Tanzania: Genesis at its finest
I hear the heartbeat of the African jungle in my soul. The staccato of every throb in my head synchronizes with every pulsating nerve. In the silence and reverence of our game drive where we come as close as possible to the wild animals in their habitat, we are the outsiders looking in. Here in Tanzania, this is their territory where wilderness rules.
It is not every day that one is blessed to experience the chaotic adventure of millions of wildebeests thumping alongside migrant predators like zebras, gazelles and impalas scampering in a thunderous applause that coalesce for the greatest spectacle of nature. Like roaring knights of nature, the sight of this powerful enigma here in the Serengeti, the land that stretches on to an infinite horizon, is one to contend with. Only till one experiences this spectacular drama of nature in Tanzania, can it be fully understood.
Asia to Africa (A to A) Safaris, an Asia-based safari company that specializes in arranging customized African safaris, will efficiently and luxuriously fulfill your dream to explore this exhilarating wilderness. It guarantees immersion in the quintessential African wildlife landscape like no other. For over a decade, investment bankers and A to A Safaris founders Victor Dizon and Jose Cortes have arranged the most unforgettable experiences in the African bush for their clients. Representing over 120 camps all over Africa, A to A Safaris offers sojourns in affluence and luxe comfort. My winsome colleague and dear friend Cheryl Tiu and I were privileged to have experienced one of its many itineraries. In Tanzania, A to A Safaris represents Nomad Tanzania, one of East Africa’s original safari companies that has built a trusted reputation for the past 20 years with outstanding camps in three of the remotest corners of Tanzania.
From the Legendary Lodge just an hour’s drive from Kilimanjaro, to the plains of the Serengeti, we stayed in two of Nomad Tanzania camps namely the Serengeti Mobile Camp in Southern Serengeti and the Lamai Camp in Northern Serengeti just an hour by a light-plane away from each other.
I have visited Zambia’s thundering waterfalls, Mpumalanga’s Mala-Mala Game Reserve and several game reserves in the Kruger National Park in South Africa but it’s a uniquely gratifying scene to witness the scampering herd in the millions as they embark on its surreal exodus to greener pastures. Vultures perched on deciduous trees eagerly await their meals as they ultimately pounce on any carcass and, in effect, clean up the eco-system of the Serengeti plains.
Consider the African wilderness as a microcosm of life where animals can fend for themselves. This is the way nature ingeniously programed all, only when an animal is wounded and can no longer hunt or fend for itself does it turn into a beast. This is why in safari camps, each guest has a special ranger assigned to him or her. The ranger is like his or her guardian at all times with a shotgun at hand and an extensive understanding of animal behavior and bush encounters. In the Serengeti Mobile Camp, Cheryl and I were blessed to have Emmanuel Njawa as our guide and guardian. His gregarious demeanor, expertise and knowledge of the bush are commendable.
At the Serengeti Mobile Camp, where luxuries are functional and unpretentious, the experience is semi-nomadic. You won’t feel that you are actually moving while you are there but literally, you are on a wide orbit shadowing the migration so that you, your guide and private four-wheel drive vehicle are in the closest proximity you can ever get to the millions of wildebeests and other residents of the bush.
The Serengeti savannah is characterized by undulating plains of yellow grass, flat-topped acacia trees, all set beneath the dome of a perfect cerulean sky. The mobile camp has six luxury bed tents set up on a stunning patch of Africa, light in their footprint, but with all the comforts you desire, with very comfortable mattress with duvet covers, heated water for your improvised shower and solar-powered lamps. Here, you will find the familiarity with this new environment that is the best way to experience the wilderness.
The encampment is lit with paraffin lamps and first-rate cooking is performed over open fires. Serengeti is about animal numbers and variety. The excitement pulsates, challenges and tests your ability to survive. While you head off from dawn to dusk on your own game drive expeditions, in the evenings, you can join other guests around a bush fire and dinner and share what you each experienced. We observed giraffes mating, lions flirting; others saw a wildebeest give birth while another watched a kill where a pair of lions pounced on an unsuspecting impala.
Lamai Serengeti is a permanent camp nestled in the most dramatic boulder-strewn Kogajuria Kopje. The mighty migration in the Mara River is just a few miles away from this posh enclave replete with 12 eco-luxury chalets and lodges for their discriminating guests. The camp has a natural rock swimming pool, a library ,a map room, fantasy bar serving perfectly chilled wine, outdoor showers, spacious verandas with contemporary designed sofas and tribal cushions to sink into.
As we watch the most surreal sunset that vanishes quickly on the equator plunging the Serengeti into a cloak of dramatic darkness, the potent sounds of the bush reverberate like a symphony of nature. The cacophony of the sounds may keep you awake in your tent as you listen intently to decipher if the sound you hear is that of a lion or leopard roaring, wildebeests roaming, giraffes frolicking, or cheetahs running. Whatever it is, this overpowering experience is sublime and surreal.
Nomad Tanzania understands absolutely the responsibility that comes with preservation of ecology. Each site, made of canvas, plaster and natural poles, has been carefully planned to highlight the scenic views and elements of sun and rain. Each meal is delightfully planned by its competent staff. We enjoyed the local cuisine like ugali, which consisted mostly of meat, potatoes and with a flavorful sauce.
A visit to Lamai Serengeti at any time will prove that it’s not only about the migration. All year round, one can admire the resident game here such as the Big Five namely, the lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant. Like watching the National Geographic Channel, choose your pick from giraffes silhouetted against the crimson sunset, a pink haze of flamingos wading in the shadows while hyenas, jackals, topi, gazelles, warthogs, klip springers, rhinos and much more abound. Unlike the southern plains of the Serengeti that dry out, forcing all but the hardiest of species to leave, the northern area remains lush and green.
Our experience in both camps proved that the rewards are not only riveting but also addicting. Once smitten by the bush fever, it will be your natural instinct to keep returning here. The magic, the poetry in motion, the poignancy and drama are set on the most magnificent stage on earth.
From July to October, A to A Safaris invite you to embrace the rhythm of nature that you will certainly enjoy not endure. The madness of migration, where there is order in disorder, is intoxicating. I see only the hand of the omnipotent waving His wand as the cycle of life unfolds in its innate order.
I am bewildered by wildebeests that do not make it as they cross the Mara River because they are devoured by ferocious Nile crocodiles or trampled upon in the riotous stampede; yet I salute them for their courage to join the exodus. I salute their spirit.
Experiencing Tanzania, I pinch myself, as I cannot decipher the difference between reality and dreams. Traveling to the most exotic habitats on earth are the adventures we love to live for. These places are by far the closest one gets to the way God created His Garden of Eden, the original wilderness. It is certainly genesis at its finest.
* * *
Customized itineraries for Asia to Africa Safaris can be arranged by its office in Manila.
For inquiries, call 812-2728 or log on to their website www.atoasafaris.com or email enquiry@atoasafaris.com
Qatar Airways, voted Airline of the Year 2012 by SKYTRAX industry audit, has the best connection from Manila to Tanzania. Visit its website www.qatarairways.com.
E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com
