I have waited a lifetime for this - a trip to Africa, especially Tanzania and the wait was finally over this month. Ever since I watched "Gods must be crazy" and "Beautiful people" back in the '80s I knew that if there was one place I wanted to visit it was Africa. So 10 years back, my husband and I booked ourselves on a Serengeti Safari. A few months before the trip I found myself pregnant and in no condition to travel and had to cancel. The last 10 years has been a lot of fun thanks to the third member of the family, and we were waiting for her to grow up before we decided to try Tanzania again. Second time was the charm for us.
When we first let people know we were going to Tanzania we elicited many responses
There were also questions about affordability. This is certainly a trip that is worth saving for and can be achieved with a little bit of planning and prioritization. I have always believed accumulating experiences is better than accumulating material goods.
Tanzania turned out to be everything we dreamed of, and nothing that we dreaded about. Also called as the Switzerland of Africa, it is amazing to see a country with a colonial past, one that is surrounded by so many conflicts, populated by 120+ tribes remain a multicultural, peaceful hub. The people are one of the friendliest, and the language Swahili which unites all the different tribes liberally borrows from other languages especially Indian ones (Bajia, Dhukan, Kitabu, Shukran for starters). A large number of Gujarati settlers from West Coast of India arrived as businessmen in the East Coast of Africa and their influence is seen everywhere.
Although we never got to visit a Masai Boma, we were lucky enough to interact with a few Masai warriors who guarded our camps with spears and also with some of our guides who hail from the Masai ethnic group. Some of them still "keep the culture" while others have let go. We learned from them that cattle fights are mostly things of the past, Masais are taking to cell phones, they are somewhat reluctantly sending their kids to school and are trying to deal with change as best as they can. One of our guides recommended a book called "Is it possible" which addresses the challenges faced by Masai in finding a balance between tradition and modernity. As we were told that taking a picture of the Masai without some kind of compensation was akin to stealing their soul, I refrained from taking pictures except for the one long distance shot. Although not one to pay attention to clothing and jewelry even I found it hard to not admire their Shuka and the long ear rings that adorned the women.
I realize that the phrase Benevolent Dictator is an oxymoron but from everything we heard about President Nyerere he seems to fit the phrase to a T. After 20 years in office he left the country with strong social gains, albeit in poor financial shape. If today Tanzania is renowned for its conservation and for its national parks then Nyerere deserves some credit for that. We also learned a bit about the conflict between Kenya and Tanzania along the borders between Serengeti and Masai Mara. Animals of course don't know borders and migration happens seamlessly between the two countries although Tanzania has the largest area of the Serengeti under its control.
June is a great time to visit Tanzania. It marks the beginning of the cool, dry season and while Ngorongoro region is quite chilly in the night time, the overall weather was very pleasant. It is also the mating season and we were treated to some amazing courtship dances and child rearing scenes from the animal kingdom. Babies were everywhere - from Egyptian geese chicks, to elephant calves, lion cubs, baby hippos. It touched my heart to know that there exists a place in this world for hundreds of thousands of animals to live and bring up their young without too much human infringement.
Preparing for the trip included making sure we were up to date on shots and also getting additional shots for Yellow Fever and Typhoid. Anti-Malarial tablets were prescribed and some of us took it and others didn't. Citronella was the "perfume" of the day to keep the Tse tse at bay. We are happy to report that we were not haunted by mosquitoes, and the Tse Tse were easily manageable and most of the times hardly noticeable. We were asked to drink bottled water everywhere and at the camp sites reminded to "washy washy" before every meal.With these simple precautions we enjoyed a safe and memorable safari. As always I did my reading for the trip which included "Worlds of the Masai", "Out of Africa" and "The Tree where Man was Born". Also purchased a Wildlife guide for East Africa which came in extremely handy. A couple of trips to REI and we were all set!
We were promised luxurious, yet Eco-friendly campsites and they delivered on their promises. At first glance the camps reminded me of Buster Keaton's in "Battling Butler", and having experience it can safely say our camp and service would put Buster's Butler to shame. Flush toilets, solar lighting and hot showers in every tent redefined camping in the wilderness for us. Boxed and Picnic lunches were extraordinary not just because of their culinary value, but also because of the presentation and Eco-friendliness - steel tiffins, reusable cutlery, plates and cups and a Masai Shuka for tablecloth. Transportation was on Land Rovers with a convertible type roof and having spent a good chunk of 7 days on them I can safely say that these vehicles were designed for Safaris and can take on just about any terrain with aplomb! Our wake up call was "Jambo Jambo" and when the camp crew came to our tent to call out "Jambo Jambo" and hand us a jug of hot water to wash our faces we didn't have to nag our kids to wake up. They were out of their beds in a jiffy!
That's enough background for now and it's time to focus on the wildlife. Before I move onto Part 2 for a Day by Day highlights of our week long safari I have to mention a few words about our tour operator - Thomson Safaris
There are a number of options available if you want to choose from a local company in Africa. As this was our first visit to Africa and we were bound to have a lot of questions I picked a US based operator - Thomson Safaris. They are a slightly more expensive than the others, but are very experienced (30 years in Africa), with a long history in the region, and extremely reliable.
Thomson worked out splendidly for us. All their local Tanzanian employees have been with them quite long (4 years to 30 years). Everyone seemed very happy with their employer and this we could sense from the warmth and the service we received on the ground. The company is involved in many good projects in the community that we had a chance to check out (Aya Labe School, Sangha etc).
One of the safari goers had an emergency (appendix burst) and needed a surgery. He had to be rushed to Arusha, and was immediately operated upon. When he rejoined the safari we heard from him the kind of support he received on the ground from Thomson folks. We were very happy for that family and very pleased with our choice.
Thomson sends detailed checklists, action items including obtaining visa, shots, what to pack etc. So it was very easy to prepare for the safari. So they have our family's hearty recommendation.
OK now for Part 2 and the actual details of what we did in Tanzania.
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| Land Rovers and Safaris - Match made in heaven |
- Category 1: Those who thought we were outright crazy - isn't it the land of conflicts, Ebola and the notorious Tse Tse, not to mention haven't we heard of people being mauled to death by lions?
- Category 2:Those who had done this before and who told us we would be just fine and this will be the best thing we've ever done in our life
There were also questions about affordability. This is certainly a trip that is worth saving for and can be achieved with a little bit of planning and prioritization. I have always believed accumulating experiences is better than accumulating material goods.
 |
| Some of the warmest, diverse people we've met |
Tanzania turned out to be everything we dreamed of, and nothing that we dreaded about. Also called as the Switzerland of Africa, it is amazing to see a country with a colonial past, one that is surrounded by so many conflicts, populated by 120+ tribes remain a multicultural, peaceful hub. The people are one of the friendliest, and the language Swahili which unites all the different tribes liberally borrows from other languages especially Indian ones (Bajia, Dhukan, Kitabu, Shukran for starters). A large number of Gujarati settlers from West Coast of India arrived as businessmen in the East Coast of Africa and their influence is seen everywhere.
Although we never got to visit a Masai Boma, we were lucky enough to interact with a few Masai warriors who guarded our camps with spears and also with some of our guides who hail from the Masai ethnic group. Some of them still "keep the culture" while others have let go. We learned from them that cattle fights are mostly things of the past, Masais are taking to cell phones, they are somewhat reluctantly sending their kids to school and are trying to deal with change as best as they can. One of our guides recommended a book called "Is it possible" which addresses the challenges faced by Masai in finding a balance between tradition and modernity. As we were told that taking a picture of the Masai without some kind of compensation was akin to stealing their soul, I refrained from taking pictures except for the one long distance shot. Although not one to pay attention to clothing and jewelry even I found it hard to not admire their Shuka and the long ear rings that adorned the women.I realize that the phrase Benevolent Dictator is an oxymoron but from everything we heard about President Nyerere he seems to fit the phrase to a T. After 20 years in office he left the country with strong social gains, albeit in poor financial shape. If today Tanzania is renowned for its conservation and for its national parks then Nyerere deserves some credit for that. We also learned a bit about the conflict between Kenya and Tanzania along the borders between Serengeti and Masai Mara. Animals of course don't know borders and migration happens seamlessly between the two countries although Tanzania has the largest area of the Serengeti under its control.
June is a great time to visit Tanzania. It marks the beginning of the cool, dry season and while Ngorongoro region is quite chilly in the night time, the overall weather was very pleasant. It is also the mating season and we were treated to some amazing courtship dances and child rearing scenes from the animal kingdom. Babies were everywhere - from Egyptian geese chicks, to elephant calves, lion cubs, baby hippos. It touched my heart to know that there exists a place in this world for hundreds of thousands of animals to live and bring up their young without too much human infringement.
 |
| Dinner tents |
 |
| Tents that shame Buster Keaton! |
Preparing for the trip included making sure we were up to date on shots and also getting additional shots for Yellow Fever and Typhoid. Anti-Malarial tablets were prescribed and some of us took it and others didn't. Citronella was the "perfume" of the day to keep the Tse tse at bay. We are happy to report that we were not haunted by mosquitoes, and the Tse Tse were easily manageable and most of the times hardly noticeable. We were asked to drink bottled water everywhere and at the camp sites reminded to "washy washy" before every meal.With these simple precautions we enjoyed a safe and memorable safari. As always I did my reading for the trip which included "Worlds of the Masai", "Out of Africa" and "The Tree where Man was Born". Also purchased a Wildlife guide for East Africa which came in extremely handy. A couple of trips to REI and we were all set!
 |
| Picnic Lunches Safari Style |
That's enough background for now and it's time to focus on the wildlife. Before I move onto Part 2 for a Day by Day highlights of our week long safari I have to mention a few words about our tour operator - Thomson Safaris
There are a number of options available if you want to choose from a local company in Africa. As this was our first visit to Africa and we were bound to have a lot of questions I picked a US based operator - Thomson Safaris. They are a slightly more expensive than the others, but are very experienced (30 years in Africa), with a long history in the region, and extremely reliable.
Thomson worked out splendidly for us. All their local Tanzanian employees have been with them quite long (4 years to 30 years). Everyone seemed very happy with their employer and this we could sense from the warmth and the service we received on the ground. The company is involved in many good projects in the community that we had a chance to check out (Aya Labe School, Sangha etc).
One of the safari goers had an emergency (appendix burst) and needed a surgery. He had to be rushed to Arusha, and was immediately operated upon. When he rejoined the safari we heard from him the kind of support he received on the ground from Thomson folks. We were very happy for that family and very pleased with our choice.
Thomson sends detailed checklists, action items including obtaining visa, shots, what to pack etc. So it was very easy to prepare for the safari. So they have our family's hearty recommendation.
OK now for Part 2 and the actual details of what we did in Tanzania.
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