Safari in Kenya and Tanzania

I love watching nature shows on TV, especially animal shows.  Today's shows are of such high quality that sometimes you feel like you are there at the scene.  I learned so much from these shows.  But nothing beats being there, next to the animals.  That's why I went to Antartica and the Galapagos in 2022.  I went to safaris in South African and Botswana in 2014.  To me, the ultimate safari is in Kenya and Tanzania - where two of the best known nature reserve and national park are located:  Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania.  

Again, I am traveling with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), for a 19-day Kenya and Tanzania Safari.  We start in Nairobi, Kenya, and end in Arusha, Tanzania.  Below is the map showing the places where we'll be.

19-Day Kenya and Tanzania Safari

Like most tour itineraries the first and last days are travel days but are counted as part of the itinerary.  I left NYC on July 15 on a Kenyan Airways 14-hour flight and arrived in Nairobi on the morning of July 16.  We started on our first activities on July 17.  The steps below correspond to the numbers on the map above.  Below is an outline of our activities:

1.  Days 3&4:  Nairobi - National Museum, Kobe Tough Ceramic Beads, Kibera Slums, Giraffe Center.

2.  Days 5-7:  Fly to Masai Mara National Reserve, Game Viewing, Hot Air Balloon Ride.

3.  Days 8&9:  Travel to Amboseli National Park, Visit Masai Village, Visit Amboseli Primary School, Game Viewing

4.  Days 10&11:  Overland to Tarangire National Park via Arusha, Game Viewing.

5.  Day12:  Mto Wa Mbu Village. Home Visit. Transfer to Karatu.

6.  Day13:  Game Viewing Ngorongoro Crater.

7.  Day 14:  Hadzabe & Datoga Village visits - Conversation about child prostitution in Karatu

8.  Day 15: Overland to Serengeti National Park.  Game Viewing.

9.  Day 16:  Serengeti Hot Air Balloon Tour.  Conversation about poaching and the struggle of “buffer zone” communities. Game Viewing 

10. Days 17&18:  Serengeti National Park Game Viewing 

Day 19:  Fly to Arusha. Local workshop visit.  Return to US.

Originally there were supposed be 12 participants. For whatever reasons we ended up with only 10.  Most are matured participants and are retired.  We came from all over the country.  Some are couples, some are friends traveling together and some are solo travelers.

The beauty of this trip is that all meals and activities are included, from the time we land in Nairobi to when we finish in Arusha.  There will be up to 15 game-viewing drives and walks.  Unlike other tours this is more than a safari.  It is also a history and cultural trip.  Our guides have been in this business for many years and are native Kenyans or Tanzanians.  Our support staff are all natives as well.  

What is a game-viewing drive?  This is sometimes shorten to game drives.  In the national parks or reserves that we will be visiting, the wild animals are scattered all over in their natural habitat.  Unpaved roads criss-cross these sanctuaries.  To find these animals we are driven in four-wheel drive vehicles, with the top that can be opened.  Below is a picture of a typical safari vehicle.

A Toyota 4x4 Land-Cruiser used as a Safari Vehicle

In old movies or pictures of safaris you usually see the Land-Rovers as the vehicle of choice.  Today almost all the safari vehicles are Toyota Land-Cruisers.  Toyota vehicles, in general, are known for their  toughness and durability.  It is typical for any Toyota vehicle to be driven more than 200,000 miles.  Land-Cruisers are top-of-the-line all-wheel drive vehicles.  According to our guide, it can last 40 years!

The ones used for the safari are converted Land-Cruisers.  They extend the chassis so that it can carry more passengers and luggage and a pop-up top is added, specially for game-viewing.  The cab inside has also been modified to fit the needs of a safari tourist.  They ride relatively smoothly, considering the bumpy roads and also sit comfortably.

I was told a new Land-Cruiser like this costs US$100,000.  It costs another $20,000 to convert it to a safari vehicle.  Most companies lease these vehicles because they only need them during the peak season.  OAT, which runs safari tours almost all year round, likely have a long-term lease or own the vehicles.

OAT calls our guide Tour Experience Leader.  They all graduated from college, usually in Wildlife Management.  It's a tough job.  Not only do they have know the history and types of the animals, they have to be ready to solve any immediate logistical or medical problems.  American tourists are also nit-picky and sometimes quarelsome.  They have to be ready to mediate as well.

Our Tour Experience Leader is Osbert Kihomwe.  He is about 38 years old and has worked for OAT for 3 years but has worked in the travel industry for at least 10 years.  He is married and has two children.  Relatively speaking, this jobs pay better than many jobs in Kenya or Tanzania.  They are tipped by the travelers in their group at the end of the trip.  Recommended amount is $12 to $15 a day per traveler.  However, American tourists are more generous and usually give more than the recommended amount.  This is a tough job.  You have to be away from your family for 3 weeks and you have to be available almost 24 hours a day.  I've asked the local drivers and guides and they said that OAT is the most desirable company that they want to work for.