August
2011...we thought it is time again to visit East Africa. Our trip to
Masai Mara in 2009 made such an impact on us that since then wildlife
safari vacations have become an intrinsic part of our lifestyle. So
here we are all set to plan for yet another wildlife vacation almost
a year prior to actual travel date :-). I started surfing the
internet, read countless reviews on TripAdvisor and other travel
websites, talking to travel agent in an effort to arrive at our
PERFECT vacation planner. We chose Tanzania and Rwanda as prime
destinations for our trip; Tanzania of course to experience the
wildebeest migration and associate game around during this time
(July-August) of the year but Rwanda for an altogether different
experience – tracking the mountain gorillas in the wild on foot. It
all went well, loads of research, preparation, dreaming about things
to unfold -- what you call a true build-up:-). What I never knew at
that point of time was the arrival of little Abhishek who became a
part of my life since February this year. Focus shifted dramatically
for a good reason, so on 14th of July when I had to pack my bags, it
was a mix of emotions and excitement. On one side leaving behind the
little one with grandparents while on the other chasing my passion
was indeed a test of character.
There
was nothing exciting about our flight journey, everything was on
schedule and as planned. We received a warm welcome at Hyatt Regency
Kilimanjaro hotel on our arrival at Dar-es-Salaam (not to mention
about an hour's wait to get our bags at the airport !!). It is a nice
cosmopolitan hotel, overlooking the harbor and breathtaking views
from the rooftop terrace bar. Mukula and myself enjoyed the evening
with some local beer and food under a starlit sky - I would say a
perfect beginning of what promises to be a wildlife extravaganza for
the next 10 days. Back of our mind, little Googly (that's what we
call Abhishek) occupied a lot of our thoughts - it is no longer our
usual vacation !!
Early
next morning we headed for Ngorongoro Crater (http://www.ngorongorocrater.org/), our
first stop on Tanzania leg of the trip. It was almost a 10-hour
journey (with multiple stop-overs in between) before we reached our
camp, Lemala Ngorongoro (http://www.lemalacamp.com/ngorongoro.htm)
in early evening hours. Interestingly other than a troop of baboons,
we didn't see any other game during the first two days. We enjoyed
sundowners along with some other fellow guests exchanging stories as
evening/night sets in. Day 3 –
time for some real gaming. We were one of the first to descend down
the crater; our driver-guide Firoz (from Rangers Safaris) was
extremely knowledgeable about the crater and its wildlife. Fifteen
minutes into our game drive we were greeted by a pride of lions
including the two big males. Little we knew what is going to happen
next. We spent some time spending with the lions before heading off
to spot rhinos. Black Rhinoceros is one of the rare species in the
world today, there are very few (less than 100) remaining in the
wild. Given Ngorongoro Crater is a reserve, guides are familiar with
the territories that these animals reside. However, you cannot drive
off-road so your chances of spotting them is solely dependent on them
grazing in close proximity to the road. We were lucky to sight 2 of
them soon (mother and a sub-adult calf), but at a distance. While
enjoying the rhinos, hoping they will come near us for some nice
snaps we heard on the walkie-talkie that the big pride of lions we
left behind is behind a cape buffalo. We wasted no time and dashed
(max speed possible on dirt roads) back to spot, by when they
actually brought down the buffalo and started feasting. I have seen
lions hunting in the past but their eating frenzy is another
experience; the growling and snarling of lions, the more powerful
ones fighting for the best parts, the stench of fresh blood all
around, scavengers waiting for their turn.... definitely not for the
faint-hearted ! Throughout
the day with breaks for breakfast and lunch, we had many fascinating
game sighting including gazelles, elephants, hyenas, resident
wildebeest, lions mating, hippos, jackals, cape buffaloes, zebras,
ostrich, kori bustards, flamingoes on the soda lake and many,many
more. The other interesting sighting was that of a serval cat. Serval
cat is a very shy animal is extremely rare to spot in fact it is my
first time to spot one. We enjoyed the serval cat on a hunt, and it
succeeded in catching a snake. Overall it had been a fascinating day
at the crater.
On our
way back from the crater to our camp, we stopped at a Masai village.
It was an impromptu decision more on the advise of our guide Firoz,
but I must say we would have missed a part of this unique culture had
we not visited it. We were greeted by a traditional dance from the
Masai tribe followed by a tour of their village which means 25-30
huts huddled around a central small courtyard where they stock their
cattle. Liked one statement in particular from one of the “educated”
Masai (who can speak English): “My father has 18 wives. He doesn't
have a hut, but he moves around hut to hut every night and the kids
have to vacate the hut where he decides to spend the night with his
wife”. Really commendable to manage 18 wives.....
Read my
review of Lemala Ngorongoro camp on TripAdvisor.
http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g317085-d1182446-r137087320-Lemala_Ngorongoro-Ngorongoro_Conservation_Area_Serengeti_Region.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT
Next
on our itinerary was Serengeti. We picked up Northern Serengeti as
our preferred place, given the concentration of wildebeest migration
in that area during this time of the year. Our camp at Serengeti,
Olakira (http://www.asiliaafrica.com/olakira/)
is one of the superior mobile camps in the area and perhaps in the
whole of Serengeti. Fantastic – in one word ! Game drive was
superb, we had Baraka as our guide companion during all 4 days and
trust me, he has to be one of the best in the business given his
knowledge of the area, understanding animal behavior and uncanny
ability to spot animals. I saw a black rhinoceros in the wild after
29 years, and there are only 8 present in Northern Serengeti. From a
distance it looked like a stone even using binoculars, but that is
where the experience of your driver-guide comes to aid. Spotting
animals was fun, as the grass was still tall as the migration was
delayed and therefore requires some effort and patience to spot them
even though they are all around you in abundance. We saw all
including cheetah, leopard, plenty of lions, elephants, impalas,
waterbuck, giraffes, hippo, wildebeest, hyenas, gazelles (to name a
few) and a large variety of birds. Absolutely fascinating to watch
the lion cubs being so playful under ever observing eyes of their
mothers, while the father is far away resting under a bush - such a
nice happy and contented family.
But the most memorable experience of
Serengeti has to be the wildebeest river-crossing. It is difficult
to express in words: stunning scenes, absolute frenzy as the herd of
wildebeests start their crossing all of a sudden. Why and what
provokes them to do so is completely baffling, its a feast for
innumerable crocodiles in the river. We were lucky to witness the
first major crossing for this year, watched the crocs snatching one
gnu, while another one struggled to escape the jaws of death but
badly injured. Standing on the bank of the Mara river, watching the
herd of animals crossing the river I can certainly say that my dream
of several years fulfilled. Honestly I never thought of visiting
Africa and enjoying this wildlife spectacle even 5 years back.
Mukula
had been an excellent bird-spotter throughout the trip, pretty
impressive !! She must have spotted at least 20-25 species of birds
during the several game drives, indeed an excellent achievement. I
take pride in driving the safari vehicle, thanks to Baraka for
letting me do so. Not a bad effort altogether. Back at the camp, the
staff were outstanding, service was perfect and I don't remember ever
seeing so many stars in the night sky. Evenings were romantic,
sipping wine under the starlit sky and treated to some gastronomical
delicacies prepared and served by ever-willing and smiling staff at
the camp. For all my friends and fellow readers, Olakira is a must
for a Serengeti safari – it won't let you down.
Read my
review of Olakira camp on TripAdvisor.
Our last
and final leg of the Eastern Africa tour was Rwanda. Although our
main attraction at Rwanda was Mountain gorilla tracking, we were
pretty impressed with the country as well. Kigali is the capital
city of Rwanda, it is a nicely laid out city and what draws your
attention to is the cleanliness of the city. Given Rwanda's history
(genocide in modern era), it is hugely impressive the way the city
and in fact the country rebuild itself. A visit to the genocide
memorial at Kigali was an emotional affair, you don't enjoy reading
the narratives or the scenes depicted. We spent a night at Kigali,
before heading off to Ruhengeri, base town for the gorilla tracking.
The main base for gorilla tracking, Ruhengeri, is a small but
bustling market town situated 15km from the base of the Virungas.
Boasting a wonderful sub-montane setting, and an excellent range of
cheap to midrange hotels, Ruhengeri is an agreeable place to spend
the night before one goes gorilla tracking, as well as being the
obvious base from which to explore the little-known but compellingly
beautiful Lakes Burera and Ruhondo. We stayed at Virunga Lodge, which
is about approximately 30 minutes from the main entrance of Parc
National Des Volcans. The magnificent Virunga Safari Lodge, set on a
stunning hillside, has eight bandas with a panoramic view of the
Virunga volcanoes and the lakes Ruhondo and Bulera. The terraced
gardens on this high ridge are now well established, with a magical
sunken paradise garden as their focal point.
Nothing
can prepare one for the impact of encountering a fully-grown
silverback gorilla: up to three times as bulky as the average man,
yet remarkably peaceable and tolerant of human visitors. Nor are
these words to describe the thrill of recognition attached to staring
deep into the eyes of these gentle giants. Having said that,
tracking the gorillas takes some effort. The bush is thick with
stinging and burning nettles, the slopes of the mountains are steep
and muddy. But the hour you spend with the gorillas makes it more
than worth the effort. Groups get allocated based on your interest
to walk for how long, as well as your physical ability. We were
assigned a guide and a gorilla group Urugambe for our trekking
expedition. Our group of 7 had to trek almost for 2 hours, before we
had the first glimpse of mountain gorilla. The Gorillas were
amazing...unlike anything you will ever witness. Truly a once in a
lifetime experience that no words can explain. Still can't believe us
standing in front of a family of 8 gorillas, led by a huge
Silverback. In some cases, the young ones in a playful mood were
almost next to your feet less than a metre away. It's amazing how an
hour (that's exactly the amount of time you are allowed to spend with
the gorillas) passes by. An incredible, out of the world experience.
Read
my review of Virunga Lodge on TripAdvisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g317075-d661903-r140011952-Virunga_Lodge-Ruhengeri.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT
We headed
home the following morning with loads of happy memories. Don't know
when and where will be our next vacation but it has to be Africa
again, the wild beckons us. But right now, we look forward to
spending some quality time with little Abhishek, who needs our attention
the most. Hope to share the magic of the wild sometime again soon.
