4 days 3 nights African Safari in Tanzania - Tarangeri, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

Why Tanzania?

Africa is a huge continent and there are a lot of countries that offer a safari. First of all, I chose Tanzania because I can easily get a visa on arrival. For more info about visas, you can check my blog about Tanzania and Kenya. Kenya and Tanzania, Asante sana squash banana!

Second reason I chose Tanzania is because I read that in the month of February, most of the animals from Kenya have migrated/ will be migrating to Tanzania. So when planning your safari trip, make sure you also do your research about animal migration in the country. Remember that these animals are in the wild and you can't control how they behave or where they want to migrate. Before I went, I was expecting to see hundreds of thousands of wildebeest in Serengeti. I didn't see that much but I still saw hundreds of wildebeest and it was pretty amazing.

Third reason I chose Tanzania is because the movie Lion King was inspired by Serengeti. You should also know that Serengeti in Tanzania is connected to Masai Mara in Kenya. Serengeti alone is huge! It really felt like Lion King though. The sunrise view was exactly the same view as the opening scene of Lion King. Tanzania is full of scenic views. Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater,  Olduvai Gorge and Serengeti to name a few.

Another reason is because I was thinking of hiking Mt Kilimanjaro. I realized I was being too ambitious and I wasn't ready to climb a mt that high, so I decided to relax by the beaches of Zanzibar instead.

If like me, you decide to do your safari in Tanzania, you should get to Arusha town to start your safari. From there, you can find lots of safari guides.

Which company to trust?

I'm the kind of traveler who tries to do everything without a tour group/agency. However, this is impossible when doing a safari in Tanzania. I heard that you can do a safari on your own in South Africa. You just bring your own car and pay the entrance fee, but in Tanzania you have to do it with a safari tour company.

I went with Greg Adventures because it has mostly good reviews on Tripadvisor and the hostel I stayed at is connected with Greg Adventures. Click the link to learn more about Greg Adventures.

 http://www.gregadventures.com/

If you are wondering, I stayed at Villa Poa! My review for Villa Poa!

Just a few months ago, my safari guide (the guy who was working at Greg Adventures) opened his own safari business. He took good care of us and he is very passionate about taking care of the animals. He knew a lot of information about the animals and he easily answered most of our questions. If there was something he couldn't answer, he skimmed his book to find the answer. He was a very fun guide and he loves to sing too! click this link to learn more about David's safari

When choosing a safari guide, it depends on what you need. You can do a luxury safari and pay thousands of dollars for a few days of safari. You can even do a balloon safari, which costs 500USD (not sure how long). I did a budget safari that cost 200USD/day, so in total I paid 800USD. That includes 3 meals a day, a guide, a safari jeep, entrance fees, accomodation (tent, mattress, blanket, pillow) and bottled water. Remember to always haggle when in Africa!

More expensive might not equate to better experience. As far as seeing the animals, everybody in the

park will see almost the same animals, it doesn't matter how much you paid for the safari. The safari guides/drivers have a walkie talkie and they use it to ask other drivers about the location of the animals and whats happening at different areas of the park. Your safari experience will depend on how well you get along with your safari guide, how early you wake up to see the animals and also how well your safari guide deals with problems if problems arise. I was very lucky that I didn't encounter any problems, maybe Greg Adventures is good with preventing problems. We drove past people who had a flat tire and other sorts of problems. Unfortunately, you will never know how well your safari guide deals with problems until you actually encounter problems. 

I chose Greg Adventures because they answered my questions politely before I flew to Africa. Again, I believe that paying more doesn't mean a better experience. I met other tourists who paid a couple of dollars less and didn't encounter problems either. I recommend you read a lot of reviews before booking a safari guide. Greg Adventures had mostly good reviews but it has bad reviews too. This is Africa, be prepared for the worst and enjoy the adventure!

How many days is enough?

For the days I spent on a safari, I saw the Big Five and sooo much more. I saw the animals hunt, mate and sleep. I would've loved to book a longer safari but 4 days is all I can afford. It turned out to be perfect. I felt I saw everything I wanted to see and more. Watch the video above for a glimpse of the animals I saw. I didn't take a video the whole time so there are a lot of other animals I saw but aren't in the video. Some people from our group did a 5 day safari but they've had enough of the safari after 4 days, so they decided to spend the last day with the Bushmen instead of another day with the animals. They stayed and hunted with the Bushmen. I heard very good reviews about this but I didn't get to experience it. Maybe you can - let me know in the comments below if you've experienced living with the Bushmen in Africa.

What to bring: 

(safari tour includes 3 meals a day, accomodation -tent, mattress, blanket, pillow and bottled water) - NO NEED TO BRING THOSE MENTIONED ABOVE

mosquito repellent

sunscreen

outfit depends on what you want (you will spend most of the time sitting in the jeep, no hiking nor swimming involved) - i wore shorts, regular shoes and a tshirt

toiletries

camera, zoom lenses

power bank (although there is an outlet in the jeep)
binoculars

charger

money

The Big Five

They are called the Big Five because they are the five most difficult animals to hunt.

Itinerary:

Day 1 Arusha - Tarangeri

Day 2 Tarangeri - Serengeti

Day 3 Serengeti - Ngorongoro Crater

Day 4 Ngorongoro Crater - Arusha

Tarangeri

I started my safari in Tarangeri National Park. The park itself is beautiful! Aside from the animals, this park is known for the abundance of Baobab tree. Most of the Baobab trees in Tarangeri are over 1000 years old! This tree is also known as the "tree of life". Maybe this tree is the reason that this park is also so full of life. Compared to the other parks, this park has the biggest river. By the riverbank, you can see lots of different animals bathing and drinking water. It was amazing to see so many animals come together. Unfortunately my camera died at that time so I didn't get to take a picture of this amazing scene.

 On our very first day we already got to see a lioness enjoying her hunt. We only saw 1 lioness and 1 lion in this park so I assume there aren't too many predators here.

This park is also known for the abundance of baboons. We ate our lunch outside the park because baboons are known to steal your food in the park.

We slept outside the park in a tent-like room. I call it tent-like because it's an actual room with your own bathroom, but it's designed like a tent. It has electricity (lights, outlet for charging electronics) and an actual bed (not just a mattress). 

The campsite also has a store so you can buy things you need, alcohol and all that. Of course the store is expensive. 

Serengeti

 Serengeti isn't as forested as Tarangeri. This park is 14,750km² (5,700sq mi), so I only actually got to see a small part of this park. Nevertheless, I saw a lot of animals I didn't see on my first day. This is where I saw all the action. Serengeti National Park is known for the abundance of predators, you can guess what predators I saw in Serengeti. Check the video above for the answer. Aside from the animals on the video, I also saw jackals, wild dogs, vultures (fighting for an animal carcass), cheetahs and leopards.

This park has so many predators that our music while eating was the laughter of the hyenas and our lullaby was the lions roaring at each other. Thank God I was fast asleep and didn't hear the lions, otherwise I would've peed myself hahaha!

bones of a buffalo

And of course this was the best sunrise I've seen. It makes you want to sing the opening song of the Lion King.

Ngorongoro Crater

 The view on the way to Ngorongoro Crater was breathtaking! Vast lands covered with grazing animals. The animals added color to the green grass of the Ngorongoro conservation area. We also saw a lot of the Masai Villages. In fact, we even stopped at one village and went in to see how they live and interact with them. They did a welcoming song for us and gave us a very short tour in their village. It was a tourist trap. We also had to pay 20USD as "donation" and then they brought us to their school and asked for another donation (nobody gave anything for that). Our safari guide grew up in a Masai village so he kept pushing us to visit one, but I don't recommend doing this and please DON'T HESITATE TO SAY NO to this tourist trap. If you want to really experience the African tribe, you can try the Bushmen. The Bushmen are hunter-gatherers and they will teach you how to hunt using a bow and arrow. Listening to their click language is also something very interesting and unique to Africa.

Ngorongoro crater is where you will most likely see a rhino. There are only 35 black rhinos left in the whole of Tanzania so you might not even see one during your safari.

Within the Ngorongoro crater, the animals have everything they need the whole year round so they don't need to migrate. Because of this, you see a mixture of what you saw in Tarangeri and Serengeti. We also saw many different species of birds.

everybody is racing to see the rhino

Each park has something unique to offer, so plan your safari based on what you want to see. There are so many other national parks for safari tours and it gets very confusing when planning your trip, but I hope this blog helped you get a glimpse of the Tanzanian safari.

Please let me know what you think by writing a comment below. 

Kenya and Tanzania, Asante sana, squash banana!

Now I can cross "African safari" off my bucket list! I always thought I would go to South Africa for a safari experience. I ended up doing it in Tanzania. Click the link below for more safari tips and to know why I chose Tanzania.
4 days 3 nights African Safari in Tanzania - Tarangeri, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

Why write a blog?

This is about my whole trip in general - information about visa requirements, volunteer travel, cost of transpo and my itinerary for the whole trip.

This trip actually inspired me to write. I love traveling but I'm a very bad writer. I'm starting this blog because I was so inspired with Africa. I want to share my experience and hopefully inspire people to travel to Africa, specifically Tanzania.

Volunteer Traveling in Africa

Everybody has different reasons for traveling. Some people travel to relax, some people travel to take pictures, some people travel to experience something new. Because I'm a teacher, I travel to learn and to teach. I love to learn about the world and the different cultures at the same time I also love to share my culture (Filipino culture) to the world. Hopefully someday I will have the chance to volunteer as a teacher in Africa. Africa inspired me and taught me how to volunteer while traveling. Traveling is more meaningful when you are making a positive contribution to the places you go to. We all contribute financially when we travel, but I believe in using your passion and skills to make each place you travel to a better place. I believe in sharing the happiness and love.

These are the people who inspired me to volunteer while traveling...

In Kenya, I stayed with a lovely couple I found on airbnb. They use the money they earn from airbnb to sponsor education for Kenyan girls. If you have enough time and want to volunteer in Kenya, they can bring you to a small village outside the city and you can actually volunteer at a school for girls. Unfortunately, I was only in Kenya for 1 full day and the couple said it wasn't enough time to volunteer. If I knew about them while I was planning my trip, I could've made time to volunteer. Below is a link of their airbnb page and you can contact them through airbnb.

Serrainne & Erick's home

In Tanzania, I met a lot of people at the hostel who are volunteering in Arusha. They had jobs in different areas of expertise and different ways of volunteering. Some did it with their government back home, while some did it with an organization. I think it's important to note that getting a volunteer/work visa is more expensive than a tourist visa. I'm not sure how much exactly it costs but you can contact the Tanzanian embassy for more details.

I met a girl who volunteers at a school in Arusha every year. She started with an organization, then

the following year, she just contacted people from the school and went there on her own. She got a tourist visa when she did it the second time, but the authorities all of a sudden went to the school to ask for proper documentation for foreign teachers, so they had to quickly bring her somewhere to get her a proper visa. 

I also met a guy on the bus who brings extra clothes to give to the poor when he goes to Africa. He is a pilot so he gets to travel a lot.

I hope people who read this blog will start thinking about volunteering while traveling, or just doing something positive to the community. Let's make a difference in the world one trip at a time.

Is it safe to backpack in Tanzania alone as a woman?

Before this trip, some of my friends discouraged me to travel to Africa alone because people have this mentality that the whole African continent is dangerous. A South African even advised me not to take public transport because she wouldn't even do that as a local. But South Africa is different from Tanzania. I took public transport most of the time and the whole time I felt as safe as I was traveling in Asia. Tanzanians are super friendly and happy. I met a lot of people who really made a good impression and helped me get around. You just have to be smart and aware of your surroundings all the time, no matter where you travel to. I have to be honest though, I'm probably the clumsiest person ever! Maybe I just got lucky, or maybe growing up in the Philippines made me street smart and have good instincts about safety. Danger? I laugh at the face of danger!

10 Tips on safety: (this applies to wherever you travel)

1. Keep important things really close and make sure you always have eyes on them. I have a fanny pack where I keep my passport and my wallet. Put it in your bra if you think it’s the safest place.

2. Be polite to everybody but don’t let them fool you into paying so much more than what you should pay. Before my trip, I always research about the places I want to go to and I try to figure out how much I should pay for everything - including transportation (taxis/buses). If you can’t find it online, ask front desk before you leave your hotel/hostel. Taxis, especially in poor countries, tend to cheat you.

3. Don’t stare at beggars or just don’t stare at anyone!

4. Don’t take pics of locals - they usually ask you to pay them for the pic, even if you weren’t even taking a picture of them! I was taking a picture of a building while a guy was standing in front of the building. They guy approached me afterwards to ask for money since he thought I took a picture of him!

5. Once you get off the bus or leave the airport, make sure you know where you want to go, how to get there and how much you are willing to pay to get there. There will be people bothering you once you step out of the airport. Don’t mind those people.

6. Don’t walk alone at night, not unless it's a very touristy place where foreigners are out at the streets partying or eating street food. I felt safe walking alone around Kendwa Beach at night while I don't think it's safe to walk alone at Arusha at night. You will get that vibe once you get to the place. I stay at hostels so I meet other tourists to go out with at night.

7. Always have the address and contact number of your hotel/hostel in case you get lost.

8. If you do get lost and want to ask for directions, be careful of who you ask. I try to ask a security guard or find a proper establishment (e.g. convenient store) and ask people from inside the establishment. Make sure you ask a few people because the first one you ask might be giving you the wrong information. The best place to ask is the people from your hotel/hostel.

9. Be respectful of their culture. Don't wear clothing that might be insulting or too revealing - especially if you're taking the public transpo. I believe it's better to be safe than to look good on your IG post. Maybe you can bring something to cover yourself if you do see people starring at you.

10. Be wary when you hitchhike. I've met people who just hitchhike when they travel. As a solo female traveler, this is something I'm still a bit scared to do.  I've actually tried hitchhiking a few times when I was being irresponsible and spontaneous. In fact, I hitchhiked from the airport in Arusha to my hostel. I've been very lucky and I truly believe that most people in the world are kind and very much willing to help, but there are also very creepy and sick people who take advantage of travelers and of women. Just trust your instincts! 

Tara na, byahe tayo! 

I encourage my fellow Pinoys and Pinays to travel to Tanzania. I see more and more people posting about their travels on Facebook. As I traveled around Tanzania and interacted with the locals, I realized that not a lot of Filipinos travel on that side of the world. My safari guide even told me that I was "his first Pinoy". He asked me why Filipinos don't travel to Tanzania. To be honest, it was the most expensive trip I've taken, but it was also my first trip outside of Asia and I know a lot of Filipinos can afford a trip to Europe or other equally expensive countries. Some probably even spend the same amount with their Asian trips as what I spent on this trip. I usually stay in cheap shared rooms and I prefer to take public transpo or rent a cheap bike (and maybe even get lost) rather than pay extra to a travel agency. For this trip, I splurged a little just because I felt I deserved it. If you continue reading, I will soon show you my itinerary and cheaper options.

visas, visas, visas ....oh the pain! - NOT!

For Filipinos, Tanzania and Kenya are actually countries which don't need visas before getting there. Now I have to stress that Filipinos still need a visa to enter these countries but we can easily get a visa on arrival. I paid USD50 for a single entry visa to Tanzania and USD20 for a transit visa to Kenya. I wasn't thoroughly interviewed or asked for my ITR or bank statement (which is usually the case for Filipinos when applying for visas). I just had to show them my return tickets. I also prepared all my bookings for that trip, just in case. Before my trip, I booked a shuttle bus headed to Tanzania on the same day I landed, which allowed me to get a transit visa in Kenya. I didn't have to queue for a long time and it was super convenient. Maybe it was off season. I went at the end of January and entered Kenya again mid-February.

For more info about visas, you can click on the link below.

Tanzania:
http://www.tanzaniaconsul.com/visa.html


Kenya (you can actually apply for an online visa before flying, I read that they won't accept visa on arrival anymore, but when I called the embassy I was told that VOA is still aceepted):

for the evisa: http://evisa.go.ke/evisa-types.html

From my knowledge, multiply entry visas can't be issued on arrival. Also, American passport holders have to pay more for the visa fee, but they get to stay longer (1 year I think),  and they automatically get a multiple entry visa (no they don't get to choose the cheaper single entry visa), while those who pay USD50 only get to stay for 3 months with a single entry visa. With every country, visa requirements are different for each nationality.

My itinerary: 13 days in Tanzania and 2 days in Kenya

Day 1 - arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport - shuttle to Arusha, Tanzania
Day 2 - 5 Safari from Tarangeri, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater Click this link to read about the safari

Day 6 Materuni falls and Coffee farm (Moshi)

Day 7 Flight to paradise, Zanzibar island
Day 8 Tour around Zanzibar island (Stone Town based)
Day 9 Tour around Zanzibar island (to the south)
Day 10 Tour around Zanzibar island (to the north)
Day 11  Back to Arusha
Day 12  Lake Diluti
Day 13  Bus from Arusha, Tanzania - Nairobi, Kenya
Day 14  Exploring Nairobi
Day 15  Giraffe and Rhino orphanage and fly back to China


Read more »

Traveling by (overnight) boat in the Philippines

By boat or by plane?

Traveling by plane in the Philippines isn’t as expensive as in other countries. Most of the locals also wait for Piso fares (literally P1 plus P299 for taxes and extra charges) or promo fares. The airlines usually offer these during the holidays or when they have a new route. If you’re lucky enough, this is a cheaper, more convenient and faster way of traveling within the Philippine archipelago. Promo fares are usually bought months or even a year before sales period, but people still buy tickets even if they can’t use it, just because it’s super cheap.

If you’re like me who wants to try something different and long for adventure, maybe you can try traveling by overnight boat instead of flying. For my trip to Siargao, I decided to take an overnight boat from Cebu to Surigao (7pm - 7am) then a ferry from Surigao to Siargao. This was my first time on an overnight boat and I was pretty excited. I would meet new people and also have time to finish my blog about Africa.

For boat sched click here:
cebu-siargao boat schedule

I made a mistake by taking the boat to Surigao on a Saturday and the boat to Cebu on a Friday. The big and fun boat from Cebu - Surigao is on MWF and from Surigao - Cebu is on TThS. So on both trips I was on a small boring boat.

This is it pancit!

I booked a bed in tourist class (with aircondition). It costs P1025 from Cebu to Surigao and P100 (this is a promo fare - regular fare is P200-250) from Surigao to Siargao. To me it’s not really cheap, especially if you know about Piso flights and promo fares. This trip was actually planned just a month ago and by that time the plane fares were a bit more expensive than taking the boat. I kept hoping for a miracle that the prices would go down but it remained the same with AT LEAST P2700 from Cebu to Siargao then P3187 from Siargao to Cebu. If you are really on a tight budget, you can get the economy class (no A/C) on the boat and it’s only P850 one way. I actually saw more foreigners preferred the economy class.

tourist class

As soon as I went in tourist class I felt dizzy. It is on the 3^rd deck from the top and the A/C was making me dizzy. I sat down for awhile and eventually got used to it. The air outside actually feels better but it can also get really hot and sticky. I like having the option to lay in my bed with A/C and step outside for fresh air. I am actually writing this blog on the ship, outside tourist class, next to the open water. The air feels good right now.

Another plus with tourist class is that they give you a bed sheet and a blanket while economy doesn’t. Not sure how often they clean the bedding though.

 

clean bathroom

I didn’t get to meet new people like I hoped I would. The TV is (still) on and people are busy either watching TV or sleeping now (it’s currently 10:30pm). They turned off the TV when I went back in the room (around 11:15pm). One thing I don’t like about tourist class is that it’s a small room and the TV is still on at this hour, so it’s pretty noisy. I don’t usually sleep early but if I did I wouldn’t want the TV to be on while I’m sleeping. It is a bit noisy in there. Aside from the TV, some people are snoring and a child is crying. Speaking of distractions, all the lights are still on at this hour, so if you can’t sleep with the lights on, make sure you have an eye mask - maybe add earplugs too for the loud snoring.

Because I’m outside right now, I walked around and noticed that

economy class

the TV outside is off but the ship’s engine/machinery is very noisy. If you booked in economy class, your bed can be close to the machine or far from it, so the noise depends on where your bed is located. The open air is nice with the wind keeping you from getting hot, but it also depends on where your bed is located. While waiting for the ship to sail, it was super humid and very uncomfortable in economy class. There are also more bunkbeds outside, therefore more people snoring and making noise.

unfortunately the water (by the pier) in the Philippines is full of garbage
i hope we start doing something about it

Would I do this again?

 Maybe - if I’m on a budget and plane tickets are too expensive. Also, if I have time to spare.

Did I enjoy or regret taking the boat instead of flying?

I don’t regret it since I’m saving at least P3000 by taking the boat. I’m also currently unemployed so I need to save my money and I have time to spare.

I wouldn’t say I enjoy being on this boat. Maybe I would’ve if I got on the big boat. I heard good reviews from friends who did Cebu - Surigao on the big boat. Nevertheless, I feel like I’m doing things I would love to do but don’t usually do because of my access to internet at home. If I’m at home, I would probably be watching something on Netflix with my family or chatting with friends on wechat/messenger. Because I don’t have access to internet, I can write this blog, read a book, sort through pictures and all of that.

food store on the boat

view from the girl's bathroom

So that’s all I can say about traveling by overnight boat in the Philippines. I hope this blog helped you decide whether to travel by boat or by plane on your trip around the Philippines. Whatever you decide, the Philippines is full of beautiful sceneries, beautiful people and good food. I’m sure you’ll love traveling around this archipelago!

A bit of trivia for those who don’t already know: The Philippine archipelago is composed of 7,641 islands! Isn’t that amazing!?