Back from Tanzania

By Mike Cristina
This item appears on page 14 of the February 2022 issue.

My wife, Bev, and I took a safari trip to Tanzania, Oct. 11-28, 2021, during which we also took a side trip to Nairobi, Kenya, for one night. Our group was accompanied by two expert guides and local camp driver-guides.

We stayed at Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha; Roho ya Selous, Nyerere National Park; Kigelia Ruaha, Ruaha National Park; Kuro Tarangire, Tarangire National Park; Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge, below Mt. Meru, and the Fairview Hotel, Nairobi.

Never, at any time during our trip, did we feel threatened by COVID. All safari staff were vaccinated and wore masks when asked to.

However, the testing requirements change weekly, so if you’re heading for East Africa, keep up on current requirements, especially with new variants popping up.

Bev and I take small private groups on custom safaris to Tanzania once a year, on average, always staying in small tented camps. On this trip we had four couples with us who had all been on safari with us twice before. What was different this time? SEVEN leopard sightings!

We have booked all camps directly in the past, but this time, except for the two guides, we booked everything through Nomad Tanzania (Arusha, Tanzania; phone +255 787 595908, www.nomad-tanzania.com).

MIKE CRISTINA
Putnam, CT