Trip of a lifetime in Kenya and Tanzania!
Tanzania
|
Oct 7 - Oct 18, 2024
Wow and Incredible
We had an amazing experience in Kenya and Tanzania. Stephan pulled together an adventure that was perfect for us! We saw everything on our Must-See list and more. The guides and lodging were all great. The transportation was safe and convenient. The welcome booklet from Stephan was so valuable. Because of it we had everything taken care of and had no problems in either country.
Kenya:
Stephan and our Guide/Driver Norman from Truly Swahili were at the airport to greet us when we arrived in Nairobi. On the drive to the 1st hotel, we went over the plan and discussed logistics. This was great so when we took off the next day for Lake Nakuru, we were ready.
Norman was our driver and guide while we were in Kenya. It was great to have the same person the whole time we were there. Norman was great, what a nice and caring person. He is also a great guide. He found so many birds and animals. It is amazing to watch him work. The number of small hidden birds he saw was incredible. We would have never seen as much as we did without him. We spent 2 full days on Safari in the park with Norman. We would do it again
Skynest Residences by CityBlue - this was an apartment/hotel which I really appreciated. We stayed here twice as we were going in and out of Kenya. The unit had clothes washing machine which was helpful. We did not have to pack for the whole time we were away. The people were all very friendly, the unit was clean and comfortable. The view from the roof of the building was wild. Nairobi is HUGE!
Sopa Lodge Nakuru - This is a beautiful lodge above Lake Nakuru. The views are incredible. The location is in the park, so our safari began when we woke up with Zebras just nearby. The room was clean and comfortable. Maggie and Mary in the restaurant took amazing care of us!!! They were so friendly! We felt welcome and safe the whole time
Cliff Lodge Sunrise Boat Safari. This was fun. We were treated to a boat cruise on Lake Nakuru. We were able to cruise the shoreline to find all sorts of different birds, and 100’s of Pelicans and Flamingos. It is an early start, so a delicious breakfast is provided. Milka really knew her birds and what we could expect to see. And the Milka/Suleman team were great together spotting everything!
Tanzania
This time we were met at the airport by Truly Swahili’s Irene and our guide Kaka. We met our driver Jambo the next day. More on Kaka and Jambo later! Irene went over the plan for our 8 days in Tanzania on the drive to the hotel in Arusha. This was great so we again knew what to expect.
Sanna Boutique Hotel in Arusha was quite nice. It had an amazing rooftop view, and we were just at the base of Mt. Meru. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Gofrery in the restaurant talked birds with us and made sure we were always ok! It was a good stay before the long drive to the Serengeti.
Kaka and Jambo our guide and driver. I do not think there is enough good to say about these 2 guys. They were a power team! Driving is long and challenging. Jambo got us where we needed to go every time. We were so impressed how he knew how to get around in the Serengeti. There are no roads or signs, yet we always arrived at our lodge at the end of the day. Jambo has crazy skills to be able to drive and find birds and game as we go. Then there was Kaka, he was joy to be around. He saw the positive in everything. And he also saw everything. He knew what was most important to us (birds) and took us to the places that had birds. He knew where a fig tree was that all sorts of bird life. Amazing! Both Kaka and Jambo listened to us, stopped the car when we asked and never rushed us to get going again. Both laughed easily and knew so much! We were able to enjoy the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater game drives to the fullest! The combination of being in Tanzania with Kaka and Jambo was incredible. I will want these 2 to guide me next time. Tanzania without Kaka and Jambo – I don’t think so!
The Acacia Seronera Luxury Camp was amazing. It was the iconic staying in a tent-cabin in the Serengeti. What fun. We heard lions from our bed the 1st night. That is not something that happens in the USA! The rooms were clean and comfortable. There were plenty of people to escort us to our room in the dark. So, we always felt safe! Mariska took care of us in the restaurant, and she was great! The lodge is doing a big update and from what we saw it will be even more luxury than it was for us!
Karatu Simba Lodge – we enjoyed this lodge a lot. It was also clean and friendly and safe. The rooms were very comfortable. Sitting on the deck looking over the hills and farms was beautiful! The meals were buffet style so there was lots of variety and all of it was very tasty!
A last minute add on to our trip was Lake Manyara Biking, Canoeing & Cultural Experience with lunch, instead of a second day in the Ngorongoro crater. This turned out to be one of the most memorable days of our trip. This one we went into not really knowing what to expect. Teresa from The Cultural Tourism Programme in Mto Wa Mbu was an excellent guide. We learned more details about the different tribes and their cultures and skills. We have the opportunity to purchase art from small local artists. We had a traditional Tanzanian lunch prepared for us in a Banana Plantation. YUM! Biking through the village was an interesting ground view of the area. We enjoyed the day! Now I think we will always add a cultural day to any trip! Had I known more about the day I would have brought more cash with me. We encountered so many different people all who are so proud of what they do! I wanted to bring home a little of everything they made.
Irene met us again before we headed to the airport. How wonderful to have a personal touch to be sure the trip not only met our expectations but exceeded them. Stephan took this time to call us and check in before the long trip home as well. 5 Stars!!! Will Recommend!
Hotel Reviews
This was an apartment/hotel which I really appreciated. We stayed here twice as we were going in and out of Kenya. The unit had clothes washing machine which was helpful. We did not have to pack for the whole time we were away. The people were all very friendly, the unit was clean and comfortable. The view from the roof of the building was wild. Nairobi is HUGE!
We enjoyed this lodge a lot. It was also clean and friendly and safe. The rooms were very comfortable. Sitting on the deck looking over the hills and farms was beautiful! The meals were buffet style so there was lots of variety and all of it was very tasty!
This is a beautiful lodge above Lake Nakuru. The views are incredible. The location is in the park, so our safari began when we woke up with Zebras just nearby. The room was clean and comfortable. Maggie and Mary in the restaurant took amazing care of us!!! They were so friendly! We felt welcome and safe the whole time
It had an amazing rooftop view, and we were just at the base of Mt. Meru. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Gofrery in the restaurant talked birds with us and made sure we were always ok! It was a good stay before the long drive to the Serengeti.
We ended us staying at another Acacia lodge in the Serengeti ..... The Acacia Seronera Luxury Camp was amazing. It was the iconic staying in a tent-cabin in the Serengeti. What fun. We heard lions from our bed the 1st night. That is not something that happens in the USA! The rooms were clean and comfortable. There were plenty of people to escort us to our room in the dark. So, we always felt safe! Mariska took care of us in the restaurant, and she was great! The lodge is doing a big update and from what we saw it will be even more luxury than it was for us!
Activity Reviews
Cliff Lodge Sunrise Boat Safari. This was fun. We were treated to a boat cruise on Lake Nakuru. We were able to cruise the shoreline to find all sorts of different birds, and 100’s of Pelicans and Flamingos. It is an early start, so a delicious breakfast is provided. Milka really knew her birds and what we could expect to see. And the Milka/Suleman team were great together spotting everything!
Norman was a amazing guide. Lake Nakuru is beautiful.
WOW The Serengeti is Amazing. But we had the BEST gukdes Kaka and Jambo! They made more amazing than it was going to be anyway!
What an amazing place. there is SOOOOOO much to see
