Day 01 - Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - Flight - Denver to Detroit to Amsterdam, Netherlands On the road and in the friendly skies again! Packing our bags for the Safari was interesting – it will be very warm during the day and cold at night in the African Bush. At 7:35 we said goodbye to our two cats and told them Mr. T. would be back to take care of them soon. They are really ...
Read Day 1!
Day 02 - Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - Flight - Amsterdam to Nairobi, Kenya Just as the sun was setting on Detroit we took off and headed north and east along the Canadian coast and out over the pitch black ocean. Our seats on the Airbus A330 were 38 A and B; carrying us and 250 other souls across the Atlantic on our 8 hour journey. A new sunrise greeted us over the North Sea ...
Read Day 2!
Day 03 - Thursday, September 17, 2009 - Nairobi, Kenya – Orientation Walk/Pre-Trip Join/Karen Blixen Museum/Giraffe Center/Bead Factory What a difference a good night’s sleep makes! Although our bodies are still on Colorado time, we were able to sleep until 7:30, trying to establish a routine so we do not have jet lag. We shared our breakfast table with Barikiel who gave us ...
Read Day 3!
Day 04 - Friday, September 18, 2008 - Nairobi/Lake Naivasha/Crescent Island Sanctuary/Elsamere Conservation Centre Today was overcast and a bit cooler; it was 69º and 78% humidity. There was some confusion with the bills and checking out so we were not able to get out at 8:00 as planned. It was 8:30 by the time we left the hotel and traffic was unusually heavy. We saw many people ...
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Day 05 - Saturday, September 19, 2009 – Lake Naivasha/ Lake Nakuru National Park We were awake and showered before our 6:00 wake up call came at 6:05. It was a knock on the door by a porter going around to each of our rooms. Because we are only 20 miles from the Equator, there are 12 hours of sun and 12 hours of darkness. As it began to get light we could see a herd of water ...
Read Day 5!
Day 06 - Sunday, September 20, 2009 - Lake Naivasha/ Overland to Amboseli National Park/ "A Day in the Life" of a Kenyan School There was no wake up call at 6:30 as promised, but we were up and ready to go at 6:15. The porters were there to collect the bags when I went out at 7:00 to pay the bill and upload the journal from yesterday. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the ...
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Day 07 - Monday, September 21, 2009 - Amboseli National Park/Game Drive/Afternoon At Leisure A very quiet little voice came to our tent this morning at 5:45 to wake us up. I took weather reading and found it to 62º and 69% humidity. We quickly showered and got dressed so we could see the sun coming up and shining on the few snowy peaks left on Kilimanjaro. The mountain is 5,895 ...
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Day 08 - Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - Amboseli/Overland to Tarangire National Park Our wake-up voice was outside of our door at 5:45 this morning. We began with breakfast and Barikiel and Leonard had the trucks packed so we could leave at 7:30. It was going to be a hot today. The temperature was 60º before the sun was up and it was 85% humidity. Today was a travel day so we ...
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Day 09 - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - Tarangire National Park/Game Drives With all of our tent flaps open we had a nice breeze off of the lake and we both slept well last night. I was out on the veranda talking photos of the sunrise when Gennie woke up at 6:00. We showered, checked the weather stats (68º/74%), and had our breakfast on the porch of the main lodge overlooking ...
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Day 10 - Thursday, September 24, 2009 - Tarangire/Overland to Ngorongoro Foothills via Mto Wa Mbu/Village Visit The sunrise was a beautiful shade of pink this morning when we woke up and heard the birds chirping. We were all happy to have another beautiful day! We were both up and ready when the porter came for our wake up greeting. Our bags were packed so the men took them right ...
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Day 11 - Friday, September 25, 2009 - Ngorongoro Foothills/Lake Manyara National Park/Game Drive When we woke up this morning at 6:30 it was 58º with 78% humidity. This farm is situated on an old coffee plantation with rolling hills and because of the altitude, almost a mile above sea level; we had a cool night’s sleep. When we were eating breakfast several members of the group ...
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Day 12 - Saturday, September 26, 2009 - Ngorongoro Highlands/Walking Tour Farm/Wairaqw Village/Overland to Ngorongoro Even though we had a free morning, we woke up at 6:15 and prepared for our day. The temperature was 65º and the humidity was 63%. It almost feels like summer in Colorado! As soon as the office opened at 7:00, we checked our mail for one last time and I sent the ...
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Day 13 - Sunday, September 27, 2009 - Ngorongoro Crater/Game Viewing The light was just peeking over the rim of the caldera when we woke up at 6:00. The valley below our room was unbelievably clear and up on the rim it was not foggy as it usually is. We were looking forward to a beautiful day on the Ngorongoro caldera floor. Bariki and Leonard had cleaned the trucks again and ...
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Day 14 - Monday, September 28, 2009 - Ngorongoro Crater/ Overland to Serengeti National Park/Oldupai Gorge Visit Today was a travel day; we drove into the Serengeti after leaving Ngorongoro crater. After breakfast the guys packed the trucks and we left the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge at 8:00. Right outside the gate of the Lodge, we saw a huge bull elephant and then two Cape ...
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Day 15 - Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - Serengeti National Park/Optional Dawn Balloon Ride/Game Viewing The first sound we heard this morning was at 5:45 when the porter came to bring us hot water for our shower. With the wind blowing and temperatures at 58º and 68% humidity, it was invigorating taking a shower out in the open air! We met our group for an early morning game drive ...
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Day 16 - Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - Serengeti National Park/Game Viewing This morning’s wake up call was an elephant trumpeting in the trees behind our tent! Gennie heard them during the night and worried because we did not have an emergency evacuation plan – old principals always think about group safety! After breakfast we thanked Victor, our Mobile Tent Leader and his ...
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Day 17 - Thursday, October 1, 2009 - Serengeti National Park/Game Viewing The zebra and wildebeest were munching and crunching along the side of our tent during the night. We knew there was no danger as I had spoken to one of the guards who all carry AK-47s to protect us from any really vicious critters! Gennie got up several times during the night just to check the noises and ...
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Day 18 - Friday, October 2, 2009 - Serengeti National Park/Fly to Arusha/Overland to Nairobi, Kenya to Begin Trip Extension to Victoria Falls This was our last day of the Kenya and Tanzania portion of the trip. It was the last day in a tented camp – and our last day with Bariki and Leonard. We were able to sleep in until 6:45. The porters brought the water for our showers – how ...
Read Day 18!