Safari Day One

JAMBO!(hello in Swahili!)

We arrived safe and sound in Tanzania. We were all surprised to have internet, as we were told that we would not, but we are fairly certain that tonight is the last internet night!
We got in last night, and I was immediately surprised at how cold it was here! I could see my breath when we were outside. We woke up at 7 this morning to start our safari. It was amazing. I do not know if there are words to describe it here. It is everything and nothing like I imagined it to be all at the same time. We saw lots of giraffes, zebras and warthogs! We went on a canoe trip today also where we were able to get really close to three hippos. We spent the rest of the day touring Arusha National Park. We saw a lot of baboons which are such funny creatures. The look like they are fighting half the time!
We have also been working on our Swahili. Everyone here speaks excellent English, but for common phrases they respond in Swahili, and we wanted to be able to keep up.
Caribou=your welcome
Jambo=hello
Tomorrow we are touring the rest of Arusha National Park and then off to Oliver's Camp for two nights.
There are places that look just out of the Lion King!

Our last day in Amsterdam

Today wasn't quite as busy as yesterday. We all ended up sleeping today which was much needed! Even Dad slept until 8am...which is unheard of for him!
Mom, Kelly and I went to Madam Tussauds Wax Museum and we had a ball! We got our picture taken with Madonna, Obama, Winston Churchill and Lance Armstrong among many more! I cannot believe how lifelike and real all of the figures look.
Andrew and Dad went to the Heineken Brewery while we were there and had lots of fun to! It is no longer a working brewery, but they have created it so it is interactive for guests.
Dinner was pizza and now were all catching up on our internet life because we don't think that we'll have access to it until we get back to the states. I'll be keeping my journal so this blog will be updated whenever we get a chance!
Tanzania here we come!!
Hugs and Kisses to everyone at home. We miss you!

Amsterdam: Day Four

Today was a busy, busy, busy day!
Andrew made it here safely. He navigated the public transportation successfully! We decided to start the day quickly so that Andrew wouldn't get sleepy! We took him on the canal boat tour through a tour of the outer city. We learned that Amsterdam got its name because of the dam that they built on the river Amstel..interesting!
Then we came back to the hotel, and Mom and Andrew took a nap. Dad, Fuzz and I took off in search of pizza...and ended up touring the Imperial Palace. The queen doesn't actually live there anymore, but she does conduct business there and stays when she is in Amsterdam. The palace was so intricate and beautiful. It is almost too hard to describe the beauty of it. There is marble everywhere and gold and silver galore. They are currently renovating the outside, so we didn't expect much, but boy were we blown away. I wish I could put the pictures up now for you all to see, but that will have to wait until we get home on account of having no way to load them onto this computer!
Afterwards, we came back to the hotel to get Mom and Andrew. We took off for the Jordanne district for some pizza for dinner which was delicious. We stopped at a little place on the side of the road and ordered two pizzas.
The Anne Frank house was next on our list of activities! You cannot imagine how small this place is. They have converted the house into a museum for people to walk through and get a better idea of what it was like. Anne's father was the one who published her diary after he learned that she had died in the concentration camp. Her dream had been to be a published writer one day.
And now back we are at the hotel, and I for one am very tired. Still not entirely sure of our plans for tomorrow yet..maybe the Heineken Brewery Tour? We'll see!
Tomorrow is our last day in Amsterdam! We take off the following day for Tanzania so we need to see it all and get our souveniers!
Hope everyone is doing well. We miss you!

Day Three

Last night the time change really caught up with us all. 3a.m. rolled around and we were all wide awake! So we watched Amsterdam at night from our window which was really neat to see. The city was so busy even in the middle of the night.
Today we went on a canal tour throughout the whole city. We were able to take a bunch of different canal tour boats through the whole city. We saw the Anne Frank House from the outside. There are over 2500 houseboats that line the canals of Amsterdam..one I saw even had a hammock..now that would be the life.
We stopped and ate at a Doner Kebab place that was delicious...turns out our dutch isn't as good as we thought, and we didn't quite end up with what we ordered but it was delicious all the same.
Amsterdam is the city of bicycles! They are everywhere and definitely have the right of way ahead of people. We learned that there are over 50,000 bike thefts per year in Amsterdam which surprised me because everyone already has a bike!
It was a busy day, and I think we're all pretty tired. Andrew gets in tomorrow morning...wish him some luck finding his way here alone on the public transportation!

Second Day

Hi everybody!
We had our first full day today! We woke up for some breakfast and then Dad, Fuzz and I took off for a walk around a park close to our hotel which was absolutely beautiful. There was lots of people sunbathing outside, and while we didn't feel that it was quite suntanning weather, it must be pretty warm for them right now. We then went back to wake up mom who hasn't quite adjusted to this radical time difference. We went to the Van Gogh Museum afterwards which was beautiful. They say that they have over 1.5million visitors a year!!
We had some good ole' American food at the Hard Rock Cafe! Burgers and salads for dinner!
The time difference is such a change! We were eating dinner tonight when it was 8 in the morning at home! Luckily, Tanzania is only a one hour difference from here so it won't be hard to get used to that!
Andrew is taking off from Costa Rica today so he'll meet up with Grandpa tomorrow, and then he'll be on his flight here.

We Made It!!

Hi everyone!
We are in Amsterdam. The public transportation was definitely an experience when we landed at the airport. It is tough to not speak a language, but it made it that much more of an adventure. We took the train to Centraal station and then realized that we were no where close to the Marriott so we asked the sweetest English couple for some help. They helped us get on the right tram which took us close to the hotel and here we are. We are all very tired from the time change, but are trying to adjust as quickly as we can! We walked all around Amsterdam today. We all saw the red light district...exactly how I pictured it to be. Amsterdam is a beautiful city. The architecture is beautiful and so unique. The city feels so safe. We walked around for hours and didn't feel uncomfortable. We haven't tried any of the local food yet, but I am sure that it will be amazing by the smells walking by the restaurants.

Packing Away

The trip is coming up quickly! We're all packing away and trying to make sure that we don't forget anything! We fly out tomorrow at 9am to Minneapolis and then head on over to Amsterdam for five days! Andrew will be flying to meet us from Costa Rica in Amsterdam so we're all looking forward to seeing him after his study abroad experience!
No promises on how often we'll be able to update our blog, but we will do our best. We will all be keeping journals so we'll keep our thoughts recorded and get them up here when we get internet access. This trip came up so fast, and I still can't believe that we leave tomorrow!

Here is our itinerary for the next three weeks!
Love you all! See you when we get home!

DATE ACCOMMODATIONS ACTIVITIES

Wednesday July 21	Travel Day	Delta Flight # DL 2670 Depart Jackson Hole, WY (JAC) @ 9:00 am Arrive Minneapolis, MN (MSP) @ 12:17 pm KLM Royal Dutch Flight # KL 6058 Depart Minneapolis, MN (MSP) @ 3:25 pm
Thursday July 22		Arrive Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) @ 6:35 am
Friday July 23- Monday July 26		Andrew will arrive on July 25th KLM Royal Dutch Flight # KL 652 Arrive Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) @ 8:10 am
Day 1 Tuesday July 27	Moivaro Coffee Lodge Arusha Double Room Triple Room	KLM Royal Dutch Flight # KL 571 Depart Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) @ 11:00 am Arrive Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (JRO) @ 8:25 pm Pickup at Kilimanjaro Airport by Deeper Africa guide, Aminel Nnko (“Ammy”), after clearing customs. Ammy will have a sign that says: Krause. He will transport you to Moivaro Coffee Lodge for your evening dinner and overnight. Dinner and overnight at Moivaro Coffee Lodge.
Day 2 Wednesday July 28	Moivaro Coffee Lodge	Breakfast at Moivaro Coffee Lodge. Your next ten days include in-depth opportunities to learn animal identification, wildlife tracking, and spotting wildlife in the landscape in the company of a Deeper Africa naturalist. As well, Ammy will begin to introduce you to conservation issues including human wildlife conflicts, poaching controls and conflicts, and community involvement in wildlife conservation. Begin your wildlife viewing in Arusha National Park which contains savannah, lake, and forest ecosystems. Arusha National Park is rich in herd animals, interesting birds, and you may have sightings of the rare colubus monkey in the forest ecosystem. Seven shallow lakes were formed from the volcanic activity caused by Mount Meru’s eruption. Alkalinity in the lake from different algaes is perfect food for filter feeders, including flamingos. It is also a great habitat for hippos. Between the floor of Ngurodoto Crater and the area called Little Serengeti you’ll have ample opportunities for sightings of zebra, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, and several species of antelope. Focus first on animal identification and learn to distinguish herd species. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the park. While wildlife viewing throughout your safari, you’ll have a cool box in your Land Cruiser stocked with water and your favorite sodas. Morning meet up with your canoe guide. Enjoy canoeing on Lake Momella with great bird watching and hippo watching. Dinner and overnight at Moivaro Coffee Lodge.
Day 3 July 29 Thursday	Oliver’s Camp Tarangire National Park Double Tent Triple Tent Laundry included Beverages including alcohol included	Breakfast at Moivaro Coffee Lodge. You’ll drive from Arusha to Tarangire National Park with wildlife viewing as soon as you enter the park traveling south into the remote wilderness. You have exclusive access to this area of the park as there are no other lodges or camps in the area. Off-road game driving and walking safaris are allowed in this wilderness zone within the park boundaries. Your naturalist guide and private Land Cruiser are available for wildlife viewing from 6 am to 6 pm. Tarangire contains a range of ecosystem: from grassland and woodlands in the north, to scrub and wetlands further south. The Tarangire River cuts through the park and empties into Lake Burunge in the west. As water sources dry up in the park after the end of the rainy season, animals migrate to the only permanent water available - the Tarangire River and the Silale Swamp system. Huge numbers of zebras make up the majority of the herds in Tarangire. Wildebeests, buffalos, and antelope are found as well. From the camp, Land Cruiser wildlife viewing will bring you close to Tarangire’s trademark elephants and baobab trees as well as the cats, snakes, and other animals. Sundowners (“drinks at sundown”), dinner, and overnight at Oliver’s Camp.
Day 4 July 30 Friday	Oliver’s Camp	Breakfast at Oliver’s Camp. Tarangire boasts one of the largest and most conspicuous elephant populations in East Africa. There are large family groups with many calves being born each year. The population continues to recover from the devastating effects of poaching in the eighties. You will see herds of elephants, and gain up-close encounters with the matriarchs, babies, teenagers, and bulls. Your close contact will help expand your understanding of these incredible animals. Spend several hours surrounded by the herds, and you cannot help but feel their wisdom. Tarangire is also known for its abundant baobab trees, most of which are over 600 years old. Sundowners, dinner, and overnight at Oliver’s Camp.
Day 5 July 31 Saturday	Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge Karatu Double Room Triple Room	Breakfast at Olivers Camp. After breakfast Ammy will drive you to Lake Manyara National Park. Setting against the Rift escarpment is Manyara’s evergreen groundwater forest. While it looks like a rainforest, not enough rainfall occurs to sustain this forest. Rather, mineral springs seeping through porous volcanic soil provide most of the water for the huge mahogany, tamarind, wild date palms, croton, sausage trees, and strangling figs. In additional to the evergreen groundwater forest, the park also contains a variety of ecosystems including acacia woodland, grassy plains, a swampy fan delta, and, of course, the lake. This variety attracts a wide variety of mammal, bird, and wildlife species. Flocks of flamingos are attracted to the large amounts of algae in the lake’s soda environment while the forest areas attract large flocks of pelicans, storks, herons, ibis, and egrets. Bird watching is spectacular at Manyara, with over 380 bird species recorded. As well, the primate viewing which includes blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, and very active baboon troops is quite enjoyable. Enjoy a picnic lunch while you observe your surroundings. Elephant, buffalo, impala, bushbuck, waterbuck, hippos, and lots of elephants roam near the lake. There are sightings of klipspringers on the rocky escarpments on the southern side of the rift wall. While at Rhotia Valley consider visiting the children’s orphanage. Rhotia Valley operates a bed & breakfast which puts all profits into the care and well being of orphaned children from the local community who are provided with a safe place to live and a quality education. To learn more about Rhotia Valley Children’s Home visit: www.rhotiavalley.com. You can also take a guided walk through the community, if you choose. Arrive at Rhotia Valley for dinner and overnight.
Day 6 August 1 Sunday	Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge	Breakfast at Rhotia Valley Lodge. After breakfast Ammy will drive you to Ngorongoro Crater with wildlife viewing and picnic lunch. The Crater is an expansive environment inside an extinct volcano. Between 20,000 and 30,000 animals wander the floor. The Crater ecosystem showcases an astonishing microcosm of East African wildlife environments: grasslands, wetlands, acacia forest, and soda lake environments - with beautiful flocks of flamingos at the right time of day. Wildlife visibility is excellent, and there are wonderful opportunities for photography. Zebra, wildebeest, and gazelle mingle together; while herds of buffalo graze the long grass areas. Bull elephants and rhino are often seen feeding in green marshes, and there are plenty of hyenas. The lakes and marshes are home to exotic water fowl. Hippos lounge in the water holes and it is not uncommon to see lions. Arrive back to Rhotia Valley Lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7 August 2 Monday	Dunia Camp Serengeti National Park Double room Triple room Laundry included Beverages and alcohol included	Breakfast at Rhotia Valley Tented Camp. Head out after breakfast for the drive to Serengeti National Park. Picnic lunch at Oldupai Gorge while you stop to visit the famous Leakey digs. The Rift Valley was home to the first humans, and the Leakey family has successfully excavated some of the oldest humanoid skeletons ever discovered. Many people believe that Oldupai is the birth place of humanity. You’ll visit the onsite museum and hear a short lecture about the gorge from the resident anthropologist. Picnic lunch at Oldupai Gorge. The word ‘Serengeti’ is derived from the Maasai language, meaning endless plain. This vast savannah grassland extends northward into the Maasai Mara in Kenya for over five thousand square miles of land, forming one of the world’s largest wildlife refuges. This is land as it was in the beginning; no fences, no settlements, just a perennial migration of wildlife. In a journey that reaches back through time, these herds of animals (currently estimated at 1.25 million) follow the seasonal rains - traveling from the Serengeti into the Mara instinctually moving with the seasonal rainfalls, sometimes migrating as much as 300 miles a year. Wildlife is allowed to roam freely across the Kenyan and Tanzanian borders, uniting the two parks into a single ecological unit that supports the largest concentration of large mammals on the planet. The annual migration is what makes the Serengeti famous. The herds gather on the Tanzanian side of the ecosystem from sometime in November or December through early July. The migration includes vast herds of wildebeest, but also zebra and Thomson’s gazelle. The herds steadily move southward through April or May when the seasonal rains cause them to turn and begin the journey back northward toward the Maasai Mara. Wildebeest are well suited to harvest the short grasses that cover the semiarid plains of the Serengeti. The soils of this region have an underlying hard pan covered by a fertile layer of volcanic soil. Grass growing in this soil is highly nutritious taking up nutrients trapped by the hard pan. Sundowners (“drinks at sundown”), dinner and overnight at Dunia Camp.
Day 8 August 3 Tuesday	Sayari Camp Serengeti National Park Double Tent Triple Tent Laundry included Beverages and alcohol included	Breakfast at Dunia Camp. Continue wildlife viewing as Ammy drives you northward to the Mara River area. Picnic lunch. Sayari Camp is located in a stunning area of the Mara River, in the unspoiled and undiscovered northern part of the Serengeti. The Mara River area hosts a very high density of cats, elephants, crocodile, hippo, and antelope. Even though you are at the northern edge of the Serengeti, Sayari is still on parkland and within the boundaries of the Serengeti’s UNESCO’s World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. Lunch, sundowners, dinner, and overnight at Sayari Camp.
Day 9 August 4 Wednesday	Sayari Camp	Breakfast at Sayari Camp. This northern section of the Serengeti connects with Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Rolling hills and thorny acacia woodland dominate the landscape. Evergreen forests flank the Mara River, with special habitats sheltering primates and leopard, while the river itself and its swamps are perfect habitat for water birds and crocodiles. The leopards in the forest habitat are very shy, so you will have to be very patient for a sighting. Sayari is ideally located to witness the world famous river crossing of the Great Migration which occurs from time to time during the end of July, August, and November. Lunch, sundowners, dinner, and overnight at Sayari Camp.
Day 10 August 5 Thursday	Sayari Camp	Breakfast at Sayari Camp. There are always hippo pods and crocodiles in the Mara River; the river is just a short distance from camp. Plain’s game is plentiful on the “little Serengeti” plains area which is not far from Sayari. There are opportunities for sightings of resident topi, hartebeest, gazelle, wildebeest, and elephant. Many other animals occupy the plains area. This is a remote wilderness area, untouched by the tourists who roam the more populated areas of the Serengeti. There are three lion prides with territories near Sayari camp area and Ammy will begin tracking them as soon as he arrives. There are cheetahs on the “little Serengeti plains” and you may have the opportunity to see a collared cheetah, who actually roams down from the Maasai Mara. The Mara cheetah is being followed by the Cheetah Foundation which operates in the Maasai Mara and the border to the Kenya is only 15 to 20 kilometers away. Lunch, sundowners, dinner, and overnight at Sayari Camp.
Day 11 August 6 Friday	Shooting Star Sea View Cottage Zanzibar Double Room Triple Room	Breakfast at Sayari Camp. Morning game drive as you travel to Kogatende bush strip for your late morning bush flight to Zanzibar. Say goodbye to Ammy at the airstrip, as he needs to drive the Land Cruiser to Arusha. He will have your plane tickets for you and picnic lunches for the flight. The pilot will assist you in getting checked in and getting your luggage boarded on the plane. Tanganyika Flying Company bush flight Depart Kogatende airstrip @ 10:50 am Arrive Zanzibar Airport (ZNZ) @ 2:15 pm Pickup at Zanzibar Airport by Deeper Africa driver. He will have a sign that says: Krause . He will drive you to Kiwenga beach and Shooting Star. Dinner and overnight at Shooting Star Sea View Cottage.
Day 12 August 7 Saturday	Shooting Star Sea View Cottage	Breakfast at Shooting Star Sea View Cottage. Activities as you choose: Village walk to nearby Kiwengwa Village Snorkeling at Mnemba Atoll (Additional charge) Deep sea fishing or diving (Additional charge) Sailing trip on traditional dhow (Additional charge) Bicycling (Kayaks available) Sunbathing at the pool or on the beach Beach walking and exploring Lunch, dinner, and overnight at Shooting Star Sea View Cottage.
Day 13 August 8 Sunday	Shooting Star Sea View Cottage	Activities as you choose. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight at Shooting Star Sea View Cottage.
Day 14 August 9 Monday	Shooting Star Sea View Cottage	Pick up by One Ocean at 7:45 am for morning snorkeling. One Ocean is the premier dive and snorkeling operation on Zanzibar. They will have you back at lunch time. Visit their website @ www.zanzibaroneocean.com. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight at Shooting Star Sea View Cottage.
Day 15 August 10 Tuesday	Shooting Star Sea View Cottage	Activities as you choose. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight at Shooting Star Sea View Cottage.
Day 16 August 11 Wednesday	Travel Day	Breakfast and lunch at Shooting Star Sea View Cottage. Morning activities as you choose. Pickup by your guide @ 2:00 in the afternoon for transport to the Dar es Salaam ferry. We have you booked with first class fare. Upon arrival look for your Deeper Africa driver at the Dar es Salaam ferry departure dock. He will have a sign that says: Krause. Transport to the Slipway Restaurant for dinner. Arrange the pickup time with your driver and he will return to take you to the international airport. KLM Royal Dutch Flight #KL 569 Departs Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (DAR) @ 11:35 pm
Day 17 August 12 Thursday	Travel Day	Arrives Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) @ 7:40 am KLM Royal Dutch Flight #KL 6059 Departs Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) @ 10:20 am Arrive Minneapolis, MN (MSP) @ 12:15 pm KLM Royal Dutch Flight # KL 7990 Depart Minneapolis, MN (MSP) @ 5:00 pm Arrive Jackson Hole, WY (JAC) @ 6:26 pm

	Tanzania Emergency Contact Nguigi Githinji 0784-666510 Ammy Nnko 0787-50063 Zanzibar Emergency Contact Robert DeMello 0777-413009 Dar es Salaam Emergency Contact Fran Marti 0787-144388

Tipping Guidelines Tanzania Safaris

v Please remember:

· Gratuities are at your discretion and should commensurate with the service that you receive.

· Gratuities can be given in US Dollars or Tanzanian Shillings.

· The exchange rate is about 1463 Tanzanian Shillings to the US Dollar. Lower exchange rates will be used by some hotels.

v Gratuities comparable to a 20% tip (Level of Excellent Service):

Waiter at lodge or hotel: $1 from time to time

Porters or Baggage Handlers: 50 cents per bag

Smaller lodges with tip staff boxes: $3- $5 per person, per day

Deeper Africa Guide: $10 - $12 per person, per day

Canoe Guides: $15 for the entire family

Snorkeling Guide: $20 for the entire family

Drivers: $5 for the entire family

v Recommended tip amount for your safari: $160 to $200 USD per person