East Africa - AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE
In May 2014 I had the privilege to travel to East Africa – what an amazing trip. Kenya and Tanzania are very vast and very diverse, encompassing desert, rainforest, mountain ranges, lowlands and vast inland lakes. Africa is a continent rich in dramatic scenery and natural beauty. I was able to experience the world’s most prolific concentration of wildlife in their natural habitat, experience the warmth of African tribal people and their diverse cultures and beliefs, travel through stunning landscapes and track down the Big-Five in the game reserves.
Our journey begun in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. From Nairobi we travelled to the Amboseli National Park, best known for its unrivalled views of Kilimanjaro. We were lucky enough to be able to look over a water hole from our eco tented lodge to where the elephants had their very own plunge pool.
From Amboseli we left Kenya behind and headed into Tanzania. The border crossing was an experience I will never forget in the town of Arusha where we headed to the 5 star resort of Escarpment Lodge overlooking Lake Manyara - a very special treat. We continued on after our overnight to Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater is a vast unbroken volcanic crater ring and thanks to its permanent water supply and pasture source you are often lucky enough to see the Big Five. On the day we were there that is exactly what we did see – Elephants, Buffalo, Black Rhinos, Leopard and Lions – a very special day.
From the Crater, Serengeti National Park was our next stop. Arguably the most famous National Park in the World, the Serengeti perhaps defines the safari experience as surely as the wildlife that inhabits it. Established in 1951, and covering an area of almost 15,000 sq. km’s the area is famous for its short and long grass plans and its vast wildlife. The principal attraction of the Serengeti is the passing of the wildebeest migration, 1.5 million of them. We were lucky enough to experience this first hand as we travelled for around 60kms through ½ million of them – everywhere you looked all you could see was wildebeest. A photo could not capture the view or the noise they made. I was fortunate and lucky to witness this rare and incredible site.
From the Serengeti we took a short flight to the Masi Mara National Reserve and back into Kenya. This was the most incredible trip.
