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Published: October 13th 2010
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Karama Lodge
This was our "chalet". Monday, Sept. 27
After 26 hours of travel from Orlando to Detroit to Amsterdam and to Kilimanjaro, we finally arrived in Tanzania. Sally waited on the luggage while Len stood in line to pay an outrageous amount for visas. U.S. citizens pay twice as much as people from other countries. We were met by our guide from Maasai Wanderings and ushered to the Toyota Land Cruiser which was to be our home for the next two weeks. It was dark, so we were unable to see Mt. Kilimanjaro which is nearby. Our first night was spent at Karama Lodge, just outside of Arusha. It’s a pretty hillside property with several individual cabins in trees with bush babies, monkeys, civets, and all kinds of unusual wildlife. We were exhausted, so we showered and went to bed. The 7 hour time difference didn’t seem to effect us.
Tuesday, Sept. 28
Our first day on safari! After breakfast at the lodge our guide, Francis, gave us a briefing on what to expect for the next 2 weeks. Then we were off to Tarangire National Park. It’s supposed to be one of the minor parks, but we saw nearly everything there was
to see in that first day! Around every corner was something new! The most exciting part of the day was when we spotted 3 female lions lying on top of an embankment above a dry river bed. There was a large herd of wildebeest about 300 yards away. The wildebeests were ambling toward the lions, but of course they didn’t know the lions were there. One of the lions saw the possibility of lunch and began to watch the upcoming herd very closely. We were standing in the open top of our Land Cruiser and feeling like we were in the middle of a National Geographic documentary! After several more minutes the wildebeest had moved into striking distance. We were watching the lead female as she crouched and then took off into the herd of scattering wildebeest. She jumped onto the back of her choice of wildebeest and pulled it down. It let out a horrible bellow as the lion clamped down on its neck, suffocating it. After several minutes she was sure it was dead and walked a few feet away to rest. It was amazing! Francis said it was a sight most tourists don’t experience on their safaris,
Lion with its kill
The lion is ensuring that the wildebeest is dead. so we were fortunate. Continuing through the area, we saw zebras, baboons, monkeys, warthogs, giraffes, and all kinds of antelope and gazelles. What a day! Late in the afternoon we arrived at Kikutu Lodge, our permanent tented camp for the night. After dinner we went on a night drive led by a guide from the lodge. There were 4 of us in an open-sided vehicle. One of the guides sat on the front of the vehicle shining a spotlight and holding a gun. It was kind of like going on an armed hayrack ride! We didn’t see anything too amazing, but Sally’s favorite sighting was a genet cat that quickly disappeared into the thicket. The permanent tented camps have wooden floors and ensuite bathrooms. Hard to believe! It was luxury in the middle of the bush, and we were ready for a good night’s sleep.
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Linda
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This is such an exciting read!!! I can't wait for more...keep it coming :)