East Africa, Victoria Falls and Madagascar

[Fruitloop50]

This morning we had a bit of a sleep in and while we were sitting on the front porch of our tent we watched a hot air balloon floating by.



Because our breakfast was later than normal we could have eggs cooked to order, so we had some nice scrambled egg and an omelette.

Afterwards we drove back to the airstrip. Check in and boarding was a schemozzle but luckily Lazaro stayed with us until the check in was finished. Our names weren't on the list for the flight so we gave them our phone with the tickets on it.

Another guy then took the phone somewhere else and came back about fifteen minutes later, and then it was another five minutes until we were given a boarding card. The card didn't have our names on it, it was just a laminated piece of coloured cardboard.

Before he left, Lazaro gave us each a lunch bag from the lodge. It contained a tub of pasta with sauce, a vanilla cupcake, some mixed nuts, an apple, a juice box and a chuppa chup.

At five to eleven we were called to board our flight. As we walked towards the plane there was a man ticking names off a printed list. Our names didn't appear on it, then the man just ignored us and started ticking off the names of other passengers behind us.

A couple of minutes later we told him that we could see our bags being loaded onto the plane and he just said 'okay', and let us on. It is another Auric Air flight and is on the same little plane as last time. After one stop on theway, we landed at Kilimanjaro Airport at ten past twelve.

We had a day room booked at the Kia Lodge (the same hotel we stayed at a few days ago) because our flight to Zanzibar isn't until later tonight.

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was a set menu with two or three choices for each course, except for the soup which only had one.


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We had the brushcetta, soup, beef, pork, and both desserts. The soup was nice but everything else was barely average, and the brushcetta was awful.

 

[Fruitloop50]

Our original Air Tanzania flight was supposed to leave at twenty past eight, but a few days ago we received an email advising that the flight would now leave at nine thirty. When we got to the gate the tv screen had the flight listed as departing at eleven. We had no idea what was going to happen.

It ended up taking off at twenty past ten. The plane is a Dash 8 with seats in a two by two layout. For a snack we were given a small packet of cashews. It landed in Zanzibar an hour later.

We didn't want to deal with taxi touts late at night so we had pre booked a taxi through the hotel.

We are staying at the Zanzibar Palace Hotel, located in Stone Town. It is a typical Zanzibari building and was built around 1890. Originally a house, it has had many uses since then before becoming a hotel in 2005. It is beautiful inside and most of the fittings and furniture are authentic. The owner is a lovely Italian lady called Daniela.



Our room



The only problem with the room was the traditional Zanzibari bed. The bed is so high that we struggled to get into it. We aren't very tall and the top of the mattress is about about a metre from the floor. Watching MrF trying to get into it was very entertaining ​

We asked Daniela if she had a small step or stool that we could use to help getting in to the bed. She said she used to have one but it broke before Covid and she hadn't got around to replacing it yet.​

 

[kpc]

Your lovely Serengeti photos remind me fondly of our trip last November Did you do the hot air balloon? After a lot of hesitation , we coughed up the US$600 each to do it....it was OK for me as I'm scared of heights but +1 loved it!

Why did you not fly straight from Seronera airport to Zanzibar without the stopover in in Kilimanjaro?; we flew direct..... the taxi touts at Zanzibar airport were aggressive but we told them we knew the official price so if they wanted our business, that's what we were willing to pay...they accepted it in the end...it took 2+ hours to get to Nungwi Beach where we stayed 2 nights before returning for 3 nights at Stone Town. I think our itineraries were not too dissimilar but we didn't go to Kenya, Victoria Falls or Mauritius.

We need to go back to visit Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia! Next month, we are going to Namibia, Botswana and Vic Falls

 

[Fruitloop50]

Breakfast at the hotel was included and was a tiny buffet. Also a basket of bread, pastries and cake was placed on each table, and there was a menu with a variety of cooked dishes to choose from.

StoneTown is a rabbit warren of streets and tiny lanes. With a paper map from the hotel, and google maps, we were able to find our way around reasonably well.

There are hundreds of small shops and stalls selling all sorts of things, and there is a lot of people about.


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We went to the Darajani market and then made our way to the Anglican Cathedral and Slave Memorial.



First we went inside the cathedral and our guide told us about the history of the slave market. Stone Town was host to one of the world's last open slave markets, presided over by Arab traders, until it was shut down by the British in 1873. The slaves were shipped here in dhows from the mainland.

Once a week the slaves were led outside, tied to a tree, and whipped. Those who did not cry or faint fetched a higher price at market. The former whipping tree is marked at the altar by a white marble circle surrounded by red to symbolise the blood of the slaves.


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The cathedral was built a few years after slavery was abolished and was the first Anglican cathedral in East Africa. In the grounds of the cathedral is the moving Slave Memorial, depicting five slaves carved from rock, standing in a pit below ground level.



A nearby building houses the East Africa Slave Trade Exhibit with a lot of information about the history of the slave trade. In this building we went down into the basement, into the former slave chambers where slaves were imprisoned before sale, with little air and no food or toilets.

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[Fruitloop50]

Today we went to the Arab fort. It was built between 1698 and 1701 on the site of a 16th century Portuguese church, by a group of Omani Arabs who had gained control of Zanzibar in 1698.

In the 19th century the fort was used as a prison, and criminals were executed or punished here. In the early 20th century it was also used as a depot for the railway line which ran from Zanzibar Town to Bububu.

The walls and towers have been renovated but there isn't much left inside. The inside walls are lined with small shops selling clothing, souvenirs and art. In 1994 a section was turned into an open air theatre with seating in amphitheatre style. The theatre is used for performances of contemporary and traditional music, drama and dance.


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Afterwards we walked to the Freddie Mercury Museum, located in the house where he lived for the first eighteen years of his life with his family, before they emigrated to England. There is a lot of photos and information about his childhood, education, and about Queen.

 

[Fruitloop50]

Next we went down to the waterfront. There are lots of old dinky timber boats and lots of touts wanting to take us in those boats to one of the nearby islands.



Along the waterfront here is Forodhani Park, located opposite the fort. The gardens were originally laid out in 1936 to commemorate the silver jubilee of Sultan Khalifa, and there is a small domed podium in the centre where a brass band would play. There is a street food market here at night but we didn't visit it.



We had dinner at the hotel restaurant. MrF chose from the 'authenticZanzibar' items on the menu and had 'chipsi-mayai', which was described as 'fries and eggs in a typical Zanzibar style'. It wasjust an omelette with chips mixed through the batter, and he enjoyed it. I had some nice grilled king fish.

 

[Fruitloop50]

Our Precision Air flight to Nairobi isn't until this evening so we booked a late checkout and just hung around the hotel relaxing.

We have another flight in the morning, from Nairobi to Zambia, and when we were checking in at the airport the lady said she would check our bags straight through to Zambia. But we don't want that we told her. Why not? she asked. Well, because it's tomorrow morning and we need our stuff tonight we told her.

She didn't seem to understand why we would want our luggage and made us write our details down and sign a piece of paper saying we wanted our luggage back when we got to Nairobi. The two flights are with two different airlines, and booked on two separate tickets so we didn't really know what she was on about.

While we were standing there another staff member came over and asked MrF if his walking stick could be folded up. Yes, he replied. Can you show me? said the man. So MrF had to fold it up and then put it back together again so he could use it!

Our original flight was due to leave at twenty past five, but like many of our flights on this trip, we received an email several days ago saying it would now be leaving at a different time, twenty five to seven. The email also said that it would be arriving at five to seven in the afternoon, the next day ie. over twenty four hours later.

We were hoping this wasn't the case.

Before we left the hotel Daniela asked us who we were flying with. When we told her Precision Air, she just smiled and said their name is a misnomer since they are anything but precise. ​

The flight took off at five to seven and it is on another ATR 42/72. We had the same seats as last time in row four, and again boarding and deplaning was done from the rear door. We were given a packet of cashews for a snack.

At half past eight we landed in Nairobi, and went back to the HiltonGarden Inn. We really like this hotel, and this is our third and last stay here. It is really clean, the rooms are modern, the showers and air conditioning are good, the wifi works well, and everyone is friendly and efficient except for the one numpty we had the other day.​

 

[Fruitloop50]

Unfortunately there is only one direct flight to Livingstone, and it leaves at seven thirty in the morning so we had to get up at half past four today. The flight is with Kenya Airways on a Boeing 737 with the seats in a three by three layout. It is half empty and we have a row of three seats to ourselves. It took off at twenty to eight.

A hot breakfast was served but we had eaten at a cafe in the airport so didn't have anything. We landed in Livingstone just over three hours later at quarter to ten local time.

We are staying at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort, a twenty minute taxi ride from the airport. We had booked a standard room and when checking in we were told we were upgraded to a suite.

Our room



The grounds


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[Fruitloop50]

Your lovely Serengeti photos remind me fondly of our trip last November Did you do the hot air balloon? After a lot of hesitation , we coughed up the US$600 each to do it....it was OK for me as I'm scared of heights but +1 loved it!

No, too scared. Quite a few of the other people staying at the camp did it and said it was fantastic, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Why did you not fly straight from Seronera airport to Zanzibar without the stopover in in Kilimanjaro?; we flew direct....

My research for the trip wasn't as good as I thought it was

We need to go back to visit Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia! Next month, we are going to Namibia, Botswana and Vic Falls

Have a great trip

 

[Fruitloop50]

After settling in we walked down to the bottom of the grounds where there is a gate to exit the hotel. Then you just have to cross the road to enter the National Park.

There is an easy mainly flat path to walk on to get to various viewpoints to view the falls. First, a statue of David Livingstone.



Then some great views




A view of Victoria Falls Bridge with the Knife Edge Bridge in the foreground
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Then the walk to the Knife Edge Bridge. This path was also easy but did have a number of steps.



Another view of the Victoria Falls Bridge



Knife Edge Bridge



The view from the bridge


When we got back to the hotel we had a late lunch. Fish and chips, and a burger, both nice. It wasn't very busy but service was pretty slow.

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[Fruitloop50]

Later that afternoon we went on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. For snacks we were given a bowl of nuts followed by a plate each with a couple of samosas, an empanada, and some sweet and sour chicken.

 

[Fruitloop50]

Breakfast was the best buffet we have had so far. As well as a good range of hot and cold items, there was eggs and waffles cooked to order. Best of all was delicious scones straight from the oven, with jam and cream.

Today we were going to visit the Zim side of the falls. First we exited the gate at the bottom of the hotel grounds, and from there we caught a taxi for the short drive to Zam passport control booth.​

After getting our passports stamped we got back in the taxi and drove over the Victoria Falls Bridge to the Zim passport control booth. After buying our visas we walked a couple of hundred metres to the entrance of the Victoria Falls National Park.



There is a sealed path, mostly flat, that mainly follows along the edge of the falls with sixteen different viewpoints along the way.

 

[Fruitloop50]

When we had finished we walked to the Victoria Falls Hotel for a late lunch.



We ate on the terrace at the rear of the hotel and there was a great view across to the falls in the distance.



The food was delicious, spag bol and grilled seabass.



Afterwards we caught a taxi back to the Zim border post, and then another taxi to the Zam border. The process was very easy and there was no problem getting taxis in Zim or Zam.

At dinner time we weren't very hungry so went to the hotel restaurant just to have dessert and a hot chocolate each. The first dessert was a mille-feuille with chocolate custard that was served with orange ice cream. The pastry was not at all flaky and really dense, the custard filling was plain and not chocolate, and was virtually non existent, and the ice cream had no orange flavour.

The second was a brownie topped with a dome of chocolate mousse and covered in a chocolate glaze. It was served with a berry sorbet. Unfortunately the brownie was dry and the mousse not very good. However the sorbet was really nice as were the hot chocolates.



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[Fruitloop50]

After checking out we caught a taxi to Livingstone where we had one night booked at the Fawlty Towers Hotel, located on the main street and in the town centre.

The room is really basic but it costs a fraction of the price of the Avani, and it is within walking distance to the Livingstone Museum which we wanted to visit. When checking in we were informed that there is no power between noon and 6pm everyday due to load shedding.

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Next we walked to the museum. Out the front is an old plane, a deHavilland Chipmunk, used in WWII by the British Air Force. It was later purchased by the Zambian Air Force to train their pilots after the country gained independence in 1964.

There is also a statue of David Livingstone, and a bust of Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president after independence.

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It wasn't a very big museum but it was interesting and we think worth visiting. As well as a lot of information about Zambia, there is a section about David Livingstone with a lot of memorabilia and information about his life.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a cafe for something to eat, a nice toasted sandwich each.



Downtown Livingstone

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[Fruitloop50]

Breakfast at the hotel was included. There wasn't a buffet but a small selection of hot food to choose off a menu, and it was quite tasty.

Our flight to Jo'burg is with Airlink, on an Embraer 190 with seats in a two by two layout. It took off twenty minutes late at a quarter to two. A boxed lunch was served with two choices and we had one of each. One was beef pastrami with pasta in a creamy orange sauce, and the other was smoked chicken with penne pasta. Each box also had a small packet of chips, and a piece of nougat. They were actually pretty good.

We are staying overnight at the City Lodge Hotel, a five hundred metre undercover walk from the terminal.

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For dinner we went to the hotel restaurant. There was a choice of a la carte or a buffet, and we chose the buffet. With hindsight we should have ordered off the menu!

There was one soup, about half a dozen mains, a roast beef carvery, some vegetable sides, and salads. We both had the roast beef with veges but there wasn't any gravy. It wasn't all bad though, the Malva pudding and custard was delicious.

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[kpc]

We are staying overnight at the City Lodge Hotel, a five hundred metre undercover walk from the terminal.

View attachment 395951View attachment 395952View attachment 395953[/JUSTIFY]

For dinner we went to the hotel restaurant. There was a choice of a la carte or a buffet, and we chose the buffet. With hindsight we should have ordered off the menu!

There was one soup, about half a dozen mains, a roast beef carvery, some vegetable sides, and salads. We both had the roast beef with veges but there wasn't any gravy. It wasn't all bad though, the Malva pudding and custard was delicious.

View attachment 395954View attachment 395955View attachment 395956​

We are also staying here overnight next month enroute to Windhoek.

Bathroom looks a bit basic.

 

[NSun]

Nice trip report. It brings back memories of my own Safari trip earlier this year - looks like you saw even more wildlife than I did.

 

[Fruitloop50]

The next morning we caught an Airlink flight to Madagascar. It was the same type of plane as yesterday's flight, and the lunch boxes served were the same. It took off ten minutes late at ten past ten and landed in Tana just under three hours later.

There was quite a queue at immigration but there was a priority queue for 'elderly persons' so we used that one. We paid 10 USD each for our visas and then walked past the booth to where there was another line along the back wal,l queuing up to see a lady sitting at a table. An official motioned for us to go straight to the exit, bypassing this line, so we did.

Just after we walked through the exit another official called us back, and took our passports and gave them to a policeman at another booth. The policeman asked us to pay another $10 each and we told him we had already paid at the first booth. He said twice more that we had to pay, and we kept telling him that we already had.

Next he stuck the visas in our passports and then gave them to someone in the adjacent booth for her to stamp. We didn't even realise that the visas weren't put in our passports at the first booth where we paid We should have paid more attention.

We headed for the exit again and another official there asked us where we had come from. We told her Jo'burg, and she said that meant we had to join the queue for the lady sitting at the table. We told her we had only stayed overnight at the airport so she let us through.

I don't think we did enough research on the arrival procedure at this airport.

We were met at the airport by a driver who drove us to our hotel, the La Varangue Boutique Hotel. There are some beautiful vintage cars parked out the front and a lot of antiques adorning the walls of the common areas.​

In addition to the usual amenities provided in the bathroom was these



Went for a walk around the area near the hotel


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[Fruitloop50]

We went to the hotel restaurant for dinner and the food and service was excellent. An amuse- bouche of salmon mousse and 'vegetable cake', beef bourgignon with mashed potato, and fillet of grouper with a tomato sauce and confit lemon.

Dessert was a shortbread biscuit topped with white chocolate bavarois and chocolate discs

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[Fruitloop50]

After the lovely food we had in the restaurant last night we were looking forward to the buffet breakfast but were a bit disappointed. There was only a small selection of items with eggs cooked to order. There was no water to drink and when we asked for it we had to buy a bottle.

After breakfast we were picked up by our driver/guide for the next week, Ravo, and headed off on our drive to Andasibe, 140km east of Tana. The first part of the drive was quite flat but later on the terrain became became very hilly and the road very windy.

The road is quite narrow, barely wide enough to fit two vehicles side by side, and there are also a lot of people walking along the side, and many riding bicycles as well. At one stage we saw a teenage boy who appeared to have been just knocked off his bike by a truck, but fortunately he appeared to be okay. Because the road is in such a poor condition, and full of pot holes, the drive usually takes aboutfour hours.

The locals eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so there are rice paddies everywhere. Many of them are no longer under water as the growing season has finished, and have been planted out with other crops such as peas and carrots. There are also quite a few of what we thought were cows in some of the fields, but Ravo told us they are mostly hybrids of cows and zebus, a type of cow with a hump.

On the way we stopped to visit Madagascar Exotic, a privately owned reserve featuring a collection of reptiles and amphibians. First we went into a large enclosure that had many different chameleons inside. They ranged in size from about one to three feet in length, though their tail accounts for about half of their length. Their colours were all very different with some being really well camouflaged, and others not so much.

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The keeper fed some of them by holding a stick with a cricket on the end of it. Their tongues were really long.

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