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Mary at Planet Africa organized a fantastic safari for us and our two girls (11 and 12) at very short notice.
We visited Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Ndutu and Tarangire. The scenery and wildlife viewing was spectacular and varied. I particularly loved Ndutu and Tarangire, with their combination of acacia, baobab and sausage-tree savannah, lakes, rivers and swamps against a backdrop of distant hills and mountains.
Our guide Albert was outstanding and excellent with children. Like any guide worth his salt, his knowledge of Tanzanian bird and animal life verges on the encyclopaedic. He went out of his way to find great picnic locations; he arranged a little tour of a fantastic local market in Arusha and an encounter in a Masaii village at our request. He is also a very good Swahili teacher and the girls had great fun learning and being tested on all the animal names in Swahili. What we particularly enjoyed, though, was talking to him about his country, his people, family and friends, schooling, politics, language, culture… everything! I was very surprised at how different Tanzania is to neighbouring Kenya, where tribal conflict and armed guards are the order of the day. Tanzanians on the other hand are clearly a peace-loving people, which obviously enhances any visit to the country, at whatever level.
Staying at Rhotia and visiting the children’s home was a very rewarding experience. The location of the three tented camps we stayed in –Olakira, Dunia and Oliver’s- was spectacular and the atmosphere unforgettable. The staff, from camp managers all the way down to the mess boys, went out of their way to provide a truly memorable experience, and they are all brilliant with children. Also very enjoyable was having Albert and Oliver’s camp guide Alex join us for dinner. The camp ambiance really is just right, down-to-earth, friendly and very laid back, while at the same time providing top quality service and exquisite attention to detail.
As far as fly camping is concerned… just do it!
The only thing we would do differently next time round is to stay a minimum of three nights per tented camp, which is really the only way to really savour the experience and get your money’s worth.
The safari was organized in a very straight-forward and uncomplicated manner, especially considering the short amount of time available to put it together. Mary went out of her way to give us exactly what we were looking for. In fact, the safari was so good that we are already talking to Planet Africa about another trip for 2011, so we’ll keep you posted!
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