Absolute Africa Liveblogs

Days 11 -18

Day 11 continued:

Chris has decided to sign up for the MONSTER BURGER COMPETITION so we are all there cheering him on, but like most of his predecessors he has failed to finish the enormous feast! None the less. It was a good effort and good fun to watch.

Day 12

Last morning at this wonderful place in Jinja before we take off to the next place. A good time later with just a mere 80km to cover (TIA hey?) a bit of time shopping then off to Entebe because today we pick up Nicole. A veteran over-lander who had done her first overland trip way back in 2001.

Day 13

We psyche ourselves up for a 6am leaving the camp, its going to be a long drive, traffic can be chaotic and all have to be extremely patient. None the less we are at the equator in good time, this time Inge is wide awake, so its happy days for all.

We hit the road again and while in Uganda it would be a shame if one never tried out the local foods on the side of the road… this place has some of the most amaizing goat meat, chicken and beef on a stick! If you care to be a bit more on the adventurous side… things like offal and tripe are usually available and are always a yumm yumm for me.

So rainy season and travel.. always good fun.. for those that haven’t joined in on our circuit training recently, some time pushing the truck out of a bog can make up for that!

Impressive views of plantations today enroute to camp.

Fantastic times tonight as children from the nearby orphanage come to see us and do some singing and dancing and everyone gets involved at the end.

Day 14
Time to Trek our cousins (Chimpanzees) as they fondly call them at Kalinzu forest. As we all know, game walks always depend on the luck of the day, today the gods are on our side and we manage quite some good sightings! For the few that remained at camp, the baboons also put on quite a show for us…..

This is only the morning and the day is still young… we head off to Queen Elizabeth National Park… and there is a 2 hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This is the channel that joins the 2 lakes, Lake George and Lake Edward. Hippos and Buffalo in abundance… if you like birds then also this place never fails to disappoint.

We then head to our camp (Hippo Camp) I think the name speaks for itself…. A few managed to see these water giants as they made their way past our camp to their feeding grounds.

Day 15

Its game drive time this morning and the hyenas gave us a great show today! Later on we saw quite a big herd of Elephants with lots of calves, Ugandan Kob and many more sittings.

The drive is long or rather shall I say its made long due to the state of the road. There is much construction happening.

I give Jade a big surprise by taking her deep into the local markets which was a great delight for her. A quick stop over for supplies then its off to camp.

Day 16

This morning we have a few going up to Lake Bunyoni. There they have a chance to meet up with a fascinating old lady (87 years old) and have some time to view some of the 29 islands that are on the lake. Later its off to an orphanage where some of the ladies come back with different hair do’s styled by the little ones! The a boat ride visits a few islands, the most famous being Prison Island, rumour has it that in olden days girls that fell pregnant out of wedlock were left there to die! As you can imagine most Africans are not able to swim, none the less, this created a great opportunity for all the guys that couldn’t afford to pay a bride price, they would simply go there and get a bride. Who knows if it’s true….

The boat ride takes us downstream amongst some spectacular scenery. Our drive up to Kisoro is exceptionally scenic with views of the Virunga Mountains as we approach town. We get there in good time and most have the opportunity to have a bit of a wander in town.
Day 17

Today has been a relaxed day for most except for Nicole who has gone off to see the Golden Monkeys and also Hayley, Jade and myself, who have decided not to do the usual circuits but instead I did a Zumba session with the girls! Ha ha, hate to imagine what the onlookers thought!

Most then leave to go and visit the (Batwa) pygmys which will also take them through to an orphanage. There after they go off to Lake Mtandwa for some nice serene time and sun baking.

We also welcome an additional 5 people into the family today!
Day 18

Today is THE day! Excitement is definitely in the air and all are geared up for the trek to see the Mountain Gorillas, they are in 3 different groups that go out and when they return the stories are wonderful.

One group had only a minor trek of 30mins and boom… they there were!

Second Group… 3.5hrs later finally they were there are out in the open, but just as they thought they could relax they got pestered by wasps. I can’t imagine what the poor gorillas thought with a group of Muzungus running and screaming in all directions because of a few wasps, but I am glad to say it was all laughter when they recited the story and everyone got out of it with only a few stings but a great story to tell.

The third group had 2 guys that travelled back to Africa for a second time mainly to see the gorillas and unfortunately they are the ones that had it the hardest. All the way up steep terrain and the gorillas were deep in the thicket, all they saw were some rustling leaves so the rangers took them back to trek another family, and second time lucky as they managed to see them before long, and upon finding them, the first steep trek was forgotten!

It has been a fantastic day for all and there is a unanimous agreement that it definitely was worth it!

Days 6-11

Day 6

Its game drive time again today which means a bright and early start, but always you get the reward when you spot the animals. Today the guys are off to one of my favourite parks, Nakuru National Park. If ever you wanted to see Rhinos then this is the place to go. I did sort of promise that we would see some, and without fail, there many! There were lots of animals around today, but this is the place where you keep your eyes out on the trees, not only are we looking for leopards but also massive pythons, and one of our cars was so lucky enough to get a glimpse of these massive reptiles.

After a full day of successful game driving all were happy to return to some nice hot showers.

Today I decided to make some traditional food which comprised of Sadza (ugali in East Africa) done the Zimbabwean way, made from maize flour with a goat stew and cabbage. It was a huge hit with everyone as most have not eaten this before and I was very glad to see empty pots at the end.

Day 7

Today is a relaxed start to our day as we only have a short distance to cover but talk about crazy traffic, phewww! We stop over at the shopping mall and the coffee house there is always a huge welcome for those that have been missing their cappuccino and latte. (It’s a rare occurance!)

Exceptional views as we go… the big highlight is stopping at the local markets to buy the freshest fruit and veg where we not only get veg but offers of babies as well! Talk about getting more than what you bargained for!

The skies open up and we get heavy rains, its still pouring down when we get to the equator but some defied the weather and got out for the briefest of photos…

The next camp in Eldoret is certainly one of the best and I’m sure everyone agreed once they saw it. It was good to sit by the big bonfire at the bar after dinner.

Day 8

This morning we are crossing borders heading for Uganda. As with all mornings in Eldoret it’s not an uncommon site to see many runners training (this is the place where you get most of the Kenyan runners from!) the trip to the border is uneventful but great sites of farm land and massive sugar cane plantations. The local vendors at the border always put on a good show for us… I will add that the samosas are quite delicious! Sometimes the  border crossings take long and these vendors can get you anything from red bull to ice cream!

If you like lush scenery then you have come to the right place, Uganda is an extremely beautiful place. Nile River Explorers is where we are set up today and you couldn’t find a better location just over looking the Nile River. It’s a quiet evening today as most are saving their energy for the rafting the next day.

My highlight of the day is when one of the girls comes to me and says “Vee, I didn’t know that we passed the Equator today, I must have been asleep”. At this stage I’m like “well, you did jump out of the truck”, then she says “no wasn’t me”, just then one of the guys pulls out his iPad and boom, there’s a picture of her with the equator bill board in the back round. Well, there has been a lot happening recently….

Day 9

A big thumbs up to Arthur for joining in with all the guys and doing the rafting. Without a doubt the rafting here is some of the best in the world. Cold beer and a massive BBQ are always in order at the end of the rafting trip. Its been an amazing day and we all catch up on the events of the day at the bar.

Day 10

Today is very relaxed, partially due to the fact that it has been raining and also everyone is looking forward to the sunset cruise this afternoon. This needs no words but a nice cruise up and down the River Nile on to Lake Victoria, a few drinks, snacks and a few more drinks. Two hours of relaxing later means a big of a party at the camp today as everyone has decided to let their hair down tonight. Besides a few funny photos of some, I think we’ve all had a fantastic day!

Day 11

Only Kat was brave enough to get up and do some horse riding this morning….. I think everyone else is having a lie-in for a change…..

Days 1 – 5

Day 1

The first day of our safari is always very good. We have a group of 15 very excited guests who have planned this safari for months and finally they are here and can’t believe that this is actually happening. Reality sinks in when they see the big yellow truck named Sparky..

The morning is started off with a visit to the Giraffe center. For most people this is the first time they have come in contact with wild life… their childhood dreams of coming to Africa is now a reality. At this centre you come (literally!) face to face with the Rothschild Giraffes, you get very close and not forgetting the very famous Giraffe kisses! There after a short talk gives you information on these animals and the great work being done at the centre.

As if this was not excitement enough, we then head off to David Sheldricks Elephant Orphanage… one of the most popular activities to do when you are in Nairobi. Here we get a chance to see baby elephants that have been orphaned in the wild and rescued from different places. They stay for a varying amount of time and then later released again into the wild when staff are sure that they will be able to fend for themselves or join a herd. Each Elephant has a story of where it has come from, some have had a very sad start to life but this place gives them a great future.

The day then takes us shopping. We take advantage of the availability of products in this city as where we are heading it becomes more and more difficult to get the fancier things!

This done we head off to our camp where we will be spending the night. Its fun and games putting up the tents as some have never tented before, but a quick demonstration and its easy. Then some chill-out time at the bar as everyone gets to mix and mingle and get to know each other a bit more. Carol and her cooking team get going on dinner which is usually cooked over charcoal, very interesting as most have never done this before either.

Day 2

Today is the day… Excitement is so much as we head out to “the Mara” to do our first real safari. We are very lucky to be going at this time of year because the annual wildebeest migration is still there. There is no better time for us to go than this. Its always an early start today, making our first stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoints where there are magnificent sites that will take your breath away.

The journey continues and we are now in Maasai land and the scenery along the way is made up of large herds of cattle, goats and sheep. All of which are very sacred to the Maasai people who solely rely on these animals for their food and wealth. We pass various Maasai villages as well as lots of kids shouting HOW ARE YOU.. HOW ARE YOU MUZUNGU?

At the entrance gate we are greeted by at least 30 or so Maasai women selling their different wares. Its always fun and games negotiating with them!

Most people spend months or even years watching National Geographic and David Attenborough looking at the wildlife documentaries in the hope that maybe one day they shall come to Africa to see these animals and finally it is now a reality. We start our safari and as expected it was absolutely fantastic. Hundreds of wildebeest everywhere, giraffe, elephants, buffalo, a pride of lions with at least 7 cubs which were between 3 and 4 months old and many other little antelopes. We were even lucky enough to come across the biggest antelope in Africa which is the Eland.

It’s been a very exciting day. We head out to our camp that is just by the Talek river. This place is just outside the park but there are no boundaries or fences so it always makes for a very interesting night. As we arrive at the camp the sky is about to open and even though it’s only the second night for people setting up tents, I can swear that all had it done in about 3 minutes or so… unfortunately the rain didn’t let out until sometime after dinner but before everyone retires for the night we hear all sorts of bush noises. The most common and closest to play around the camp is the hyena, you can’t mistake the familiar “woo-oop” of a hyena, it’s fantastic to hear.

Day 3

An early start to make the most of the morning as this is the time if we are lucky we get to see the big cats before they have their long siestas. Sightings are spectacular again today as we get to see a pride of lions that had a coalition of 4 males, right out in the open with lots of cubs and lionesses. One could sit for hours and just watch as the cubs play. We encountered a massive herd of elephants, probably around 40 if not more with lots of little ones as well, buffalo were in abundance and a welcome stop over at the hippo pool is always in order. Hyenas, wildebeest, vultures to mention but a few. Food is in abundance at this time of year and we see carcasses all over the place, it’s a predator’s paradise!

The fun doesn’t end here, on the route out we pass by one of the Maasai villages for a tour. Get your jumping shoes on guys cause at this stage the Morans (warriors) do their very famous welcome dance that follows up with the jumping, you will be amazed at how high these guys can jump, its no wonder cause they start from a young age and they usually do these dances at social gatherings where it is said that the warrior that jumps the highest has much favour with the ladies. Maasai are polygamists by culture and we all know the saying while in Rome.. so my guys gear up to see if they will catch the attention of the girls. The Maasai people go into detail about their culture, you go into their little houses which needless to say are quite something to behold with humans and calves sharing the same house. The men go about demonstrating how they make a fire using just two pieces of wood.

We head off to our camp just on the shores of Lake Naivasha, a very peaceful and tranquil setting of the camp. At this stage everyone thinks Angelo, our driver, is my dad! It’s very funny…

Day 4

There are lots of hippos for those that love them, you can’t find a better place, this lake is home to many of these water giants and we take off for a hippo cruise.

Naivasha is actually home to so many activities. Mountain bike rides into the spectacular and very scenic Hells Gate National Park is always a “must-do”, it truly is one of the best things that I have done! There is also the 1.5km stunning gorge walk after the bike riding. This park is so spectacular that it inspired movie makers to capture settings from The Lion King and Tomb Raider. After 22km of bike ride all are back and very glad that they went. The afternoon is spent relaxing on the green grass. Game sightings are not uncommon at this camp, amongst them waterbuck and the notorious black faced vervet monkeys who given the chance will raid your kitchen the moment you turn your back

Day 5

A very relaxed morning for most but the adventure continues for some. 4 of the group go to the Green Crater Lake, again always a huge highlight. On the way up you can get to see some wildlife up close and personal, the walk is great and there are no known predators to the area except for the elusive leopard which you have to be very lucky to spot… we’ve never had any luck here though! Instead we see various antelope and zebra and giraffes

Most of us that have remained at camp and we are privileged enough to be travelling with 2 exercise enthusiasts, sisters Jade and Hayley. We plan on doing some circuits as often as we can. This definitely is no walk in the park but none the less very good. Who knows I might even have some mean abs by the time they leave in a few weeks’ time.

Midday is when we take off from camp and head to our next location in Nakuru. Punda Milia which means Zebra in Swahili (it actually literally translates as stripy donkey!). It’s an absolutely fabulous setting with acacia thorn donning the green grass, but I think the best are the open top showers, so if you take a shower at night you can gaze up at the stars (hopefully it’s not raining!). Chris cracks us all up today by thinking that a female sheep is a GOAT. Ha ha ha.

Next we go game driving in Nakuru….can’t wait!