Tanzania

January 2014: So before moving to Kuwait, we hadn't even thought it was possible to go on an African Safari. Then in our first year, a few friends went. We can do that?? So in our second year, for our two week winter break, we were dead set on going to Tanzania. We are such last minute planners for trips, but this trip was planned months in advance. We did not want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And it is still at the top of our list for favourite trips. 

highlights

. Accommodations . Parks . Roy Safari . Food . ANIMALS

lowlights

. Raw Vegetables . Park Roads . Flies .

before you go

• Find a good tour company. We were recommended one company by some friends, but Trevor did a little more research and found a different one with amazing reviews. And it was the best. I highly recommend Roy Safaris. Our guide, Peter, was so knowledgeable, experienced, and hilarious. We had an amazing time with him. Your tour company will give you many different options of packages, and you decide which parks you'd like to visit, as well as the type of accommodation you want (cheapest, mid-range, or luxurious). I think we went with mid-range, and all of our accommodations were incredible. I hate camping, and yes we were in tents, but I would not call it camping. I guess "glamping" would be the right term. Also, you may be a little hesitant (we were a LOT hesitant) to wire thousands of dollars to a random bank that you've never heard of....but due to the amazing reviews of this company, we did it, and everything was fine. That's why I recommend finding a GOOD tour company.

• Get your Yellow Fever shot. We landed in Arusha, at Kilimanjaro airport, which is tiny, and before we could enter the terminal we had to show our yellow fever documentation. Don't forget this! I also think Americans have to pay a lot more to get into Tanzania. Update: I actually just read somewhere that you might not need to get the shot anymore...but just make sure before you go!

• Get some Malaria pills. I think my doctor gave me Malarone, and I had no side effects (I know some people have bad times with malaria medication). Trevor took a different one (can't remember the name) and had some crazy dreams. I think that's a common side effect with most malaria medication.

• Binoculars. We weren't going to bring any because we had a great camera with a giant lens, but we got a cheap pair just in case. And oh my god it was worth it. Our guide, Peter, had a really good pair of binoculars, but he was using them a lot to find the animals. So one of us was using the camera zoom to spot, and the other would look through the binoculars. It would have been really frustrating if one of us was left out of the spotting game.

arusha

We arrived in Arusha, and our safari guide, Peter, picked us up at the airport. This was the nice thing about our trip: it was completely organized from start to finish, so we didn't have to worry about getting from the airport to a hotel, etc... We arrived mid-day and our safari was leaving the next day, so we got to our hotel that the safari company set up (African Tulip hotel), and we basically passed out (we're not very good plane sleepers). We woke up, had some decent internet to watch the NFL playoff game that was on, then ate at the restaurant in the hotel and went back to bed. We did not explore Arusha that much (we were advised not to go out of the hotel gate and wander, at night anyways). The next morning we went to the tour company office to finalize everything, then we were on our way. The pictures above are some of the people we saw on the way out of the city.  

Tarangire national park

This was the first park we went to, and it was amazing. When people think of Tanzania and safaris, they think of the Serengeti. The Serengeti is incredible, of course, we'll get to that later, but there are SO many parks in this country, and they're all so unbelievably beautiful, different, and full of wild life. One of the great things about safaris is that the camping site (through the company), packs you a lunch for the day. You're literally driving around in a park all day, so obviously there are no shops to buy lunch, so halfway through the day we stop somewhere and eat our boxed lunches. I loved it. Anyways, before we even started our safari, we stopped at the edge of the park to eat, and already saw so many colourful birds, and a monkey sat on our car. Then as soon as we entered the park a giraffe crossed our path, and we saw a ton of impalas and warthogs (Peter always called them "pumbas"). Further on we saw elephants, a group of female lions, and two cheetahs going after a warthog (she got away)! Our campsite was also incredible. It was called the Tarangire Safari Lodge. Elephants were behind our tent, there was an amazing open-air lobby, a breathtaking lookout, and a huge tent with a toilet, sink, and shower (not to mention a giant bed). As we were hanging out, we saw a lion in a tree getting really close to the camp. It was pretty incredible seeing the campsite staff get just as excited about it as all the tourists. They see these animals all the time, yet every time one gets close it looks like they're seeing it for the first time. That just shows how amazing these animals are. Anyways, after a delicious buffet dinner, we had an early night. So we settled in bed, threw on the Lion King (no joke...there were multiple nights of this), then went to sleep so we could wake up for the sunrise. Which was freakin' incredible. All of the sunrise pictures you've seen on the website so far have been from this park. I think we woke up almost every morning to see the sunrise over the parks. Highly recommended. The next day we spent the morning driving around Tarangire, then left for Lake Manyara.

lake manyara

Lake Manyara was our second park on our 8-day safari. We wanted to go here because this is where all of the flamingoes hang out. Unfortunately, we were visiting during dry season, so there wasn't a lot of water (not near where we could drive anyways), so they were pretty far off and hard to see, even with binoculars. You could still see a lot of pink in the distance, which was pretty cool. But overall the park was still amazing. We saw a ton of baboons! Literally everywhere, and they all hung out by the road (or in the middle of it). Baboons are pretty funny to watch, so we spent quite a while here. There were also some very cool birds in this park. Our guide, Peter, had a GIANT book of birds, and said that he gets some customers who mainly want to see birds. So if you are a bird person, don't rule out a safari...the birds are pretty incredible here. Our accommodations were great here. We stayed at Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp. It was one of the more luxurious spots we stayed in. It had a pool, and we had a villa rather than a tent. It was beautiful, with flowers growing everywhere, a great view over the lake (which would be even better during wet season), and we watched an incredible sunset that night. 

in between parks

Yes, the parks were what we went to Tanzania for, but driving in between parks was just as exciting. There are wild animals everywhere, and lots of villages along the way. If you want to go to a Maasai village, you can add that to your package (or just tell your guide and I'm sure he would take you). I'm not sure how much you have to pay the Maasai people. Either way, keep your eyes out the window and enjoy the gorgeous views!

serengeti

This is where shit got real. We were here for two full days and 3 nights, and saw literally every single animal we wanted to. Every day, Peter would jokingly ask us "which animals would you like to see today?" Obviously seeing everything you want may not happen, because they're animals, and they wander. But we did see everything we asked for. We were so lucky, and I've included a lot of pictures in the slideshow above, because I can't narrow it down to just a few! Our campsite was the most like real "camping" on this trip, although it was still quite luxurious. It was called the Katikati Camp, and had big tents with actual beds. We had a toilet, sink, and a shower that you had to "order." Someone would come with a bucket of hot water and dump it into a tank outside your tent. Then you had to turn the tap off when lathering and scrubbing, because there wasn't a lot of water. The camp is like this because it has to move every 6 months or so, to preserve the grounds and ecosystem of the park. But still, it was a great place to stay right in the middle of the Serengeti! I've heard some people wake up to lion roars in the middle of the night, which is incredibly loud, no matter how far away they are. But sadly, we didn't hear any roars. At night, you had to be escorted from the eating area to your tent, juuuuust in case. I had someone escort me back so I could use the bathroom, and he kept pointing his flashlight into the bushes beside us, where you could see hyena eyes glowing. We woke up early one morning to see the sunrise, which again is incredible, and then headed off with our packed lunches and a couple of beers for another day of exploring. We saw everything from leopards, cheetahs and lions, to hyenas, hippos, ostriches, elephants and giraffes. The first day when we entered the park, we saw miles and miles of zebras and wildebeest right beside us, and running across the road. The Serengeti is massive, and we probably could have spent longer here and seen so much more. Many people take hot air balloon rides over the Serengeti, so that option is available if you are interested. Trevor is afraid of heights, and I was fine with exploring from the ground, so we passed on that. Last note....yes....we watched the Lion King every night we were in the Serengeti. I get goosebumps every time I see the opening credits now...because that is LITERALLY what you see out here in real life. 

Ngorongoro crater

We were able to explore the Ngorongoro Crater in a day. It's big, but not like the other parks, because it's a crater...duh. The crater has 4 different ecosystems in it, which is pretty impressive considering it's size. We stayed at a really nice lodge (definitely our fanciest accommodation) that overlooked the crater (I think most sites are around the crater rim and have a view). Our Ngorongoro SOPA Lodge had a pool, deck space to lounge, and a really nice dining room, with nightly performances. Our villa was really nice too. Our safari was, as usual, amazing. Most impressive was our rhino spottings. We saw a black rhino, and two white rhinos. They were my favourite to watch (along with giraffes). They are so massive in size, yet when they move, they look so light-footed and dainty. Scroll through the slideshow above for more animal pictures in the crater. On our last day in Ngorongoro, we decided to do a hike (Olmoti crater hike I believe). We also arranged this through our safari company before arriving. It was pouring rain so we didn't think we'd get to go (too muddy), but it stopped a couple of minutes after we arrived at the starting point. Now, to do a hike here, you need a little protection (there are wild animals everywhere), so we had a conservation officer (basically a guy in camo/military gear carrying a giant gun) as our guide. We didn't end up running into any animals, besides big groups of cows coming down the mountain as we were climbing up. And I wouldn't call this an easy hike (the last bit was so damn steep...we were not ready for it after sitting in a car for a week straight), but there was a beautiful view from the top and a nice waterfall (hiking to waterfalls is the best). That evening we were driven back to Arusha to catch a plane to the island of Zanzibar.

zanzibar

Zanzibar was the "relaxing" part of the trip. We only spent a couple of days here, because we wanted the majority of our time spent on safari (many people only do a 4-5 day safari, then spend more time on Zanzibar). The tour package we booked with Roy Safaris included a 3 night stay in Zanzibar at one of the hotels they are affiliated with. So basically everything was taken care of, which was nice. We had someone pick us up at the airport and drive us to our hotel (Blue Bay Beach Resort). It was a very nice resort, right on the beach, but we felt it was maybe more of an older crowd type of place. Then again, we aren't the type to stay on a resort all day and lounge. We tried! I think if we were to do this again we would book our own place on Zanzibar. If you are younger, there are some great hostels on Zanzibar that our friends have stayed at. We only had two full days there, so one day we went to Stone Town to have a look. That was very cool. The town is Muslim, and has lots of history and some really interesting architectural details. We first went to a museum where the slave trade took place. The museum had a memorial, and you can see the room where people were held before being shipped out. It's quite sad, and a little unexpected if you don't know the history. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the town. The town has really detailed doors on their buildings (Indian inspired), and we of course found the home where Freddie Mercury was born. The town has narrow streets, little shops, and great water views. I recommend getting off the beach for a day and visiting Stone Town if you are on Zanzibar. After another day of attempting to relax, we flew from Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam, and headed back to Kuwait.

random notes/tips

• The park roads are unpaved and BUMPY. So don't expect to be comfortable when driving down the roads. I was holding on to my seat handle the whole time just to try and somewhat stabilize myself.

• The food was delicious, but we didn't touch any raw vegetables (on the recommendation of more than one person...and Peter too). This was fine, our dinners consisted of a delicious creamy soup, a salad (which we declined), then some rice and meat. All very delicious.

• Expect everyone you come across to ask you for money. On the beach in Zanzibar - kids will run up to you asking for money (and they won't leave), and if you stop to take pictures or say "hi" to any of the children at the side of the road, you will have to give them some money.

• Don't get too political or push your views with the people here (including your safari guide).

• Going off my previous bullet point, these people love the Clintons and Obamas. Driving down the road there are carts that will say "Hilary Clinton shop," and the same with the Obamas.

• Peter said "hakuna matata" a lot. I'm not sure if this is a general fact about most people in Tanzania...but that's awesome.

• If you want souvenirs, your safari guide will probably know of one or two really good shops. Peter took us to a really big one, and we were there for a long time and bought way too much. I mean, who doesn't want a cool-looking spear? It was a great shop along the way, and you're able to haggle a bit with the prices (if you're buying a lot).

stories worth mentioning

1. The "scariest" part of our Serengeti portion was when we turned around in our seats and a monkey was sitting on the top of our open-roofed jeep. I think we had just been told how wild and unpredictable these animals are, so we kind of freaked out a bit. But he left eventually, and we continued on.

2. Another close encounter with an animal was in the Serengeti when a lion walked up to our jeep and stood right beside it, to get some shade. I'm not sure if I breathed for that minute. It was very cool staring down at her. I imagine we are in a lot of people's trip photos from that moment (there were a lot of jeeps stopped at the same spot).

3. We spotted a male lion and were watching it a bit from a distance, and noticed it was bleeding around its neck. Turns out, it got caught in a trap meant for a much smaller animal. So Peter called the scientists (?) who worked for the park, and they came pretty quickly to help him. 

4. Expats living in Kuwait always manage to find each other across the world on our holidays. We were eating dinner at our camp in the Serengeti, and we hear some familiar voices at the table next to us. Turns out, our friends from Kuwait were at our camp too! Super random.