Successful Game Viewing Safari February 6-10, 2013!!

A cheetah in the Serengeti. Cheetah's are lean powerful cats built for speed. They're the fastest animals on our planet capable of speeds of 70-75mph/112-120kph for distances of up to 1600'+/500m when hunting prey.

SMI guides Kurt Wedberg and April Mayhew are back in Moshi, Tanzania after leading another amazing game viewing safari in Tanzania.  Joining them on safari was Dan Cherico, James Gault, Beth Keller, and Emily McIntyre along with Christine Loredo and Frank Martin who stayed for one day.  Over five days the group visited Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the great Serengeti Plains.  They also visited a Masai village and saw the Olduvai Gorge archaeological site.  At the end of their five days they flew from the Serengeti back to Arusha, Tanzania where some continued on to Zanzibar Island while others flew home.

April and Kurt are now awaiting the arrival of their next group of 11 folks who will attempt to climb Kilimanjaro (5895m/19,340′) February 14-20.  Stay tuned for highlights from this climb.

Below are some pictures from the animals the group saw on safari.

A lioness with a cub survey's the landscape from the perch of a tree in the Serengeti.

A mother leopard checking out a hollow log before letting her cubs enter it for hiding.

A leopard cub learning to survey the landscape for danger from the top of a fallen log. It’s mother was watching from a nearby tree.

Zebra's in the Ngorongoro Crater. Zebra stripes are as unique as human fingerprints. When in a herd their stripe patterns make it difficult for predators to tell them apart from one another.

A zebra couple courting in the Ngorongoro Crater.

A mother elephant giving herself a mud bath in the Serengeti. Elephants use mud as a cooling mechanism during the heat of the day.

A hippo yawning in the Serengeti. Hippo's spend most of the daytime hours submerged up to their heads in water. They're herbivores and only use the large front teeth for fighting.

An Olive Baboon baby hitching a ride on its mother's back in Lake Manyara National Park.

A Blue Sykes Monkey in Lake Manyara National Park.

A Masai Giraffe eating acacia tree leaves in the Serengeti. Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world with some males reaching over 19'/6m. Their food supply is therefore plentiful since no animals can reach where they normally eat.

Cheetah's scanning the landscape while a third rests in the bushes to the left.

Hippos play fighting in the Serengeti.

Elephant mother and a calf less than a year old in the Serengeti. Elephants don't have any natural predators besides lions who will attack unguarded calves. Mothers usually keep their young close by and protected from danger.

Safari in style!! Dan Cherico, James Gault, Beth Keller, Emily McIntyre, and April Mayhew loaded up and ready for safari with SMI founder Kurt Wedberg and his long time safari driver Tarimu from Marangu, Tanzania in front. Tarimu is a skilled driver who knows the game parks and is intimately familiar with the behavior patterns of the animals. Kurt and Tarimu have been running safaris together since 1998 having countless memorable events over the years together. Tarimu drives a 4x4 Land Rover equipped with a removable rooftop, air conditioning, and electric charging ports. The vehicle can comfortably seat seven people in addition to Tarimu.

After an excellent 5-day safari the group is ready to fly out of the Serengeti for a birds eye view of the terrain we just covered over the preceding days!

We Can’t Get Enough of Africa!

Team Nguvu Dadas (l-r): Amber, Kelly, April, Betsy, Rachel

On August 7th, team members from across North America united at the Springlands Hotel in Moshi, Tanzania. Betsy Northam and her sister Rachel flew in fresh and rested from 5 days on Zanzibar Island. The others arrived via bus ride across the Kenya/Tanzania border. The Kilimanjaro climbing team consisted of Betsy Northam of San Diego, Amber Sidhu of San Diego, Kelly Dunfee of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and SMI guide April Mayhew.  During the climb, Betsy’s sister Rachel Mueller would provide base camp support from her poolside office at the Springlands Hotel.

August 8: After a celebratory dinner and a well-earned night’s sleep, we stretched our legs during a morning walk through the local villages and jungles of Moshi. The terrain navigated around small neighboring farms, then broke away into a dramatic landscape of manicured rice fields with a peripheral background of untamed jungle.

Walking with balance along the narrow rims of the fields can be tricky. Many large wild birds use the rice fields as a food source. In addition to grand views, our trek was graced by many friendly greetings from village children and rice fieldworkers.

Navigating the rice fields surrounding Moshi.

Local girl harvesting firewood in the jungle.

August 9-10.  Our first two days on Kilimanjaro were spent navigating the jungles and ridges of the Umbwe route.  Through light showers and mist, the glaciers of Kilimanjaro would occasionally appear – an inspirational beacon that fueled our progress. In good time we arrived at Barranco Camp (12,926’/3940m), what would be our base camp for two nights.

Team Nguvu Dadas arrive at Barranco Camp!

Morning at Barranco Camp

August 11.  The small storm blew through sometime during the night, lightly dusting the the benches of the mountain.  We enjoyed morning tea and coffee underneath a looming Kilimanjaro, our first view of the mountain uninterrupted by clouds or weather.  After breakfast of porridge, fruit, toast and eggs, we walked up to Lava Tower (15,190′/4630m) our high point of the day and Betsy’s personal record.  A hot lunch welcomed us back at camp, and the remainder of the day was spent relaxing, writing, reading, stretching, and napping.

Team celebrates reaching Lava Tower

August 12.  Soon after packing up camp, our team deftly scaled our high point of Barranco Wall then made our way along the south circuit path to Karanga Valley, and up to Karanga Camp (12,893′/3930m).  After cleaning up, we were treated to a hot lunch of fries, chicken, vegetable slaw, sliced fresh watermelon and oranges, and pineapple juice.  The sun broke up a lower cloud layer, which allowed stunning views of Mt. Meru and villages surrounding the base of Kilimanjaro.

Team navigates Barranco Wall

Sunset over Mt. Meru from Karanga Camp.

August 13.  We broke camp and made good time moving to our high camp, Barafu (115,091’/4600m).  After a hot lunch, we prepared for tonight’s summit bid.  Many international climbers were staged here and the camp buzzed with excitement.

Advancing to Barafu Camp

August 14.  We headed off into the night, a stream of headlamps breaking up the blackness, a small but very strong climbing team! We passed many parties on the way as we hiked underneath a brilliant starry sky.  At 5:45AM our team reached Uhuru Peak (19,340’/5895m), the summit of Kilimanjaro! After arriving back at Barafu Camp, we enjoyed a hot breakfast before packing up camp and descending down into the oxygen-rich jungle to Mweka Camp (10,170’/3100m).

Uhuru Peak

Sunrise view from Uhuru Peak overlooking Mawenzi

August 15.  In the morning, the local staff that supported our climb sang farewell to the team.  After many hugs, we separated and made our way down to Mweka Gate, where our transport waited to return us to Moshi for an afternoon of well-deserved R & R!

Mweka Camp: Farewell song & dance

The entire photo gallery from our climb of Kilimanjaro can be found here:

http://www.kurtwedbergphotography.com/International-Expeditions/Africa/Kilimanjaro-August2012/24784429_Gd7SHf

SAFARI!!!

The following days, Amber, Rachel, Betsy and April went on Safari while Kelly remained in Moshi donating her time at two local children’s homes.  Her presence was missed on safari!

Over the course of five days the team visited Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, and the great Serengeti Plains.  In addition to seeing a wide range of exotic wildlife our safaris are also a rich cultural experience.  We spent some time a local orphanage near that has become a traditional stop on our trips.  We also visited a local Masai Village where we were treated to traditional Masai dancing ceremonies, saw the mud huts they live in, and we were given the opportunity to purchase jewelry items.

Wildlife was prevalent throughout our safari.  Below are a few pictures.  The entire photo gallery can be found here:

http://www.kurtwedbergphotography.com/International-Expeditions/Africa/Safari-August-2012/24924709_W34VCq

African Elephant (Tembo)

Female lion and cubs after feeding.

Leopard hanging from tree in the Serengeti

East African Safari: Plentiful Animals and Great Times!

After a successful climb of Kilimanjaro the team said goodbye to Caleb, John, and April.  Caleb and John began their journey home.  SMI guide April Mayhew stayed behind in Moshi to run in the Kilimanjaro Marathon.  Three days after standing on top of Kilimanjaro April placed a very respectable second among female non-Africans then caught up with the rest of the group for the last three days of safari.  Congratulations April!  The rest of the team took off on a game viewing safari to see up close some of the most fascinating animals on our planet.

Over the course of five days the team visited Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, and the great Serengeti Plains.  In addition to seeing a wide range of exotic wildlife our safaris are also a rich cultural experience.  We spent some time with kids at a local orphanage as has become traditional on our trips.  We also visited a local Masai Village where we were treated to traditional Masai dancing ceremonies, saw the mud huts they live in, and we were given the opportunity to purchase jewelry items.  We also visited Olduvai Gorge which is rich in archeological history.  Bones of many extinct animals have been found in this area.  It is also the sight where the archeologists Tom and Mary Leakey discovered the oldest homonid footprints.

Wildlife was prevalent throughout our safari.  Below are a few pictures.  The entire photo gallery can be found here:

Game Viewing Safari February 25-29, 2012

Rhonda, Kurt, Jackie, and Janet on safari at Lake Manyara National Park.

Two lioness sisters resting in a tree at Lake Manyara National Park.

Male lion in the Serengeti.

Cape buffalo with a stork on its back in Lake Manyara National Park.

Wart hog family in Lake Manyara National Park.

Wildebeest mother and calf. 185,000+ wildebeests are born within a two week period in October each year. This insures the survival of the species.

Male and female impalas at Lake Manyara National Park.

Janet, Rhonda, Kurt, and Jackie in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Female spotted hyena on the Serengeti plains.

Male agama lizard sunning itself on a kopje rock outcropping in the Serengeti.

Grants Gazelle in the Serengeti.

Zebras resting in the Serengeti.

Young teenage elephants in the Serengeti.

When a giraffe bends over to drink it is in its most vulnerable position for predators.

Giraffe eating leaves from an acacia tree in the Serengeti.

Vitelline Masked Weaver at Olduvai Gorge.

Abdim's Stork in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Male Cory Bustard bird puffed up looking for a mate in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Red Collared Widowbird

Egyptian Goose in the Serengeti.

Secretary birds on top of an acacia tree in the Serengeti.

Saddle-billed Stork in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Janet, April, Kurt, Jackie, and Rhonda at our hotel in Karatu during our safari.

Traditionally dressed Masai women during our visit to their village.

Rhonda, Jackie, and Janet were invited to join the Masai ladies in their traditional dance.

Masai warriors conducting a traditional mens dance and jumping ceremony.

A Masai man shows us inside his mud hut where he and his family live while he shares with us their way of life.

Masai jewelry for sale at their village.