Traveling to Africa is no easy feat. Don't get me wrong, getting to Africa is just like flying to any other country, but the time it takes to lock in on a place can be quite daunting. It took me months to figure out where I wanted to go, and at the complete last-minute, decide to deviate and head to somewhere different.
FUN FACT: Africa is home to a whopping total of 54 countries, and the continent itself could fit the entire United States, China, Japan, India, Eastern Europe, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain.
After deciding on your African destination, the next step was determining the amount of time you have to spend and your mode of transportation. Would you plan to sit in one country for a certain amount of days, or do you plan to fly and visit multiple countries during your stay? My choice was easy and straightforward. OVERLANDING. I wanted to hit the road and make my way through Kenya and Tanzania.
An African overland tour or Overlanding is riding with a group of people (10-30 people) in a large self-contained bus. Some tours and companies take you all over, but in my case, I decided to take my talents to East Africa and explore Kenya and Tanzania for a total of 13 days. It goes without saying that during these 13 days, some of the drives get very lengthy. The longest ride I completed was a 12-hour push from Arusha, Tanzania to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. If you're interested in something like this and would like a first-hand recollection, then continue reading. But if you want to read and take in the experience with me, come along because it's an experience of a lifetime.
My trip started in Nairobi in the beautiful country Kenya. As a black American stepping foot in Africa for the first time was very different than any other time, I've stepped off a plane in a new country. The air felt different and fresh, everything was green, and the clouds were thick and fluffy, unlike anything I've ever seen. What took my breath away and put the biggest smile on my face was that there was BLACK skin everywhere, running everything smoothly at the airport. You couldn't even leave the airport in a hurry if you wanted because you had to stop and witness the locals welcoming, singing, and dancing their hearts out to everybody entering their country. Kenyans are very welcoming people and love for people to come to their country, so without a doubt, it was a positive energy in the air, and it was very infectious.
Getting into the traffic for the first time was an experience in itself as it was wild. Cars seemed like they were going in every direction so that they could get to where they were going. It was heart pumping. It was also pretty awesome to see a lot of people in the streets trying to sell their products. One thing for certain, two things for sure, you have to admire the hustle.
You could tell the day was just meant to be a good day because when we pulled up to our hotel, there were three different weddings all happening at once. Our hotel's name was Sentrim Hotel Boulevard. It wasn't anything like a Ritz Carton or Kempinski, but more of like a hostel version of a Holiday Inn. Attached to the hotel was a lovely restaurant in which our waiter was the actual guy cooking the food. And when I say he cooked, he threw down. Some of the best lamb chops I've had, for sure, came from Kenya, and I'm so proud to say that. A few of the local Tusker beers in me and a quick ride in the town, and I slept like a baby.
Remember that huge self-contained bus I mentioned earlier. Well, today was my first day meeting her — the SHASHE. The company I rode with was Acacia (https://acacia-africa.com), and each Acacia truck has a name. Ours was Shashe. The name comes from a river that flows where Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa meet. Imagine the honor to ride in a truck with that name. That river has a huge responsibility, so I already knew everything was going to be ok with Shashe. This vehicle was taking me to Maasai country, specifically to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. I've had this fixation of getting VERY close to a lion for some time, so knowing I was on my way to see some was everything.
We had to stop and set up shop at our nearby campsite before enjoying the afternoon's festivities. For two nights, I stayed in a tent with two beds. It had a shower in the back and a toilet right next to it. It wasn't a five-star hotel, but it got the job done.
It would be crazy not to take the time to mention the atmosphere upon entering the Maasai Mara National Reserve. While the excitement is overflowing, waiting at the gate, its best to understand what's happening while waiting at the gate. Sitting outside of the gate are tons of Maasai women crafting and trying to sell their trinkets. Their hustle is both something to be inspired by, as well as make you run away. They come at you so fast, and in large numbers shoving everything in your face to get you to buy that, it does create a lot of pressure. Your best bet is to either stay inside your truck or keep your head down and MOVE. While annoying, it is something amazing to witness.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is so vast that it borders the largest national reserve in the Serengeti in Tanzania, while also being named after the local Maasai people. Fun fact, in their culture, the women are in charge of BUILDING the huts they live in, and the men at one point had to go into the wilderness and kill a grown male lion with no food, water, or weapons. So best believe there are big animals in this area. The Big 5 (lion, rhino, buffalo, elephant, and leopard) are here in their natural habitat. Imagine being in a scene in the Lion King, with tall green grass, those distinctive-looking trees and elephants just walking around; THIS was the Mara.
By the end of two days, one half-day game drive and a full day of searching for game, we had seen it all but a rhino. Elephants were posing and walking in front of my truck, leopards in trees with their dead prey hanging on a branch, and EVEN lions having sex. It was everything. Leaving the Mara was bittersweet, but I knew there was so much more to come.
Days three and four are filled with five-hour travel days. We had to drive back to Nairobi to stay the night before making our way to Arusha, Tanzania. I had some free time, so you had to know what I did with it. Something only, I would do, kiss a giraffe. I swear you only have one life, so you might as well.
The next day, making it to Arusha, Tanzania, I was ready to experience the wilderness again. The Serengeti was up next. That night I stayed in a camp called Meserani Snake Park, where it was a bar and a WHOLE ENTIRE SNAKE PARK. You know exactly what I did while I was there too. HELD A SNAKE.
Making it to the gate of the Serengeti on day five, gave me mixed feelings. I was excited that we made it, but I was scared about being there. Unlike the Maasai Mara National Reserve, we didn't sleep inside the reserve. In the Serengeti, we were sleeping with the animals in the wild. There would be nothing separating us from them, NOTHING. So, I think you could imagine those mixed feelings.
The Serengeti is the second largest game park in Africa and shares a border with the Mara. The Visuals of the Serengeti are very different than the Mara as well. Lose the green color, and everything is tan and flatland for miles. The grass is tall enough and the perfect shade of tan that just when you thought you only saw one lion; it was four more right there looking at you. The rest of the day and the next morning was spent game driving through the Serengeti. Fun fact, there were two male lions at my campsite at the Serengeti. It's a distinctive sound I heard all night and received the conformation in the morning.
The second half of day six was spent making my way to the outer edge of the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater is for sure a crater that sinks to a depth of 610 meters and hosts a wide variety of animals as well. Home to only the big four here, as leopards are nowhere in sight. Staying in the campsite by the Ngorongoro Crater was no different than staying in the Serengeti. NOTHING is separating where we sleep and where they roam. I had the pleasure of hearing a Buffalo eat grass by my tent as well as lick the rain off of it. My luck right.
Our return to Arusha on day seven saw us back at the Meserani Snake Park Camp again. It was so joyous to be back as hot showers, a bed, a roof, good food, and A LOT of alcohol made for a very relaxing night. Morning eight saw its challenges as we had to be ready to drive 12 hours to Bagamoyo (three hours from Dar es Salaam) at four in the morning. Well, I didn't make it into bed till maybe about 230 AM from all of that alcohol from earlier, so it was very much a struggle.
On the way to Dar es Salaam, we passed and got a clear view of the mighty Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and stands at 5,895 meters above sea level. Check this, it's possible to climb it, but it will take approximately eight days, TO CLIMB. This go around it's enough to see it, one of these days I'll get around to climbing it.
After a gruesome 12-hour drive, the Shashe got us to our destination and rewarded us with our first beautiful camp, The Firefly Camp. It's safe to say that we started to see a more comfortable part of our tour as our time in the wilderness was complete. It was right by some water, which meant a lot of mosquitoes, but it was all worth it. The ambiance was everything. They provided a pool, had couches, mattresses, and hammocks everywhere purposely made for you to relax. In the same area, there was a bar and a pool table. There was enough time for you to get a buzz, get beat in pool and take a nap on the hammock.
Day nine saw our arrival at Dar es Salaam and our arrival at our camp on the beach, the Kipepeo Beach Resort. The day was spent swimming with the locals in the Indian Ocean, watching the sunset, a lot of drinking, and watching the stars. Our move continued on the next day to Stone Town, Zanzibar.
There are only two ways to get to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam, and that's either by flying or by boat. I must say it was a different experience riding a pretty big boat for the first time almost two hours out the way. It's safe to say that I'm far from a boat/on- the- water type of person.
Arriving at Stone Town again provided me with mixed feelings. One of excitement, but confusion at the same time. Stone Town is a town entirely built by stone and by Arabs, back during its colonization. Stone Town is where the last open slave market used to be located and run in Africa.
Over 800,000 slaves were shipped off from this very town to include large amounts of ivory. They predominantly shipped to the Middle East region from this location, but of course, made their rounds to other parts of the world, to include North America. Fun Fact, from Stone Town, Connecticut had 75% of the ivory trade going straight to them.
From the church built on the market grounds to the East African Slave exhibit and carvings and drawings on all the old stone walls, there are constant reminders of the horrors that took place in that town. Stone Town otherwise a very dope place to be. Outside of the history of the area, the sense of community there is healthy and thriving. You will catch people hanging by the trees right by the water, using them as gyms, and working out with others. Walking through the streets, you receive warm, genuine smiles with people working in the busy markets.
North of Stone Town is all of the actual beaches of Zanzibar. My last two days spent are at Kendwa Northern beaches at a place called Sunset Bungalows. Those days were the definition of relaxing and do nothing. Drinking margaritas, gin and tonics, and full glasses of red wine while dancing on a boat was the regular. We ate a traditional African dinner where the food was plentiful, and the dancing from the locals was even better. Ending with these two days at the beach made the entire trip come full circle and make it worthwhile. After leaving Zanzibar, we had to return to Dar es Salaam for one last night at the Kipepeo Beach Resort. It was the icing and cap to an epic adventure — one last night on the beach before you have to depart.
Overall, this trip to Africa was amazing for me. As a black American, it was anything unlike I've ever done before. I was fortunate enough to see sides of Africa that I didn't think I would. I didn't even believe budget-friendly trips like this exist, but through the help of Acacia, they helped me accomplish so much. In short, Africa was amazing, and I only saw so little compared to what is all there. Better believe I will be back.
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