This was interesting! It had kind of the opposite effect on me compared to other commenters—I know now that I never, ever want to go on a safari like this. It may just be the pregnancy/mom part of me talking right now, but this is way too dangerous for me, and coming face to face with the "circle of life" far too gory and disturbing for me. I'm going to go read a safe romance novel now... :)
Since you mentioned snorkeling, I will note that I have a scuba diver license and yes, you can see sharks and all sorts of other stuff. The whole experience, especially the part about being 60 feet underwater with a single tank of oxygen, is terrifying when I think too hard about it. I thought it was cool and fun and badass in my twenties, but as I near my forties, I could truly go the rest of my life without ever going scuba diving again. I think I've just changed.
I have no doubt this is an awesome and incredible experience, and I'm super glad you got the break and had an amazing time!
That makes sense. It's a very hard to quantify experience. There were definitely times that people said "you can hike, but if you do it's very possible you will come upon an animal and get mauled. We take no responsibility for that." We did also see a lot more children than I thought we would.
I'm not surprised that people bring their children there. I am surprised that there are no or few places to hike safely.
The closest I can think of getting to that is hiking glaciers in Alaska. The guides were very much like, "if we see a bear, don't panic." That was only back in 2018 for me! Hard to believe.
you also have to pack in and out everything, so I have no idea how that works with diapers and such. That is enough to make me never want to bring a kid there.
This was so amazing to read! Thank you so much for sharing. Russell! I didn't think I would ever want to go on a 10 day safari but you may have changed my mind. The pictures were stunning. Sill marveling at your Ngorongoro pics. I found myself mouthing "WOW!" a lot. I hope you are having some those pictures framed. The hippos! The serval! The cheetahs! The flamingoes! The Maasai! The Great Migration! The lioness sneer whilst eating! Ah!!!
After living in Africa for almost 2 years in my 20's, I still did not get to do all of the things I wanted. The continent is so wildly massive, filled with so much beauty and adventure.
We made a collage for my father in law, but we haven't decided what to do with them. I was planning on giving them out as gifts to the family. I'm glad you loved them. I thought a 10-day safari would be too long, but I enjoyed that it was chill.
Beautiful photos, Russell! And what a lovely trip! I’m so glad and happy you enjoyed your experience with the Tanzania Safari and and the whole trip!
I have never gone on an organised safari. Always in a Landrover and just us the family. Or sometimes with an uncle when we were still young ‘uns. He would take us( my two brothers) and his his three daughters on a Safari. He used to go hunting in hunting periods so he had all the equipments and people to go with him. He and his friends hunted Impalas and cleaned them and gave all the meat to people with no means. Of course he never took us hunting, and I wouldn’t have gone either. Lol. It was 10 years ago I went on my last Safari and I never tire of marvelling at the beautiful country and God’s creatures. I may have been on 5/6 Safaris altogether and each one was a unique experience, as if a first one. We didn’t go with a guide either. And usually stayed at lodges at the parks.
And the people are so friendly, kindhearted and generous. They will open their house to invite you in, and share with you the little food they have.
I really miss Tanzania. Of course, Dar es Salaam is nothing like it was when I first left Tanzania in 1974. The capital city is unrecognisable, huge, with so many tall crystal buildings, flyovers, new bridges, new roads, the population is all concentrated in the big city. It has become like one of any European city, condensed with people, traffic is horrible..I still prefer my old Dar es Salaam. Sigh..
Thank you for visiting Tanzania, and loving it. Thank you also for making me remember all those lovely moments, my beautiful life in Tanzania (through the eyes of a kid). I was 12 when I left, had an idyllic life. I cherish those memories. ☺️🧡🤗
I'm so happy I could help you relive that. It sounds like you had some amazing experiences. I only saw one family outside of the guided tours and they seemed a bit terrified the whole time. It sounds like you had an incredible childhood.
I can't even imagine how fabulous this must have been. My mom and I went on a bird-watching trip to Trinidad and Tobago in 2011, and that still rates as possibly the best experience of my life. It was a small, short trip compared to this, but even the inconveniences were interesting. So many things there were different from my life, and yet I still had so much in common with the people I met.
Thanks for going into your conflicted feelings about it, too. That's definitely something I've often wrestled with myself. I love the movies Out of Africa and The Ghost and the Darkness because of the magnificent scenery and wildlife, but the colonialism burns so hot it mutes my enjoyment these days. (I keep rooting for the lions in TGatD.) I really appreciate your perspective on this aspect.
Thank you so much for sharing these photos and giving so much information about your equipment and recommendations! I may never have a chance to put them in practice, but I feel that in some way you've let me take this journey along with you. :)
See, I feel like we've been hanging out frequently, because I've been reading one or two sections of This Is Not A Book each evening! :) Really loving it, by the way!
Your story of safari so reminds me of my photosafari back in the early 70’s. Absolutely- take 10 days, much better pace , no rushing. You get to see so many amazing animals in THEIR natural habitat. Yes, a once in a lifetime trip. Life changing experience. Highly recommend folks go if they have the chance to safari.
They also do this thing where they lay their heads on each other so they can see in all directions and rest. It’s so adorable. My wife is now obsessed with zebras.
Spent a month in Tanzania in 2017. Beautiful, beautiful country. Unfortunately I only had my Mum’s old crappy camera which had some sort of tiny hair sandwiched inside the lens which I could never find to pull out. Was also bright pink so drew some eyes every time I whipped it out 😂
that's an amazing camera though. Yes, I invested a bunch into my camera gear for this trip b/c I knew it would likely be once in a lifetime. Still, you must have seen some amazing things.
This brings back memories of my honeymoon in South Africa, thanks for the great travelogue! I took ~2500 pictures during our 4-day safari and trying to get a new and exciting picture was always a fun challenge. You're so right that there's nothing else like it, the animals are so close to you and so casual. We saw a leopard find a dead deer, look around for whatever animal killed it, and then drag it across the grass and up a tree, so it could eat it later. A phenomenal trip and one I hope to do again with my kids when they're older.
I am not a safari person but what a wonderful experience it must have been for you. My brother and his husband have been many times and are always encouraging me to try it. But after their anecdote of seeing a giraffe being killed and eaten, I just said Nope. Not for me. They are all beautiful animals, and I get that it is nature's way. But I'm too tender-hearted. In any case, thank you for sharing!
This was interesting! It had kind of the opposite effect on me compared to other commenters—I know now that I never, ever want to go on a safari like this. It may just be the pregnancy/mom part of me talking right now, but this is way too dangerous for me, and coming face to face with the "circle of life" far too gory and disturbing for me. I'm going to go read a safe romance novel now... :)
Since you mentioned snorkeling, I will note that I have a scuba diver license and yes, you can see sharks and all sorts of other stuff. The whole experience, especially the part about being 60 feet underwater with a single tank of oxygen, is terrifying when I think too hard about it. I thought it was cool and fun and badass in my twenties, but as I near my forties, I could truly go the rest of my life without ever going scuba diving again. I think I've just changed.
I have no doubt this is an awesome and incredible experience, and I'm super glad you got the break and had an amazing time!
That makes sense. It's a very hard to quantify experience. There were definitely times that people said "you can hike, but if you do it's very possible you will come upon an animal and get mauled. We take no responsibility for that." We did also see a lot more children than I thought we would.
I'm not surprised that people bring their children there. I am surprised that there are no or few places to hike safely.
The closest I can think of getting to that is hiking glaciers in Alaska. The guides were very much like, "if we see a bear, don't panic." That was only back in 2018 for me! Hard to believe.
you also have to pack in and out everything, so I have no idea how that works with diapers and such. That is enough to make me never want to bring a kid there.
🫨😭😂
This was so amazing to read! Thank you so much for sharing. Russell! I didn't think I would ever want to go on a 10 day safari but you may have changed my mind. The pictures were stunning. Sill marveling at your Ngorongoro pics. I found myself mouthing "WOW!" a lot. I hope you are having some those pictures framed. The hippos! The serval! The cheetahs! The flamingoes! The Maasai! The Great Migration! The lioness sneer whilst eating! Ah!!!
After living in Africa for almost 2 years in my 20's, I still did not get to do all of the things I wanted. The continent is so wildly massive, filled with so much beauty and adventure.
We made a collage for my father in law, but we haven't decided what to do with them. I was planning on giving them out as gifts to the family. I'm glad you loved them. I thought a 10-day safari would be too long, but I enjoyed that it was chill.
Giving them as gifts is an excellent idea.
Beautiful photos, Russell! And what a lovely trip! I’m so glad and happy you enjoyed your experience with the Tanzania Safari and and the whole trip!
I have never gone on an organised safari. Always in a Landrover and just us the family. Or sometimes with an uncle when we were still young ‘uns. He would take us( my two brothers) and his his three daughters on a Safari. He used to go hunting in hunting periods so he had all the equipments and people to go with him. He and his friends hunted Impalas and cleaned them and gave all the meat to people with no means. Of course he never took us hunting, and I wouldn’t have gone either. Lol. It was 10 years ago I went on my last Safari and I never tire of marvelling at the beautiful country and God’s creatures. I may have been on 5/6 Safaris altogether and each one was a unique experience, as if a first one. We didn’t go with a guide either. And usually stayed at lodges at the parks.
And the people are so friendly, kindhearted and generous. They will open their house to invite you in, and share with you the little food they have.
I really miss Tanzania. Of course, Dar es Salaam is nothing like it was when I first left Tanzania in 1974. The capital city is unrecognisable, huge, with so many tall crystal buildings, flyovers, new bridges, new roads, the population is all concentrated in the big city. It has become like one of any European city, condensed with people, traffic is horrible..I still prefer my old Dar es Salaam. Sigh..
Thank you for visiting Tanzania, and loving it. Thank you also for making me remember all those lovely moments, my beautiful life in Tanzania (through the eyes of a kid). I was 12 when I left, had an idyllic life. I cherish those memories. ☺️🧡🤗
I'm so happy I could help you relive that. It sounds like you had some amazing experiences. I only saw one family outside of the guided tours and they seemed a bit terrified the whole time. It sounds like you had an incredible childhood.
Man, these pics are amazing. What an amazing opportunity!
Thanks!
I can't even imagine how fabulous this must have been. My mom and I went on a bird-watching trip to Trinidad and Tobago in 2011, and that still rates as possibly the best experience of my life. It was a small, short trip compared to this, but even the inconveniences were interesting. So many things there were different from my life, and yet I still had so much in common with the people I met.
Thanks for going into your conflicted feelings about it, too. That's definitely something I've often wrestled with myself. I love the movies Out of Africa and The Ghost and the Darkness because of the magnificent scenery and wildlife, but the colonialism burns so hot it mutes my enjoyment these days. (I keep rooting for the lions in TGatD.) I really appreciate your perspective on this aspect.
Thank you so much for sharing these photos and giving so much information about your equipment and recommendations! I may never have a chance to put them in practice, but I feel that in some way you've let me take this journey along with you. :)
Yay! I'm glad it could feel that way b/c that was the idea. Your trip sounds lovely. Also, great hearing from you! It's been forever. :)
See, I feel like we've been hanging out frequently, because I've been reading one or two sections of This Is Not A Book each evening! :) Really loving it, by the way!
Your story of safari so reminds me of my photosafari back in the early 70’s. Absolutely- take 10 days, much better pace , no rushing. You get to see so many amazing animals in THEIR natural habitat. Yes, a once in a lifetime trip. Life changing experience. Highly recommend folks go if they have the chance to safari.
That’s amazing! Glad you had a chance to do one too!
This is amazing!! How gorgeous are these creatures. Zebras seem almost mystical.
They also do this thing where they lay their heads on each other so they can see in all directions and rest. It’s so adorable. My wife is now obsessed with zebras.
Absolutely loved this! Now I want to go on a safari!!! Sounded just wonderful! Thank you for sharing :)
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Spent a month in Tanzania in 2017. Beautiful, beautiful country. Unfortunately I only had my Mum’s old crappy camera which had some sort of tiny hair sandwiched inside the lens which I could never find to pull out. Was also bright pink so drew some eyes every time I whipped it out 😂
that's an amazing camera though. Yes, I invested a bunch into my camera gear for this trip b/c I knew it would likely be once in a lifetime. Still, you must have seen some amazing things.
This brings back memories of my honeymoon in South Africa, thanks for the great travelogue! I took ~2500 pictures during our 4-day safari and trying to get a new and exciting picture was always a fun challenge. You're so right that there's nothing else like it, the animals are so close to you and so casual. We saw a leopard find a dead deer, look around for whatever animal killed it, and then drag it across the grass and up a tree, so it could eat it later. A phenomenal trip and one I hope to do again with my kids when they're older.
that's incredible. Leopards are such dicks and I love them. They're the only big cat that will kill for fun.
I am not a safari person but what a wonderful experience it must have been for you. My brother and his husband have been many times and are always encouraging me to try it. But after their anecdote of seeing a giraffe being killed and eaten, I just said Nope. Not for me. They are all beautiful animals, and I get that it is nature's way. But I'm too tender-hearted. In any case, thank you for sharing!
I was very glad I didn't see anything eaten or killed.