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Published: September 22nd 2016
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Africa. Just saying it evokes a sense of wonder....What an incredible adventure this trip has been.
We enjoyed our last African sunrise on the deck, trying to permanently stamp the feeling of the crisp morning air, the sounds of the birds performing their morning symphony, the smell of the grasses and remnants of last night's fire, and the sight of Africa waking up with its golden hues and Acacia trees as far as the eye can see...and how they look like green polka dots across the muted savannah into our long-term memories. This trip has really made an impression and I've felt very emotional the last few mornings as our departure neared.
We left the camp
at 8am and it was hard to believe that this was it...the last game drive. This was the last time our heads would stick out of the land cruiser with the wind blowing our hair into stiff, unbrushable messes. The last time seeing those adorable warthog butts as they scurry away, and the last of the hippo grunts. We did see quite a few animals and even two female lions devouring a wildebeest they had just taken down.
Before we knew it, it
was time for our flight back to Arusha from Serengeti International Airport. Only the pic in the blog can really show how hilarious it is. Dirt runway with a chaser car that has to drive all over the runway area to scare the animals away before the plane can land. We said goodbye to Babenga which was tough, as he truly made our Safari what it was. We will miss his "For example..." Our flight was a 12 seater, and was very very small, stuffy and cramped. We had one additional stop to make near where we ballooned before our 50min flight to Arusha. All of us were grateful when we touched down and were on solid ground. We were picked up by a different Safari Legacy guide (Norman) who we actually met in our first Serengeti hotel. He took us to the cultural center where we had lunch (really good too!) and they had several small shops to buy souvenirs (which have been completely lacking everywhere surprisingly!).
Now we're back at Lake Duluti Lodge for a couple of hours before we leave. Back to where it all started...full circle. I've said it a million times this trip but
it's been incredible....so beyond our expections. Surprisingly, while the number of visitors to Africa increases every year, the continent accounts for just five percent of the world’s tourists. Just five percent!
The amount of wildlife we saw in the first 15 minutes of our first game drive was more than all of us had seen collectively in our entire lives. Africa seems almost untouched in many ways from the outside world, and has a pristineness that was both surprising and exciting. I expected to see huge tour buses, a Hilton Serengiti towering next to the park entrance, and fast food chain restaurants on the streets nearby. There is none of that.....it's almost like you could potentially press a rewind button 30-50 years and have the same experience. The unpaved roads....and the "if you don't have an off-road vehicle you're not going anywhere." It's the Africa of movies past and present....preserved.
Everyone gets the same Africa experience in most ways. In first starting to research this trip naturally I Googled "top African Safari Companies" to find Micato....Abercrombie and Kent. To go on Safari with these companies start around $25k per person. We saw their vehicles out in the parks
and they're not different in any way...they don't encounter less dirt/dust, less bumps in the road...they may go back to higher class hotels and lodges, but the experience in the bush is the experience in the bush...whether you've paid $25k or $5k.
So that leads me to say that being in this magnificent place is an experience that is not for the lightweight traveler. You have to be OK being uncomfortable, OK being dirty all of the time, OK with bees and moths the size of birds, OK with being bounced around and battered like a kid on a parent's knee, and OK with being bitten all over despite insect repellent....just to name a few. But to take all of that in stride I promise is to walk away with one of the best experiences. So far one of the best of my life that I put money on will stay that way for the rest of my life.
As African expert and writer Brian Jackman wrote, “Everything in Africa bites, but the safari bug is worst of all.”. He was so right....until next safari Africa....Kwaheri (Goodbye) and Asante (Thank You)!