and main. The salad was good but the tuna dish lacked flavour.

We are hoping all the meals aren't a set menu.​

After lunch we were shown to our tent.

A short time later we used the toilet and it wouldn't flush. All the tents have walkie talkies as a means of communicating with the staff, so we used that to inform them about the toilet, and shortly after someone came to fix it. Much better than the silly whistle offered at the last lodge we stayed at.​

 

[Fruitloop50]

A bit later we went on a game drive and it wasn't long before we reached part of the migration. It was a bigger group than we had seen earlier with thousands of wildebeest and hundreds of zebras.

We stopped the car and watched them crossing the road in front of us. Many of them went in circles, crossing the road in front of us, then going along the grass on the side of the road, crossing the road again behind us, and going back to the front of the car again. We stayed there for quite a while just marvelling at the spectacle.


During the drive we saw a lot of birds including Marabou Storks, African White Backed Vultures, and Ruppell's Griffon's Vultures.



Also saw a few 'sausage' trees. The 'sausages' (fruits) can easily reach sixty centimetres in length, and are poisonous to humans, but the Masai use them for natural medicines.

 

[Fruitloop50]

Dinner is always served at seven o'clock. The entree was pumpkin soup and the waiter served it at the tables. Main course was a small buffet with rice, mashed potato, carrots and green beans, vegetable curry, kingfish in white wine sauce, beef fillet, and gravy. We had a bit of most of them. Dessert was Malva pudding with custard. Everything was really nice.

 

[Fruitloop50]

At half past five we had a wake up call when one of the staff members bought a cup of coffee and a biscuit to our tent, and at six o'clock we went to breakfast. There was quite a few hot dishes in the buffet including small wedges of omelette, scrambled egg, baked beans, and bacon.

At half past we left on an all day game drive, and had another beautiful sunrise to start the day.



We stopped at a hippo pool that had over one hundred hippos in it.



More of the drive

 

[Fruitloop50]

Next we saw seven female lions lying next to a tree, watching a long line of wildebeest and zebras walk past about fifty metres away. Every now and then they would pop their heads up and then lie back down inthe long grass so they couldn't be seen.

Occasionally one of the wildebeests or zebras would stray from the rest and move closer to where the lions lay in wait, but then quickly rejoined the rest of the herd.

When we stopped for lunch we thought we were going to get a boxed lunch like in the Mara, but were pleasantly surprised when Lazaro produced five big silver covered bowls.

When he took the lids off we could see they contained spaghetti, bolognaise sauce, salad, vanilla cupcakes and sliced fruit. There was also a tub of mixed nuts, and a bag containing chocolate bars and juice boxes. It was really good.
​

Afterwards it was back to more animals



Dinner was really good again. The soup was leek and vegetable. The mains included chicken, roast potatoes, vege curry, some vegetable sides and red pepper sauce. Dessert was passion fruit cheesecake.

 

[Fruitloop50]

Early in our drive today we saw a lioness lying next to a freshly killed wildebeest. A few metres away there was two more females feeding onthe carcass of another one.


Hot air ballooning is a popular activity in the Serengeti, and as we drove along we saw at least ten of them in the air.



More birds including this beautiful Starling



A 'candelabra' tree



Next we drove for ages without seeing anything, not even wildebeest. Lazaro told us that we are in an area of the park known to be frequented by cats, and yesterday a cheetah was seen here.

The grass is really long and it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. We weren't finding any needles today.

When we headed back towards camp there was more to see.

 

[Fruitloop50]

When we got back it was after one o'clock so we went to the restaurant for lunch, and once again it was a set menu. The entree was a beetroot salad with cabbage, onion, blue cheese and walnuts. The main was the same as the tuna and rice we had on the first day but without the avocado. The salad was good and the main was as bland as the first time we had it.

Dessert was tropical salad. We asked if they had any of the cheesecake leftover from last night's dinner, and they did, so we had that.


​

We didn't feel like a game drive after lunch so we just relaxed and snoozed until dinner time. There was no buffet tonight but a set menu that included two entrees. First was a vegetable spring roll with half a grilled pineapple slice, followed by carrot and cinnamon soup.

Main was a grilled pork chop with mash, veges, and a dijon mustard sauce. Dessert was a warm chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce. Everything was good as usual.

​