Africa Vacation Of A Lifetime In Kenya & Tanzania

Dear Raza,

Jambo. It’s been just over a month since Liudmila and I returned from Africa. Not a day has passed that we have not been overwhelmed by what we experienced, and by how fantastic our vacation was. It was truly magical.

In Nairobi, The House of Waine was the perfect place to get acclimated after our long flight. Very relaxing, comfortable, peaceful. Giraffe Manor was incredible. Too much fun! We met many interesting, lovely people, a few we hope to remain new friends with. I celebrated my birthday there, they made me a cake, enjoyed by one and all. The staff could not have been finer or more accommodating.

Not to mention enjoying/sharing breakfast with a giraffe, or giving Lynn a pre-breakfast snack from our bedroom window. Or just sitting on the patio at sunset, watching the prancing giraffe, and family of praying warthogs being chased and teased by Blookah, the happiest dog on earth. This leg of our journey also included The Giraffe Center, Karen Blixen Museum and Cafe (superb tiny Mogadishu oysters), and of course, The Elephant Orphanage, where we were so pleased to find how well they’re cared for.

As you know we then embarked for Tanzania Safari, where we were met by our exceptional guide, Yuda Mkai. Over the next six days, in all three national parks (Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti), we saw the” Big Five”, lion mating and the migration, including many, many others. You name it, we saw it. Yuda made sure we did. An expert at finding animals, we enjoyed and were impressed by how much he knew about their routines and habits. He also positioned our vehicle to have the best light for the camera. A walking/talking/driving animal encyclopedia, Yuda made our experience even more fascinating.

From the snow on the roof of Kilimanjaro, grazing elephant on the Amboseli plains underneath, to the flamingos of Lake Nakuru, and the foothills of Masai Mara, (I’m trying not to sound like a travel ad), we saw the best of what Kenya safari has to offer.

Seven rhino, crocs, zebra, three pride of lion, close enough to touch, one lioness carrying a warthog, baying for her cubs to come and feast. Tracking a cheetah kill. A herd of gazelle. Three cheetah stalking in the tall grass. John our guide, following slow, not to disturb the hunt. John, then speeds ahead to stop in the perfect spot. We didn’t wait long. It was too fast. Cheetah lunch. Wow! John’s knowledge of birds and primates also only added to our pleasure.

Next stop Zanzibar. Ras Nungwi was a beautiful property, the pristine white beach not more than forty feet from our lovely room, the Indian Ocean sublime. These five days of doing very little, were somehow very memorable. We were then picked up by our trusted guide Musa and driver Ahmed and given the tour of a spice plantation before being dropped off at the elegant Serena Inn Stone Town.

Being a Stone Town native, Musa then took us on two, (afternoon and morning), very informative walking tours, which provided some of the best photography of the trip, and purchase of a myriad of spices at the amazing market. It is said, all good things must come to an end, late that afternoon, we began our long journey home.

Raza, my wife and I wish to thank you for all your hard work in arranging and planning this trip. Also for booking us the flight from Masai Mara to Nairobi with such short notice. We must also thank your African staff, not just our guides, but the many people who were there to meet us, or drive us or help us transfer on the different legs our journey. For example, arriving Kilimanjaro, the young man, Mungee from Regional Air, helped us fill out all our forms and documents and whisked us through the airport to make our Serengeti connection. He was great.

Everyone was very friendly, courteous, helpful and most important on time. We never missed a connection, always felt very safe and were well taken care of. All of our accommodations were good, well-kept and clean. The food was good, and we always had a varied selection to choose from. All hotel and lodge staff were very friendly and tried to be as helpful as possible.

Raza, it was the vacation of a lifetime, again, thanks so much,

Jamie Davis & Liudmila Kondakova
United States

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