Rare Adventures

Category: Serengetti safari and Zanzibar

Stories from Tanzania

Serengetti Safari Experience: Comfort Over Camping

In the blog about planning a safari I mentioned that Wooksie, a woman who has suffered many holiday traumas in her life, was absolutely adamant that she would not be camping among wild beasts and creatures of the night on the safari.

So in my discussions with Erick of Joining Safaris, I made it abundantly clear that a small tent would not be acceptable, but something with a bed would be fine, as long as it had a door.

After the day chasing elephants in the truck we were heading to our accommodation. We had seen our companions camp site in the morning when we collected the gear, so we assumed we would be staying there in a bungalow or something similar.

When we pulled off the highway onto this dusty road and Rashid (our guide) shouted out that we had arrived, it’s fair to say we were a bit nervous and I got a look from Wooksie that said “I warned you”.

We pulled up to some steel gates, that opened automatically and we drove into the parking area. It was like one of those scenes from a dystopian film where the people on the outside of the walls were living in squalor and the rich people inside the walls were living in luxury.

Looking at the photos I still can’t quite believe how this oasis of greenery could exist in such a barren landscape. There were gardeners tending flowers and mowing the lawn, it was stunning, in fact, jaw dropping.

Even more weirdly we were the only people staying at the complex. I can only imagine that this had been built for the American tourist market and there weren’t many around so we got it cheap.

Even Wooksie was happy and enjoyed the benefits of a warm shower, a comfy bed and protection from the mosquitoes. When we went to dinner, they even sent a chap come around to put mosquito treatment in the room, there were some big flying beasties around so we were grateful.

Dinner was spent celebrating Argyle’s home win over Luton, which turned out to be one of the high points of the season as Wayne Rooney took us to mid table mediocrity, a place we wouldn’t see again all season !

Meanwhile, our travelling companions had indeed been camping in some very nice tents and with some close up encounters with creatures of the night, so we kept a bit quiet about our luxury so we wouldn’t lose street cred.

In fact they meet creatures of many kinds and I’m glad I didn’t have to accompany Wooksie to the loo overnight

10/05/2025
Serengetti safari -The elephants of Tarangire

After some thought, we settled on a 3 day safari in Tanzania, mainly because we just wanted to see the Big 5 animals in the wild rather than hunting around for obscure animals and we get bored easily so we wanted excitement !

Rashid our guide picked us all up nice and early, and we all piled into the Toyota truck where we found our travel companions already installed in the back. We have found that one of the best things about these trips is the people you meet, so we would never consider having a private tour.

Our safari companions

On this occasion we were lucky enough to have some young fun people onboard who could speak perfect English. Yente from the Netherlands was volunteering in a children’s refuge teaching English and having her first adventure abroad on her own.

We also had Noa and Clara who were young German doctors using their work year to volunteer at the local hospital in Moshi to develop their skills. So great company for the trip and fortunately the truck wasn’t too full either.

So we set off early from Moshi on the 5 hour drive to the Tarangire National Park, which is famous for it’s concentration of elephants.

It was a long dusty drive and if you have long legs, try not to chose the seat behind the driver, where your knees hit his seat like mine did. On the way we picked up the camp cook, and somehow an entire kitchen was squeezed into the back of this truck, along with tents, camping gear and all the ruck sacks.

We had various breaks at townships along the way, which were mainly long settlements spread along the road with various little shops and stalls that keep the local population going with supplies. The countryside is just miles of savanna grassland with a few hills, the odd lake and not much else to see!

There was much excitement when we finally arrived at Tarangire as we were finally going to see some animals. The park gate was overwhelmed by trucks, they were scattered everywhere around the car park and packed with enthusiastic patrons and after the normal faffing around wherever there is African bureaucracy.

Mongoose family

Our first animal encounter, rather than elephants, was the exciting the sight of a little family of Mongoose running along the verge and wrestling with each other as they played.

Our first of the Big 5 – the elephants

It wasn’t long before we found our first big herd of elephants as a watering hole. It took time for the truck to find a good slot to watch, this is the value of a good driver as they know where to position the truck and second guess where the animals will head.

Initially they were in the distance and our truck was positioned in the shelter of some trees. Within a few minutes the herd started to make it’s way to our little hiding spot and we had the wonderful experience of being surrounded by these enormous animals who seemed to enjoy a good scratch on the trees.

Being surrounded by the enormous beasts was a spellbinding experience. They are so serene together, the big bull elephant is clearly the lord of the herd and doesn’t look like a fella you want to annoy. The babies follow the mothers around and most of them seemed to enjoy a good scratch on the trees that made their day that much more enjoyable.

Elephant stops play

The journey around the park last about 3 hours and we took up numerous lookouts and watched herds in the distance. There were very few other species on view other than giraffes and zebras.

Another highlight of the day was the close encounter with the baby elephant who popped out of the bush and took a shine to our truck and wanted to play.

It is fair to say we were not alone. With numerous other safari trucks bouncing around the tracks and we had some amazing traffic jams when an animal appeared. Basically the best drivers seem to second guess where they will appear and within minutes all other trucks appear.

After the tour was over it was a 90 minute drive to find our accommodation. Yente, Noa and Clara were camping but Wooksie was absolutely determined she wasn’t camping, so we had booked mid range accommodation.

Everyone in the truck slept soundly on the way to the accommodation after a hot and dusty day.

09/05/2025
Exploring Kilimanjaro: One Day Trek Insights

As we were staying at the foot of Kilimanjaro it was natural to want to explore the biggest mountain in Africa. It had always had a mystical quality for me since I was a teenager, I had bought an album by Teardrop Explodes and it had a picture of the mountain on the cover.

I wanted to do the trek to the top, but our experiences from Peru and Wooksie’s quite serious issues with altitude sickness at Puno did make us cautious.

This is a pretty typical view of Kilimanjaro – it’s there somewhere

There are various options for trekking to the top, ranging from 5 to 10 days depending on your route. The one thing they all have in common is camping and altitude which isn’t Wooksie’s thing nowadays so we needed a different option.

Hanging out in Moshi we did notice that the mountain is always shrouded in mist. We only saw the peak once in the week we were around there so we were keen to get a better look.

One of the options is the one day trek on Killi. This is a very attractive option as you get the kudos of doing a trek on the famous mountain. It doesn’t come cheap mainly because of the need for the day pass into the park. There are some other 1 day treks that don’t technically enter the park and are a lot cheaper.

So we plumped for the official trek with a company called Killinge Adventures which we booked via Trip Advisor. They were very good but basically it was just the two of us with a guide to take us up the mountain.

And we are off – register at the entrance and off we go

The trek involves a 10km climb to the Mandara camp, this is about a 3rd of the way up Kilimanjaro. On the way up you don’t see much other than trees as the mountain is covered in forest, plenty of knackered looking trekkers making their way back down from the top though.

There are surprisingly few animals or birds. Apparently this is because it is a volcano but I was really amazed at the lack of wildlife, bearing in mind we are in the middle of safari world! We saw a couple of monkeys and the odd bird but that was about it, apparently it was much more interesting for people intrigued by odd vegetation.

Nice place for lunch

So after a couple of hours climbing we get to the camp, full of anticipation for something exciting but in general it was a bit disappointing. There are a few huts you can stay in, it isn’t in a particularly good location for views so not sure why you want to stay here.

So we had lunch, went to look at the Maundi crater rim, which wasn’t particularly impressive partly due to the visibility but a dead crater is a dead crater !

I did take the opportunity to recruit our guide into the Plymouth Argyle supporters Green Army while we were on the crater and get some photos, so it was time well spent !

Moshi Green Army battalion

Exhausted with all the fun, we headed back down and to be honest, the walk down felt tougher than the walk up. The visibility isn’t great in the shade so the return trip carried some jeopardy with the rocky paths and we were glad to get back.

So in summary, it is a 22km round trip, we climbed just short of 900m and took 5 hours 38 mins so it was a good workout after sitting in the safari truck. We can say we’ve trekked on Kilimanjaro but apart from that is wasn’t a particularly exciting experience, and at £200 each, very expensive.

22/04/2025
Arriving in Africa and Moshi

Arriving in Moshi

One of the reasons for doing this blog, is that I really struggled to get my head around what would happen when we arrived and what Moshi was like. Hopefully this will fill in some gaps to help others.

Landing at Killi airport and going through immigration you very quickly realise you are in the heart of Affica, it might be the main tourist airport but this works at African pace.

Tired Westerners meets African paperwork and bureaucracy in no rush to get anything done. For the numerous Europeans hadn’t organised visas, hope you enjoyed that queue folks.

No rush getting through immigration anyway, the baggage handlers were even less of a rush, so just get used to it.

We organised a taxi in advance from the hotel but it didn’t turn up on time, this was a bit uncomfortable, no taxi, no phone signal, no cash,surrounded by dodgy looking locals and no idea how far away the hotel in Moshi was – alarm bells starting ringing.

Out of the blue, a guy came up and checked our name and said our taxi driver was on his way and would be about 30 mins which was a relief still we got in the cab. It appears road worthiness isn’t a requirement in Tanzania so we spent an hour in a car with a banging suspension, bouncing over potholes and talking about football with the driver – this is Africa after all. He supported Arsenal and learned a lot of things about Plymouth Argyle he hadn’t been expecting.j

Most of the references to Moshi are that it is the centre for trekking in the region. So I was expecting something like Cusco in Peru or Pokara in Nepal, with a mix of shops and plenty of trekky type folks wandering around and enjoying a beer.

But it isn’t like that, it is a really busy transport and commercial hub developed as part of the German empire. It is a great chance to see what real Africa is like away from the tourists.. People speak English and don’t expect much in the way aircon, but there is plenty of Premier League football in every cafe and bar !

We didn’t see any other Western faces around and we were a bit of a curiosity with Wooksies red hair. I guess it it was a bit intimidating initially but we got used to it.

it is worth bearing in mind that Arusha is the alternative town and it a bigger version of Moshi, do expect something similar. We based through it and it was much bigger.

Inevitably there are street hawkers waiting for some jetlagged tourists, they were all harmless, good humoured and keen to relieve you of your cash. I ended up with this souvenir woolly hat, the last thing in the world I needed but it was useful for snowboarding !

We stayed at the Kilimanjaro Crane hotel, which was probably the best in Moshi as it was a conference centre and even had a pool.

Wooksie wasn’t too happy with it but this is Africa, things don’t work like they do in the UK, though maybe some better training for their plumbers and electricians might help.

I offered to move to the Hilton – oh hang on, there isn’t one. Anyway, the electricity worked most of the time, we got the hot water working on the second day and the pool and grounds were fine – definitely the best choice available and the staff were always really friendly and helpful.

We later discovered that people arriving for treks and safaris stay at variety of resorts and specialist western hotels within 20 mins of the airport, we did this on our return from Zanzibar for convenience.

They are very nice, well equipped, and very boring with no sense of adventure or being in Africa, so we don’t regret our trip to Moshi but I doubt we will be going back !

There was a view of Killimanjaro from the hotel roof lounge, sadly it is always covered in clouds we discovered – its up there somewhere

20/04/2025
The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your Tanzanian Safari
Last year we decided that we should try a safari. It hadn’t really been high on my agenda as a family thing in the past but now it is just Wooksie and I, we decided it was next on the list.

My eldest lad had done a safari for his honeymoon, and explained that they sat in a lodge, silently, for hours waiting for the animals to turn up.

Quite frankly this sounded like my idea of hell, being hyper active and a very noisy person that rejoices in lots of noise and action, then this didn’t sound like my bag.

Types of safaris

So a bit of research highlighted 3 types of safaris,
1. Game lodges, these seemed to be mainly private and based around South Africa and the countries in that area.
2. Game drives. Where you belt around the countryside looking for animals in a 4×4, these seemed to be on the Serengeti so tended to be popular in Kenya and Tanzania.
3. Specialist gigs. Seemed to be for people who had done the above and wanted something more specific or rarer animals.
It is more complicated than this as there are variants and combinations of each type but hopefully you get the idea.

Type – So a quick search reveals thousands of tours and options so where the hell do we start. Deciding we wanted to go chasing animals was important and it slimmed the options down to Kenya and Tanzania.

Where – the options were Kenya or Tanzania – the safaris are either north or south of Kilimanjaro and the vast Serengeti which stretches into both countries. (nobody seems to have explained to the wildebeest the charge between them for their annual holidays). We settled on Tanzania because it sounded more exotic and we were able to fly directly into Kilimanjaro airport rather than via a smoggy capital like Nairobi.

Length – there are also loads of different options for length, from 2 days to 21 days. A chat with eldest son helped further, as they said they saw most of the animals in one particular area and their other activities were more of the same, so we focused our search on 3 to 5 days, as after discussions with Wooksie we both agreed we would probably get bored any longer.

Tour company – with one or two minor exceptions we have always planned our holidays independently, which is why we have so many adventures but a safari seemed different and risky and there are hundreds to chose from, so where do we start.

Having worked out roughly what we wanted I contacted the main specialist operators in the UK for a rough price and got wildly different pricing. So I decided I needed to better understand the pricing model and break it down so did more research.

I found this website that was a portal for the local safari companies, that basically put us in direct contact with the safari companies and took out the middle man. It was then quite easy to work out the actual prices we would pay and realised we could save a lot by doing it ourselves.

We contacted half a dozen of the companies offering the 3 day tour, specified that the accommodation needed to be decent, Wooksie insisted she wouldn’t sleep in a tent surrounded by beasts and creepy crawlies.

The companies were based in Tanzania, mostly in Moshi and eventually we settled on Joining Safaris Ltd, Erick was a really helpful guy who gave straight answers to our questions promptly, you can find them at http://www.joiningsafaris.com and I’d definately recommend them.

The second part of the adventure was some down time, if you are in Tanzania Zanzibar is a short flight away so that was simple enough, hotels booked through hotels.com and booking.com plus safari booked with Erick.

Price Breakdown

So when planning, here is the rough price breakdown in 2024 so you can discuss with an agent or book it yourself

Flight from UK to Kilimanjaro return – about £1000 with premium economy one way (KLM)

Safari – £1200 with mid range accommodation each

Flights to Zanzibar, about £200 return

6 nights Hotel on Zanzibar at TUI Zanzibar Bay Resort and Spa about £650 via Booking.com
19/04/2025