Globus Kenya & Tanzania: The Safari Experience - Frankfurt to Home - The Trip Wrap-up
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| A sculpture at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport |
We launched from Addis Ababa more than 30 minutes late, making us three for three late departures.
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| Ready to go |
The captain said the planned 7+-hour flight should only take 6.5 hours. That was pretty close, and we arrived at about 6:30 in the morning, local time in Frankfurt.
Since we were just transiting, we didn't need to go through passport control. With a seven-hour layover, we definitely wanted to get to the Lufthansa Business Class lounge. Unfortunately, that meant we needed to enter concourse B, and that meant going through security. Liquid out, laptops out, belts off, yadda, yadda, yadda. Our flight this afternoon was out of concourse C, so we got to do it all over again. Woo!
The lounge was empty this early in the morning, so we scored comfy seats with available power. We were all set up for the long wait for our final flight.
They never officially delayed our flight, but we departed almost 30 minutes late, making our return travel 100% at 4 for 4 delays.
The flight went well, and we arrived right on time, making up for the departure delay in the air. We were the first to deplane. Since we only had carry-on bags, we didn't need to wait for luggage before heading to Customs. We were the only ones at Customs, so we walked up to separate Global Entry kiosks. Our lights turned green, and we walked to the officer. He asked our names, asked if we had all our bags, and welcomed us home. Total time in Customs: 30 seconds. We walked to the exit and called our driver. She arrived less than five minutes later. An hour after that, we walked into our home.
How long was our travel, door-to-door? Yikes. Adjusting to Florida time, we left our hotel at 8:00 am Tanzania time on Saturday morning. That was 1:00 am Saturday morning in Florida. So, 1:00 am Saturday to 7:30 pm Sunday night comes to 42.5 hours. No wonder we're tired.
What did we do first?
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| Our Sunday tradition: Arlona's kettle corn |
Trip Wrap-Up
So, what all did we see?
Animals and Insects
- Agama, Kenya Rock
- Agama, Mwanza Flat-Headed
- Agama, Mwanza Flat-Headed Rock
- Ants
- Baboon, Olive
- Baboon, Yellow
- Badger, Honey
- Beetle, Scarab
- Buffalo, Cape
- Cat, Serval
- Cheetah
- Chimpanze
- Crocodile
- Dik Dik, Kirk's
- Dromedary
- Eland, Common
- Elephant, African
- Fox, Bat-Eared
- Gazelle, Grant's
- Gazelle, Thompson's
- Giraffe, Maasai
- Giraffe, Reticulated
- Giraffe, Rothschild's
- Hartebeest
- Hippopotamus
- Hyena, Spotted
- Hyrax, Rock
- Hyrax, Tree
- Impala
- Jackal, Black-backed
- Klipspringer
- Leopard
- Lion
- Mantis, Praying
- Mongoose, Banded
- Monkey, Blue
- Monkey, Vervet
- Moth, Rustic Sphinx
- Moth, Slug
- Mouse
- Rhino, Black
- Rhino, White
- Skink, African Striped
- Topi
- Turtle, African Helmeted (Marsh Terrapin)
- Warthog (Pumbaa)
- Waterbuck
- Wildebeest
- Wolf, African Golden
- Zebra, Common
Birds
- Bee-Eater, Little
- Bulbul, Common
- Bustard, Denham's
- Bustard, Kori
- Bustard, White-bellied
- Buzzard, Augur
- Cisticola, Winding or Zitting
- Cordon-Blue, Red-Cheeked
- Cormorant, White-Breasted
- Coucal, White-Browed
- Crane, Crested (or Gray Crowned)
- Crow, Pied
- Drongo, Fork-Tailed
- Eagle, African Fish
- Eagle, Bateleur
- Eagle, Black-Chested Snake
- Eagle, Long-Crested
- Eagle, Tawney
- Egret, Cattle
- Firefinch, Red-Billed
- Fiscal, Gray-Backed
- Fiscal, Long-Tailed
- Fiscal, Taita
- Flamingo, Greater
- Flamingo, Lesser
- Goose, Egyptian
- Goshawk, Dark Chanting
- Guineafowl, Helmeted
- Gull, Gray Hooded
- Heron, Black-Headed
- Heron, Gray
- Heron, Squacco
- Hoopoe, African
- Hornbill, Silvery-Cheeked
- Hornbill, Southern Ground
- Ibis, African Sacred
- Ibis, Glossy
- Ibis, Hadada
- Jacana, African
- Kingfished, Malachite
- Kingfisher, Gray-Headed
- Kingfisher, Striped
- Kite, Black
- Kite, Black-Winged
- Kite, yellow-billed
- Lapwing (Plover), Crowned
- Lapwing, Blacksmith
- Lapwing, Long-Toed
- Lark, Dusky (in back)
- Lark, Rufous-Naped
- Ostrich
- Oxpecker (on the giraffe)
- Pelican, Great White
- Pigeon, African Rock
- Roller, Lilac-Breasted
- Secretarybird
- Shrike, Northern White-Crowned
- Sparrow, Kenya Rufous
- Sparrow-Weaver, White-Browed
- Spoonbill, African
- Starling, Greater Blue-Eared
- Starling, Superb
- Stilt, Black-Winged
- Stork, Marabou (Undertaker)
- Stork, Yellow-Billed
- Sunbird, Amethyst
- Sunbird, Eastern Violet-Backed
- Teal, Cape
- Vulture, African White-Backed
- Vulture, Hooded
- Vulture, Lappet-Faced
- Warbler
- Weaver
- Weaver, Rufous-Tailed
- Weaver, Speckle-Fronted
That's 125 different animals, all in a 15-day safari. That's pretty amazing.
Let's talk about the trip itself. This entire trip, other than the "get there" and "get home" air, was fully planned and managed by Globus. I have to give Globus high marks. Everything went off like clockwork. The Globus personnel, tour directors, and driver/guides were all very good at what they did.
For the most part, they were all nice people as well.
The lodging was good to very good. The Serena and Sarova hotels were all very nice, but in our opinion, they fell short of the luxury category. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I just wouldn't call this luxury travel.
The vehicles were also not luxury vehicles. But luxury vehicles would fall apart in a week doing this type of tour. There is exactly one vehicle for this: the Toyota Land Cruiser. In fact, that is pretty much all we saw out there. There were a few odd vehicles, but almost every safari vehicle was a Land Cruiser. They are indestructible. The Tanzanian vehicle was substantially newer and in better shape than the Kenyan vehicle, and was more comfortable. That said, there isn't a lot of legroom or comfort, in general, so I can't call them luxury rides. Plus, it is a substantial climb to get in and out, so plan on that too.
Who is this trip for? In-shape travelers who have no mobility issues. You have to climb in and out of the Land Cruiser six to eight times each day. While you're in the vehicle, your body will undergo an endless assault of bumps, swerves, and bangs, thanks to the things in Africa masquerading as roads. I used the word "punishing" in an early entry, and I stand by that description. If you use a walker, cane, wheelchair, have back or neck issues, or are generally infirm, this isn't the trip for you. If you expect luxury accommodations, or even accommodations with heat or air conditioning, this isn't the trip for you.
If you're able-bodied, love to see animals in the wild doing animal things, don't mind tents that shake in the wind but still have king-sized beds and showers, and can handle washboard roads, this trip would be a good fit for you.
There are tons of tour operators out there, and I can't provide info on them, but as far as Globus goes, we can certainly endorse them for this type of tour.
For us, now, it's good to be home again. Starting in December, we have what amounts to two back-to-back trips booked that will cover two months and Australia, Barbados, and Brazil, including the Amazon River and Carnival in Rio. We'll see you all in December.
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