Africa 2009: Itinerary and Favorite Photos

This trip to Kenya and Tanzania was on a group tour with Go Ahead Tours.  Travel dates were March 13-29, 2009.  Itinerary, including parks and lodging is as follows (number in parenthesis is number of nights stayed at lodging):

Lansing to Nairobi via London

Nairobi Safari Park Hotel

It was hard to believe after going through the chaos of downtown Nairobi, that this lodging could be so peaceful.  When you drive through the security gates, the first thing I noticed was how green the grounds were and how many beautiful flowers there were.

I stayed in Room 302 which is on the ground level.  The room had 2 double sized beds with mosquito netting.  There were outside windows, but no screens and being on the ground level, we did not want to leave them open.  Luckily the lodge had electricity during the night to run the ceiling fan as there is no ac at this location.  The bathroom had a shower/tub combo and a single sink.

Food was good and there were a lot of selections.  Breakfast was buffet style.  I didn’t have any other meals at this location as our group went to Carnivore Restaurant for dinner.

There is a Business Center where you can get a good internet connection.  Rate at this time was $3 USD for 15 minutes.

 

Mount Kenya National Park Serena Mountain Lodge

In December 2023 this lodge was listed as Temporarily Closed.

The first thing I noticed upon arrival was the nice cool temperature and the fresh smell in the air.  The elevation at this lodge is 7,200 ft. [Note: in checking this hotel in March, 2022, it was ‘temporarily closed’.

Room 27 is located on the second level.  There were 2 twin beds.  The bathroom had a single sink, toilet and shower stall.  All rooms have a view of the water hole which can provide a lot of entertainment.  Your waiter at dinner will ask you which animals you wish to be wakened for.  Sure enough, there was a light knock on the door announcing arrivals at the water hole during the night.  We sat and watched for quite some time, being entertained by a rogue elephant who decided to bathe himself and then scratch his belly on one of the large rocks.  Quite amusing.  It was nice that the animals were so entertaining, because the room walls seemed quite thin and I could hear the neighbors talking or snoring.

Don’t forget to shut and lock your windows in your room when you leave for meals as the “naughty monkeys” will help themselves.

The food was good.  Breakfast included champagne on the buffet.  Lunch was also a buffet and dinner was served.

After dinner, there was a very interesting presentation with slides about the local wildlife.  On the top level of the lodge, there is an observation area which makes for great views of the forest and mountain area.  On the very bottom of the lodge is a tunnel which leads to an underground observation area.  It is possible, depending on who is visiting the water hole, to be nose to nose with them.

 

Kigio Wildlife Conservancy(2) Kigio Wildlife Camp

This camp is a wonderful place to stay while on safari.  The entire camp looked new and clean.  The staff was very friendly. [Note: in checking this lodging in April 2022 and December 2023, it does not appear to be open]

All the rooms are like small houses.  Beds are very comfortable.  If you wish a mosquito net, you need to ask and they will hang one.  The bathroom had a private shower with door, as did the toilet.  The showers are fantastic – like standing under a waterfall.  There was a very nice seating area in the room that had a large couch and chairs which was nice for relaxing.  Writing desk had a recharging plug nearby.

The food was excellent.  Breakfast was buffet, lunch and dinner were served.  The servers did a great job accommodating everyone’s requests.  On one of the days, we ate a box lunch which was very good and had plenty of food (too much in fact).

The camp offered night game drives for an additional cost.  The night sky was beautiful and there were a variety of animals that were out and active.

 

Masai Mara National Reserve (2) Siana Springs Intrepids Camp

The drive from Kigio to Siana Springs Intrepids was long.  It was very nice to be greeted by a cool glass of juice and friendly staff.

Electricity and hot water are offered at certain times of the day.

The grounds have plenty of wildlife about.  There are inquisitive vervet monkeys along with the beautiful Colobus monkeys.  Bush hyrax and bushbucks can easily be seen walking about the grounds.  The landscaping has a large variety of flowering plants.

All meals were buffet.  I would say the food was average – not as good as some other locations.  Desserts were definitely lacking.  Box lunch was very good.  On one evening, the staff set up the buffet for our group in a separate area.  The local Maasai sprung out of the bush to entertain us.  They also set up blankets with souvenirs.  Most of our group just gave them a dollar or two and passed on the trinkets.

The Gift Shop has a nice selection of items.  Prices were average.  There is a small pool on the grounds.

 

Nairobi Intercontinental Hotel

This was my first visit to the Intercontinental.  The hotel is right in the middle of the downtown business district.  When you enter their parking area, a security guard comes out and checks the underside of your vehicle with a long pole.  I inquired as to what they might be doing and the driver said “looking for bombs”.  That made me feel a little uneasy.

Upon entering the lobby, the hotel has the appearance of any western style facility.  There is a lounge in the lobby and a lot of seating.  The Business Center is just off the reception desk.  They offer fast internet service at a reasonable rate ($12 for over an hour plus 10 minutes).  It’s even less expensive if you use your own computer.

Room 432 was medium sized with two double beds.  Although it was adequate, it seemed a little tired.  As of 2010, many of these rooms have been remodeled.  The bathroom has a single sink and a tub/shower combo.

We enjoyed the buffet dinner in the Terrace room off the pool.  Desserts were wonderful.  The breakfast buffet was even more enjoyable.  The chefs were anxious to make whatever you desired.

 

Amboseli National Park (2) Amboseli Sentrim Camp

This tented camp had been opened 6 months prior to my arrival.  Everything seemed fresh and new.  The downside was that the landscaping had not matured, so the tents were totally out in the open.

Tent #7 is on the end of the row and has a great view of Mt. Kilimanjaro (when it is not “sleeping”).  The room had comfortable twin beds which were extremely close together.  The bathroom had a shower stall, with clear glass surrounds.  I prefer a little more privacy or having the shower separated from the sink area.  Towels were soft and fluffy.

The room has a nice desk area.  There is also a small refrigerator.  I didn’t really understand why it was there since power is typically off from 10am-4pm and again 10pm-5:30am.  There was also a pedestal fan in the room which would have been nice at night but the power was off.

All meals were buffet.  The food was ok but a little overcooked.

There is a pool but there was no shade.  The gift shop was small.

 

Tarangire National Park Tarangire Sopa Lodge

Room #51 at the Tarangire Sopa was uneventful.  The 2 double beds were very soft and the room could stand updating.   Bathroom had a single sink, toilet and stall shower.

Food was average.  Dinner was served and breakfast was a buffet.

Internet service was available but too slow to use at the time I visited.

 

Serengeti National Park (2) Serengeti Sopa Lodge

In December 2023, this lodge did not appear to be open.

After the long drive, the fresh juice and cool washcloth were a nice touch.

The room had 2 double sized beds which were very soft.  The room overall looked a little tired.  There were 2 chairs out on the balcony which had a nice view of the Serengeti.  The bathroom had a small sink and stall shower.  It was also nice to have a screen on the balcony door so fresh air could flow during the night and you could fall asleep to the sounds of Africa.

The food selection was very good with buffet breakfast and lunch and served dinners.  After dinner on one evening, there was a group which entertained us with song and was very enjoyable.  I’m not sure if they were staff or if they were a local music group.

The pool area was in the shade with ample seating.  Internet service was available at this lodge however, the connection was extremely slow and the price high.

 

Ngorongoro Conservation Area Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

This lodge was supposed to reopen June 2023 but as of December 2023, still was not reopened.

The Ngorongoro Sopa is located high up on the rim of the crater.  This location makes for spectacular sunset views.

Room 47 is located quite a walk from the main reception and dining area but a way to burn off some calories.  The view from the room was somewhat obstructed by the forest area.  The best crater views would be closer to the dining area.

The room was generous in size with 2 double sized beds.  There are room heaters due to the cool temperatures at night, but they didn’t appear to be working during our stay.  The bathroom had a single sink, toilet and stall shower.

All meals were buffet style on our one night stay.  Food was good with a nice selection.  A cake was provided at the end of the meal as this was the last night of our safari.

There is a pool but the temperature felt cold which was understandable at this elevation.

 

Nairobi Intercontinental Day Room

 

The Best of the Trip

 

Watching a wild elephant from the room balcony approach the watering hole

Coming upon a pride of lions just sitting in the middle of the road in the Masai Mara

Personally spotting a male Lesser Kudu in the forest on the way to Amboseli National Park.  The driver said it was a rare experience.

Knowing how vicious hyenas can be, standing not too far away OUTSIDE the vehicle while the driver changed a flat tire

Seeing hippos roll completely over on their backs (with legs up in the air) at the Hippo Pool in Ngorongoro

Capturing the image of a young lion who had been chased up a tree, looking worried waiting for his mother to return

Falling asleep to the sounds of hyenas yipping in the distance

The Less than Best of the Trip

 

Leaving Africa………

 

Favorite Photos