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It is extremely important to find a compatible travel buddy. You may think you know someone before you leave, but travel abroad together for three weeks and you could quickly realize those charming quirks are actually seriously annoying. I think the same can be said about a tour guide. Though, in that circumstance, you are often left to the luck of the draw. Spending long, hot days in close quarters with anyone you don't gel with can have disastrous results.
It's no surprise that one of the major reasons our Safari experience in Tanzania was so wonderful was our amazing guide, Issa. His passion for his work and for sharing the beauty of his country definitely shone through as he showed us the sights across the Northern Safari circuit. From teaching us useful phrases in Swahili to making us laugh - Issa was a shining star in an already incredible experience.
So when Issa wasn't his usual jovial self on the morning we were scheduled to depart the Serengeti, we were naturally concerned. Issa was very ill and suspected that he had contracted malaria. Putting our needs first, he had already made arrangements with a fellow guide and colleague, Roy, for us to continue our day while he drove himself to the nearest hospital for treatment. In a world where most people call in sick with a minor case of the sniffles, this man continued his work when faced with life-threatening illness. And when it was confirmed by doctors that he did indeed have malaria, he continued to work, meeting us that evening and continuing our safari without interruption. He is a very special person who I will not forget anytime soon.
We spent our day at Ngorongoro with Roy and his two safari clients, a friendly couple from Spain named Maria and Javier. It was actually quite fun to spend time with new friends and Roy did a great job of tracking, resulting in 2 amazing Rhino sightings among other countless birds and animals. I did not know much about Ngorongoro before my trip and was completely overwhelmed by just how gorgeous it is. So very different from the Serengeti - yet equally stunning. Formed 2.5 million years ago when a volcano imploded, this park is the word's biggest, intact caldera, with a 600 metre climb in and back out of the crater where there is over 300 square kilometres of lush, green grasslands filled with all kinds of wildlife. Once again...I'm not quite sure my photos will do this place justice.
Issa picked us back up on the road in Karatu, while Roy, Javier and Maria moved on for a night of camping and hunting with a San tribe. I wish we had of thought of that...what an amazing experience! We had one more safari day ahead of us at Tarangire National Park and a long drive back to Moshi. Tarangire is famous for it's elephant sightings, and although it took a long while for us to spot anything, we hit the jackpot near the end of our visit with plenty of very active elephants including a few adorable babies. We also got to see the incredible ancient baobab trees that dot the land here; some of them thousands of years old.
Our long drive back was broken up with a stop for lunch and a chance to pick up some fresh (processed that day!) coffee from a local plantation. The coffee ($5 US) was packaged in a clear plastic bag which I reinforced with several ziploc baggies before it's journey back home to Canada in my duffel. Amazingly, it arrived home (and through immigration) without any issue and I have enjoyed this absolutely delicious coffee every morning since I have returned.
Our safari was over and now the challenging part was about to begin. A good night's sleep was in order before tomorrow's adventure on Mount Kilimanjaro.
It's no surprise that one of the major reasons our Safari experience in Tanzania was so wonderful was our amazing guide, Issa. His passion for his work and for sharing the beauty of his country definitely shone through as he showed us the sights across the Northern Safari circuit. From teaching us useful phrases in Swahili to making us laugh - Issa was a shining star in an already incredible experience.
So when Issa wasn't his usual jovial self on the morning we were scheduled to depart the Serengeti, we were naturally concerned. Issa was very ill and suspected that he had contracted malaria. Putting our needs first, he had already made arrangements with a fellow guide and colleague, Roy, for us to continue our day while he drove himself to the nearest hospital for treatment. In a world where most people call in sick with a minor case of the sniffles, this man continued his work when faced with life-threatening illness. And when it was confirmed by doctors that he did indeed have malaria, he continued to work, meeting us that evening and continuing our safari without interruption. He is a very special person who I will not forget anytime soon.
We spent our day at Ngorongoro with Roy and his two safari clients, a friendly couple from Spain named Maria and Javier. It was actually quite fun to spend time with new friends and Roy did a great job of tracking, resulting in 2 amazing Rhino sightings among other countless birds and animals. I did not know much about Ngorongoro before my trip and was completely overwhelmed by just how gorgeous it is. So very different from the Serengeti - yet equally stunning. Formed 2.5 million years ago when a volcano imploded, this park is the word's biggest, intact caldera, with a 600 metre climb in and back out of the crater where there is over 300 square kilometres of lush, green grasslands filled with all kinds of wildlife. Once again...I'm not quite sure my photos will do this place justice.
Issa picked us back up on the road in Karatu, while Roy, Javier and Maria moved on for a night of camping and hunting with a San tribe. I wish we had of thought of that...what an amazing experience! We had one more safari day ahead of us at Tarangire National Park and a long drive back to Moshi. Tarangire is famous for it's elephant sightings, and although it took a long while for us to spot anything, we hit the jackpot near the end of our visit with plenty of very active elephants including a few adorable babies. We also got to see the incredible ancient baobab trees that dot the land here; some of them thousands of years old.
Our long drive back was broken up with a stop for lunch and a chance to pick up some fresh (processed that day!) coffee from a local plantation. The coffee ($5 US) was packaged in a clear plastic bag which I reinforced with several ziploc baggies before it's journey back home to Canada in my duffel. Amazingly, it arrived home (and through immigration) without any issue and I have enjoyed this absolutely delicious coffee every morning since I have returned.
Our safari was over and now the challenging part was about to begin. A good night's sleep was in order before tomorrow's adventure on Mount Kilimanjaro.
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