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East Africa Adventure - Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania 21 Days


SaminKaz

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Back again with time now to write again. Sorry guys.

 

17 January, 2014

 

Kleins Camp to Masai Mara

 

I was up nice and early to organize myself before heading to the airstrip for my early flight up to the Masai Mara. Unbeknownst to me was that I was catching two flights. One from the Lobo Airstrip up to the border, a drive across the border to complete the necessary formalities and then another flight into the Mara. My pilot arrived early so a quick goodbye to my wonderful guide and into the co-pilots seat. The female pilot explained that I was the only guest and she graciously allowed me to join her up front. With a quick taxi down the runway, we turned around and were off. The views from above are always amazing and I vowed to return to Tanzania to see more of the country as a couple of tears escaped from understanding that this part of my adventure was over.

 

Upon the completion of the border formalities and then another quick drive to the next airstrip I was welcomed by my next pilot who also let me know that it was just me joining him for the flight up to the Mara. What a privilege, as he too allowed me to sit up front in the co-pilots seat. This pilot was definitely a character and he shared with me some great stories as we flew into the Mara. He asked me if I wanted to see some animals so as we fly over the escarpment we flew down low and saw lots of wildlife and then buzzing the tops of the trees along the Mara River we embanked and landed on the Kichwa Tembo Airstrip.

 

I was greeted by the camp manager, my room steward and my guide Charity, who was one of the first female guides in the Mara area. I had read about Charity and requested that she be my guide which andBeyond arranged at the last minute. Unbeknownst to me Charity was due to leave for her vacation and I was thankful that she was able to join me during my first trip to the Mara. andBeyond Bateleur had pulled out all the stops with my arrival and I was welcomed with drinks and a flyover from the pilot as he left to return to Nairobi.

 

The Mara was hot and super sticky but Charity was keen to get out and see what we could find before returning for a late lunch. The triangle was at its best, not full of tourists and plenty of animals. Immediately I was blessed with sightings of big cats sleeping the day away, giraffes and eles eating before heading to the trees to take solace from the heat and plenty of plains game spread throughout as well as lots of young. Around 1pm we headed back into camp so that I could refresh and refuel. The humidity was a killer and a cold shower was desperately needed.

 

I enjoyed another fabulous meal sitting outside under a large tree watching the bush world go by before it was time for Charity to collect me for my afternoon game drive. I was super lucky again to be the only guest in the car. The other guests in camp had their own private cars so I was in luck again. Charity and I set out to see what we could find with cats and kills the priority. The cats were a given but there were no kills that afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed driving with Charity who was able to share her experiences as a female in a tough male dominated environment and of course the great stories of being in the bush and working with tourists.

 

We were the last to return back to camp, which is how I prefer it, you never know what you might see at the last minute. A quick shower, and then some time to relax with an apertivo, before settling down for a lovely meal listening to the sounds of the bush before retiring to bed for another days adventure.

 

Where I Stayed

 

Bateleur Camp is the expensive smaller sister to very large Kichwa Tembo Camp which was next door and going through an extensive refurbishment. The camp was divided into two with each camp having 8 tents with their own common area. The permanent tented structures were well established so the native vegetation concealed the tents nicely from the outside but allowed views from each deck. The rooms were kitted out nicely included the fabulous andBeyond’s comfortable beds, desk, table, sitting area, wardrobe and of course the large and well equipped bathroom (no bath unfortunately). The common area was a mix of indoor and outdoor depending on the weather. The staff and their level of service was of course excellent and word must have been passed on that I was a lover of a nice Bacardi and coke and everyone’s favorite African tipple an Amarula. Food of course was above expectations for a property of this repute and there was always two options plus a vegetarian as a third for every meal.

 

Unfortunately I accidentally deleted my Vimeo movies so I am slowly having to upload them again. Once I have the Mara videos uploaded I will put up the links.

Edited by SaminKaz
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Enjoying this report - I missed it when you first started it, so I'm glad to see it now! And oh good, I'm glad you are uploading the videos again as I was sad to see they were not available. I am also planning a trip including three countries - glad to see I'm not the only crazy one to do that and that it can be done!

Edited by SafariChick
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Just read your fascinating TR. I relived my own visit to the Rushegura troop, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Serengeti Under Canvas and Bateleur Camp. But mine were not all on the same trip! You are a hardy traveler.

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  • 2 months later...

Hi Everyone,

 

I stupidly deleted my videos but have now managed to put some of them back on Vimeo again with the links below from the Uganda leg of my trip -

 

Gorillas Day 1 - https://vimeo.com/149848861

 

Gorillas Day 2 - https://vimeo.com/149847798

 

Shoebill Stork - https://vimeo.com/149851874

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Serengeti Kleins Camp Elephants - https://vimeo.com/149858652

 

Serengeti Kleins Camp Lion Walk - https://vimeo.com/149861458

 

Serengeti Kleins Camp Giraffes - https://vimeo.com/149862784

 

Serengeti Kleins Camp Masai Village - https://vimeo.com/149860387

 

Serengeti Kleins Camp Lion Pride 21 - https://vimeo.com/149864433

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Love the Uganda videos. Fantastic Gorilla treks, and the Shoebill footage is simply awesome. Lovely to see how happy you look in yourvideis. :-)

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Having some trouble with my connection tonight, the streaming videos are chugging a bit (nothing wrong with the videos, just me!), but they do look great - especially the cheetahs. Must agree with Michael - you look like you are having a blast.

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So glad this thread got topped. I'm just through your Uganda videos, and you have really hit my top "wants" -- mountain gorillas and shoebill stork. In fact, as amazing as the gorillas are, I keep going back to the stork, maybe because it's just so hard to find and maybe because I'm just fascinated by it. Looks like something Dr. Seuss would have drawn.

 

Thanks for reposting the videos. Now, back to them.....

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Just saw this report and the reference to your Vic Falls baboon encounter. How nice your gorillas visit were much more peaceful. What luck with a cheetah kill. Fabulous itinerary that even included a shoebill! The pride of 21 had so many little cubs. Such a find!

 

" Travelling during the low season allowed me near exclusivity as being the only paid guest on safari." What a luxury.

 

Your videos are excellent. How did you choose the music?

Edited by Atravelynn
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@@SaminKaz the gorilla videos are great - amazing to see the huge silverback climbing down the tree! Thanks for sharing! I also like the music.

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@altravelynn I normally jump onto music websites, google or iTunes and type in different keywords to bring up music that maybe appropriate. Then I listen briefly to the songs to see if it maybe appropriate. I also go through my music to listen to songs and then see if they match. When using video editing software like iMovie you can change the music without compromising the work you have already done.

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  • 4 weeks later...

18 January, 2014

 

Bateleur Camp, Masai Mara

 

Charity was as keen as I to start early so we were in the car and ready by 5:45am so that we could be at the Oloololo Gate by 6am when it opens. This works well because the time it takes to leave Bateleur and to get down to the entrance is about 20/30 minutes. After going through the entrance formalities we were the first through the Oloololo Gate and ready to see what we could find.

Although the grass was high there was plenty of game around including elephants, giraffes and plains game. The light was fantastic and there was some amazing interactions with breeding elephant herds with some big tuskers.

 

We decided to enjoy a bush breakfast after all the activity of the morning. We found a lovely tree to see up camp and Charity brought out a portable bbq and all the precooked goodies from the kitchen that just needed to be heated up along with the eggs. I was helping out Charity and mentioned to her what a fantastic morning it was and the only thing that would make it better was seeing a cat. Low and behold as I started to eat my bacon and egg toastie I turned around and saw a lioness in the grass about 150m away from us. I turned to Charity and told her there was a lion and we both high fived and watched her as she made her way through the grass without looking at us. Charity told me to keep an eye on the lioness whilst she packed up the cooking gear so we could go and follow the lovely cat.

 

We quickly assembled our gear and took off after the lioness and were lucky to find her with a cub walking towards the main road from the Oloololo Gate. I had missed seeing the cub when I saw the lioness due to the height of the grass. These two were part of the Kichwa Tembo pride who were a strong coalition of about 12 lions (about 4 females and 8 cubs ranging from 6-18 months). They were hanging out in a culvert and the cubs were going in and out visiting each other. This allowed some great photo opportunities. After spending time with the pride and them deciding to start their naptime we decided to look for rhino. I had not seen any the previous day and we thought we would just head into the area where we were told they were the previous day.

 

Luck would have it that we found a rhino family with what we believe was a mum with two young. One was only young at around 18 months of age and the other around 3 or 4. They were close to the low thickets they seem to generally hang around in and were happy to entertain Charity and I for over 30 minutes. It was a fantastic sighting and although not super close due to their shyness I was able to get some great photos and videos.

 

Once we finished with the rhinos we decided to head back to camp for a late lunch. This was an excellent way to wrap up our morning in the Mara Triangle and I was happy to make our way back to camp for lunch.

 

 

 

https://vimeo.com/151724560

 

 

https://vimeo.com/151729090

Edited by SaminKaz
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19 January, 2014

 

BBQ Breakfast in the Bush

 

Another early morning and this time we were heading into the Triangle with our bush breakfast again so that we could stay out for as long as possible. We decided to concentrate on cats today and to see if we could see a kill. We found members of the Kichwa Tembo pride again and stayed with them until they went for their daytime nap around 8:30am. We then decided to start driving around to the area close to Little Governor’s entrance to see if anything was of interest in that area. Once again I was fortunate enough to see two rhinos, plenty of amazing elephants herds and giraffes enjoying the taller grasses.

 

We finally found a mother and cub enjoying the lovely weather on a termite mound which allowed for some great photographic opportunities. We stayed with this pair for the rest of the morning to see what would happen. After about an hour the pair went in search for some water which they found on a nearby road. As they were taking a drink a family of warthogs came by and the cub sat up and took notice. As mum came alongside her cub the young cheetah took off after the young warthogs with the warthog mum in pursuit and trying to fend of the cub. The cheetah mum quickly joined in and both were in hot pursuit. With the second cheetah joining in the action the warthog mum knew that there was little hope and she went to join her family watching as the cheetah mum outwitted the young warthog, trapped it and made a quick kill as her cub stood at lookout.

 

Unfortunately by the time the kill was completed it was quite a distance from the road and we could only watch everything from afar. I managed to get some video footage but the clarity wasn’t very good. After five minutes of watching we decided to move on to see what else we could find.

 

https://vimeo.com/149866266

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20 January, 2014

 

Balloon Safari

 

A super early start to the day with a 4am wake up call. I had spent my last night packing, organizing tips/thank you cards and going through some of my photos so I was very sleep deprived when woken up. I shuffled out to the lounge area to grab a quick coffee and then a gentleman from the balloon company came in to say he was ready for me.

 

The balloon departure site was not too far away and I was dropped off with a number of other guests around 5:15am. We were taken to a small meeting room where we were asked to sign away our lives before grabbing a coffee and some cake that were provided before departure. Then we assembled outside to watch the balloon being filled and the basket turning upright.

 

The early morning light from the sun before it rose was starting to color the sky with purples and pinks and illuminated the clouds forming around the Mara. We were asked to gather into groups that we wanted to travel in so people would travel in their compartment with their friends/family. There were going to be 14 people flying this morning so it meant that there would be 4 people in each compartment. I thought the other solo traveller and myself were in luck and would only be a compartment of 2 until one of the workers came out with a companion and joined us in the basket. As we prepared to leave the workers started to undue ropes that were attaching us to the large pickup truck and the basket slowly rose above the tree line allowing us to see the majesty of the Mara from above.

 

The magnitude of the silence and sheer enormity of the reserve was there for all of us to see. The only sounds initially were the blast of the propane tanks filling the balloon above so we continue to rise high. Then the pilot decided we all needed another lesson about where we were and what we couldn’t see. This was really disappointing because I thought that such a special moment should not have been interrupted by anyone and that there are few opportunities to allow the silence to just wash over us and appreciate where we were and what we could see. As we flew slowly along I managed to get some great footage from my cameras and to also enjoy being in the moment. The plains were empty except for one buffalo so there was no entertainment value from animal sightings but the landscapes and colors as the sun rose and the golden hour arrived made the flight very special.

 

The landing was uneventful and we even managed to stay upright which was better than the crash landing I had recently experienced in France only weeks earlier. We were then all asked to board the safari vehicles so we could make our way to our champagne breakfast in the bush. Upon arriving at the breakfast spot we were welcomed with a glass of bubbly and then sat down to a lovely bush breakfast out amongst the plains. The balloon staff were all very attentive and the food was very good. Soon Charity arrived as we had prearranged an early pick up so I could take advantage of a long morning game drive before going back to camp for a late lunch.

 

I would have to say that the flight was a very nice experience but in hindsight I would only fly with the other operator in the area run from Governor’s Camp which I believe offers a better opportunity to see animals from their departure point and also nice views and better photographic opportunities as they generally follow the Mara River. Considering the price of these balloon safaris it is also important to understand that you will not necessarily see animals from above unless you fly in the migration period. If you are not fussed about animal sightings then this experience is very nice but you pay for it.

 

After another great morning with Charity we returned to camp to enjoy my last meal in the bush. With my bags packed I was able to just sit outside and enjoy the view of the Masai Mara in front of me with one last Amarula. I knew that I would return again and not knowing where or when but as all visitors to Africa know it really does get under your skin and the desire to return and experience it again is beyond anywhere else I have travelled to.

 

I bid goodbye to all of the Bateleur staff and an extra special thank you to Charity who allowed me to have a unique safari experience with one of the first female guides in the bush. I felt so privileged to be able to enjoy an amazing 3 weeks in three different African countries and my first migration experience and first time in the Masai Mara. I am already thinking about my next trip and can't wait to be back. I loved all of the andBeyond Camps and my Sanctuary property in Uganda but they are expensive camps. I did receive excellent discounts due to staying at the properties for longer stays 7+ days and I was also travelling in low season and mid in Ndutu/Uganda with the appropriate rates with this time of the season. My suggestion if you are interested in these properties is to look at the special offers that are available to enjoy them but at a price that is more affordable.

 

I took my afternoon flight back to Nairobi and was then transferred to Jomo Kenyatta for evening flight back to Abu Dhabi and then onwards to Almaty.

 

Additional photos and content can be seen on my website www.samanthavaneldik.com

 

 

https://vimeo.com/149869018

Edited by SaminKaz
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Really nice balloon video (and music). Love those long shadows stretching across the plain.

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