Africa – Day 21 – Kenya to Tanzania

Finally a sleep in! Then the trip to the Serengeti in Tanzania by light aircraft.

Wilderbeast on the right side of the river

Breakfast at 8am, almost nobody in the joint, I figure they’re either on safari or checked out and heading somewhere else.

The drive to the airstrip is relaxed, no roof up, we see a cheetah resting under a tree but no carcase nearby.

At Olkiombo Airstrip, a dirt Airstrip, in the Masai Mara Reserve there are a lot of planes, small and large dual prop aircraft, safari vehicles everywhere, people arriving and people leaving. Its hot, so we sit in the shade, rangers with guns walk around, and we wait and wait, the Navigator is restless, but eventually it arrives. Its a Safarilink single engine 12 seater with 2 pilots, seating a bit tight but I’ll survive. Navigator is looking a little pale and The Dancer is paler.

The first flight is 30 minutes to Isibania where we stamp out of Kenya, get our Tanzania Visa and stamp in, then a short ride to our dirt airstrip and a short flight over the Serengeti to Kogatende Airstrip where Our Shadows of Africa driver (Dennis) meets us.

A quick late picnic lunch at the airstrip and then we start the safari, we see lions, elephants, hounds of zebras and wilderbeast (part of the migration) its a different landscape to the Masai Mara, slopes and hills, granite boulders, tighter scrub but still little surprises around every corner. The drive to our camp is like rally cross, the corrugations are next level, but Dennis gets the troopy humming and we’re there at dusk.

Our accomodation is at Tamu Tamu Kogatende, 5 star glamping, only 2 months old, our room is spectacular. Security here isn’t a novelty, a young Masai guy escorts to and from room and another patrols with a serious rifle.