The plane arrived on time into Nairobi at 1pm after a five hour flight and we were eager and edgy to get off and bounce right on into Africa! Immigration and customers were a breeze, we payed our $50USD each and had our large visa sicker sealed into our passports, with nothing to declare we walked straight on out the gate… Not before I stuffed our $6000USD into my sports bra for safe keeping, after hearing horror stories of kidnapping and theft.
We walked across the pedestrian crossing rejecting the many ‘taxi men’ offers and found a shady spot under the tree, in front of the shuttle buses and the exact location we had arranged for our guide to collect us. Half an hour went by and we were approached by and abrupt and arrogant man ‘Sean and Tiffany I am searching’.. Ok yes, he knows our names but couldn’t tell us how, or who he was, or what company we had booked from, all he said was ‘you need to get in the taxi, you go to Arusha’.
Truth was that we didn’t even know where we were heading to that day, and the fact that he was unable to tell us anything else made me uneasy. He asked us why we didn’t trust him in a public area.. But he had the intention to take us somewhere in a taxi that could be very private! We didn’t know to trust him and he was unable to convince us otherwise until he called someone and they were finally able to at least give me the name of our tour guide who I had organised to pick us up.
We hesitantly got in the van along side a man that had also flown on our flight; luckily he was able to explain to us that the shuttle was still picking us up but couldn’t come into the airport as it takes too long to go through screening. We were dropped off at a petrol station only 10 minutes from the airport and finally relief rolled over our anxious faces when ‘Natashja’ walked towards us and helped us with our things into the shuttle.
Back on the road she introduced herself properly and talked us through what was to happen for the rest of the day! It was nice to be told what to do and not have to be responsible for planning it yourself for once! About 3 hours into the trip we all got off the bus and had to pass through the immigration into Tanzania! Sean and I were both happy leaving Kenya so quickly as it wasn’t covered in our insurance due to its rating reducing to ‘reconsider your need to travel’.
Getting a Tanzanian visa was quick and only approved after showing that you have had the yellow fever shot. As we migrated by food over the boarder, bejewelled ladies aggressively tried to sell us all sorts until we climbed back onto the bus. We drove into Arusha just on dark, we passed busy streets and the occasion ‘disco pub’ lit up with Christmas lights. Arriving into a gated Masai camp we were relieved to find our tent had already been put up and was waiting solo in the grass for us. We dumped our bags and met Natashja in the bar/restaurant. It was a hug space with funky wall paintings and furniture, complete with a pool table and dim lighting. We were served rice with chicken stew and we ordered some cold local beers. All went down a treat as Natashja got us even more excited about the next 51 days through Africa! Exhausted and satisfied we headed out into the night to find our tent, swiftly jumping in and locking the Mosquitos out. The noises of the night creatures sent us into a deep and well deserved sleep.
Early the next morning, the alarm rang out to the tune of 6am. Springing out of our brand spanking new sleeping bags, we chucked on some clothes & headed to the camp restaurant for brekky. This consisted of a Spanish omelette, toast & pretty good local coffee. Afterwards, we collected our things & packed down our tent. We headed down to the carpark to be greeted by a smiling Tanzanian man who was to be our driver for the next day & a half. He introduced himself as Michael & he helped load up his Land Cruiser 4 x 4 - a true adventure mobile.

Excited to get on the road & into the vast African wilderness, our destination was the Serengeti - or ‘Endless Plains,’ in Swahili. Which we later learned was a befitting title. We passed through two small towns on our way, picking up lunchboxes, fruit & water. After a few hours more driving, stopping at lookout points & blue monkey voyeurism, (some of it unintentionally perverse, as two of the subjects decided to get it on in front of us,) we arrived at the gate of the Serengeti. Passing through, it wasn’t long before I shrieked with excitement as a gang of zebras came into view. The beauty of the black & white striped mammals captivated me & had already made my day. Continuing on, we spied a group of Oryx in the distance, there were Gazelles running everywhere, divided into two subspecies - the smaller, striped Thompson’s, & larger Grant’s. Wildebeest were flocking everywhere you looked. Suddenly, to the right of the vehicle, within the tall trees, appeared a instantly recognisable figure. ‘GIRAFFE!’ I yelled out as Michael slammed on the brakes. Not only was there this magnificent lady, to the left there were a few more snacking away on shrubbery. Some more photos later, we continued on & reached the official gate where Michael had to fetch passes for us.

Resuming our adventure after a half hour of walking around, Michael jumped up in the back & put our safari roof up, so as to gain an even better view of the marvels contained in the reserve. We headed off again, down a hill with the wind on our faces. The ‘Endless Plains’ manifested themselves & the sheer limitlessness of the landscape was awe-inspiring. The giant African elephant appeared in the distance, & if that wasn’t exciting enough, a few kilometres later there were another massive herd crossing the road! With a few triumphant snaps, we continued on, spying bat eared foxes, & Sean’s personal favourite - the Kuri Bustard. A regal, grey coloured bird that is one of the heaviest flight birds in the world. She ruffled her feathers at us & performed a wee dance with her wings.
As the sun begun threatening to set on us, & after hours of driving & animal spotting, now including the Black Backed Jackal, a certain type of Jackal, which we learnt mate for life, & that the widows console each other after the death of their partners, Michael realised he was going to the old Ngiri camp, & not the new relocated one. To make matters worse, one of our tyres had a slow puncture & had started to deflate a few kilometres back. This required immediate action & Michael changed the tyre as quick as possible, not before discovering that the opposite tyre had been punctured too! Luckily, it wasn’t as bad & he assured us we could make it to the campsite before it deflated to the point of serious concern. He was more concerned about the dangerous animals that lurked after dark. The sun indeed slowly set which was a bittersweet sight to behold. The sweet being the sheer magnificence of the lights over the Savannah sky, the bitter being the fact that we would have to pitch our tent, which we still hadn’t done, in the dark.
Driving back the way we came started to become treacherous as ravenous Hyenas were gathered in the middle of the road, a notorious human-shredding hippo ran across our path, & Sean spotted a crocodile on the side of the road that slinked back into the lake. After a few wrong turns & asking camp staff for directions, we finally made it to the poorly signposted Ngiri Camp. Getting out of the vehicle, we met our tour leader, V. A young, energetic gal from Zimbabwe. She welcomed & informed us that our tent had already been erected for us which brought on a simultaneous massive sigh of relief. We got our bags & sleeping arrangements sorted, & sat down in front of the giant yellow bus that would be home for the next several weeks, to meet our fellow 13 overlanders. We learnt that they had been travelling together for a few weeks already, & had developed their own little cliques & inside jokes, so initially we felt out of place in the group. After a local gin & lemonade, purchased from the notorious pop up bar named ‘Zebra Refreshment,’ & briefly telling a few members of the group our stories, we decided it was time for bed, this time amongst the wild animals of the Serengeti. As we laid down to sleep, we wholeheartedly agreed that it felt like we were really living the African camping experience now, & what a marvellous adventure it would be.

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Posts tagged with Travelling-Africa-on-a-budget

The surreal Serengeti and joining Absolute Africa, Tanzania