Africa Travel beyond your wildest Dreams
This will be my final ramble for 2021 with Urth Expedition. It is time for me to detach myself from my desk and (hopefully) head back out into the wilderness. Obviously, this is a privilege many of us wish for in the year to come. Thankfully I can live in a country blessed with an astounding natural and cultural diversity, so even if crossing borders is complex, I can find solace in East African's mountains, oceans, and wildlands. Smiles will come from her resilient, beautiful people.
WHERE TO GO and WHERE TO STAY
What exactly is a bush safari tent? Which countries should I visit? What adventures are available?
If you ponder questions like these, you're not alone! No two safaris are alike. Depending on the season, weather, country, and wildlife patterns, you can experience multiple safari adventures in your lifetime.
Imagine that moment when, after trekking through the Highlands of Rwanda or Uganda, you happen upon a family of endangered mountain gorillas peering at you through the foliage.
Walk in the footsteps of Dian Fossey to see the "Gorillas in the Mist."
Follow Jane Goodall wild Chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park.
Take a Journey through time as you walk in the footprints of Home sapiens at Lake Natron.
Listen to thundering hoofs of thousands of wildebeest across the Serengeti plains.
There's no better way to discover Africa's spectacular natural wonders than on a tailor-made private safari.
Our philosophy is simple. We only promote those destinations that we know, love, and where our guests can be assured of a seamless luxury experience in the wildest of terrains.
Our service is for those people who just do not have the time to get it wrong.
With so many possibilities, planning is complicated. Let us help you…
Are you interested in paying it forward, as well? We would love for you to join us – your donation will help Tanzanian communities build much-needed facilities, empower local women to start businesses, and so much more.
That's it from me. It has been a privilege to talk to you every so often. With any luck, you'll be able to read stories from me on Social media in the not-too-distant future. Perhaps we'll meet again over a tipple as the last embers of the day fade at some magical spot in the African wild. Until then, stay safe, and please come to Africa as soon as you are able - she needs you, and your soul needs her!
Happy holidays and warmest wishes to you and yours on behalf of our team at Urth Expedition!
Example itinerary:
Gorillas in the Mist
In the footsteps of Dian Fossey (Rwanda)
This short Gorilla safari makes it easy to combine your gorilla experience with another safari in East Africa. Rwanda has excellent international flight connections! Including direct flights to other National Parks in East Africa!
DAY 01
Arrival in Kigali
You will be met with your driver guide who will transfer you to your hotel.
Dinner & overnight at your accommodation
Kigali is the capital of Rwanda and is one of the safest and friendliest of African capitals. First-time visitors to the bustling and colorful center often remark how clean the streets are, a matter of pride across every community throughout the country. It is presently inhabited by approximately 1.2 million inhabitants. Kigali is developing rapidly, with new shopping malls, office buildings, and, of course, the Convention Centre which lights up the night sky atop one of the many hills.
DAY 02
Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Your driver guide will pick you up in the morning from your accommodation and together you will go on a city tour. We have often noted that some visitors are interested in visiting the Genocide Memorial center. Situated on the outskirts of the city, the center commemorates the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis. A visit to the genocide memorial is for most visitors an emotional event.
After your city tour, you will drive to Musanze (Volcanoes National Park). On arrival, you will be checked in and have lunch. Later in the afternoon, you will visit the new Ellen Degeneres campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund". The new Campus is a milestone in Gorilla Conservation and home of the Karisoke Research Center created by Dian Fossey in 1967.
Dinner and Overnight at your accommodation.
"The Ellen Fund" is supporting The Fossey Fund to create a campus that will support: the long-term health and care of the Dian Fossey Fund, gorilla science, responsible tourism, and the needs of the local population. This campus will enhance the gorilla conservation efforts and the work started by Dian Fossey in 1967. This campus is the new home for the Karisoke Research Centre.
DAY 03
Gorilla trekking
After breakfast, you will report at the Park headquarters where your driver-guide will accomplish the necessary formalities for you. You will meet your ranger guide(s) for a briefing about the greatest animal experience ever. The day starts with a briefing at the park headquarters. Once you have been assigned the gorilla family that you will visit, you then set off with your driver guide to the starting point.
Gorilla trekking is a very unforgettable experience. The hike through the bamboo forest may take between 30 minutes to 3 hours. You are encouraged to hire a porter who will help you carry your backpack and offer you a hand when the trail gets a little slippery or steep. Porters are sourced from the neighboring communities and by hiring one, you are contributing to their life. An encounter with the largest living primate is both frightening and breathtaking. You are only allowed 1 hour with them. You observe them as they groom, play, and feed.
Dinner and Overnight at your accommodation
DAY 04
Dian Fossey grave hike – Kigali & departure
Today, you continue to explore the life and times of Dian Fossey. You will hike to her tomb and also visit the original Karisoke Research Centre where she started her work with the mountain gorillas.
After breakfast, you report to the park headquarters and like yesterday your driver-guide will do the formalities. Today’s hike will provide excellent background information and this is a wonderful site to see! Dian Fossey is one of the greatest and most prominent primatologists of the 20th century. She was considered an authority in all issues related to the endangered mountain gorillas from 1967 till her death in 1985.
This is a great way to pay homage to one of the greatest mountain gorilla researchers. You will learn about her work with the mountain gorillas in these remote mountains of Rwanda. While on the hike, you will get to see the beauty of this park: spot rare birds, forest elephants, buffaloes, etc.
The hike to the spot where she is buried alongside her favorite gorillas will take about 2 hours. It is pretty steep and muddy and you are encouraged to use the services of a porter. The rangers will show you also where she set up her first workstation in the forest and from where she was killed.
You will then descend and meet your driver guide for the drive back to Kigali. He will drop you off at the airport in time for your flight.
THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY, LAKE NATRON & OL DOINYO LENGAI
The Great Rift Valley stretches from northern Ethiopia to Mozambique in the south, about 5600km. The valley is created by two tectonic plates moving apart, causing the valley floor to drop, leaving intact and fragmented valley walls or escarpments. The prominent escarpment in this area lies to the west. Volcanoes and craters of different ages are scattered around the valley. Oldoinyo Lengai (Mountain of God) is the only active volcano in Tanzania. Volcanism around the Great Rift Valley produces soda (Sodium Carbonate), which is washed down by rain and groundwater.
Lake Natron sits at the lowest point of the valley in East Africa at an altitude of 600m or 2000feet above sea level. Here the water evaporates, leaving behind very high concentrations of soda. Algae and zooplankton thrive in this water, which supports great numbers of flamingos. The combination of remoteness and the hostility of the soda mud-flats provides the flamingos with a relatively safe area to breed and rear chicks. The lake is also surrounded by scattered springs, some of which are fresh enough to provide drinking water for many species of animals, large and small. Lake Natron Camp is located at one of these springs.
You will be staying in a truly ancient and unique environment where man possibly evolved.
THE MAASAI
The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Due to their distinctive customs, the way they dress, and their residence near the many game parks of East Africa, they are among the most well-known African ethnic groups internationally.
They speak Maa, a Nilo-Saharan language related to Dinka, Nuer, Turkana, and Songhai. The Maasai population has been estimated as 841,622 in Kenya, with over 1 million. The remote locations of many villages complicate estimates of the respective Maasai people in both countries and their semi-nomadic nature. They're the only ethnic group allowed free travel over the Kenyan-Tanzanian border.
Maasai society is patriarchal in nature, with the elders deciding most matters for each Maasai group. The laibon (spiritual leader) acts as the liaison between the Maasai and God, named Enkai or Engai, as well as the source of Maasai herblore. The Maasai are predominantly monotheistic in outlook, but many have become Christian under the influence of missionaries.
Traditional Maasai lifestyle centers around their cattle which constitutes the primary source of food. They also believe that God gave them his cattle to watch over. Women can only marry once in a lifetime, although men may have more than one wife (if enough cows are owned, they may have more than one at a time).
In the area of Lake Natron, there are Maasai bomas spread around the area, but the main central village is several kilometers away to the west at the base of the escarpment. The village is named Ngare Sero. which means dappled water or black and white water.
This village gets its name from the river flowing out of the escarpment through a spectacular gorge that is both arid and lush. The source of the Ngare Sero River is groundwater originating from the Ngorongoro highlands.
