#TBT African Safari – glamping gone wild
Everyone at some point in their lives has to go on an African safari. This was by far one of the most breathtaking nature experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve been fortunate in my life to be able to travel a lot, seeing many amazing natural features and wonders of the world – but this – it’s definitely bucket list check mark.
I saw every animal you could think of – zebras, giraffe, hyenas, lions, leopards, elephants, monkey, several varieties of deer, rhinoceros, ostrich, hundreds of wildebeest and several varieties of birds – all close up and in their native habitat. The Ngorongoro Crater was spectacular. The views and vistas of the crater from the Serena Hotel I managed to snab a room at was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. We live so close to the Rocky Mountains, so I feel like these breathtaking natural wonders are all around us in Alberta – but it’s nothing like the vastness of this landscape. I was overcome by a sense of tranquility and peacefulness observing the animals in their native habitat.
At one point, with the green plains of the Serengeti and the blue sky, I felt like I was looking at the windows screensaver!
The lodges we stayed in were great. Most were run entirely on solar and wind power. I had to charge my phone and camera overnight in the main lodge. The security guards walked you through the camp at night to find your tent with flashlights. Haha, the security guards were supposed to keep you safe from any wildlife that entered the camp – they were so skinny I’m not sure how they might ward of angry lions, but you never know.
Talk about “glamping”. Your tent was literally a giant canvas tent, at least 800 square feet or more in most cases. Most were mounted on wooden platforms that then formed the floor of your room. There was full on plumbing inside and you simply zip and unzip yourself in and out of the space. One of the lodges I stayed at had open air showers, with privacy screens – really neat to shower with the blue open sky above. I’ve tried to capture the full experience with photos, but they don’t do justice. Most of the spaces were artistically styled with fluffy white sheets and pillows, small local artifacts and paintings, jute rugs, and brightly coloured accents like pillows or in one place I stayed, the countertops were all orange. I’ve never camped like this before, was a great experience! Wake up Parks Canada!
Adding to the glamping, the main lodges were also very artistically styled, with local artifacts and cushions in traditional East African fabrics and patterns. It was all very impressive, to be in the middle of nowhere with the luxuries and comforts of home. Every day, you get up really early to be fed a breakfast of chai, mandazi (an absolutely delicious sort of East African donut) and eggs the way you want them. The lodge sends you out on your way with a little lunch box complete with sandwiches, fruit, cookies and water. For dinner, I learned to eat koo koo paka which is a traditional coconut based curry with chicken as well as mishkaki, which is essentially skewered meat with spices. Once the locals learned that I knew what mishkaki was, they were excited to hear me say it! They would laugh and say...”You know mishkaki?”
The safari vehicles (sadly I missed getting a photo of one with our driver, Sayed) have an open air roof so that you can stand up and peek out with a clear view over the top. The drivers are so knowledgeable, they know how to track animals and find their hiding spots. If it weren’t for them, I would not have seen so many things. Such sharp eyes. Our guide was fantastic, he knew so much and was such pleasure to be around for the long journeys. Most days it was just myself and one or two other families and travelers. So was great to be in such a small group. I met a lovely family from southern France and managed to practice my broken French with their son!
The drivers are all in communication with one another via radio – so when one of them spots a lion or a herd of elephants, they can connect and help the others track it down also. The language of Swahili, spoken by the locals is so melodic to hear. Sounds like a little song playing all day long. Actually, this song (thankfully I managed to track it down as I remembered the chorus) was sang by the locals everywhere, especially after dinner in a hotel if there was a band or something playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK0wPpLryc4
One day, we also visited a Masai Village. So interesting to see how they live, learn a bit more about their traditions, and see all the arts and crafts they make. I got some fantastic photos of them.
I think the rest of my photos say more than I can at this point. So breathtaking. Haha, Walter is finally speechless in his blog.
