New location

I've moved this blog to my own site now, so all further posts will be here. I've moved over existing posts and comments too, so I recommend you just go to the new site and read things there where there are also more photos and other functions.

Mahale part 2

The second day at Mahale we awoke to nice weather, a hearty breakfast, and the unfortunate news that the chimps had moved south to an area that was difficult for people access and also heavily infested with Buffalo Beans. These are a vine whose beans have small hair like fibers which “stick” to skin on contact or when they are dispersed by the wind. These fibers are small enough to penetrate most clothing and when they contact skin they slightly penetrate the skin, swell due to the moisture there which anchors them in the skin, and then cause an itching sensation. It is supposed to be very aggravating and last for several days. Interestingly the chimps do not seem to be affected by them at all, maybe because their skin is tougher and thicker than ours is. With that description and the chimps’ location, we decided not to pursue the chimps that morning and to hope that they would move to another location later in the day for a possible chance to see them in the afternoon.

Instead we decided to take the morning and have a nature walk to a nearby stream with a small (10 foot) waterfall at the base of which was a natural swimming pool. Along the way we learned about various jungle flora and saw a few birds and some monkeys. The latter are generally wary of people whom they associate with chimps, either because we are also primates or because people are occasionally seen with chimps and because the chimps actively hunt and eat the monkeys. I have to say it is a little uncomfortable to think that the chimps eat monkeys (and obviously raw since they don’t use fire at all), but it is even more uncomfortable to watch it on video which you can see at www.chimpanzee.tv a site promoting a video documentary about the Mahale chimps made by the camp’s former chef.

Upon reaching the stream we viewed some wonderful landscapes and had a nice swim. The water was cold, especially considering that we were only about 2 degrees south of the equator. It was very refreshing though, because the rain forest was hot and extremely humid.

That afternoon the chimps still hadn’t moved, so we took a boat ride about an hour south of the camp to a rocky beach off of which was an underwater rock “reef” teeming with fish. Lake Tanganyika is famous for its fish, most of which are endemic to the lake and have evolved into unique species due to the lake’s isolation, size, and particular chemical composition. In fact some species’ ranges are limited to only the rocks near the lakeshore in a few coves or bays, with similar but distinct species a few hundred yards away. The fish were especially interesting for me to see in the wild as I had studied the lake’s fish species as a child and so seeing them in the wild was special.

There was a moment of apprehension before jumping into the water with snorkel gear to see the fish though. On the way to the small cove we had seen several large crocodiles which inhabit the lake and whose range is not limited to just certain bays. To ensure the safety of the guests, the camp boat did a slow circle around the cove to make sure that no crocs were in the area where we would be swimming. That done and with none spotted, we were then free to don our snorkels and jump in.

The day ended with a glorious sunset after the boat ride back to camp and a lovely dinner followed by drinks next to a large campfire on the beach. We all went to sleep hoping that the chimps would move out of the buffalo bean area to somewhere accessible.

The next morning I awoke very early to darkness (I naturally don’t sleep much anyway) and walked out to the beach where I sat in a chair to watch the sun come up over the mountains. It was so incredibly peaceful and serene and a lovely way to start the day. The previous day I had startled some of the camp workers who weren’t expecting a guest on the beach before they were up with the sun. This day they were ready for me and we just nodded to each other as they went about their duties.

At breakfast we learned that the chimps’ location was unknown. Although the camp trackers had gone out early in the morning to try and locate them, mostly by listening for the calls and sounds the chimps make, they had not yet heard or seen any sign of them. This was very disappointing for everyone, but the decision was made to try and walk in the direction they were in the previous day in the hope that they might move back toward the camp and we would be well positioned to intercept them as they moved.

We started out walking along the trail network which has been built over the years mainly by the Japanese researchers studying this chimp group. After an hour of walking in the heat and humidity we came to a resting point where we met up with the camp trackers. They had taken up position at the top of a hill to listen and observe the surrounding forest with the hope of finding the chimps. Interestingly most of the tracking is done by sound rather than sight, with the trackers listening for the various calls the chimps make during different activities. Not only did the trackers have a good sense of hearing, but their ability to determine distance and the speed and direction of the chimps was amazing.

We rested a bit and tried to capture any cooling breeze that there was (very little) and after a bit the decision was made that the chimps were still too far away and not moving anywhere accessible. It was another disappointment for us, but they are wild animals after all and this isn’t a zoo experience (which some tourists seem to forget). Rather than walk back to camp on the trail we had just come on, we decided to hike along a more rugged trail to a beach on the lake and get picked up by the boat for the return. That was interesting, because we got to cross a minor river and see some hippo trails.

Lunch had a bit of a somber mood as we all began to wonder if we would see the chimps or not during our stay. News was relayed from the trackers that the chimps remained far south and in the bush. A suggestion was made to venture out and find them though since it wasn’t like there was much else for us to do. Magdalena warned us that the going would be tough since we would be going to an area that had no trails and that in fact hadn’t been visited by anyone in over 5 years. A few of the guests were dissuaded by that and decided to pass, but most of us were determined and agreed to go.

We landed the boat on the beach we had gone to that morning and began to walk inland. Within a hundred meters we encountered jungle and our guides took to using machetes to cut a path. The going was slow, as the forest was dense. A couple of hundred more meters and the ground angled upward too. We were at the base of a hill. We began to make our way upward following the trail the guides hacked through the growth. Progress ground to a slow pace, compounded by the heat, humidity, and often lack of plants to grab for better stability. We quickly learned that the prolific vines were not good to grab hold of either as they had numerous small thorns. So here were a group of mainly comfort-living tourists trudging uphill in the jungle being cut up by the plants and sweating profusely. I’ve got to admit I loved it. It reminded me of many of the hikes I did as a teenager back in Hawaii and was the first time in a long while that I was out in nature really exerting myself.

After about two hours we reached a plateau on the hill and took a break. Needless to say we were tired and reasonably dirty. It felt great. We had been joined by the trackers on the way up and now they were listening to the chimps who we could hear in the distance. A discussion broke out in Swahili amongst the trackers, guides and Magdalena. We waited and then she informed us that while the chimps were close, it was basically impossible for us to get to them. They were across a valley from us and our side of the valley was a near vertical drop of almost 100 meters, so to get to the other side we would have to go up and around the end of the valley. That would take well over an hour and at that point we would be about 2 hours from the nearest beach, meaning that we would have to hike out through jungle in the dark before riding the boat back. That would be a major safety issue for us, plus the official park rules were that no one was supposed to be outside the camp area after dark. The decision was made to turn around and go back to the beach we had come from, content in the fact that we had reached a point no tourist had ever visited and no one else had been to in several years. Though it was disappointing not to see the chimps, I was still happy all the way down the hill and back to camp. We only had one more day to go though…

Initial photos

I'm on a really slow PC and trying to sort through my almost 4 GB worth of photos is proving daunting, so I'm going to wait until I get back to Boston. For now I've uploaded a couple of the better photos that I could quickly extract. These are unedited raw photos for now.

To the left is one of the younger chimps balancing on a couple of jungle vines. This chimp had been swinging along in the jungle and then came to rest here and I watch him/her for a bit. The chimp just seemed to be contemplating life in a moment of deep thought. If I can, I'll try and get the Mahale staff to ID the chimp and then I can upload some info about him/her as they sent me brief background sentences on each chimp in the group.

This is a shot of the male lion in Ruaha eating the giraffe. This was taken in the morning of my last day there, so is about 22 hours after the kill was made. If you look closely you can see that the lion is gripping the hip / upper thigh area of the carcass with both forepaws and pulling with his teeth. He has extended his right front claws for a better grip (like domestic cats lions claws are retractable). You can also see that the entire body cavity of the giraffe is empty and the ribs are clearly visible here. Although it is difficult to see in a photo, I hope that this conveys some of the power combined with grace that these animals have.

More photos will be posted in about one week's time as I should have a better PC and connectivity then. Feel free to add your comments in the meantime.

Gorilla tourism

While I was browsing the news on CNN.com today, I came across this story (link below - about 5 minutes long) about the Congo's gorillas and the hope that tourism might help them in the war torn country. Given my recent trip it was very relevant. The video also may help you to understand exactly how wonderful the apes are and what it is like to visit them. I'm definitely planning on going to see them in the future, though likely not the ones in the Congo unless the situation radically changes.

Click for source

Mahale part 1

After 4 weeks of being on the road I returned to London on Tuesday. It was a long 29 hour trip from the camp at Mahale to the flat in London involving a boat, single engine prop plane, jeeps, big jet, and subway and so as you can imagine I was a bit tired when I arrived here. I've been back for 3 days now and I'm still adjusting in a BIG way. The sounds and the volume of motion around me is very hectic and I can feel that it is causing me some stress. Not necessarily undue amounts, but coming out of the bush where my biggest concern each day was what I was going to be served for meals or whether I should sit on the beach or go swimming, the difference is palpable.

Back to the trip though. So I left off in Arusha where I spent the night before flying to Mahale. The next morning I awoke to a nice sunrise highlighting the coffee fields and Mount Meru (about 30 miles west of Mount Kilimanjaro). I got a ride to the airport and boarded another single engine prop plane to fly to Mahale. This was a bush charter though, which means that it was scheduled to maximize the passengers moved since the lodge company (Nomad) had chartered it. 5 passengers flew from Arusha 15 minutes to Kilimanjaro airport where we landed and disembarked. We waited for almost an hour while the plane was refueled and 2 more passengers joined connecting from another flight that had just landed from somewhere else. The 7 of us then boarded and flew 2:30 to Katavi, another Tanzanian national park where Nomad has a camp. We landed there and all the other people got off and 9 new people got on. After 15 minutes of this shuffle around we took off again for another 45 minutes and finally landed at Mahale's airstrip. This was about 5 hours after I had boarded the plane that morning and I've now learned that I don't do very well on those small planes. I don't get motion sickness, but I get very tired and a little light headed from the altitude. They fly at well over 10,000 feet up and the cabins are not pressurized at all so you feel the altitude and most importantly experience the lack of air. Stop me if I ever decided that I want to get a pilot's license - I would pass out and the plane would crash. So on to Mahale.

Greystoke Mahale
We land on a small dirt strip like so many others in East Africa, but with one notable difference. This one ends at the water, meaning that if you over shoot the plane is going swimming. It is a spectacular view as you are descending and the water seems to extend forever in front of you. It looks like the ocean, because there are waves and you can't see the other side, but it actually Lake Tanganyika which is about 30 miles across at that point and is more than 400 miles long and an astounding 4,700 feet deep.

After disembarking we are met by the staff of the camp who carry our luggage to the waiting wooden boat for the 1.5 hour ride down the lake to camp. Due to the logistics, guests at this camp all arrive and depart at the same time (arrivals and departures are every Monday and Thursday) and you immediately feel how different the experience will be from the other camps. This is a place where guests move in groups and activities tend to involve most if not everyone at the same time. After being the only guest at a few places and enjoying solitude, it is a strange and bit intimidating experience to suddenly be thrust into interacting with a group of people, most of whom have just spent 3 days together at the Nomad camp in Katavi. We all trundle, well actually wade, aboard the boat and set off down the lake.

The camp itself is beautiful and well situated on the shoreside edge of a sandy beach in a protected bay. Each of the 7 huts is for two people with the bedroom area opening out onto the beach. There are heavy privacy curtains for use at night if desired, though I found not using them allowed more of the light breeze from the lake and the pleasant wave sounds through. Behind the camp is a forest which after a few hundred yards of relatively flat land quickly becomes steep hills that go up over 1,000 feet. It was very reminiscent of places in Hawaii and made me feel at home fairly quickly.

After a quick unpack, all 10 guests (4 singles and 3 couples) gathered in the main dining building (no doors and no complete walls so it wasn't exactly a room) for our briefing. Magdalena, a half-time camp guide/chimp specialist and wife of the camp manager Doug, briefed on the background of Mahale, the chimps there, issues they have had and expectations for our visit. In less than 30 years (2 chimp generations), the chimp community in that area of the park has gone from 140 individuals to 52. This has largely been due to human introduced diseases. This year alone 13 chimps were lost to a pneumonia brought by people. No one will ever know whether this was from the researchers or the tourists, but in the end 13 chimps (20% of those remaining) were lost. Health matters are serious there and Magdalena spends the other half of her time as the official park veterinarian observing the chimps and collecting samples for study (direct contact is not allowed so sample collection is from droppings, partially eaten food, etc.). To help reduce health risks, we are told that we should keep 5m away from the chimps at all times when possible and if they approach us to back up to keep the distance.

She also informs us that while we are likely to see the chimps, this cannot be guaranteed and we may have to walk far or wait for long periods in the forest to do so. Some of the others seem a bit concerned about this, but I'm happy just to hear that there isn't a ban on seeing them as I had feared. Magdalena explains to us that we will generally go out in the morning to try and see the chimps and spend the afternoons on the beach, swimming / snorkeling on the lake, or just resting. She estimates that we might see them twice in the 4 night stay (really 3 full days due to the transport logistics). This is in part because the park and researchers are trying to limit the number of people visiting the chimps each day. The rules officially allow for only 6 tourists at a time to see the chimps and no more than 3 groups per day. Unfortunately since there are 3 camps each with capacity for 12 or more guests and it is an honor system, often the chimps see 4-6 groups in a day.

In light of the limited daylight left, we decide to do a light nature walk that afternoon and start out fresh the next morning for our first chimp search adventure. So we set off into the forest on the trail network led by our local guide who begins to explain the various plants to us. As there are 11 of us (10 tourists and the guide) we end up stringing out single file along the trail. We hear the calls of chimps in the distance and also see a few monkeys, but they are very wary of humans as they associate us with chimps who actively hunt and eat the monkeys (I watched video of this later and it is a bit gruesome). Suddenly the line comes to a halt and the guide motions us to get off the trail to the side. As we do it becomes apparent why. There are two chimps walking down the path toward us!

They seem so non-plussed at seeing us there and while they obviously acknowledge us they don't seem to care. One even stops quickly to defecate right on the path in front of a few of the people. Struggling to get my camera set and in low lighting (flashes scare the chimps and you cannot use them) I get a couple of blurry snaps as they go by less then 5 feet from me. They are larger and much more muscular than I had thought. It is understandable how they can literally tear apart another animal limb-from-limb. They walk down the path and continue into the forest as we stand there in shock.

It was a wonderful first afternoon's walk and it seemed almost too easy to have seen them. Little did we know what was to come over the next few days though....

Update

The trip has been wonderful so far. While the realities of city life are so far away I've found time to spend hours just looking at scenery. I wonder why people don't do it more often.

Two more weeks have gone by and with them 4 more main stops. As my computer access time is limited I'll summarize again. I hope to be able to post photos next week when I return to London.

Pemba Afloat
Living on a sailing yacht anchored in a lagoon on a small remote island. Waking each day to a beautiful sunrise and watching local fisherman return in their dugout canoes with the night's catch. Some canoes stop by to sell live fish, crabs, lobster or squid which become lunch or dinner. A nearly constant breeze keeps it comfortable and free of insects. Brilliant night skies filled with stars since there is no real town with electric lights for 20 miles. A nice relaxing place to have time slip past.

Saadani Safari Lodge
This was as much a beach resort as a game lodge. Sunrise over the ocean each morning streams into the cottages on the beach. There isn't much wildlife though due to both the season and large areas of land having been burned deliberately - by poachers, park rangers or both depending upon who you speak with.

I see giraffe each day and spot lion tracks in a dry river bed. I also see antelope tracks on the beach one morning only a few hours old. Most notably I start to observe population differences in the same species I saw in Kenya. Obvious differences occur in color and hair, for example the warthogs here have long manes and whiskers. On the last evening we spot a pair of lions in a grassy area apparently waiting for the daily trek of the herbivores from the grazing areas to the river to drink. They jog away as we approach, the only time I've seen lions move due to human presence.

When leaving we stop by a rural Maasai village where the homes are mud and stick and the people sleep on cow hides on dirt floors. Appearances can be deceiving though, because the village elder second in status to the chief carries a mobile phone and I'm told owns 600 cows valued at about US$300 each.


Selous Impala Camp
This is a luxury tented camp where the target market is upscale tourists looking for comfort in the bush. This is the first place I stay where hot water is available on demand. All of the other places used solar water heaters except Pemba Afloat which had no hot water at all. The camp is on the river and you hear the male hippos calling each night.

Game is plentiful here as the river draws animals during the dry season. I see male hippos mock battle for territory, a large greater kudu with horns almost 4 feet long horn the mud, male giraffe sparring head butts, baboons digging up roots and knocking the dirt off them before eating and elephants smelling each other's mouths when meeting. The real highlight is the boat safari and when we beach the boat in the mud to watch two male elephants graze. After about 20 minutes of this one has come to within 10 feet of our boat. He takes some mud and throws it on his back with his trunk and then takes more and throws it at us! Some splatters on me and he turns and slowly walks away to graze again without looking back. I think that he was tired of having us be there.

Mdonya Old River Camp
This place touts itself as an adventure camp and really delivers on expectations. Animals walk through camp every night and in the 3 days I'm there I see greater kudu, impala, and giraffe eating close to me and have elephants [night 1] and buffalo [night 2] eat and sleep just outside my tent. There are lion tracks in the camp after night 3 which is likely why nothing slept outside my tent that night. The warning not to walk around outside at night is well heeded!

Game concentration and diversity here are outstanding. By far the best park I've visited so far. My last morning I saw 10 species of mammals before breakfast. Although there are so many highlights from here, two really stand out.

During a full day drive we see numerous lions (38 by end of day), but the big cats are always interesting. While we are driving I see what appears to be a large cat walking on a hill in the distance. I tell our guide who instructs the driver to go up the hill. As we drive the guide asks me exactly where on the hill I saw the shape and I try to direct him to the spot. He seems skeptical, but as we get to within 50 yards of the area he spies the cat and identifies it as a leopard. Leopards are solitary and generally nocturnal, so are not often seen by tourists. It is a big deal to see one and the other tourists in the car congratulate me on spotting it. For almost 30 minutes we watch the leopard as he slowly walks further up the hill, occasionally stopping to lie down which allows us to really study him. They are amazing animals combining beauty, grace, and power. Finally he walks over a rise we can't safely drive beyond and we watch him disappear.

The next morning I go for a 2 hour walk along the Ruaha River with the same guide. It is hot and uneventful. We stop for a breakfast break on the drive back and then continue as it is well over an hour back to camp. I doze off and on in the jeep as it is hot and sunny and while driving at almost 30 mph game generally run when they hear the jeep coming. Almost back to camp and during a brief waking period, I am staring out at the trees eyes largely unfocused when I catch the prototypical profile of a male lion with full mane. "Lion" I shout and the driver immediately breaks hard. I tell him to back up and as he does we all search the trees. The guide spots 2 lions, but not where I saw the profile which I'm frantically searching for. Then I spot him and immediately next to him why they are there. There is a freshly killed young female giraffe lying in the trees. Little of giraffe has been eaten yet and it is interesting to see what has been eaten and guess how they caught and killer her.

Over the next 22 hours until I have to fly out we revisit the site 3 more times to watch the lions (5 total) progress eating the body. In the early morning visit we watch both a lioness and the big male actually feed. They wrench meat from the bone and move parts of the carcass with obvious great strength. I hear their teeth scraping against bone and cutting flesh. Their labored breaths mark the struggle to rend meat and separate joints. At one point the male shifts position and brushing his tail against the resting lioness feels she is too close. He turns on her with blinding speed and fierce aggression; roaring jaws wide open with teeth bared. She roars back as she cowers on the ground ears flat back.

I take loads of photos hoping at least some will turn out. The camp manager surmises that the lions drove the giraffe into the thicket of smaller trees where she couldn't easily run and tripped and fell over a tree (there was a sapling bent under her body) where upon the lions quickly killed her by crushing her windpipe with their jaws. Seeing it was an experience that I will never forget.

Kigongoni Lodge
This is a quaint hillside lodge on the outskirts of Arusha a city of 400,000. It is far enough out of the city to be peaceful and overlooks fields of coffee and greenhouses of roses and strawberries. I'm only overnighting here due to flight schedules. Tomorrow I fly to my last stop at Mahale to hopefully see the chimps there. There are rumors that the park has stopped chimp viewing hikes after several chimps caught flus from tourists and died. I'll have to see what the situation is when I get there. I hope to see them, but can understand how protecting them is much more important.

Kenyan experiences

A little over a week into my trip now and I feel like I've left everything behind and am really enjoying not knowing what day it is or thinking ahead much more than what I'll be eating for my next meal. There is a lot to share from my experiences so far, but as I'm at a slow internet cafe in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania I'll have to summarize a few key points and then try and fill in the gaps at a later time.

Nairobi
I passed through Nairobi for my first night in Africa and again for a brief few hours when leaving Kenya on my way to Tanzania. I didn't see much during the one night I was there, but did find it interesting that every ATM in the city has at least one guard posted by it all night long. I had to try 4 ATMs before I could find one that accepted my card and was working and at each one the guard just sat there quietly while I conducted my transactions. It was a bit of a strange experience, but was comforting in a weird sort of way.

On my way back through Nairobi I visited the Giraffe Center and the Karen Blixsen museum. The former is run by a non-profit to raise funds for animal welfare and to provide education mainly about giraffes. They have about 6 Rothschild giraffes there (an endangered subspecies of giraffe) which have largely been raised in captivity. The highlight is that you get to grab a handful of feed pellets and hand feed the giraffes. It is a fun experience, though I have to say that giraffes salivate a bit when eating so the nearby handwash station was well positioned. I passed on the "kiss" experience which is to put some food pellets between your lips and have the giraffe lick them from there. Ummm...can you say I want to wash my face?

The Karen Blixsen museum was interesting especially as I didn't know much about her at all. She was the author of Out of Africa and used the pen names Tania Blixsen and Isak Denisen in addition to her own name. The museum itself is in her former home and is largely a reproduction of it when she was there. Some of the decorative and furniture pieces are original and others are from the movie. It was good for a short visit, but I wouldn't classify it as a must see in Nairobi.

Il N'gwesi
This was my first real stop on my vacation and it was spectacular. This is a real gem of a place that I would add to my list of places to return to. Although it is very remote (1.5 hours from the main airstrip over a bumpy dirt track) once you are there is well worth it. The location is on a hillside overlooking about 20 miles of relatively untouched forest and the view is outstanding especially at sunrise. There are 6 bandas (bungalows) and I had #1 which is supposed to be the best one. I was told that Prince William, the eldest son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, has stayed in that banda on a few occasions and I can see why. There is a wooden deck which extends out over the hillside a bit and overlooks the water hole where animals come to drink. It is large enough that upon request the staff will move the queen size bed from within the room to the deck and you can sleep under the stars (with mosquito net of course due to the malaria risk).

I had them do that and slept under the full moon on a nearly cloudless night. It was an amazing experience. The last night I was there as I went to sleep I heard the elephants feeding about 50 meters down the slope from me and saw a few waterbucks drinking at the watering hole and then awoke to a concert of birdsong.

There weren't many animals at Il N'gwesi, but you go for the setting and not the game. From the hillside though you can look down at the animals in the forest and can see a huge area which gives you the ability to spot what little game there is much more clearly. I kept thinking it was like the overhead forest view shown in the movie Jurassic Park because it was a little bit other-worldly.

If you are coming to Kenya I would put this on the must see list if you want something quiet, relaxing and peaceful. Likely it will be found soon enough and in 10 years you might read about this place in a top 100 list somewhere.

Basecamp Masai Mara
This camp was completely different than Il N'gwesi. It is an eco-tourism lodge that prides itself on its extreme measures for low impact tourism. I would say that they are doing a great job in this regard and highly commend them. For me the highlight was going to the Mara and seeing the game though.

I was there for 3 full days and during that time saw a large number of animals. Admittedly the animals are so used to people and vehicles that one has to wonder whether the experience is "real" or not, but it was still interesting. The key highlights were:

• Watching a lionness dragging a wildebeast kill into the trees. Later we returned to find 3 lionnesses and 4 cubs sleeping in the same area and believe that they had just fed on the kill.
• Watching a female cheetah stalk a gazelle only to give up when another jeep approached and scared the gazelle away.
• Watching the crossing (migration) of zebra and wildebeast across the Mara river in both directions at the same time while crocodiles lazily slept nearby. Then seeing a baby wildebeast return to the river when it realized its mother had not crossed and seeing it risk crossing back to return to its mother.

I saw lions each day and had numerous sitings of gazelle, impala, buffalo, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, and cheetah. There was also a leopard siting in the river directly below my tent, but it was at night and dark so I only heard the leopard calling and didn't see it.

Stone Town, Zanzibar
I've had only one day in Stone Town as I arrive late last night and leave early tomorrow morning. It is a very touristy location and there really isn't much here to see, plus it is relatively busy compared to the parks and reserves that I've been staying in. I really can't wait to move on to Pemba tomorrow where I'll be staying on a small sailing yacht just off a beach. I guess after a week in Africa being in a small town already seems stressful and hectic to me. I have to wonder what it will be like to return to the city after this trip.

Vaccinations

Prior to going to Africa I had to get a number of vaccinations and also start taking anti-malarial drugs. After discussions with my doctors I opted for Larium as the anti-malarial drug. I wan't too enamoured with the known side effects of hallucinations and in severe cases possible suicidal tendancies, but I was told that it was the best drug for me to take. So if I don't end up coming back from Africa....

I also had to get a yellow fever vaccination. I was warned that most people get flu like symptoms 3-4 days after the shot, because it is a live virus and so you get a mild case of the disease in order to build immunity. I wasn't at all prepared for the severity of the "mild" case though. I went from being fine one hour to feeling like I had a really horrible flu with high fever and body aches the next. For about 24 hours I was in a terrible state and really thought that if this was a mild case the full blown disease must by awful. Maybe it was just the yellow fever or maybe it was in combination with the Larium, but I had some wild dreams during my night of fever. I haven't felt that bad in years. It all passed almost as abruptly as it came though, and now I'm supposed to be protected against yellow fever for 10 years.

If you are going to travel to Africa at all and have to take Larium and get a yellow fever shot, I really suggest getting the shot well before you start the Larium. Plus you should make sure that you don't have anything really important 3-4 days after the shot as it really put me down.

The Itinerary

Here is the itinerary I finally decided upon along with some commentary text from my travel agents.

Sep 5 (1 night) Narobi Woodmere Apartments www.woodmerenairobi.com

Overnight with a quiet dinner with my travel agent

Sep 6-7 (2 nights) Lewa Downs Il N'gwesi www.lewa.org/ilngwesi_lodge.php

Lewa Downs are a privately owned Wildlife Conservancy situated against the dramatic backdrop of the snow-covered massif of Mt Kenya and with the magnificent Northern Frontier District stretching out to the North. Lewa offers spectacular scenery, superb game viewing and a wide variety of activities such as game walks and horse riding. Wildlife densities are as high as anywhere in Africa and the reserve provides refuge to several endangered species such as Wide Rhinos.

Sep 8-10 (3 nights) Masai MaraGame Reserve Basecamp Mara www.basecampexplorer.com

Masai Mara’s grass-carpeted smooth hills, the chocolate Mara river waters with frolicking hippos, as well as the rich faunal diversity, fulfill the expectations of any visitor searching the African landscapes portraited in movies such as "Out of Africa". The Mara River traverses north to south and is the natural barrier crossed every year by more than one million wildebeests and 200,000 zebras in a quest for the best pastures, finding along the way the crocodile-crowded river. From July to October, this is a sight of one of the most spectacular and dramatic sites on earth.

Sep 11-12 (2 nights) Zanzibar Stone Town Beyt al Aman

Stone Town is the old city and cultural heart of Zanzibar, little changed in the last 200 years. It is a place of winding alleys, bustling bazaars, mosques and grand Arab houses whose original owners vied with each other over the extravagance of their dwellings. This one-upmanship is particularly reflected in the brass-studded, carved, wooden doors. You can spend many idle hours and days just wandering through the fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets and alleyways.

Sep 13-16 (4 nights) Pemba Pemba Afloat www.pembaisland.co.tz

A rustic but very exclusive 3-yatch place in a beautiful lagoon in the northern end of Pemba Island. Beautiful sceneries, idyllic getaway and relaxing feel. Basic and rustic accommodation, most nights on the deck of the yacht under the stars. A real Robinson Crusoe adventure offering excursions to remote beaches, forest walks, village visits and fishing trips in the Pemba Channel.

Sep 17-20 (4 nights) Saadani National Park Saadani Safari Lodge (1 night in Saadani Fly Camp) www.saadanilodge.com

Saadani National Park is the perfect union of beach and bush. The Wami River, which passes through Saadani National Park and empties into the Indian Ocean, hosts a large population of hippos, crocodiles, flamingos, and many birds. Elephants are often viewed bathing and playing on Saadani’s beach, and sometimes venturing into the crashing surf, which alone makes Saadani one of the more special and unique parks to visit in Tanzania.

Sep 21-23 (3 nights) Selous Game Reserve Selous Impala Camp www.adventurecamps.co.tz/selousimpalacamp.htm

Selous Game Reserve is Africa’s largest protected wildlife reserve and due to its remote location, it remains one of the untouched gems of Tanzania’s parks. The Rufiji River Delta is the striking feature of the game reserve and home to a plethora of varied water and bird life. Along its shores, oppulent hippos sleep languidly in the mud and sun themselves and crocodiles are common along the riverbanks.

Sep 24-26 (3 nights) Ruaha National Park Mdonya Old River www.adventurecamps.co.tz/mdonyaoldrivercamp.htm

Ruaha National Park is a remote bastion of spectacular wilderness, undisturbed wildlife, and breathtaking scenery. With large herds of elephants, vast concentrations of buffalo, gazelle, and bird species, and the Great Ruaha River meandering through its borders, the game viewing is spectacular and boating safaris offer a great alternative to wildlife viewing.

Sep 27 (1 night) Arusha Kigongoni Lodge www.kigongoni.net

Arusha is the Safari Capital of Eastern Africa, nestled in the shadow of Mount Meru with commanding views of the mighty Kilimanjaro.

Sep 28-Oct 2 (4 nights) Mahale Greystoke Mahale http://www.greystoke-mahale.com

On a far-flung beach along the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika, below a huge tropical forest, is the tiny sanctuary of Greystoke Mahale. The slopes of the Mahale Mountains rise behind camp, home to the worlds largest known population of chimpanzees. Within hiking distance is one such group of 60. Every day guests can venture out into the forest to observe them, as they groom, wrestle and forage across the leafy floor.