Day one
Our trip started at 4 pm. We traveled through the dark shadows of Mabira forest at 6.30 pm and crossed the world’s longest river (the Nile) at Jinja. We crossed the boarder successfully and drove all night having a lot of fun. As we got closer to Kisumu, Kenya everyone was asleep except the driver and I, because I don’t sleep much on tour.
Day two
Time check 5.30 am;we stopped at Nakuru for breakfast in a cafeteria then proceeded to Nairobi city with our cameras ready to capture attractions en route to Nairobi like Lake Nakuru, Mt. Longonot and the scenic East African Rift Valley.
It was a surprisingly long journey, as Mr. Wanyera and I came to observe.
“Ouch!” The area seemed too dry and arid to sustain the legendary Masai cattle and wildlife in the area. It even evoked some strange feelings to see such a desolate area coming from Uganda because we enjoy the lush green in most of Uganda. The Masaai people made it more appealing to us due to their life style and culture. We arrived in Arusha at 5.30 pm. Their main cuisine, roasted ugali and spice were so unfamiliar to me and my travel companions(students like myself). Obviously, Kiswahili is the main language spoken here.
Day three
Early in the morning, we had an excursion to the Mt. Kilimanjaro View Point. It goes without saying that we were all ready to hike up to the peak of Africa’s highest Mountain but because of unfavorable weather, we could not make the hike. Instead, we leisurely traveled back to Arusha Snake Park and visited the Masaai cultural museum. Everyone enjoyed playing with the harmless and docile snakes, camel rides and masaai cultural museum. I personally found it a little creepy!
Day four
We transferred to Karatu for an overnight stay. After driving for a few hours,we were graced to see the Ngorongoro crater and beautiful Lake Manyara scenery. We eventually detoured to the Manyara Serena safari lodge for a short tour and then continued to Karatu hostels where we danced masaai cultural styles as we waited for a delicious dinner.
Day five
At 6:00am we were all in the bus ready for the Ngorongoro experience and after a few hours we were at top of the crater. The breeze is so cold up there, you know! We could not believe that we were there, and all had our camera lenses focused down the crater taking captions of the biodiversity while everyone wondered at this world heritage site. One wonders how wildlife moves up and down that beautiful crater.
We headed for an interesting lecture about the Ngorongoro conservation area at the head offices that were few minutes from the crater. We had been wondered how the famous Olduvai Gorge looked like until we drove there! Surely the place looked like the cradle land of Zenj as proposed by so many historians.
Finally we set off to one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world, the Serengeti National Park. To our good fortune, we witnessed the great wildebeest migration , and even saw the "big five". Serengeti is a paradise in all aspects including the beautiful scenery. We are lucky enough to we find a pride of lions with three cubs, giraffes, herds of buffaloes, elephants, huge numbers of wildebeests, gazelles, zebras, spotted hyenas and beautiful birds such as ostriches and vultures. We had an all day long game drive and had a night drive in the Serengeti as well, giving us a balanced picture. This was a bonus!!!
Day Six
We safely crossed the border from Kenya and arrived in Kampala-Uganda early evening braced for the usual city rush hour. All it all, it was a most splendous and educative tour to the Serengeti.
We cannot wait for you to join us. Karibuni will be your guide and companion.
