Amazing Tanzania
Although I host fam trips in Tanzania every year, I get excited about every game drive as being in the bush watching wildlife, listening to nature and breathing in fresh air is my happy place!
We started in Arusha at the lovely Gran Melia where we enjoyed great massages and food on the rooftop restaurant, then headed out to Tarangire National Park, one of my favorites. Right off the bat we had 2 cheetah sightings with for a total of 5, a female lion sighting, then a game drive to my favorite place, Silale Swamp, where we had beautiful elephant sightings against the green marsh, then on to Lokisale Camp that hosted us for the night. After a morning game drive with 2 more female lions, then on to Gibbs Farm where we spent the afternoon doing garden tours, feeding pigs, milking cows and birding.
Tarangire is famous for its baobab trees and one of my favorite parks for birds. We saw mating ostriches (my first), and a flying secretary bird, always a treat to see them off the ground.
After lunch and site inspection at Melia Ngorongoro, we got into the Crater late afternoon and enjoyed flamingos, crested cranes, Kori bustards, eland, zebra, hartebeests and much more.
Our night was spent at Lemala’s new camp near the Eastern Crater Rim, Osonjoi. What a gorgeous camp with huge bedrooms and living areas, stunning bathrooms, indoor pool and lovely team! It’s a quick drive into the Crater which makes this camp unique. There is an off-the-beaten path Masaai village nearby where we went. They did the typical dance, we went into one of the huts, browsed the jewelry but the most meaningful thing we did was go into the elementary classroom and chat with the school kids. They sang their ABC’s and we practiced English with them.
What can you say about the Serengeti other than it never ceases to amaze with its abundance of wildlife! Mating lions, 2 more cheetah sightings for a total of 10, a large lion pride in the distance with one limping male, numerous antelope, hyenas and I finally got a shot of the red-cheeked cordon bleu bird that has eluded me over the years.
While in Central Serengeti we were surprised with a delicious hot cooked meal at Miracle Collection’s site which is something your DMCs can book for your clients instead of a boxed lunch for all day safaris! While there, baboons opened our closed, but not latched, front seat pop top and were rummaging through the vehicle. Rajabu, our very good-natured guide, led the way as we chased them out and away while yelling….and laughing. They got a few juice boxes but luckily nothing else! A little baboon drama is always a fun experience.
En route to our next overnight stay at Serengeti Explorer Lodge, we had a most amazing leopard sighting! SEL is actually a hotel that doesn’t look and feel like a hotel and is ideal for larger groups. The rooms are quite spacious, there is an amazing, large underground hide, nice bar, different lounge areas and of course a pool. They also have a nurse on staff as one of our agents needed her care which turned out to be complimentary. Nice touch!
We drove up to Kogatende, enjoying wildlife along the way including a large, scattered lion pride of 12 with 6 of them sleeping under a downed tree limb!
Fam trips are rushed so it’s always nice to spend 2 nights at Nimali Mara in Kogatende with its beautiful tents and fabulous bar. We surprised agents with a balloon safari the next morning with Africa’s 2025 leading balloon company, Miracle Collection! (please note, they have changed their name from Miracle Experience to Miracle Collection). It was a beautiful morning floating over the Mara River and Serengeti Plains filled with giraffes, zebra, hippos and elephants then topped off with a delicious breakfast. Nimali Mara treated us to a lovely sundowner on a kopje not far from the camp.
For those of you who follow me, I’m all about the big cats – “paws and claws” as guides call us. This safari was a total of 30 lions (not all great photos), 10 cheetah and 1 beautiful leopard lounging on a limb!
Several of us went on to Zanzibar where we enjoyed a Stone Town tour then the agents went to the beach while I stayed in Stone Town at The Neela, a totally charming boutique property. My mission was to experience Miracle Collection’s The Reef Experience Zanzibar in the semi-submarine. You can stay above water and then go downstairs to view the 8 different kinds of reefs and the many colorful fish and starfish, my favorite! It’s a great way to see fish and reefs without snorkeling, diving and getting wet. Afterwards you have the option of boating to the Nyange sandbar for lunch and a swim.
This trip was different due to election unrest, cancelled / delayed flights and no internet for a few days. Of course Takims Holidays picked us all up, at different times on different days even in the wee hours of the morning, without delay. As one of the owners explained they simply did things the old fashioned way before the internet. Other than the few days without internet access, all was normal on safari.
I’m proud to represent Takims Holidays, Nimali Africa, and Miracle Collection.
kiki / Nov, 2025