Calo

Here we go again with Warrior Trails (and Kennedy in Nairobi for a couple of days of shopping). This time we're going in May to keep the international flight and camp/lodge costs down a bit. It's exciting to be including a few days at Pangani, the Zanzibar of the Swahili coast, a few days at Mkomazi, and an overnight in a Maasai boma. We're staying in West Kili again because it was our best experience on the last trip. Mind you, we won't see the big Amboselli bull elephants as we did in the dry season on our last trip, but the vistas will be fabulous to just sit back and enjoy.

For those of you who don't know our travel style on safari, we <i>love</i> driving (rather than flying) so that we can see the countryside. We prefer tented camps over lodges. We really enjoyed the Farmhouse and Maramboi Tented Camp on our last trip, so decided to include a lot of other Tanganyika Wilderness Camp properties this time. Here's what we have so far:

Arrive JRO Overnight Mount Meru Game Lodge
Arusha to Esilalei Maasai Village - overnight in the boma
Esilalei to Tarangire - Lake Burunge
Tarangire Full day - Lake Burunge
Tarangire to Ndutu - Lake Masek Tented Camp
Full day Ndutu - Lake Masek
Full day Ndutu - Lake Masek
Ndutu to crater - Ngorongoro Sopa
Full day Crater tour - Farmhouse
Karatu to West Kili - Kambi ya Tembo
West Kili - Kambi ya Tembo
West Kili to Mkomazi - Babu's Camp
Full day Mkomazi - Babu's Camp
Drive to Pangani - Emayani
Full day Relax- Emayani
Full day Relax- Emayani
Drive Back to Arusha for Overnight at ?
fly to Nairobi for 2 days with Kennedy. Overnight at Fairview?

We've stayed at the Fairview in Nairobi twice previously, so may decide on something different this time. I wish we could stay at House of Wain (Sandi ) but we might consider Macushla House this time.

sandi

Looks good, but that'a a long drive from Farmhouse (which while technically in Karatu, is right outside the Crater) to West Kili.

Yeh, HOW is a winner, but Macushla won't disappoint... go for it.

ShayTay

I, too, an a fan of TWC properties. I stayed at Lake Burunge Tented Camp shortly after it opened. It's a lovely camp with a view over the lake. I don't know if TANAPA ever opened the gate near the camp into Tarangire. If not, it's about an hour's drive to the park entrance. Given that, it's good to do an all-day drive there. I've also stayed at Kambi ya Tembo. Hopefully, you'll have one of the newer tents facing Mt. Kili. We left there one morning, had lunch at Olasiti Lodge in Arusha (another TWC property), did an afternoon game drive in Tarangire, then drove on to Maramboi. I don't think you'll have a problem driving from the Farmhouse to Kambi ya Tembo in one day. BTW, Olasiti is a nice place for lunch. We ate out on the veranda overlooking the pool and garden.

atravelynn

Have a fantastic trip!

KathBC

Hi Calo...Kennedy will be whisking me around Nairobi in May as well! So where do you plan on going shopping and for what? Am looking for ideas.

ShayTay

I always like to suggest Amani ya Juu in Nairobi. http://www.amaniafrica.org/ I told Kennedy about the place because I had been there before, so he should know where it is. They have wonderful sewn goods and a nice outdoor cafe for lunch.

Calo

Sandi, my only qualm is getting from the airport to Macushla (or anywhere!) at that time of day (5:30pm) - bleh. It's a horrifying experience. On our last trip we turned off the engine for almost an hour and just sat there in unbelievable traffic while trying to make our way to the Fairview.

Thanks, Lynn...we are very excited about our trip. Can't wait to dip into the Indian Ocean.

ShayTay, thank you for the feedback on your experiences with TWCamps. The 1 hour drive to the main Tarangire gate won't bother us...it's all an adventure.

KathBC, I agree with ShayTay's suggestion of Amani ya Juu. We also enjoy going to:

<b>Utamaduni</b> for lunch and shopping. They have a lovely little outdoor garden patio for a fresh lunch, and there are 18 shops, each one occupying a room in a large house. Part of the proceeds go to the KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service), so I like to support Utamaduni.

<b>Kazuri Beads</b> which I'm sure you've heard about. On our last trip we bought more than just beads here. They have a tour of the beading facility which is worth seeing.

<b>Spinners Web</b> exclusive outlet of Kenya Weaverbird Ltd., which makes beautiful hand-woven, custom-dyed fabric (I'm a quilter). They also have a myriad of crafts.

You'll love Kennedy. He's a gem.

KathBC

Thanks Sharon & Calo, I've updated my Nairobi "must do" list!

sandi

No, 5:30pm not a good time to be getting anywhere in/around Nairobi. And, not unusual to just sit and sit and sit.

Have found, that unless you're heading out somewhere very very early (before 7am or after 8:30pm, getting around Nairobi is only good on a Sunday which isn't a work day. In the morning, many seem to be in church... rest of the day, folks just stay close to home.

Last visit, it took less than 10/min to get from the Norfolk Hotel to Wilson; from Wilson to JKIA just short of 25/min. I love Sunday!

Calo

Great tip about Sunday in Nairobi, Sandi. Maybe I'll change my arrival day in Nairobi from Arusha to a Sunday. Thank you.