Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch

August 28, 2012 – Farewell to Tanzania: Part I

Waking up in the middle of Serengeti in our lodge yesterday, it seemed hard to believe that the trip was almost over. In some ways the time on our trip has flown by, though the experiences have been so rich and complete it almost feels like we have been doing this for ages.

After packing up we made our way to the airstrip, on the way still keen to enjoy more wildlife viewing. Having already found the “Big Five” and seen more amazing wildlife that we had ever imagined, there was no pressure to look for anything and we just took it as it came - giraffes, hyenas, lions, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, zebras, elephants, gazelle, warthogs and wildebeest, we had seen it all, but the enthusiasm never stopped.

Our aircrafts were waiting for us when we arrived at the airstrip. Ten of us went in one plane, and seven in another for the fifty minute flight back to Arusha airport. We previously reserved day rooms at our hotel, so upon arriving we quickly claimed our bags which we stored there and headed for the showers. Half of the group relaxed while the other half went out with Berg Adventures staff to finish some last minute shopping before the night flight back to Amsterdam then home.

What a great team. We have created memories that will live through our lifetimes.

We lost count of how many different lions we saw on this safari; it was easily 80 – 100. The most we saw at one time was 16.

A common sight on safari is a baby baboon riding on mom’s back.

We saw this beautiful jackal on the way to the airstrip.

A final group photo in Serengeti before our flight back to Arusha.

The kids ready to board. We took boxed lunches for the flight because we knew we would be too busy to eat when got back to Arusha.

Lizzy sat up front with the pilot.