The Details

Planning

We began planning this trip in February as a result of experiencing total and complete post vacation depresstion after the Galapagos. The bar had been raised. We wondered what possibly could compare to our adventure of a lifetime and if all future trips be a disappointments.

Because we both enjoy wildlife and photography, we decided on Africa. After a bit of internet research we settled on Safariline who recommended Kenya/Tanzania based on weather in December. We also decided on a private safari, meaning just Andy, me, and a driver/guide. Private safaris cost more than group itineraries/scheduled departures, but in retrospect this was money well spent. We could go where we want, when we wanted, and had the vehicle to ourselves (which is important when you spend most of your time on game drives).

Three months pre-departure we started the visa process. True, you can get them on arrival, but the last thing that I want to do after 20 hours of traveling is wait in line for a visa. Neither Kenya nor Tanzania have embassies in Chicago, so we had to mail our passports to DC and NY, respectively. Yes, we weren't wild about letting our passports out of sight, and not counting the month that they were lost in the mail (post office conveniently marked package as "nondeliverable - no such address" - and I guess it is easy to overlook a 1.5 million square-foot building that has been here for over 100 years and is an official landmark!), the process took about a week for each country.

Two months pre-departure we visited Northwestern's Travel Clinic. The first thing the nurse asked us was "Will you be climbing Kilimanjaro?" "Hmm, Not unless it's from the comfort of a Land Rover!" Yes, there were lots of shots - I needed 4, Andy needed 6. Yes, they hurt. We think this was covered by our insurance (i.e., we haven't received a bill yet) but otherwise would have been in the $400 range per person. We also got prescriptions for antibiotics and Malaria medication. You can read more about our visit to the travel clinic in the journal.

Around this time we also registered our trip with the US Embassy - so if there was an earthquake, or uprising, they'll know when and where to look for us. Overkill, yes, but you just never know these days.

Transportation

We used frequent flyer miles to get tickets from Chicago to Nairobi (70k points each). Even though we booked ten months ahead of time, the dates we wanted were already booked. Aargh! We booked what was available and were able to change it to the dates we wanted a few months later, and then two days before departure we were able to change to a more direct routing.

In Kenya we traveled in a pop-top minivan and in Tanzania we traveled in an old-ish Land Cruiser. While we were there we were convinced that our vehicle was the bumpiest, dustiest, and warmest and each road seemed to be worse than the last. I guess we forgot that we were, uh, in East Africa! After the first trip through Tarangire we decided that we needed to modify our expectations a bit. And take dramamine daily. And use the Fom travel cushions as barriers between body parts and vehicle parts. And avoid spending the entire day in the vehicle. And hope that the wild animals were napping with full bellies when we had to get out of the vehicle while a flat tire was being fixed. We had three flat tires in 12 days, but I guess that isn't TOO bad considering the roads and it never took long to fix them.

with Christopher in Kenya	during #2 of 3 flat tires in Tanzania	with Jaison at the Seronera air strip

Our well designed itinerary took us generally from East to West - meaning that the drives between parks averaged 3 hours every few days and when we reached the farthest point we flew (DEFINITELY money well spent). The flight to Arusha from the Seronera air strip in the Serengeti was on a small charter plane - a 12 seater with me sitting in the co-pilots seat. The flight from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi was a propeller plane on Kenya Air.

Packing

We like to travel light, well, light on clothing, so that we have more room for gadgetry. We did buy some new clothing for this trip, but because we shopped in the fall most of the stuff we wanted was in the outlet sections of Backcountry, Ex Officio, and REI.

Bugs

During our twelve days of travel, we went through almost two bottles of repellent. The lodges in Tarangire and Lake Manyara had mosquito nets over the beds, and we used them. We took repellent everywhere we went and reapplied often. As someone who usually gets eaten alive, I had remarkably few bites. Tse tse flies, however, don't seem to mind bug repellent.

Internet Access

We didn't have internet access at the tented lodge in Tarangire, or at the "Masai Village" in Lake Manyara. All of the Serena lodges had access, although it was painfully slow in Ngorongoro and not working at all in the Serengeti.

Food

The best food was at Kikoti in Tarangire and Kikoti tied with E Unoto Retreat in the category of presentation/atmosphere. We definitely weren't going hungry, but we certainly weren't gaining weight.

• Breakfasts were hearty and there was usually a station where they'd make scrambled eggs or omelletes. All places would make toast if you asked. You can't go wrong with toast and most places had really good homemade preserves.
• Lunches were decent at the lodges but if you were in transit or out on an all day game drive they would pack a boxed lunch. Theboxed lunch usually consisted of stuff that shouldn't be sitting in a hot car all morning - like cheese and mayo. All boxed lunches seem to be the same, regardless of park or lodge. We tried to avoid the boxed lunch as much as possible by doing one game drive in the morning and one game drive in the afternoon and returning to the lodge in between. Lunches at the lodge were buffets, and you could always find something to fill you up.
• Dinners were buffet style and always began with soup - very good and hearty soups like pumpkin, squash, and mushroom, and others like "essence of duck" and "bouilabaise" that I didn't try.

Weather

In a word, hot. Temps ranged from the 80's to over 100 ("but it's a dry heat") and of course there was no air conditioning. Performance clothing was key - there were several times when we both said, "I'm not nearly as uncomfortable as I should be in these conditions." It was slightly miserable in Lake Manyara, where the thermometer on my backpack read 104 INSIDE. Our room at E Unoto was lovely, but there was simply NO cross breeze. We actually slept with the front door open (we put a chair in the doorway to foil any intruders, human or otherwise). Andy also had a brief bout with heat exhaustion, and for a moment we thought we might have to use the Flying Doctors membership that was included in our trip cost. Note to self: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Helpful Swahili Phrases

• Jambo (hello)
• Bada ya Kazi (the Tusker beer slogan that means "after work")
• Habari Yako (How are you?)
• Missouri (Fine)
• Ne may ma lay zay (I am finished)
• Sawa sawa (ok)
• La la salama (good night)
• Asante san (thank you)