Oops .. forgot a rhino pic!

In Nairobi and leaving today

Danny and I have most definitely had the experience of a lifetime. I just wish I could put heaps of pics up to show you all but that will have to wait until we get back to Australia on the 22nd October or maybe some after we get to the States and I can buy a new computer mouse. I can't stand using this mousepad deal on the laptop.


I think the most spectacular thing is that all the animals are literally all together .. living in the same space, area, plain! We got up so close to them that the first fews days I was at times quite frightened. I could actually touch the rhino.


We have over 800 photos and as much as I don't like showing here unedited ones I hope the following give you an idea of what we experienced.

Changi Airport .. Singapore

It is 1.55 a.m. Sunday and we are sitting in Changi airport. We have a 4 hour layover before our next flight.

The flight on the A380 was really something very special. It is huge and the seats are wide enough that Danny and I could have sat side by side in one seat. The food was drop dead amazing. I think I ate more saturated fat in one flight than I have eaten in four years LOL!

I had a glass of champagne but then decided to do the smart thing and stop at one. Danny had a few more LOL so made use of the *flat bed* deal. On this aircraft you can literally lie down flat to sleep .. in business class! It will be terrific when they fly from Sydney to the U.S. in the future.

I am getting used to this little laptop. There was a computer to every seat on the plane and if you had your own memory stick you could do whatever and save your work to that. Even put your pictures up on your TV which must have been at least a 19" screen!

Not sure if this will post so will leave it here. 15 hours of flights left and 4 hours of layovers as well to go. Will be worth it I am sure.

Be good!

September 12th .. we leave tomorrow!

We are ready to go except for throwing a few things in a suitcase for the U.S. part of the trip.

Our safari luggage has come in under weight which is a relief! Mind you we are not taking much. Started taking malaria prevention meds this morning.

We are flying on around the world business class tickets with Singapore Airlines and for the trip from Sydney to Singapore tomorrow will be on an A380 aircraft .. see above. Yikes! I can't wait ..

Before we leave we have to vote in our local council elections .. what else does one do before going on vacation!

I am hoping to put pics and news into this blog but that will depend on internet access and time. Where there's a will there's a way as most of you who know me know and I do have a certain internet addiction to feed afterall! For now .. See you soon with a bit of luck!

Our Itinerary! WOW!

SUNDAY NAIROBI
On arrival at Nairobi Airport and after clearing immigration and customs you will be met by your Wildlife Safari Tour Manager and transferred to your hotel.
NAIROBI SERENA HOTEL

MONDAY NAIROBI
Morning at leisure with afternoon safari briefing at your hotel. Enjoy this evening a welcome dinner at Café Maghreb.
NAIROBI SERENA HOTEL (B,D)

TUESDAY AMBOSELI
Morning departure for the Amboseli Game Reserve, stopping at the town of Namanga, where there is an opportunity to shop for Masai handicrafts. Lunch at the Amboseli Serena Lodge, built in the design of a Masai "Manyatta", or homestead, facing the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro. Late afternoon game viewing drive in the Amboseli Game Reserve.
AMBOSELI SERENA LODGE (B,L,D)

WEDNESDAY AMBOSELI
Dawn is the perfect time for game viewing in Amboseli, just as the sun rises over Kilimanjaro and the Amboseli plains. You may be lucky enough to watch lion or cheetah stalk its prey in the early morning light. Return to the lodge for a late buffet breakfast, and spend the rest of the morning relaxing by the swimming pool. Another game viewing drive later this afternoon around the fresh water lakes and springs home to a multitude of bird and animal life.
Every Wildlife Safari passenger visiting Amboseli is invited to plant an acacia tree in a designated area that is protected by an "elefence" (an electric elephant proof fence). You will be presented with a certificate as a momento of your contribution to conservation.
AMBOSELI SERENA LODGE (B,L,D)

THURSDAY LAKE MANYARA
An early morning departure for Tanzania, crossing the border at Namanga, where your Tanzanian Wildlife Safari guide will meet and drive you to Arusha. Lunch in Arusha and continue to the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, perched on the rim of the Rift Valley escarpment. Lake Manyara is famous for its tree-climbing lions, often found resting in the branches of the acacia trees. Giraffes, baboons and pink flamingo are also abundant in and around Lake Manyara National Park.
LAKE MANYARA SERENA LODGE (B,L,D)

FRIDAY NGORONGORO CRATER
Morning game viewing drive in the Lake Manyara National Park, descending to the floor of the Great Rift Valley. Return to lodge for lunch before continuing to the Ngorongoro Crater, where two thousand-foot walls surround a crater floor covering an area of just over a hundred square miles. Arrive at the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge built into the crater rim. Escorted trek along the Ngorongoro crater rim.
NGORONGORO SERENA LODGE (B,L,D)

SATURDAY SERENGETI
Early morning descent by four wheel drive vehicle onto the Ngorongoro Crater floor for a morning of game viewing. The magnificent black mane lion rules unchallenged over this vast domain. The crater lake is home to thousands of flamingos that migrate along the Great Rift Valley lakes where elephant, buffalo and rhino can also be seen. Enjoy a picnic breakfast by the fresh water springs before ascending the crater wall and returning to your lodge for a late lunch. Continue this afternoon to the Serengeti National Park stopping at Olduvai Gorge, where "Nutcracker Man", 1.75 million years old was discovered by Louis and Mary Leakey. The Olduvai Museum contains an excellent display of ancient artefacts.
SERENGETI SERENA LODGE (B,L,D)

SUNDAY& MONDAY SERENGETI
Spend the full day game viewing in the Serengeti National Park. It is not unusual to find twenty to thirty lion in a single pride resting under shady acacia trees during the day. The annual wildebeest migration is the greatest wildlife show on earth, when each May to August more than two million wildebeest, and half a million zebra, set off in a single column several miles long northwards towards the Masai Mara searching for permanent water and better grazing. Lion, cheetah and hunting dog follow this vast herd.
SERENGETI SERENA LODGE (B,L,D)

TUESDAY MASAI MARA
Morning drive from the Serengeti to the Isibania border, with game viewing enroute. Enjoy a picnic lunch enroute to the Masai Mara. Immediately you are aware of the abundance of wildlife in the Masai Mara National Reserve as your game viewing drive takes you to the luxurious Mara Serena Lodge. The lodge is built on the summit of a hill and overlooking the vast grasslands of the Serengeti plains.
MARA SERENA LODGE (B,L,D)

WEDNESDAY MASAI MARA
Full day in the Masai Mara National Reserve with early morning and late afternoon game viewing drives. Vast herds of wildebeest and zebra wander across the Mara grasslands, their numbers increasing during the annual migration from the Serengeti. Lion, leopard and cheetah can be found at close quarters, while crocodile and hippo congregate in the Mara and Talek Rivers. Enjoy our exclusive Masai Mara dinner under canvas with traditional Masai dancing.
MARA SAFARI CLUB (B,L,D)

THURSDAY MASAI MARA
Breakfast at the Hippo pools in the Masai Mara. Full day in the Masai Mara National Reserve with early morning and late afternoon game viewing drives.
MARA SAFARI CLUB (B,L,D)

FRIDAY, 26TH SEPTEMBER NAIROBI
A final morning game viewing drive in the Masai Mara before your AirKenya flight to Wilson. Met on arrival and transferred to the Nairobi Serena Hotel. Afternoon sightseeing tour of Nairobi, including visits to the Rothschild Giraffe Centre. The Giraffe Centre gives you the opportunity to see these magnificent animals close up and hand feed them. Evening farewell dinner at ‘The Mandhari’ restaurant one of the finest in Nairobi.
NAIROBI SERENA HOTEL (B,D)

SATURDAY JOHANNESBURG
Transfer to Nairobi Airport. Own arrangements from Nairobi to Johannesburg. On arrival and after clearing customs and immigration you will be met by a representative of Springbok Atlas and transferred by private vehicle to your city hotel.
SANDTON SUN (African Premium Deluxe Room)

Africa in a week!

Off to buy some bags today and then Danny and I are pretty much set to go!