Great African Trek Week 6
Trip Start
Nov 24, 2008
1
94
98
Trip End
Oct 21, 2009
Where I stayed
Arusha, Ngrongoro, Serengeti, Nariobi
Masai Mara National Reserve,
Kenya
Monday, September 28, 2009
The 4x4s came for us at about 3pm and we loaded them up with our tents and bags. We drove two hours to get to our first campsite on the rim of the crater. On the way we passed through a town called Mtu Wa Mbu which means Mosquito River. That evening we piled on the mosquito repellent. The campsite was lovely and for the first time in a while we had dinner at a table and the bonus was we were served by waiters and didn't have to wash our dishes.
Great African Trek Week 6
The following morning we were up and on our way to the crater by 6am. We stopped at the top for some photos before descending down into it. There were three 4x4s. Alan and I were in the bigger one sharing with four others while there were five in each of the other vehicles. The view was spectacular and we were very excited about the day ahead. We spent the whole morning driving around the crater and we were rewarded with sightings of lions, warthogs, elephants, hippos, buffalos, zebras, gazelles, impala and luckily (but in the distance) a black rhinoceros. We also spotted many beautiful birds including Superb Starling, Kori Bustard, the rare Secretary bird, Glossy Ibis, Marabou Stork, Yellow-billed Stork, Great White Pelican and Black Kite. The Black Kite were flying around us at our lunch stop trying to nab unsuspecting tourists' lunches from their hands. Spotting the Rhino was pretty exciting as they are quite rare with only 20 or so living in the crater.
After lunch we headed out of the crater and to the entrance gate of the Serengeti National Park. It was about a two hour drive to the gate so we got out for a toilet stop and to climb the hill to the viewpoint. It was spectacular! Again! Soon we were back in the vehicles with the roofs opened up. We left the gate at about 3pm and drove into the park. We did our game drive until about 6pm and spotted many of the same animals that were in the crater
Great African Trek Week 6
. We had a fantastic time and towards the end of the evening we spotted a whole lot of trucks parked up so we headed over to see what they were looking at. It turns out that there was a leopard in a tree in the distance but we couldn't see it. Someone took a zoomed in photo and then zoomed in on it and we could just make it out. We didn't bother staying around too long as the leopard is a nocturnal animal and probably wouldn't move for hours. That night we camped in the middle of the Serengeti at an open bush camp. We were told that animals would walk through the camp during the night but many would walk around the outside of it. Still we had to be vigilant and if we wanted to go to the bathroom during the night we needed to flash our torches outside before leaving our tents and scan for eyes. Yellow eyes good, red eyes bad! No one drank much liquids after dinner and we all made sure to use the bathroom a few times before bed. The following morning we were up and off early again to do more game driving. We saw lots more animals and the scenery was amazing as the sun rose over the horizon. Many people were out in hot air balloons overlooking the sun rise over the Serengeti....expensive! We went back to the campsite for brunch before packing up the tents and heading off on a game drive on our way out of the park. We saw some pretty exciting stuff....cheetahs, spotted hyenas, black faced vervent monkeys, rock hyrax, Coke's hartebeest, Defassa Waterbuck, giraffes (including some babies-6 months old), ostrich, more lions and last but certainly not least, a leopard
Great African Trek Week 6
. It was in a tree right beside the road and this time we could actually see it with the naked eye. Soon we were racing out of the Serengeti then back around the crater rim and back towards our campsite in Arusha. I was sad it was over as it was one of the best things we've done on the trip. What a fantastic birthday present from my parents and God parents! Thanks again guys. That night we hit the campsite bar and had a few beers and a bit of a sing song. It was a great laugh and a late night.
The following morning we were due to leave at seven and for the first time on this trip we slept it out. We managed to get our tent down and grab a quick bite before the truck left. There were many hungover heads on the truck that morning. I wasn't feeling 100% but I was fine. That day we were driving from Arusha, over the border into Kenya and on to Nairobi. The road from Arusha all the way to the border was one of the worst roads we'd been on if not the worst. It was gravel, bumpy, pot-holed and soon many of us were feeling sick (partly because of the hangovers), including me. One guy even threw up out the window. We made it to the border before lunch but waited for ages to get our visas processed. After the border we stopped for lunch and then hit the road again
Great African Trek Week 6
. We finally got to Acacia campsite in Nairobi at about 5pm. That evening was the last one for many on our trip. It was also the last night with our crew as we were to join another crew for the last leg into Uganda and back. We had a meal in the campsite bar and then had a few drinks and finally hit the Rhino Club next door for a bit of a dance. It was a crazy night that finished with us locked out of the campsite at 4am. The lads had to hop the gate to get the guard to open it.We were a little tender the next day at breakfast. After breakfast it was time to say goodbye to some including the crew. I was a little emotional as I hugged them. The crew were awesome and after six weeks with them we'd really formed a great friendship. For the rest of the day we organised ourselves for the next part of the trip...washing clothes, re packing the bags and wrapping up our wooden carvings to leave at the campsite until we're back after the two weeks. That night six of us had booked a table at a restaurant called Carnivore. This restaurant was voted in the top 50 restaurants in the world. We arrived at the restaurant after seven and on the way to our table we walked past the 'kitchen'. There was just on open fire with a huge extractor hood over it and lots of animals rotating on spits. When we were seated a guy came over to make us 'Dawa' cocktails which are made of vodka, honey, lime all stirred with some sort of bamboo stick
Great African Trek Week 6
. It was strong! There was no menu, the waiter simply asked were any of us vegetarians. None of us were. We were brought soup as a starter and then a two tiered rotational rack was place in the middle of the table with many sauces and salads on it. A singular roast potato was put on our plates and then the meat started coming. Some staff are 'carvers' and there sole purpose us to go around the tables with sticks stacked with meat and offering them to each person. For example they bring over a whole turkey on a stick, place the stick upright on your plate and then hack off a chunk of it. Each waiter had a different meat. We had pork and beef sausages, lamb, beef, pork, ribs, chicken wings, ostrich meat balls, turkey, and chicken giblets(gross!). We had a few rounds of each and after an hour of non stop eating we were all pretty stuffed. The last man standing was Andreas from Germany so he got the honour of taking down the little flag at the top of the turntable which indicated we gave up. Funnily enough dessert was included in the meal so even though we were full we all ordered a little something. Thankfully they had sorbet which was well suited to the bellys. The bill came and we had no idea how much the set meals cost. It was a lot but worth every penny!!! We went straight to bed when we got back to the campsite and slept like babies.The next day was Sunday and the beginning of the third stage of our trip
Great African Trek Week 6
. We left the campsite just before 8am and drove to a hotel in Nairobi city centre where we picked up the new passengers. There were eight of us staying on (four of us all the way from Cape Town) and we picked up another 18. There were 26 of us on a 30 seater truck. Not quite as comfortable as we were used to. It was overwhelming for us and I was sure I'd never get to know all of these people. (That was six days ago now and I've managed to get everyones names and little bits about each person). We left the hotel after a lot of hanging around and stopped at a look out over the Great Rift Valley late morning. It was amazing. Geologists say that in a few million years East Africa will separate away from the main continent at this point. We drove for the rest of the afternoon to get to the Masai Mara National Park. We set up camp which lucky for us did not include putting up tents since they had permanent tents there with actual bed in them. We were chuffed because we were due to stay for two nights. We had a few beers that night and tried to get to know some of the new group. On Monday morning we had an early start as we were game driving in the park. Almost the very first thing we saw was a dead cow, partially eaten, and a few yards away was a female lion. It looked like she hadn't killed it long ago as she was still panting. After a few minutes she went back to the carcass and began feeding again
Great African Trek Week 6
. We watched for ages. It was gross but pretty cool at the same time. For the rest of the day we saw pretty much the same as we'd seen before but just in smaller amounts as the migration has started and many animals have left for the Serengeti which is just over the border in Tanzania. We happened across two male lions which was pretty exciting as we hadn't seen any yet as they usually sleep for 18-20 hours a day. They were only teenagers so they didn't have the full mane of hair but we were thrilled.At lunchtime we stopped near a river for lunch. There were guides there with guns who escorted us to the bush for a toilet break. After we had eaten the guide brought us for a walk along the river to see the hippos and crocs. He told us a bit about how to respect the animals etc. We saw some elephants further along the river so our guide brought us closer to see them. We had to keep very quiet. The guide showed us a path that led down to the river and told us if we were charged by the elephants that we should run down it. We crept up to the elephants which were drinking and bathing in the river from the opposite side of the bank. We got some photos and were told to move back once we'd done so. I was standing at the back of the group and Alan at the front (nearest the elephants) when one elephant seemed to notice us and began coming towards us. The guide told us to run. We sort of jogged and looking back I could see no one seemed worried
Great African Trek Week 6
. Then the elephant let out an almighty roar and we ran for our lives. I went to run down the path we'd been shown but the guide told us to just keep running. Soon we were in the clear and it was then that we noticed our guide's gun had fallen open and dropped the bullets. We could have been in a very sticky situation. That excitement over we spent the rest of the afternoon on a game drive. We didn't do anything exciting that night as we had an early start the next morning.We took a lot of photos that we would love to post but would take days to upload from here. We chose a small selection which we hope to include with this entry should we find a fast enough connection. If not we'll show you the pics when we're home.
