We departed Arusha and headed towards Moshi. On the way, a turn off for Sanya Ju appears, which leads in the direction of Mt Kilimanjaro National Park. The tarmac road ends and then a series of interconnected dirt roads lead out towards the Western side of Kilimanjaro. This area, seldom visited is termed West Kili. We continued on these dirt roads, stopping for a picnic lunch along the way. Eventually at a very discreet turn off, we made a left at Olmolok village. These smaller roads winded down towards some plains. In the distance we could see Amboseli Park on the Tanzania
/ Kenya border. Off to our rights were views of Mt Kilimanjaro.
As it became dusk, the clouds parted and revealed the snow-capped top of
Kilimanjaro. At sunset, the colors were a vibrant magenta, the whole landscape becoming rich in texture. We drove up a big hill for sundowners and watched the sunset over this marvelous landscape. Just before it became dark we headed to our luxury tented camp - Hemingway's
http://www.hemingways-camp.com/ This exclusive luxury camp is set under shady acacias on the plains of West Kili. The nearby hills have 360 degree views towards Amboseli and Kilimanjaro. The remoteness of the camp gives the place a pioneer bush experience.
This area is contiguous with Kenya's Amboseli Park and thus, the elephants that roam around are docile and approachable. The herds are large and often times come into camp. The area has lesser Kudu, Gerenuk, Bat eared Fox, and Striped Hyaena - heard in the mornings. Game such as Giraffe, Zebra, Buffalo, Impala, and Bushbuck are common. Predators such as Lion, Leopard, and Cheetah also live in the area, however, much harder to see. The area is ideal for bush walks, game drives, and bush lunches. The camp is set in a local Masaai area, and bed night fees are given to the local community, as well as employment opportunities at the camp. This area is a wildlife management area, where local villages run and protect the environment. Local Masaai graze their cattle with animals living alongside.
We took a long bush walk our second day and met up with the crew for a nice bush lunch. In the afternoon, we took a siesta and then went up the hill to catch sunset shots of Kilimanjaro. We bought a goat from a local herdsman and had a proper Masaai meal. First, they suffacated the goat, so as not to lose any blood, and then they skinned and gutted the goat. We ordered some beers around the camp fire and watched the fresh goat meat cook near the fire. Eating goat like this - could be one of the best bush meals around. Goat meat is delicious, including the intestines!
Masaai drink the blood from the goat and eat the kidneys raw. While my Western mentally did not allow for my taste of true bushmanship, I did enjoy cooked liver, stomach, and linings. The cooks are great in the kitchen and made nice medium rare steak pieces of fresh goat. At the time we were the only guests, so if we didn't finish the goat, plenty of folks from the camp would. This place is a real treat, very special...
Hemingway's camp in West Kili is the start of Summits Africa 'Plains to Peak' trip, which begins with a couple of nights of bush and then trekking up the Lemosho route for 9 days. The 'Plains to Peak' trek is the Ultimate Kilimanjaro Expedition.
You can view a detailed itinerary, set departures, and pricing here:
http://www.summits-africa.com/kilimanjaro/kilimanjaro-the-Lemosho-route-plains-to-peak.htm
Another day in Tarangire, only an hour and a half away from Arusha. Its a perfect one day trip and you feel as though you were gone for days. Some friends were in town and their luck was incredible. Lions are seen in Tarangire, but often times the predators are hard to spot. Our one day trip saw three big prides of lion from about 15-23 lions deep. This group had virgin safari luck and it was a great beginning to their journey into the bush. This trip we saw a big elephant carcass, must have been a couple of weeks old with the skin still on the bones and skull. Scavengers had already eaten whatever flesh remained, and it had a powerful odor.
Not sure if the elephant had been killed or died a natural death? Other elephants continued to roam and eat with the usual Tarangire backdrop of palm trees. Most lions this day were lazy and some young cubs were active, but extremely secretive and well protected by their mother. The amount of game in the park was noticeably huge. A lot of the herds were still in the park and the grassland plains were thriving with grazing animals. This time of year, November is great to see game. Another great day in Tarangire National Park...
