Here Kitty, Kitty…(more good cat juju)
Happy to be part of another amazing safari fam trip with Takims Holidays in the Northern Circuit, staying at luxury camps, eating, doing site inspections and game drives in between work.
Tanzania has the highest concentration of wildlife in all of Africa so it’s impossible to tell if that, or my good cat juju is the reason we saw 44 lions, 3 cheetahs and 2 leopards? I’m all “paws and claws” when it comes to wildlife! Plus herds of elephants, many dazzles of zebra, giraffes, eland, topi, my favorite birds, and a first for me – mating mongoose!
We started at Gran Meliá where I fly in a day early so I can enjoy one of the best massages after a long-haul flight. As a vegetarian, the best dinner is their paneer dish they serve and I always eat. We also do a shopping excursion at the Cultural Heritage Center where I bought an amazing fertility bronze sculpture. You’ll find tchotchkes, jewelry, textiles, baskets and all kinds of masks at this sprawling facility.
After a lovely game drive in Tarangire, our next night was at Lemala Mpingo Ridge with its comfortable tents, outdoor showers and beautiful views. We had 3 lion sightings (6 total), great birds, lots of elephants, giraffes and of course Tarangire is famous for its stunning baobab trees.
Onwards to the unique and charming Gibbs Farm, with never enough time to spend here. Lovely cottages with fireplaces, outdoor showers, overgrown flower gardens, large vegetable garden, and farm animals. Your organic food is picked fresh and lovingly prepared.
En-route to our next night at Nomad’s Entamanu Ngorongoro, we spent at few hours in the Crater driving 2,000 down to the crater floor where we saw flamingos, 3 male lions (2 sightings), a rhino in the distance, birds, lots of antelope and warthogs. Entamanu is a cozy camp with a beautiful, serene design with little pops of color that are welcoming. Food and drinks were delicious and plentiful. They have a private Masai village that is always fun to visit.
Personally, I love the drive from the Crater to Central Serengeti or Ndutu as you get to see the countryside. Once you pass the Serengeti sign, you will see all kinds of wildlife from antelope, hyenas, birds, and big cats. After our site inspection and lunch, Raymond, our Takims Holidays’ guide made an amazing leopard sighting – mom and cub in a tree. We had them to ourselves until he shared the sighting, then came the scrum….. Mom left her cub to go hunting and walked between the vehicles so we got to spend some time with her. Next came a sleeping male lion then the cheetah mom and her 2 cubs – quite the exciting game drive en-route to our next night at the lovely Nimali Serengeti in Central Serengeti.
Nimali Serengeti is perched on a hill overlooking the Serengeti plains. The tents are beautiful, comfortable and well appointed with large decks and outdoor seating. Having a cocktail at sunset and watching the moon, stars and planets appear is a relaxing way to spend your evening after an outdoor shower. Dinner was family style with plenty of food and South African wines. One night is not enough!
Finally we got to spend two nights at the beautiful Nimali Mara in Kogatende. Again, built on a hill, you will find the lounge and bar area built into a kopje with views overlooking the northern Serengeti plains. Tents are spacious with a swinging daybed on the porch. You will find personalized dinner menus and vegetarians will have several options to choose from.
Thanks to Takims Holidays and Miracle Experience, we had a delightful balloon safari over the Mara River and the Serengeti. You fly low enough to see wildlife and take photos of zebra, elephants, eland, hippos, and jumping reedbuck. One of our travel advisors was scared of heights but in an adventurous spirit went with us and realized how non-scary the experience is. It’s very peaceful and quiet when floating over the picturesque landscape – very similar to sky-diving after the parachute opens. Afterwards the champagne and breakfast round out your morning, then onwards for a game drive – an awesome day to be sure!
Alot of people don’t go to Kogatende when river crossing season is over but that is a mistake. Wildlife is bountiful and the crowds are gone, making for a lovely safari experience. We had 8 different lion sightings in Kogatende including a pride of 15, 2 different females in different trees and a male with facial wound, probably from another male lion’s claw. Or perhaps from the female in the nearby tree after an unsatisfactory mating episode?
The advisors flew to Zanzibar and I flew back to Tarangire to stay at Nimali Tarangire as I’m more of a bush than beach person.
There are a few changes at Nimali Tarangire – the lounge and dining areas have been switched, the underground hide is complete with chairs and shelves. There are 3 new tents on the opposite side of the river bed but the star bed tent isn’t quite finished. As all of the Nimali camps have lovely and gracious service, good food and fun guides, my 2 night stay here was a treat. I love the underground hide and waterhole! It’s difficult to finish a meal without taking photos of wildlife at the waterhole or running to the hide. I did 3 short game drives on their private conservancy and enjoyed 2 new sightings – a fork- tailed drongo and steenbok, plus the baobab trees and other antelope.
Our sight inspections and delicious lunches were at: Chem Chem, Neptune Ngorongoro (no lunch), Meliá Ngorongoro, Siringit Serengeti, Sisini Camp and Sayari Camp. Happy to share photos of each of these camps.
I am proud to represent both Takims Holidays and Nimali Africa!
kiki / nov, 2024