I firmly belive that going to Africa is one of life's greatest experiences. Friendly people, magnificent vistas, and the "Wild Kingdom".
I have traveled to many places in the world and no place was as magical as Africa.
Our trip last just short of a month. We flew from Los Angles to London(12 hrs), We had a two day layover in London to sightsee and get over jet lag.From London we flew non-stop to Nairobi, Kenya (8 hrs). The safari officially started here. Our group consisted of my wife and I, our daughter and her husband, and my wife's brother and his wife. Six is the optimum an ideal size group. A standard safari vehicle hold six comfortably.
We visited the following countries... Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zambia.
We stayed at the following lodges
Kirawira
The most exclusive of the Serena Group’s many Safari venues, the exquisite Kirawira tented camp is the epitome of classic safari camp luxury and a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group.
The colonial ambiance of the tented-rooms evokes colourful memories of the famous safaris of days gone by, when such romantic figures as Teddy Roosevelt and Edward, Prince of Wales indulged in lavish East African safaris of unrivalled elegance. Each room at Kirawira has a personal valet and has been accommodated in a spacious canvas tent, erected on raised platforms of rope-lashed logs.
The décor is a clever blend of classic opulence and camp practicality featuring generous four-poster beds, hand-made patchwork quilts, steamer-trunk wardrobes, brass lamps, sepia photographs and rosewood escritoires, At the rear of each tent is an elegant mahogany-panelled bathroom with twin marble washstands, polished brass fittings and classic black-and-white tiled Edwardian shower and lavatory.
Ngorongoro Safari Lodge
Perched on the jagged rim of the crater, wreathed in morning mist, camouflaged in river-stone and cloaked in indigenous creepers, the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is a triumph of ecological and architectural fusion. Sensitively constructed so as to take nothing from its environment whilst affording endless vistas over the heat-shimmering reaches of the crater below, the clustered boulder-built buildings of the Lodge hug the crater rim, linked by rope-lashed timber walkways that skirt the buttressed roots of ancient, liana-hung trees.
The interior, radiating out from the primeval log fire glowing at the heart of the Lodge, blends the concentrated hush of a game-viewing hide with the ochre, rust and charcoal images of a prehistoric cavern. Lit by flaming wall-lanterns, clad in gigantic volcanic boulders and decorated by the iron spears, bright-beaded robes and intricately carven artefacts of the Maasai, the Lodge is a unique blend of world-class luxury, timeless volcanic splendour and ethnic style. As for the views, from lilac-streaked sunrise, to indigo star-studded night, the immeasurably ancient Ngorongoro Crater delivers a theatre of vistas, most unchanged since the dawn
Standing high on the bluff of a dramatic ochre and terracotta streaked cliff above the flamingo-frosted expanse of Lake Manyara’s gleaming alkaline waters, the Lodge commands panoramic views across the volcano-studded floor of the Great Rift Valley.
Designed to reflect the brilliance of Lake Manyara’s unique birdlife, the Lodge draws on an inspirational architectural motif that melds swooping avian curves with the gentle concentric patterns of traditional Maasai ‘Bomas’ (encampments) whilst the vibrantly coloured frescoes lining the walls are designed to depict the colourful intricacy of bird migratory patterns.
The ambiance of the Lodge is a fusion of lakeside tranquillity, towering volcanic splendor.
If you follow the link to the lodge you will find that it is very close to the Virunga National Park entrance. The downside is the entire area does not have electricity and the lodge's generators were fickle. I am not complaining here, this trek was the best part of the trip. We had enough power to keep our camera batteries charged and that was enough.
This was the main lodge. It had the bar and the dining room in it and a nice lounge and front desk.
Little Governors’ is intimate in character, with just 17 luxury en-suite tents tucked around a large watering hole that teems with both birds and wildlife. The camp is approached by a boat ride across the Mara River, then an escorted walk through the riverine forest. Vehicles are left on the far river bank, and the camp is therefore quiet and undisturbed.
Giraffe Manor
Built in 1932 by David Duncan of the 'Macintosh Toffee' family, The Giraffe Manor is modelled on a Scottish hunting lodge with views of Mt. Kilimanjaro to the south and the Ngong Hills to the west. In 1974, the grandson of a Scots Earl, Jock Leslie Melville and his American wife Betty bought the Manor as their home.
The Rothschild giraffe lost much of their natural habitat in western Kenya and faced extinction. In 1974, two highly endangered Rothschild giraffe were moved onto the estate where their future generations have thrived and live today. Jock and Betty founded the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW). The Giraffe Centre (AFEW Kenya) was built on the property so that Kenyan school children could learn conservation/ecology and feed giraffe eyeball to eyeball!
Dr Livingstone was the first European to see the Victoria Falls in 1855. Known locally as Mosi-Oa-Tunya or "the smoke that thunders" because of the spray made by the mass of water dropping 100 meters below in the gorges. Livingstone renamed the falls Victoria Falls in honour of Queen Victoria.
