My familiarization trip was a wonderful experience for me as I visited 34 properties in 15 days. I feel I have gained vast knowledge of the Tanzania circuit and I hope you enjoy my experiences through the following pages as much as I did. Hopefully you will be inspired to see how beautiful this part of the country is, how diverse the cultures are, and to see what Africa has to offer first hand.

Oct 02, 2000
As my flight landed at Jomo Kenyetta Airport in Nairobi I felt my stomach do a flip-flop from the excitement and anticipation of once again being in Africa. I could not wait to get off the plane and take in a deep breath and smell what made me fall in love with Africa from the moment I stepped off the plane on my first trip, it is the smell of Africa and there is nothing in the world like it.

My guide David was waiting for me with a big sign at the back of this huge mob of people. He was jumping up and down and all I could see was my name on a board bobbing and waving frantically amongst a sea of heads.

I was taken to the Stanley Hotel located in the city center and 18km from the airport. A taxi from Jomo Kenyetta Airport to town is about US $20.00. I absolutely fell in love with this Victorian style Hotel. Major renovations have just been completed and the hotel looks stunning. I must say it was my favorite property I visited in Nairobi. I went straight to my room and crashed for the night.

Oct 03, 2000
At 8:30 I met up with our driver David for a morning of sight inspections.

My first stop was the Norfolk Hotel, which is about a 30-minute drive from Jomo Kenyatta Airport. Highlight would be the beautiful outside garden courtyard where you can stroll or just sit and relax. The Norfolk did not really have a hotel feeling, it felt more personal and homey.

I also visited the Nairobi Serena Hotel, which is a member of the "Leading Hotels of the World". The swimming pool looks wonderful and the heath club is amazing offering yoga, aromatherapy, a spa, massage, facials, steam room, and Jacuzzi.

Off I was to the Boulevard Hotel which is situated a short distance from the centre of town. The hotel is good value for your money and is very basic and clean. I book a great deal of my overland camping clients here.

After the sight inspections I was taken to the Giraffe Center, which I really enjoyed. I was given pellets of food to feed the Rothchild giraffes right from the palm of my hand. There is a great little gift shop where guests can find a number of giraffe memorabilia.

For lunch I ate at Carnivore's where I got to sample every type of meat imaginable which is roasted over charcoal and carved right at your table. My favorite was the crocodile and then the zebra. At the table is a flag and when you have stuffed yourself completely full you put the flag down to surrender that you cannot eat anymore.

After lunch I was on my way to Amboseli National Park when I saw some school kids on the side of the road. I had brought with me some notebooks and pens to give out to the children and it was a huge hit. The children really enjoyed the surprise.

When I arrived at the gate to Amboseli National Park I was bombarded by local people trying to sell me just about anything. A piece of advise is to buy what you can here because everywhere else is very expensive sometimes 3 times as much. The park was extremely dry and a dust storm had just hit. What an amazing site as I saw a heard of elephant crossing the road not even bothered by the storm. Amboseli is famous for its huge herds of elephant and I definitely got to see my fair share.

In Amboseli I stayed at the Amboseli Serena and it was absolutely a wonderful Lodge, especially in the morning because it was a clear day and I got a breathtaking view of Mount Kilimanjaro. The lodge was full of character from the unique drawings on the walls throughout the property to the Masai gourds hanging absolutely everywhere; even the lights in the rooms are made out of gourds. The pool is very refreshing and overlooks the savannah where animals are found grazing. The selection of food and service was excellent. I even got to do a bush BBQ where I was served a 5 course dinner while the animals were grazing right in front of me by flood light. After dinner Masai dancers came out and did a performance for us. I would highly recommend this, as it will add a little spice and culture to your trip. It was definitely one of my highlights.

Oct 04, 2000
After a morning game drive I visited Tortilis Camp. The property was amazingly green because they have an unlimited supply of water. The luxury permanent tented accommodation offers all the necessities you need.

Also I visited Oltukai, which reminded me of the type of hunting camps we have up North here in British Columbia. The Lodge is very plain and simple and quite spread out.

My driver dropped me off at Observation Hill, which takes about 10 minutes to climb and is well worth the climb. At the top is a beautiful panorama view of the entire park and of Kilimanjaro.

Oct 05, 2000
Off it was to Tanzania where I had lunch at the Impala Hotel in Arusha. After lunch I visited Mountain Village Lodge about 25km from town. The property is very lush and green with flowers and gardens all around. There is a stunning view of Lake Duluti.

I was then off to Moivaro which is a 40 acre coffee plantation and opened on December 30/1999. I really liked this property because it is very spacious with nice green lawn and a pool. I like the extra touch of flowers petals on the beds.

The Impala Hotel is under major renovations due to finish in December 2000 and is going to be wonderful. New rooms, a nice big pool with swim up bar and an elevator are being put in. The Impala is the best place to exchange money and they have 24hr Internet excess with lots of computers.

The Novotel Mount Meru was where I stayed and the rooms are simple. Some of the rooms do have great views of the Arusha golf course and the pool. There a number of small shops in the hotel lobby to brose in.

Oct 06, 2000
With Arusha behind me I headed off to Tarangire National Park, which out of all the parks I have visited in Africa it was my second favorite, first being Samburu. I loved the park because it is hilly and dense with the Tarangire River running through. I sat for ages at the rivers edge watching the elephants come for drink. There were so many baby elephants in the park. I also saw an albino giraffe and a giraffe that had just given birth as the afterbirth was still coming out, it was really amazing. The most exciting sight was a lion in a tree. I even got to see him climb down and back up again straddling himself on a branch to fall asleep.

I stayed at the Tarangire Sopa, which was one of my favorite properties. The hotel was beautiful and I loved the pool. They serve lunch at the pool, which was a nice change and the selection was great. The decor at the Lodge was very African, as the Makonde Tribe has carved all the wood for them, and it covers the entire place.

I also visited the Tarangire Safari Lodge where they are renovating the lobby right now. The Lodge is built on an escarpment and has a gorgeous view of the park. You can do game-viewing right from the camp with your binoculars. I really enjoyed this Lodge and the pool even had a small slide.

Oct 07, 2000
Off it was to Lake Manyara, but not without a flat tire along the way. The flat was a blessing is disguise because a bunch of children came up to me to check things out and I had a pen that blew bubbles and so we had a great time. The kids would take turn blowing the bubbles and running after them. Some of the little boys took turns taking pictures of each other with my camera; they liked the sound the camera made when you clicked the picture. One of the Masai boys was insistent that I took a picture of his heard of cattle, so I did. It was great fun.

I stayed at the Lake Manyara Serena, and it had the most stunning pool I have ever seen. It was an overflow pool that was built right on the escarpment overlooking Lake Manyara. The Lodge is a design taken from the local tribes woven baskets. The outsides of the rooms are shaped like a basket and all the lights are as well, it is really very unique. Extra activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, nature walks etc are offered at an extra cost.

I visited Lake Manyara Hotel and Kirurumu Tented Camp. Kirurumu has no view of the lake, but is a nice property. The permanent tented rooms are very comfortable and it seemed very peaceful and tranquil here. Lake Manyara Hotel has a beautiful view of the lake. The accommodation is budget with clean rooms and a nice pool.

Oct 08, 2000
This morning I went on a nature walk where I had a stunning view of the Lake. I then headed off to the Ngorongoro Crater with a stop at Gibbs Farm, what a beautiful place. The view is amazing and they have their own herb and vegetable garden that really impressed me. I felt like I was in the middle of Hawaii because the flowers all around are so beautiful. Also what I liked is that clients can do guided walks to the waterfalls and elephant caves, which is included in the price.

I stayed at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, it was stunning. I loved how their bar was set up with the huge circular fireplace and all the couches and chairs with candles on the tables. They served tea with a great selection of snacks at 4:00 and then appetizers in the bar before dinner, and then dinner in the dinning room. It was the best dinner I had all trip. The food was amazing and the service was really great as well. They had a local choir come in and sing during dinner, which was really nice. I really liked the location of the Sopa as well because you had a view of the lush green trees as well as the Crater.

I visited the Crater Lodge, what a stunning property. Velvet bedspreads, crystal glasses, I loved the tub with the candles around it and the separate shower area. The roses are flown in specially from Arusha, and non-motorized golf carts will pick you up and take you from your room to the main building, what a place.

I also visited the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge where I had lunch. This is a budget hotel with clean rooms, and very simple. I visited the Ngorongoro Serena where the entire lodge is built out of rock, it is really quit amazing.

Oct 09, 2000
The crater itself was very dry and in the forest area we spent about 45 minutes and saw nothing. We did see a great deal of lion, which was nice, and watched a rhino for over an hour. The boxed lunch we had was excellent I could not believe the selection.

Oct 10/11, 2000
On my way to the Serengeti we stopped at Olduvai Gorge where Dr Louis Leakey discovered the remains of Homo habis or "Handy man" regarded as mankind's first step on the ladder of human evolution. On our way from Olduvai I saw 5 Masai boys who had just been circumcised and they had their faces all painted white and were dressed in black. I gave them a bunch of bottles of water and they let me take their photo as well as video them, it was really exciting. I played the video for them and they found it very amusing to see themselves for the first time.

So now I was in the Serengeti where the game-viewing was something else. In one day of game drives I counted that I saw 42 lion. First thing I saw was 8 lion eating a warthog and hyena fighting for the scrapes. As well I saw a cheetah eating a gazelle, 3 different leopard sightings in a tree, tons of giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, elephants etc.

I stayed at the Serengeti Sopa, where the rooms are really nice big. There is a small water hole where animals come over to drink.

I did really like the atmosphere at the Serengeti Wildlife Lodge as the lodge is built all around huge boulders of rock, it was really neat. The rooms are basic, clean, simple, and are great for the budget traveler. I think the Lodge had a lot of character and it was by far my favorite out of all the Wildlife properties I had seen.

My favorite Serena was the Serengeti Serena because it had a lot of character and the pool was wonderful. They even test the pool water locally as well as in the UK. I had lunch here and it was absolutely perfect. The selection was the best I had seen. When I did my inspections of the Serena properties I found them to be impeccably clean, the kitchens were spotless with not a box or anything on the floor. The Serena prosperities really do go to great lengths to make sure absolutely everything is up to par right from the waste management to the laundry service. They make sure to include the influence from local tribes and their customs throughout their properties making their Lodges very unique and real pleasure to stay at.

Oct 12, 2000
After a morning game drive I then flew from the Serengeti to Arusha via Lake Manyara, which was definitely an experience on Regional Air Services prop plane. The pilot got in and throws us a Tupperware container full of candy and says, "here's breakfast" and off we went down the gravel runway. I thought for sure we were going to get a flat tire. The view over the Serengeti was beautiful. We landed in Arusha and I had lunch at the Impala Hotel. After lunch I was off to Zanzibar.

We landed in Zanzibar where I was met and taken to the Tembo Hotel. The standard rooms are a bit small and my view was of the wall next to us. I would suggest requesting for a room with a pool view or sea view. The hotel is right on the ocean so you do have a beautiful view.

I visited the Zanzibar Serena, which is probably the nicest hotel in Stone Town. The pool is beautiful and the hotel is built right on the ocean. I loved the dining room because if you get a table by the window it overlooks the ocean and you can hear the sounds of the waves while you eat.

I also saw the Dhow Palace which is the sister hotel to the Tembo Hotel. People staying here can use the pool at the Tembo without a problem. The décor is the exact same as the Tembo.

Oct 13, 2000
Stone Town is really great to just walk around the narrow winding roads and explore. There is an excellent restaurant called "Blues" which is right on the waterfront. At night the waterfront comes alive with locals selling curios and BBQ's set up along the sea wall cooking absolutely every type of seafood imaginable. Right across the street from the waterfront is a shop area where you can also get good deals on souvenirs and wraps for about $3.00.

I took a dhow boat ride (about 25minutes) across to Prison Island where I got to visit the local tortoise's and feed them, as well as go on a guided tour of the prison. The small island was initially owned by a rich Arab who used it to detain recalcitrant slaves. The boat ride home was great because I sat right on the front of the boat and got soaked from the waves. An African ship passed us and all the crew was blowing us kisses and yelling Jambo it was great.

Oct 14+15+16, 2000
On the coast I did inspections at Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel, which is just wonderful. In April they did major renovations and put in a beautiful pool. The atmosphere is totally relaxed, casual, laid back and homey feeling. Everywhere you look is big couches and chairs with huge pillows and hammocks to laze around on. There are lots of activities to keep you busy.

I also saw Karafuu beach Resort, which has just been considered a 5 star property. It as well has lots of activities and the rooms were really nice. It was off to Breezes Beach Club where I stayed and it was really beautiful. There is so much to do there, from African dance class to disco on Fridays and Saturdays to tennis, darts, pool, paddle boats and canoes are free, dive shop ect. They have a BBQ pit for lunch overlooking the ocean, the netting is draped everywhere and all over is beautiful flowers. The bar in done up safari style and is really cute. A band plays at dinner on Friday and Saturday. The rooms are nice and big with flowers on the beds and in the bathrooms.

Oct 17, 2000
Today I would finish my Africa safari with a hydrofoil from Stone Town to Dar es Salaam, what an experience. I had the upper class seats which were great because they played a video and handed out juice, water, and packages of cookies. If you want you can go outside and relax in the sun.

When I arrived in Dar es Salaam I was met and taken to the New Africa Hotel with the most beautiful view of the city from the 9th floor restaurant. I also saw the Sheraton Hotel and the Sea Cliff. My favorite was the Sea Cliff, what a beautiful place. They just opened a casino the night before I was there. They have so much do even cosmic bowling.

After my inspections I was taken to the airport for my KLM flight home.

If you are interested in a quote for the itinerary I did please feel free to contact either your agent or me directly at 1-800-991-6111.

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