TANZANIAN TENTED CLASSIC SAFARI
& ZANZIBAR ISLAND

Safari Report from Paul & Naomi Sherriff
(the photos below belong to Paul & Naomi Sherriff)

Tanzania Tented Classic Safari & Zanzibar Island
18th June - 3rd July 2002

What can I say! If you, like us, are not sure whether you can afford a safari our advice is get a second mortgage, sell members of your family, just find the money to do this safari because you will have an experience that will stay with you forever.

Africa is an fascinating place and we can't wait to go back. Just remember if you do go that you are visiting a third world continent and be prepared to be on African time! (Nothing is done in a hurry - great for relaxing!)

After our connecting flight to Arusha we drove to Tarangire National Park. Porini camp was our home for two nights, a very basic but comfortable stay - food was great and the staff were so friendly and welcoming. It was nice to stay in tourist accommodation that has had very little impact on the local environment and drains virtually no local resources.

We spent a day driving around Tarangire National Park. This national park is a great place to start a safari as we had close encounters with zebra, giraffe, elephant, gazelle, monkeys, buffalo, osterich and loads of other birds. You will see some species again and again throughout the safari but because all the national parks we visited are slightly different to each other in their own unique you never get the feeling of 'been there done that'!

The next day we drove to Lake Manyara. Bumpy roads do not adequately describe the road systems in Tanzania however the views outside the window help you to forget that you are being thrown about a land rover having only recently eaten! Its not more than 2 hours before reaching Lake Manyara National Park. In contrast to the Savannah feel of Tarangire you drive through forest after the entrance gate at Lake Manyara.

This park features a huge lake that sits at the feet of some extinct volcanoes, which include the Ngorongoro Crater. We saw wild bore, baboons, vultures, loads of bird life on the banks of the lake, lizards as well as the same wildlife that we had seen the day before. Our accommodation at Migunga Forest Camp was similar to Porini. Again food and staff were great and among the trees you get the occasional monkey visit!

We then drove to the Serengeti National Park. A very long drive (5 - 7 hours) is made easy and enjoyable with an accent up to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and then descent into the plains of the Serengeti. On the way we saw ostrich, bustards, herds of gazelle and zebra, hyena and even a lion. Nothing can prepare you for the awe-inspiring views of the Serengeti and the site of thousands of wildebeast and zebra migrating across flat plains that stretch to the horizon. You can also see the Great Rift Valley in the distance. The next two days were spent on game drives in the Serengeti.

We chose to do a dawn drive on one of the days, which proved to be a wise decision. Watching the sunrise over the Serengeti is amazing but we also saw vultures feasting on a carcass, which although may sound a bit gruesome, was actually an incredible site. The Serengeti offered us close encounters with hippo, lion, vultures, more giraffe and other large mammals already mentioned, as well as hyena, crocodiles, eagles and we were privileged enough to see the end of the migrating herds of wildebeest and zebra which is an incredible site.

The Ikoma Camp we stayed at was similar to all the camps we have stayed at and we have been impressed throughout the safari. Our last port of call was the Ngorongoro Crater. The drive back there was again long but thoroughly enjoyable. When we arrived at our last accommodation we were lost for words.

Having stayed in tented camps throughout the safari nothing had prepared us for the luxury that awaited us at the Serena Lodge. It was the perfect end to the perfect safari. The lodge and all its rooms sit on the crater rim. All the rooms have a balcony view across the crater floor. The only thing we missed here was the intimacy and I guess spoiled treatment we received being the only guests at Porini and one couple among two or three other guests at the other two camps. We spent a day driving around the Ngorongoro Crater.

We saw similar wildlife here but it's a great place to finish. Most of the animals in the crater do not migrate. The crater is its own huge ecosystem. Therefore there is a lot of wildlife packed in to a relatively small area (compared to the other National Parks anyway). Here we saw more buffalo, lions (the males have darker manes in the crater), flamigos, jackals, rhino, hippos and kites.

However the best was saved to last. As we began our drive out of the crater (and I guess we were a bit disappointed we had not been able to see a leopard on the safari) we stumbled across three Cheetahs. A finale not easily forgotten!

After the Safari we spent five days in Zanzibar. This was a wonderful way to unwind and chill out after what proved to be a tiring eight days (which I still can't work out what is so tiring about sitting or standing in a Landrover all day!)

Zanzibar is a beautiful island. We had a stroll through Stone Town (a good place to do your shopping) and had a quick look at the town ancient history. The rest of our time was spent relaxing by the pool at Mbweni ruins and watching the sunset over the ocean.

We loved it at the Mbweni Ruins hotel. The staff were friendly and as there were only about three other groups there we were able to recapture the friendliness and intimacy you can only get at smaller resorts. This was a very easy place to relax.

We finished our honeymoon at Ras Nungwi Beach Resort. Although much bigger than Mbweni you can't help but relax in this paradise beach resort. With white sand beaches turquoise ocean and five star treatment this was a lovely place to see our last few days in Africa.

We are now saving for our next visit!!

To check availability for this safari, please contact us at
holidays@safari-africa.co.uk

More Photos from Paul & Naomi Sherriff