Tanzania with Unique Expeditions
by Judy Milner
(New Zealand)
Most of all I loved the people! The children were just gorgeous and just like ours here at home, all different. I was amazed by the gentleness and humbleness of Kaaya and Yoyce and their whanau, just so welcoming. It was an absolute pleasure and honour to share their home.
I loved the variety, from rugby to hunting to shopping to walks to sunsets (unbelievably stunning) to just admiration of the Masai stature and deportment. The colour of their clothing. Just so much!
Safari Company Performance
I found Unique Expeditions through an article in the local paper, Gisborne Herald.I really liked the relaxed way the whole trip was handled, the range of experiences available and the 'one-off' opportunities, such as the hunting with the bushmen.
That still amazes me when I think back, the contrast between our lives here and theirs.
We were a party of 8 exploring the cultural, wildlife and helping at local community project (orphanage and school).
We visited Kaayas Village; Ndoombo Village, Mt Meru, Arusha, Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Eyasi all in Tanzania.
Food
I couldn't fault the food.It was more than enough, the meat was dubious (at times, I prefer my goats running free!), but no complaints at all.
The lunches were more than great. Safari meals were really interesting and so well done.
The dining room on safari was also great fun.
Wildlife
'The Big Five' is still my favourite. We also saw zebra and giraffe.I was very impressed with the whole safari, although it was not necessarily the part I had looked forward to the most.
I was more keen to meet the people, but combining the two, people and animals was just so great. I think we saw all the animals we could expect to see.
The lion is now our screen saver and I was most impressed by how Brendan and Kaaya could arrange for all the animals to present the most exquisite photo opportunities.
The charging elephant is never to be forgotten either. The cheeky monkeys, I could ramble on, couldn't I?
The Masai women and their dancing to say thank you when we purchased their craft. I wear my jewellery a lot.
Typical Day
Having only recently become a morning person I was happy with early starts, the lovely air, the clean smells.I bought a tent on my return (as yet unused by me). Up early, ablutions, breakfast and then out in the truck to begin the day.
Mixing people was also a good idea, eyes peeled for the next visual delight. Be it animal or scenic.
There is just so, so much that appeals. We certainly covered the miles but none of it was hard, the roads, ah, yes, the roads, an engineer's nightmare, but so fitting for the climate.
We had lunch, always with a little surprise, always with an egg. I watched the Gareth Morgan DVD about his trip to Africa and they mentioned the eggs, an African delight.
Back to watching people, animals but with always something new around the corner.
Other Activities
We did the village with the iron workers. That was a treat.At the onion farm it was the communal water that interested me the most, really when I think about it, each day was full with more experiences.
I was telling someone recently about pulling into the darkened garage when we had trouble with one of the vehicles.
No lights, couple of guys sitting in the dark, waiting for what? Then, it appeared as if from nowhere, people came, guys got under the truck and lit up the problem with the lights from their cell phones.
Problem fixed! No osh, no fanfare, just a job done. The resilience and adaptability of the people really impressed me.
Disappointments
No regrets, definitely no disappointments.Perhaps would've liked to have seen both sides of Dubai, the old and the new, but that might be just me as a shopping woman trying to find her way into another mall!
Also the only other possible regret would be we didn't have longer. I bet a lot of people would feel that way!
Tips and Advice
Relax and enjoy. It is all taken care of.Give everything a go. Get outside your comfort zone, you'll be so happy you did.
Useful items I took along were a thermal top for nights and mornings: easy, lightweight, dark, so it didn't show the dirt etc. as well as good, light shoes.
Help with safari clothing »
| Judy's Safari Details: Rating: 10/10 Safari company used: Unique Expeditions (make an enquiry) Parks visited: Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater Date of safari: October for 15 days More Unique Expeditions reviews » |
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