#but here Topi is the name of the village

[julielilac]

TOPI (2021) | 1x07 - Redemption

[luxurykenyasafari]

The Serengeti National Park- A Close Encounter With Wilderness

The endless fields, the vastness, the aroma and the wild voices of nature murmuring at you is what you can expect at Serengeti National Park. It is going back in time when you are at this National Park presumably the most acclaimed natural life reserve on the planet. Its eco-framework is one of the most seasoned on earth. The basic highlights of atmosphere, vegetation and fauna have scarcely changed in the previous million years. The eco-framework stretches out over a lot bigger region and includes the Masai Mara for Kenya and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, connecting more than 25,000 square kilometers of land in which creatures can move freely. The Serengeti National Park safari of reputed tour organizations give you the opportunity to explore and enjoy all these at your own pace and comfort.

Serengeti is the oldest and most well known national park, additionally a world heritage site and as of late announced a seventh worldwide wonder. The Serengeti is popular for its annual migration when somewhere in the range of 6,000,000 hooves pound the open fields, as in excess of 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh nibbling. However, in any event, when the migration hushes up, the Serengeti offers apparently the most sparkling game-view in Africa and the Serengeti National Park safari is the ideal way to have such an adventurous game-view during and after the annual migration. The Serengeti National Park has four separate segments, each with its own one of a kind highlights and scenes: the Southern Plains, Seronera (Central), Western Corridor, and Northern Serengeti.

Where is Serengeti National Park and How large is it? In size, it is 14,763 square kilometers. It comprises 14% of the nation’s property area. It is located 335 kilometers from Arusha, extending north to Kenya and flanking Lake Victoria toward the west. Its closeness to Arusha is the reason that most Serengeti National Park safari starts from here.

How to get to Serengeti National Park As you reach Kilimanjaro International Airport, you can reach Arusha, which is only 46 kilometers from the airport. From Arusha, the tour operators take care of your every need and you do not have to bother about anything. They arrange for the best transportation and accommodation during the Serengeti National Park safari.

What to do in Serengeti National Park You can endeavor many activities at Serengeti National Park. To name a few you can have a game drive and watch the Big Five in their natural habitat. Explore the Serengeti visitor center and know about the history, wildlife and ecosystem of the park. You can be at a Masai village and acquaint yourself with the culture and daily life of the Masai tribe. You can also have an adventurous night time game drive. If you stay overnight then you will have the excitement of hearing the call of the wild. A sound will surround you and make you feel the true wilderness of Serengeti. You can likewise visit Olduvai Gorge, the paleoanthropological location and know about the pre-historic existence of the place. Obviously, if you are at Serengeti National Park during the great migration, do witness it. The sight will be in your memory for a long time to come.

When to go to Serengeti National Park The best time is throughout the entire year however, in the event that your advantage is to pursue the great migration at that point the best time for this is December-July. If you desire to see predators, the ideal time is June-October.

What game will you find in Serengeti National Park? There are such a large number of various species in the Serengeti that it is impossible to mention all. The Serengeti’s primary fascination is the Great Migration, comprising of up to 6 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and 350,000 Thompson, impala and award’s gazelles. The predator viewing here is outstanding with around 3-4,000 lion and enormous quantities of cheetah, panther and hyena. Other game found in the recreation center incorporate Topi, Eland, Hartebeest, Buffalo, Elephant, Caracal, Serval, Bat-eared fox, Hyrax, Genet, Hares, Porcupine, Aardvark, Giraffe, Jackal, Mongoose, Crocodile, Monitor Lizard, Aardwolf, numerous sorts of primates including mandrills, velvet and Colobus monkeys, and over in excess of 500 types of birds.

To have a close encounter with all these wildebeests while having safety, comfort and solace it is ideal to be with African Safaris & Beach Holidays. They have various Serengeti National Park safari itineraries comprising of various day lengths. They also combine different other places of tourist interest with Serengeti so you have the opportunity to be at such places. Call at +254 705 934 084 or +254 731 631 011 to have a word with their safari specialists.

[newstfionline]

Santa in Finland, Where Marketing Triumphs Over Geography

By Rod Nordland, NY Times, Dec. 20, 2017

ROVANIEMI, Finland--Here in Santa Claus Village, near the Arctic Circle, is the self-anointed “Official Santa,” a Finn who refused to give his real name, insisting he was actually Mr. Claus.

A couple of hundred yards away in a competing venue is Second Santa, whose real name is Kari Eskeli, 65, also a Finn. As soon as Christmas is over, he goes back home to the warmth of the Spanish Canary Islands. “I can’t wait,” he chuckled at the end of a long recent day of receiving supplicants. “Ho ho ho.”

And then there’s Evil Santa, as he calls himself, an outspoken raconteur holding forth in his son’s busy souvenir shop just downstairs from Official Santa’s grotto.

“This place is exploding now, it’s really taking off,” said Wolfgang Kassik, an Austrian business consultant with a long gray, all-natural beard, who is married to a Finn. “Personally, though, I don’t like kids.”

That could be a problem.

At this time of year around 20 airliners a day, chartered and scheduled, land here in the capital of Finnish Lapland, disgorging families from scores of countries, and bringing wide-eyed children to a reliably snowy place that is, for youngsters at least, a convincing recreation of the North Pole (which is actually 1,600 miles north), complete with reindeer-drawn sleighs, staff in elfin dress and an official Finnish government “Santa’s post office.”

The dedicated Santa postal code of 96930 attracts half a million letters a year.

While no more real than the Santa impersonators’ beards, Rovaniemi’s claim to be the base of the one and only true Santa is nonetheless a triumph of marketing, so much so that the town has trademarked its rubric, “The Official Hometown of Santa Claus. ®”

And for those who fret about the growing secularization of Christmas--with each year more and more X, and less and less Christ--they need only drop in here to confirm some of their worst fears.

Rumor has it there is a crèche somewhere in Santa Claus Village, but finding it is a challenge.

Despite temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit, according to current figures, 330,000 people from 180 countries come to visit Santa, purchase 50 euro ($60) photos with him and patronize the dozens of Christmas trinket shops.

That nearly equals the combined total of reindeer (200,000) and people (180,000) in Lapland; tourism growth this year in Rovaniemi (population 50,000) is 25 percent, said Sanna Karkkainen, the managing director of Visit Rovaniemi, the tourist board. “We added 1,000 bed places just this Christmas season,” she said.

Many of the tourists are neither Christians nor even from countries that celebrate Christmas. The largest single group of visitors are Chinese, who typically come without their children because there are no school holidays this time of year in China.

That does not stop them from getting in the lines at the Santa grottoes to meet the jolly old Finns who often play the role to the hilt.

“What’s your real name?” many of the adult visitors ask official Santa, and he has a stock answer.

“It’s Santa Claus.” If they still insist, “Your original name?” then he responds, “Originally it was Joulupukki.”

Joulupukki is the name of Finns’ traditional Santa Claus figure, but therein lies both the rub, and the triumph, of marketing. Literally the name means Yule Goat, and the Finnish character historically was a sort of troll who was used to threaten children who were naughty.

Fifty years ago, travel marketers got the idea to attract tourists to remote Lapland and settled on Rovaniemi for its train station and airport. For many years, though, the Santa Claus attraction jostled for visitors with tours to see the Northern Lights or go on reindeer safaris; most of those who came were from countries with a strong Christmas tradition, bringing children along on the ultimate Santa’s Grotto experience.

Barry and Leanne Smyth, from Ireland, brought their daughters, Lauren, 9, and Jodie, 4, here last week, after a box of presents arrived at their house early with a note inside from Santy (as they know him in Ireland), inviting the girls to visit him in person. They found a flight to Helsinki, then all four crammed into a compartment with two beds on the overnight train to Rovaniemi, 500 miles to the north.

“We didn’t sleep a wink,” Mr. Smyth, an accountant, said. “But the girls loved it.” The girls thanked Santa for his invitation (the parents exchanged a furtive glance) and asked, as many children do these days, for a slime factory.

In 2010, Xi Jinping, then the Chinese vice-president, came on an official visit to Finland and detoured up here, posing for photos with Official Santa Claus.

Tian Zhang was here then, studying for her master’s degree, and would only rarely see another Chinese. She never imagined what would happen next.

“Xi Jinping became the president and everyone in China says Finland is a lucky land,” she said.

Chinese tourism steadily increased, helped by Finnish official visits that marketed Lapland as Santa’s home tundra. “A lot of Chinese now think the North Pole is here,” she said. “It just grew and grew.”

In recent years, Santa tourism has grown so drastically that “it’s like everyone is building a hotel,” Ms. Zhang said. Now an entrepreneur and married to a Finn, she was in charge of one of the new hotels, the first Chinese-financed one. It opened five months ago and is already running at full occupancy, she said.

At the Rovaniemi Lutheran Church where the local pastors Topi Litendahl and Elina Rask-Litendahlthey work, Christmas Eve services are in several languages, including English, Hebrew and Arabic, just in case any tourists want to stop by. Every year only a couple of dozen do, about the only visible religious aspect to the tourist juggernaut.

[backofafrica-blog]

4 DAYS MAASAI MARA AND LAKE NAKURU BUDGET CAMPING SAFARI

Day 1: Nairobi - Masai Mara

Our Safaris starts with a pick-up by one of our driver or staff, you will be met in your hotel, residential house, guest house, apartment or airport. Kindly advice pick up point. Pickup is as early as 0730am depending on the location of your hotel. You will have a short Safari over view description as per the itinerary as you get to know your guide. There after depart for Masai Mara with the first stop at the Great Rift Valley View Point. This is a perfect place to be in the early morning and evening. You will watch enthralling Rift valley with its vast vegetation and the sun rays kissing the far and wide stretching mountains in the surrounding.

The Great Rift Valley has been reckoned as a wonder of the world stretching from the Middle East passing through Africa and has a great and vast chunk in East African part and ends in Mozambique in the South. After about 15-20min of getting history you will proceed to Narok. Narok is a town west of Nairobi that supports Kenya's economy in south-west of the country, along the Great Rift Valley.

Narok is the district capital of the Narok County and stands as the major centre of commerce in the district. Narok has a population of around 40,000 people, mostly Masai. The Masai, natives of Narok district, refer to Narok as Enkare Narok (meaning black water or dark water) named after, Enkare Narok, the river flowing through Narok town. The elevation of Narok is 1827 meters (5,997 feet) in altitude.

You will have a brief stop here for car refuelling; there after proceed to Masai Mara, on arrival you will be received by our Masai Mara Staffs who will then assist you to check in the Camp or lodge. Hot Lunch will be served, leave for the late afternoon game drive which starts as early as you may opt to this early afternoon, this game drive offers you big 5 kill as well as Africa Sunset around 1830hrs, then your driver will then drive you back to the camp or lodge where you will be served with African / English menu food in the Camp buffet style or lodge.

• Main destination: Masai Mara National Reserve

• Accommodation: www.destinyecocampmara.com or similar standard

• Meals & drinks: Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included on this day 1) Drinking water is included. (Other drinks such as alcohol not included).

Day 2: Masai Mara Game Reserve Full Day

Masai Mara is situated in south-west Kenya and is one of Africa’s Greatest Wildlife Reserves. Together with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania it forms Africa’s most diverse, incredible and most spectacular Eco-Systems and possibly the world’s top safari big game viewing Eco-System. I am sure you have heard the wildebeest migration is nothing short of amazing. It is one of the things you have to add to your bucket list.

Balloon ride is highly recommended in Maasai Mara very early in the morning in search of Africa's Big Five and the plethora of other wildlife inhabiting this vast Kenyan game reserve. On clear days, the Mara offers fantastic orange-tinged rise and sunsets that one can make for spectacular photos. Much game are coming at your door step when you in the park leaving you with only option of counting your blessings that nature holds for you as you view them in their natural habitat using a birds eye view.

This will be the full day explore the Masai Mara, breakfast will be served as early as 0730am, then our cook will pack for you fresh picnic lunch since the whole day will be exploring the Masai Mara famous 7th wonders of the World.

This game reserve is Kenya's finest wildlife sanctuary. Including migrants, well over 450 species of animals have been recorded here. Mara plains are filled with migrating wildebeest and zebra, there is also resident wildlife year round. The Mara's gentle fertile climate bounded by The Rift, offers perhaps the richest stocked reserve set within some 1672 sq km - an unlimited spectacle of wildlife. Located 268 km west of Nairobi, the emphasis here is on game. Herds of immense Elephants, browse among Lion, Buffalo, Thompson Gazelle, Zebra and Topi. You may occasionally sight black Rhino. In the Mara River Hippos play and Cross bask on the banks. After exploring the park return to the camp for dinner and overnight.

• Main destination: Masai Mara National Reserve

• Accommodation: Destiny Eco Camp Mara or similar standard

• Meals & drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner + Drinking water is included. (Other drinks such as alcohol not included).

Day 3: Masai Mara - Lake Nakuru national park

You will have a wakeup call as early as 0600am, you will have hot African Coffee or Tea and then proceed for Pre - morning game drive as from 06:30hrs for the next 3 hours until 0930hrs, then our driver will drive you back to the camp or lodge where you will be served with full breakfast as you check out for Lake Nakuru, if willing on this day you can as well visit the Masai Village for one hour and learn more of the Masai Culture (company to pay), lunch will be in Narok town or ( Mai Mahiu) hot water after lunch proceed to Lake Nakuru and arriving early evening I recommend checking in at your budget accommodation and relax after a long drive.

Game viewing in Nakuru will be done on day 4 in the morning till lunch time. This is so because Lake Nakuru hardly allow re-entry to the park and if we get to the park on this material day we shall only have a few hours before its closing time than getting to the park in the morning and spend good time exploring the park on Day 4 (this will be possible if you opt for http://kranhotels.com/ as this budget accommodation is outside the park ) otherwise for the lodge option you will have both evening and morning game viewing in lake Nakuru since lodge facilities are located inside lake Nakuru National park and one can take advantage of the lodge location for more game viewing.

• Main destination: Masai Mara National Reserve

• Accommodation: Kran Hotels

• Meals & drinks: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner + Drinking water is included. (Other drinks such as alcohol not included).

Day 4: Lake Nakuru - Back To Nairobi

The Bird Watchers’ Paradise the Lake is on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by wooded and bushy grassland, lies the beautiful Lake Nakuru National Park. Visitors can enjoy the wide ecological diversity and varied habitats that range from Lake Nakuru itself to the surrounding escarpment and picturesque ridges. Lake Nakuru National Park is ideal for bird watching, hiking, picnic and game drives. Breakfast will be served at around 0730am there after proceed for the game drive, you will have a chance to visit a unique sanctuary catering for a sizable number of the endangered White and Black rhinos as well as Rothschild giraffe. Water bucks, predators such as the lion and leopard are common at the park.

Also to be seen is a myriad different variety of bird life in and around the lake. Flamingos are also plenty at the lake though not as in the past few years due to rise in water level. Leave for Nairobi late afternoon arriving in Nairobi in the early evening followed by a drop off to the hotel of your choice or back to the airport to catch up with your flight for the next destination. This will then mark the end of a 3 nights 4 days private trip safari with us here at Back Of Africa Adventure where we “put customers first through service…”

• Main destination: Nairobi Kenya

• Accommodation: own arrangements

• Meals & drinks: Breakfast & Lunch. Drinking water is included. (Other drinks such as alcohol not included).

For more information! Visit us now!!

[kuwahuru]

Katavi National Park

The far west of Tanzania gives home to two of Tanzania’s lesser known national parks: Katavi National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park. This western circuit is extremely remote, tricky to access and pretty costly to visit. As a result few people make the effort to come here and so it has remained an untouched, unique experience, and absolutely worth visiting. About Katavi National Park Formerly a game reserve, the park was established in 1974. The park is located Southwest Tanzania, east of Lake Tanganyika. The headquarters at Sitalike lie 40km (25 miles) south of Mpanda town. being Tanzania’s third largest national After Ruaha and Serengeti. park it covers an area of 4,471 square km(1,727 sq miles). Katavi National Park is a name to conjure with. It is one of the best parks in Africa and many safari operations would love to start camps here. However, the logistics and costs are so difficult, that there are only a couple of small, permanent safari camps sharing this 4,500km² of wilderness. You sometimes run across more prides of lion than other people on a game drive. Flora & Fauna of Katavi National Park Once in Katavi, Tanzania's third largest national park won't disappoint you. Two enormous plains of knee-high golden grass – Chada and Katasunga – dominate the park, surrounded by varied woodlands and a usually abundant amount of game. Katavi’s animals Katavi National Park is at its best in the dry season, when the plains fill with thousands of zebra, topi and impala. Hartebeest, giraffe, and Defassa waterbuck are also very common, there's a large population of resident elephants, and some impressive herds of buffalo. Katavi is a great park for watching lion-buffalo interactions. Spotted hyena are frequently seen, whilst leopard appear on the woodland fringes, but are more elusive. Wild dog do live here, but tend to stick to the escarpment and are rarely seen on the plains. During the dry season, the Katuma and Kapapa rivers are the only water for miles. As the game files down to drink, hundreds of hippo congregate in the tiniest waterhole and enormous crocodiles sit out the heat in river-bank mud-holes. Birds Katavi hosts large flocks of open-billed and saddlebilled storks, spoonbills, crested cranes and pink-backed pelicans. Raptors are plentiful whilst the woodlands of the national park are home to species as diverse as African golden orioles, paradise fly-catchers and pennant-winged nightjars. Vegetation in Katavi Katavi is situated on the northern aside of the ‘Rukwa Rift’, an extension of the Western Rift Valley. Katavi’s dry woodlands are dominated by brachystegia species, which are mostly native to tropical Africa and dotted very densely around this area. How to get there By Air: Kuwahuru Tanzania Adventure will  arrange charter flight from Dar es Salam, Mwanza or Arusha cities to either Mpanda airport which is located in Mpanda town or to Sitalike and Ikuu airstrips inside the park. By Road: From either Dar es Salaam via Mbeya (1513Km), Arusha via Tabora (1015.7km) or Mwanza via Mpanda (741 km). From Kigoma (390 km/240 miles) only in Dry season By Rail: It is also possible to reach Mpanda by train from Dar es Salaam via Tabora then catch a public transport to Sitalike, where game drives can be arranged. Best time to visit May to October and mid December. Accommodation Two seasonal luxury tented camps overlooking Lake Chada. A rest house at Sitalike and campsites inside the park. Basic but clean hotels at Mpanda  Several lodges and hotels at the village of Sitalike and Mpanda town, Outside the park: Read the full article

[newsunsetbudgetsafaris]

Tanzania Kenya Safari 12 Days

Watch the Great Wildebeest Migration on this Kenya and Tanzania safari program. Visit the Masai Mara, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and the the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania and then head back to Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Day 1: Arrival to Nairobi, Kenya On arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to your booked hotel for the overnight stay. The tour consultant/guide will provide you with the whole safari briefing and plan Day 2: Game Drive in  in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya After breakfast check-out of the hotel and depart on a morning drive to Lake Nakuru National Park arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive. The Lake Nakuru National Park is world famous for Flamingos which are resident here. Other birds some of which are migratory will also be found here in addition to other wildlife which include the endangered Black Rhino, Leopard, Buffalo and Lion. Days 3 - 4: Game Drive in  in Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya Drive to the world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve arriving in time for lunch at the lodge and an afternoon game drive in the park. On day four of your Kenya safari vacation package, you will set out on a morning and afternoon game drive. The Masai Mara is famous for its Black-maned Lion and is a vast area of rolling acacia and shrub studded grassland, rivers, forests, hill and escarpments - magnificent scenery, patch works of emeralds and ambers stretching as far as the eye can see - where a constant pageant of wildlife endlessly unfold. Day 5: Game Drive in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Travel with a picnic lunch for a long drive from Masai Mara crossing the country towards the Kenya and Tanzania border of Isebania and Serari where you will clear customs and immigration procedures and proceed to Tanzania entering Serengeti National Park via Ndabaka. The park's name, Serengeti, means 'endless plains' and is derived from the Masai language. The park lies in a high plateau between the Ngorongoro highlands and the Kenya and Tanzania border, if time permits you will go on an en-route game drive. Day 6: Game Drive in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Today you enjoy your Tanzania safari in Serengeti National Park, The largest National Park in Tanzania, about 14, 763 sq kms. Summed up as one of the most unique areas in the world. The Serengeti contains the largest remaining concentrations of plains game in Africa, on a scale, which has no parallel anywhere in the world. The abundance of herbivores include Wildebeest, Zebra, Gazelle, Topi, Buffalo, and Hartebeest, to name but a few. Serengeti is also famous for predators e.g. Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Hyena and contains a wide variety of birdlife, estimated at more than 500 species. Day 7: Game Drive in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Enjoy another day game drive in Serengeti National Park with picnic lunch. Your safari guide will explore various areas Moro Kopjes and Gol Kopjes. The extensive grasslands are interspersed with Kopjes rocky outcrops like islands in the flat plain, each with their own wildlife communities. Discover the Seronera Rivers flow through the park, providing habitats for a variety of birds, mammals and reptiles. In the afternoon we will proceed to Nabi Hill date where you will enjoy your memorable picnic lunch, after which you will proceed to Malanja depression entering Ngorongoro Conservation Area, via Olduvai Gorge, with clouds rolling over the rim like a misty waterfall. The setting is dreamy. Your unique deluxe safari lodge fits into the contours of the Ngorongoro Crater rim, and is built of volcanic rock. It offers a spectacular view of the Ngorongoro Crater floor, yet it is virtually invisible when you are down on the crater floor, as you will discover the next day on your game drive. Day 8: Game Drive in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania Today after breakfast prepare yourself for Africa's Eden. The Ngorongoro Crater which is famous for its Big Five and home to rare Black Rhino and has its own Soda Lake. The concentration of animals means that you are likely to see several African wildlife species in a short period of time. You descend 2,200 feet for a thrilling day among Africa's animals, before returning to your lodge for dinner and overnight safari accommodation. Day 9: Game Drive in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania After breakfast, it is off to Lake Manyara National Park which is one of the finest parks in Tanzania. You will enjoy a morning and afternoon game drive followed by a choice of picnic lunch at your lodge. Depart towards the village of Mto wa Mbu and Great Rift Valley, then proceed to your unique safari lodge which offers a spectacular view of the Lake Manyara National Park, for dinner and overnight. Day 10: Amboseli National Park in Kenya Via Arusha, Tanzania In the morning proceed with a picnic lunch to Arusha, which is a centre point of Cape to Cairo, then proceed to Amboseli National Park, crossing the Tanzania and Kenya boarder of Namanga Manyara where you will clear customs and immigrations and proceed to Kenya. Entering Amboseli National Park, if time permits, you will have an en-route game drive in the afternoon. Proceed to your lodge for dinner and overnight. Day 11: Game Drive in Amboseli National Park  Amboseli is famous for its vast herds of Elephants and stunning views of Kilimanjaro on clear days. Be sure to have your camera ready when going on a morning and afternoon game drive. Day 12: Nairobi, Kenya If time permits another morning game drive until midday when you will have lunch at your lodge and say farewell to Africa. Proceed to Nairobi and you will be dropped off at the airport for your outbound flight.   Read the full article

[poorna-chandra]

Obscured by Clouds

// At the behest of a few close friends: This entire writing is nothing but a piece of fiction

Ever wondered how your life would be if you were not answerable to anyone? Literally no one. Not your parents, not your your family, not your close circle of friends, not your job, not your boss - no one. Also, not answerable to the long list of cliched ambitions you have built for yourself since the time society subconsciously started imposing the elements of ‘you have made it’ upon you. Not your 1200 sqft house, not your shiny red car, not your extensive closet of designer wear, not your pockets filled with notes of cash. Sahi mein, zindagi aapko chutiya bana rahi hai aur aap bante jaa rahe ho.

You can only imagine how life would be and yet your wildest of imaginations do not come anywhere close to the actual feeling. You will never know what true liberation is, until you have taken a brave-heart gutsy call to live life without any answerability or have accidentally stumbled upon this situation. You have never truly lived, never understood yourself and the world around you - unless you have destroyed all the boundaries of answerability. 

The lack of answerability is a tricky weapon. It can only be handled with care if you have a sense of conscience. Thoda bore karta hoon aapko. There are four sets of situations that can shape the basic character of a person. A sense of answerability with a conscience - that is where you become a part of the ‘majority’. This is where the society has trapped most of you. A sense of answerability without a conscience - you will end up leading a ‘dual life’. Bahar se lagta hai aadmi seedha hai, par andar se yeh tedha hi hoga. Zero answerability without a conscience - you are a ‘terror to the world’. In logo ko duniya se ghanta farak padta hai aur yeh humesha kaand karte rahenge. Zero answerability with a conscience - you become a ‘free spirit’. That is where I am (or so I aspire to be). 

Last year, I lost my family in a plane crash. I am in no mood to explain the details of the events prior to and following this incident. Yeh kahaani unke baare mein nahi hai. But the moment I realised I am not answerable anymore to my closest set of people and I do not have to live life in a certain way that would make them happy - I was reborn. Shayad aap soch rahe honge, yeh kaisa insaan hai. Parivaar ke marne pe isko azaadi mil gayi! But yes, I was reborn. I quit my job, sold my property, bid a temporary good-bye to the few friends I had. (Fortunately, I am not married and did not have to deal with that side of things.) 

Here I am in my early 30s - far away from the rushes of a crowded city, breathing the form of air the way God intended us to - amidst the hills far far away. This is a small village on a hill top. People call it ‘HaraTopi’. The conifers here are alive and lush green for most of the year - you get the green (Hara) from there. And it seems that the shape of the hill resembles that of a hat (Topi). Life here is as simple as the way the village gets its name. 

The only reason that got me here, to this particular village, is that my childhood was heavily inspired by Bhagwan’s novel ‘In Through the Back Door’. Bada hoke sochne laga, yeh kaisa naam hai? In Through the Back Door. Kabhi yeh nahi socha tha ki ek din wakai mein gaand maregi. This novel to me was what ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ was to the kids of the 1950s and there upon. No other product of art described teenage angst to me better than this novel. I was a rebel right from my school days, and the protagonist of this novel ‘Tipu’ resembled me (or so I felt). Tipu was a teenager based out of HaraTopi, who questioned the way the society was organised - study well, get a job, immigrate, keep your family happy, get married, provide for your kids, and then one day - die amidst your kids and grandkids. Tipu wanted to break free and be a ‘free spirit’. I idolised him and he was my hero. And now, when I had the opportunity to break free, HaraTopi was on top my list to visit, and l wanted to live here for sometime and feel like Tipu.

When I reached HaraTopi, I was a mere tourist. The monsoons had just ended, and it seemed like an ocean of greenery wherever I looked. The skies were clear without a single patch of clouds, and their blue was just bright enough to lighten up my soul. I spent time doing things that most of you would do on a scenic hill top. I enjoyed the local food, trekked a couple of places nearby, mingled with the locals and got high when the situation called for it. HaraTopi is best explored on foot, or on a cycle. Riding a cycle by the hills and the conifers, sipping on a hip-flask with an RD Burman or a Simon & Garfunkel on the earphones, as the chilly winds of the hills hit my face - I felt alive. 

Ever wondered how it feels like to be completely alone? Let me tell you. There is no better companion than loneliness. An entire world resides within you, with no limit for self-exploration. Loneliness is your guide to this world. Sink to the bottom of boredom all by yourself, face and overcome the fear of dying alone by yourself someday, and you shall bear witness to the blossoming of the companionship with your loneliness. Blossoming into not just one flower, but into acres and acres of new species of magical possibilities. Loneliness is the seed. Through the journey of loneliness, there will be a few people and moments one may yearn for - and trust me, those are the only entities that really matter in life.

There is a trekking spot about 2000 ft. above HaraTopi called ‘Satila’. Here, the snow has stuck together to form sheets of ice and has become smooth enough to turn into a slide. It was a severe adrenaline rush to cycle all the way to Satila (have one of the locals get my cycle down), and slide downhill on my buttocks till a point I could. With almost a cliff to my left overlooking HaraTopi and other villages, tall and green conifers to my right and a bright horizon in front me - I slid my heart out. This was my form of skiing, my form of meditation - wherein I forgot all the noise in my head, all the relationships I had failed and all those that had failed me, all the mediocrities of life we are meant to chase till we die. It felt like how ‘Thelma and Louise’ would have probably felt in their eponymous movie when they jump off the Grand Canyon in their car - except, I was alive. And the nights - they were surreal. There were a countless number of stars in the sky and I had never thought a village could be lit just by the moon and the stars. Meri baat maano, aapke dilli wali shaadi mei bhi itni roshni nahi hogi. These were not mere stars, but this was a masterful artwork by some power beyond my cognition. 

One fine morning, I was having my usual cup of chai at this view point they call ‘Lal Tibba’. My routine was to sit on a chair, sip chai until the fog dispersed and the Himalayan ranges hundreds of kilometres away became visible. There was this lean guy, in his early 20s perhaps and in fairly rugged clothes, next to me. He did not look like a local though, and identified himself by the name Guru. As the Himalayan ranges became visible, he turned towards me and said “Saab, ek din main bhi Everest ko chadhne waala hoon.” I just reluctantly smiled at him. I said to myself “Everest chadhega yeh! Kisiko jhaant farak padne waala hai”. 

For some strange reason people have this extreme selfish desire to accomplish something in order to be immortal - to be remembered forever by the future generations, under the pretext of ‘making a difference’. Trust me, no matter what you do, you will be forgotten within a few years - even by your own ���so called’ loved ones. Being remembered forever is nothing but a myth. Everyone will be forgotten except the ones in power, and power is the bastard child of ruthlessness, revenge and deception. Are you really willing to stoop so low? In fact, I am someone who has given up on this whole philosophy of ‘human endeavour’ and is running away breaking its walls forever. I simply do not understand ‘human endeavour’. Turn back the pages of history and this is the very reason for the hundreds of wars and the bloodshed that followed them. While advancements in technology and healthcare may have had a few benefits, aaj to har koi mobile ke gaand mei ghusa hua hai aur shahar ke pollution se mar raha hai. Apna desh ko hi dekh lo. Tarakki ke naam pe kisi ko desh chalaane diya aur abhi desh ki maa behan ho rakhi hai. 

With time I realised, I cannot be a tourist at HaraTopi for long. It feels like you are looking at something through a tinted glass. I had to break the glass, and feel the place like I belonged there. After a few weeks passed by, in order to provide for my livelihood, I decided to run some local enterprise. It was not that I was running thin on money. But the plan was to not settle down in one place. I wanted to be a nomad for the rest of my life. I wanted to meet strangers but not get too familiar to be friends. I wanted to see places but not get too comfortable to call it a home. But the options for an enterprise were limited though. There were always a bunch of tourists at HaraTopi and I thought I could build on that. One thing that struck me was to run a bar. I had always wished to run a bar some day. 

You may say “You are a fucking hypocrite. How is this any different from that guy who wanted to climb The Everest? Is this also not a form of ‘human endeavour’?”. Well, there is a fine line between vocation and vacation, and I am treading on that. This is only a means to blend with the locals, fulfil my little dream of running a bar and earn some money before I turn into my nomadic self and move to a different location. And do not term me a hypocrite. I dare you. There is only one set of people in this world that do not have my respect and those are the hypocrites. Politicians, celebrities, religious leaders and life partners - the world is full of them. I do not judge people with loose morals, dishonesty, dual lives. But hypocrites - I would eliminate them if I could. Maa kasam, inse bade gaandu log duniya mein koi nahi hai.

I met with a retired Army Colonel who spent his winters in Delhi and summers at his villa in HaraTopi. I learnt that he owned a couple of shops which had been closed for a few years now. It seems he never trusted the locals to have the acumen of running a fancy enterprise for the tourists and had decided to rather have the shops shut. Locals warned me “Bach ke rahiye saab. Colonel khadoos hai. Maa chod dega kuch galat kiya to”. 

But my meeting with the Colonel went well. He was a Haryanvi, a widower in his late 60s, clean shaved and had the height and build of someone in the army who would have retired a decade ago. Colonel was also a whiskey connoisseur. The moment he got to know that I was well-read, educated and had quit a job that was paying me enough to put me amidst the ‘elite’ of the society - he ‘ordered’ me to have a drink with him and I obliged. Colonel had a loose tongue though, or maybe he was just bored of having not met someone recently to have a meaningful conversation with. 

Colonel: I can judge a person just by looking at the way he drinks his whiskey.

Me: What do you mean, Sir?

Colonel: The way one holds the glass - the firmness says a lot of the character. The quantity of ice in the drink - differentiates a man from a boy. The amount of sip you take in - usse pata chalta hai woh sharaabi hai ki bevda. 

Me: Well, Sir, your pointers seem a bit dubious. But I guess your experience is something that I cannot question. By the way, what do you make of me?

<Laughing> Colonel: I am not stupid to give away that answer. You are going to be my tenant soon. And all I can say is that I am happy to lease out my shop to you. What are your plans for the shop?

Me: Sir, I plan on running a bar here. Mostly tea, snacks and alcoholic drinks. I want to create a vibe and ambience that will attract the tourists. I am a huge fan of neo-noir Hollywood movies - so I want to create an ambience around this. I also love music of the 70s and 80s - so I will play their music as much as I can.

Colonel: Yeh neo-noir kya cheez hai?

Me: Sir, these are stylised crime movies with a dark humour. Aap shayad Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Reservoir Dogs jaise movies ke baare mei suna hoga?

Colonel: Never heard of them. But anyway, people like new things. They may get attracted to this because they have no idea about it.

Me: No Sir, I plan on attracting the tourists. I guess they would appreciate this.

Colonel: Oh, tourists! Yes. They will come. Quite a few Israelis, Turks, Uzbeks and Asian people here. The ladies are hot, aren’t they?

Me: Yes, I have seen a few hot ones for sure. The locals are also beautiful in their own way.

Colonel: Tum shahar se itna door rehte ho aur akela rehte ho. Yeh batao, sex ke liye kya karte ho?

I was surprised for a moment, but perhaps the whiskey was kicking in. 

Me: Wahi Sir, jo mai shahar mei karta tha

Colonel: Shahar mei kya karte the?

Me: Thodi der khud khel lo aur saali hawas mit jaati hai

Colonel: Kaafi seedhe lagte ho. We used to visit nearby villages during our army days. Affairs were a common thing. Men without the balls for an affair would depend on flings. Kabhi aadmi ko dekhte hi ladki maan jaati thi, aur kabhi bandook ko dekh ke.

With the permission to run my bar at his shop, I took leave from Colonel. The winters were soon approaching and Colonel left for Delhi a couple of days later. With the help of a local named Dhiru, I started setting up my bar. Dhiru had spent all his life at HaraTopi. He was about 35 years old, a little over five foot in height, brown skinned and had a thin moustache that looked out of place on his otherwise plump body. Dhiru’s wife had eloped with a tourist a couple of years back. Since then, he had turned into a alcoholic. He was famous in the village to drink late into the night and talk to his cows about his wife. My bar meant that Dhiru could get cheap booze if he worked for me. 

The bar was ready in a month. The lighting and the ambience resembled those of the bar from the famous ‘Goodfellas’ scene with the dialog “I’m funny how? I’m funny like I’m a clown?”. The bar had wooden walls, a wooden roof with wooden pillars supporting them, dull orange lights, round tables, LED lights dispersed across the room, local hand-made lamps that felt like kaleidoscopes hanging from the roof. The walls had frames of neo-noir movies that I had loved and treasured all my life - The Usual Suspects, Chinatown, Pulp Fiction, Fargo, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Reservoir Dogs, Blue Velvet, True Romance, Mulholland Drive. The tunes, well, ranged from - Beatles, Floyd, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Eagles, Dire Straits, Rolling Stones, Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Bowie, Doors, The Who, to Johnny Cash. Bar kaafi dhaasu lag raha tha. This felt like a place I could have a drink any day and anytime of the day! 

Winter had arrived and sipping a hot beverage evoked an altogether new life from within. Chai was the winter drug for the soul. The clouds hovered around once in a while, but it used to be clear for most of the day. The days grew shorter and the village would shut by 6pm, except for a few tourists and locals at restaurants and at my bar. But I used to get done with work by 8pm, and taking a stroll in the darkness below the umpteen number of stars, galaxies, and the cosmos became an everyday habit. Walking aimlessly in the open is perhaps one of the simplest joys of life, and I had rediscovered it. And sometimes, I would sit by my cottage and gaze at the stars for hours together, trying to make formations and learn a few concepts of astronomy through my newly couriered telescope. In life, after everything is done, connecting the dots to make formations is a no brainer. But a dot in itself at its inception has little meaning. That dot could be a star, or could just be an artificial satellite - only time can tell. Also, we often wonder about a few dots that do not connect anywhere - I think either we have not lived long enough or have not lived brave enough to understand them. 

Slowly and steadily, the tourists started pouring in to my bar. Some for the chai made from the tea leaves of nearby tea towns, but most for the alcohol served under an ambience that was not available anywhere nearby. Dhiru and I also made interesting cocktails - Rum served right out of a melon, Apricot Martini made from locally hand-picked apricots, BBB (Beer, Bourbon & Barbeque) Cocktail amongst others. The money was decent and soon we started issuing ‘monthly cards’ for the locals which allowed them to have drinks at much lower prices. 

Running an enterprise also meant that I needed some sort of security to guard my territory. Given that the bar actually belonged to the Colonel, it was unlikely that I would face any issues. But then, I was not the one to take any chances. Soon, Dhiru introduced me to another local named Biju. Biju was astoundingly thin and always roamed around in his vest and a pair of worn out shorts. Biju had a dog named Rosie that had given birth a year back. Dhiru got Biju to my bar and told me that each dog would cost a thousand rupees. 

Me: Kyu bechna chahte ho? Koi problem hai kya un mei?

Biju: Saab, kya bolun? Yeh Rosie hai na, saali raand hai!

Me: Kya matlab?

Biju: Itna kuch karke usko paala posa aur badha kiya. Par woh har koi kutte se chudti hai saab. Saali kutiya ko farak nahi gali ka kutta kaun hai aur apna shareef type wala kutta kaun hai!

Me: Woh sab theek hai. Par bechna kyu chahte ho?

Biju: Saab, main tang aa gaya hoon usse. Mujhe lagta hai usko maar hi dunga ek din. Aur uske haraam pillon ko bhi. 3-4 pillon ko bech chuka hoon. Yeh 2 bache hai bas.

Biju showed me the two dogs, and Dhiru confirmed that they belonged to Rosie and were about a year old. Surprisingly one dog was about 90% black and 10% white, and the other the complete opposite.

Me: Yeh kya hai? Ek kaala hai aur doosra gora

Biju: Aur kya hoga saab? Har koi kutte se chudegi to aise rang birange pille hi paida honge na. Tabhi to aapko sirf hazaar mein bech raha hoon

I felt it was a good deal, and I trusted Dhiru on this one. I bought the dogs, and named them Rinnie and Vinnie - one was a girl and the other a boy. I asked Dhiru to watch on them, since I did not want them to accidentally start humping each other in a few weeks time. For god’s sake, they were siblings! But that is how the village was. Discussing sex lives of your pet dogs at length in the open was considered normal and usual.

Over time, I grew fond of the general silence around me. The magnitude of silence increased as the day went by. In that silence, I started to observe and listen to nature as much as I could. Silence that is usually this uncomfortable space of air between people or entities, turned refreshing and soothing. In that silence, there was an introspection that had the power to take me on a ride ranging anywhere between the past, the future and within - deep within. That silence was so intimate that I don’t think I would ever be able to share it with anybody else. It belongs to me - just me. The forms of chirpings, burbles, fizzles, pitter-patters, ripples, murmurs, rustles - all of them started to feel like music to the ears. I guess I learnt to realise the simplicity of things around me and the power of observation to find beauty within that simplicity.

A few months passed by and the monsoons were soon approaching. The weather was fine and clear for now. The conifers were soon springing up to their usual self. The onset of monsoons also meant that it was the month of the festival ‘Singi’ for the tribal people who stayed at a nearby village ‘Singrawa’, about 1000 ft. higher when compared with HaraTopi. Dhiru narrated me the legend of this festival Singi. I have known Dhiru to narrate a few unbelievable incidents in the past - the three legged eagle of the size of a piglet that created havoc many years back; that after the Mahabharata, Ashwathama was roaming around the jungles a few hundreds of kilometres away from HaraTopi and as a result those jungles are now cursed with poor vegetation; few parts of a song from the hit movie ‘Jab We Met’ were shot at the foothills of HaraTopi. I assumed he was either hungover from the previous night or was plain lying.

But the legend of Singi was a notch above all of these stories. According to Dhiru, the festival of Singi is celebrated only in the night time post sun-set. The ceremony is blessed by the leader of the tribe. Soon after, they offer their prayers to their ‘Goddess of Procreation’ named ‘Miriya’ who is suppose to save the future generations of the tribe. This is followed by a feast of umpteen meat consumption, booze and as Dhiru calls it ‘kaala sutta’. 

Me: Kaala sutta? Yeh kya hai?

Dhiru: Wahi saab aap marte ho na! Nashe ke liye.

The interesting part is after this. It seems the unmarried women are dressed in their best attire and jewellery during the feast. The men start picking a woman of their choice, and if the woman agrees - they have sex for the night. 

Dhiru: Ladkiya mast tayyar rehti hai. Woh aag ke saamne line mei khade ho jaati hai. Aur aapko jo marzi hai, chun lo. Agar ladki maan gayi to raat bhar chudaai chalti hai saab.

Me: Dhiru, kuch bhi bakwaas karta hai tu!

Dhiru: Nahi saab. Chahe to bolo, leke chalta hoon. Par ek hi problem hai. Waha raat mein jaana padega. Raat ke 7-8 baje se pehle entry nahi milti hai. Aur ek phal aata hai ‘Arkoodi’ bolke. Usko kha lo to raat bhar daudoge.

Me: Yeh koi cinema theatre hai kya ki entry nahi milegi. Aur nahi, mujhe koi arkoodi nahi khaani hai. Aur mujhe jaana bhi nahi hai!

Dhiru: Waise, shadi karna zaroori nahi hai. Bachcha ho gaya to ho gaya bas, unka sarpanch hi sab kuch dekh lega. Waise, kuch din mei unke ladkiyan yahaan saamaan khareedne aayenge. Aap hi dekh lo.

I was neither in a mood to leave my progeny at the mercy of their ‘sarpanch’ (tribal leader) nor in a position to get married to a sex-deprived female from the tribes of Singrawa. But listening to such amusing stories of Dhiru made my day, and talking to people like Biju kept my day interesting at its best. 

Life was definitely better than I had imagined. I had never thought that I would meet a variety of people. But having a fancy bar at a fairly travelled tourist place helped me. And being the conversationalist that I am, sometimes I did get to speak to my customers at length. My customers so far have included - a transgender couple who were open enough to discuss about their issues with the current judicial and societal system; a Nizam of Hyderabad who lost most of his ancestral wealth due to the forceful annexures by the Government of India and had eloped to Burma unable to pay off his debts; a famous rock musician (who prefers to be unnamed) in his 60s now, who has traveled the world and went on boasting at length about his sexual escapades with women from about 80 odd countries; an adventurer who had cycled all the way from Rajasthan to Sweden; a man in his 30s who was handsomely paid to accept a rape he had not committed as a minor and now, post-release, was spending his money travelling the world; a retired businessman who narrated the experiences of his grandfather who gamed the system to be a juror on multiple criminal cases and made it a way of life. And trust me, these are just the tip of the iceberg. I should probably narrate these conversations (censoring the private parts of the conversations, of course) to you. But let me keep that for another day.

A few days passed by and as Dhiru had mentioned, the women from Singrawa came to HaraTopi to buy clothes and jewellery. There were a couple of local guys with the ‘monthly card’ who were drinking at my bar. It was about 4pm and was a time a bit too early for the tourists to pour in. As the women from Singrawa waited for someone to come pick them up on a cycle for a ride back to Singrawa, the two guys started uttering something that disturbed me. They would point at a woman and say either ‘Choot’ or ‘Bhosada’. I was curious about what they were talking and approached them. On questioning them with a tone that indicated I do not mind using my fists on them, they revealed that if they think a Singrawa woman is a virgin, they would shout ‘choot’, and if they think she is already impregnated, they would shout ‘bhosada’. I lost of mind for some inexplicable reason, and gritting my teeth said “Kato yaha se. Warna yahi beer bottle tumhare pichwade mei ghusaake bhosada bana dunga”. I think I would have hit them that evening.

Retrospectively, even though this incident seems to be a minor one, it left me in a philosophical turmoil. My nature of reaction was perhaps uncalled for. What those two men were talking was in a pseudo-private setting - so why did I almost ambush them? Was there really something derogatory in their tone? Why is a sexual joke a taboo and why cant it be as integral as any other topic? Why can’t being a virgin or not, be discussed with the same comfort as being educated or not? In fact, who was I to judge them? Had I not agreed that I will not judge anyone but hypocrites? Am I the moral police now? Why did I behave in such a volatile, aggressive manner out of the blue, which is so uncharacteristic of me? Am I getting too comfortable with this place that I care about how people behave and act? Am I intending to turn HaraTopi into my home? Is it time for me to leave? When do I ever know what is the right time to leave? Am I waiting for some sign? Is there a sign? Is this a sign?

I pondered over this thought for a few days. Dhiru could make out that something was worrying me. Maybe, so did Rinnie and Vinnie. The monsoons were soon arriving and the gloomy clouds were reflecting my thoughts to some extent. I felt I had seen enough of this place. The very fact that my behaviour could affect Dhiru and the dogs told me that this was turning into my home. I did not want them to miss me when I was gone. And I did not want to miss them and this place when I was gone. But no matter how hard you try every living being - humans, animals and the rest of nature - gets mentally attached to one another over a period of interaction. Familiarity is the mother of all longingness. I had not signed up for this, and I realised I should be leaving soon. It was, perhaps, time.

The monsoons arrived the next day. The clouds were as dark as they could get at HaraTopi. It was quite a heavy shower that evening. The bar was open as usual, perhaps for one of the last few times. A bearded gentleman with grey hair, in a red jacket and khaki coloured shorts entered the bar. He closed his umbrella by the door. He clearly looked like someone from the cities. He came by the bar and took a seat. He started glancing at the alcohol cabinet and seemed to be making a choice of his drink. He seemed like someone with a keen sense of observation.

Me: Sir, kya lenge aap? Daaru peeyoge? Main yeh recommend..

<Cutting me short> Him: Meri bas chali to daaru se naha lunga

Me: Haha.. bahar baarish ka mausam hai sir. Aur bhi options hai nahaane ke liye

Him: Kaafi suna hai aapka yeh bar ke baare mein. Kaha se ho?

Me: Sir, kal ka parwah nahi lekhin abhi to main yaha se hi hoon

Him: Lagta hai kaafi cinema dekhte ho (looking around) aur kitaabein bhi padhte honge

Me: Yes, Sir. I do. How about you?

Him: I write. Watching or reading something makes me jealous. So I avoid others’ works of art

Me: Interesting. What do you write?

Him: Get me the best whiskey you have in the house. On the rocks.

I got him his drink and waited for his answer. He took a couple of sips and turned towards me.

Him: Do you keep cigarettes? 

Me: Yes, Sir. Would you like..

<Cutting me short> Him: Do you have Camels?

It was extremely odd that he would ask me for Camels. Why would anyone keep Camels in a place like HaraTopi? And even if they did, why would someone expect this to be a default choice to ask? But I smoked Camels. Ever since I read that Tipu (from the book ‘In Through the Back Door’) flees to Delhi out of his angst and tries Camels during one of his night-outs in the city, I had romanticised trying them out someday. I always got the Camels couriered from Delhi for my personal consumption, along with the alcohol for the bar.

Me: Sir, I do not sell Camels. But I smoke them. You can borrow from my pack.

As I handed the pack to him, in that moment I realised that this was a familiar face. The media-shy author of ‘In Through the Back Door’, Bhagwan, was sitting in front of me. He had a beard now and seemed to have lost weight. Behenchod, yeh to wahi aadmi hai. Pooch hi leta hoon.

Me: Sir, are you the author Bhagwan?

Bhagwan: That is how the world knows of me. I am otherwise known as Surinder Koli.

Me: Sir, I am a huge fan of yours. ‘In Through the Back Door’ is my favourite book. I have..

<Cutting me short> Bhagwan: Good lord. What are the odds! I come here once in a while to reminiscence my writing days of the book. I read on Trip Advisor that a young man from the cities has opened a fancy bar here. Wait, let me take a punt. You were inspired by my book, a situation arose in your life and you decided to come to HaraTopi?

This literally made me shake where I stood. I had not told anyone about this - not the Colonel, not Dhiru, not my friends back in the city. In fact, most of my friends did not know my exact location right now. How on earth could he guess this? Or is it so straight-forward and is he making me seem stupid?

Me: Sir, you are right. I quit my job, sold my properties and came here. Tipu and your book have always been an inspiration. I thought..

<Cutting me short and laughing> Bhagwan: Mujhe pata tha duniya mein chutiyon ki kami nahi hai. 

Me: What do you mean?

Bhagwan: Yeh bar aur aapko dekh ke lagta hai kaafi shaukeen aadmi ho. Shayad ameer bhi honge. You seem educated. The world out there would probably do better with a person like you. And look at you. Here you are! What difference are you making? You think running a bar in some secluded village will make you immortal like some childhood hero from the books?

Me: I do not want to be immortal. I just want to be free from all the traditional expectations of the society and the..

<Cutting me short, again> Bhagwan: Make me another drink.

I tried to gather myself through the rush of emotions - from a fanboy moment to the shock that he had deciphered me to the confusion that he was suggesting me to live life in a different way. I poured him another drink.

Bhagwan: Kitaabein padhne ke liye hai bas. Inspire hoke chutiyaape karne ke liye nahi hai. In the real world, people like you have to work on challenges such as publishing, cutting costs of book production and making books more accessible to people through technology. If everyone gets inspired and runs away being a ‘free spirit’ like that Tipu, people like me would die. We would all go back in time where we led a primitive agrarian life.

Me: But is that not what you professed through your book? Tipu represented all the rebellion that a teenager expresses in this country. Tipu was a hero..

Bhagwan: Tipu bawla tha. Waise, woh sirf kitaabon ke pannon mein hai. Gutter mein fek do, ya jala do - do second mein mar jaega. Kis duniya mein jee rahe ho? If everyone gets inspired by art - then the world would have come to an end after watching apocalyptic movies. Art is to be read, watched, heard and forgotten. Art is not meant to be followed as a way of life. Maan lo koi Mahabharat padhke Arjun se inspire ho gaya. Pata hai Arjun ne kitne kaand kiye the? Do you know how many wives he had and what he did to his son Iravan?

Me: I don’t know. But I assumed you actually believed in the message of your book. I thought you were..

<Cutting me short> Bhagwan: Bol raha tha na duniya mein chutiyon ki kami nahi hai. Jab tak tum jaise log ho, mere jaise kalakaar aapko banaate rahenge. I have a family to take care of. I have desires to lead a comfortable life. I need to sell books in order to achieve all that. This is what any artist does - create an art that reciprocates with the needs of the contemporary consumer. That need can be sexuality, madness, revenge, patriotism, rightist or a leftist ideology, laughter, or sometimes teenage angst. Make the consumer go crazy - that is it.

Me: Unbelievable! Kaisa insaan ho aap? Dekhiye, sirf apka naam Bhagwan hai, aur aap khud ko asli bhagwan samajhke baithe ho. What you are saying is..

<Cutting me short> Bhagwan: Make me another drink.

I wondered if I should ask him to leave, or just play my usual self of being a host who is having a conversation with one of his customers. I wondered. I poured him a drink, reluctantly. 

Bhagwan: I guess the tempers are flaring. Look, it is your life. I was just trying to save you from a future disappointment. It feels rebellious now to give up on the society and be liberated from the traditional goals of life. But you will regret this in the future. 

<Trying to compose myself> Me: Well, thank you for your concern. But I think I am capable of taking my own decisions. 

In that moment I realised that this guy was perhaps the biggest hypocrite I had ever seen in my life. I did not have anymore respect for him. It would have been a mammoth gulp in the throat, but this first hand experience made me realise the true Bhagwan in one instant of a finger snap. 

<Lighting a Camel cigarette> Bhagwan: Look at you! You smoke the same cigarettes as Tipu. Even after all these years. You cannot deny that that book is your inspiration. And it surprises me that you are in no mood to listen to me now.

Me: You are a fucking hypocrite. I’d rather not listen to anything from a man like you. 

Bhagwan then took a last sip from his glass, looked for his wallet and left a two thousand rupee note on the table. He took a long hard puff of the Camel, and blew it up in the air.

Bhagwan: Well, you have already listened enough (referring to the book) of this hypocrite. And that has changed your life. And that has made all the difference.

Bhagwan took his umbrella and left.  It had stopped raining by now, and the dark clouds had started to pass away for the day.

After a few seconds Rinnie and Vinnie came running towards me, expecting my undivided attention since there was no customer at the bar. They started licking me, as they always fondly did. It felt good to be back in a world where living beings were simple and so were the relationships.

[wildraceafricasafaris]

10 days / 9 Nights Amboseli-lewa Conservancy -Masai Mara fly in Kenya Safari

Top 3 Kenya best National Parks bringing you up close with the African Big Cat’s Animals - Elephants (Mount Kilimanjaro view)- lewa wilderness and Masai Mara game reserve- you don’t wanna be left out

On a trip inspired by wild race Africa Kenya's iconic wildlife, meet grantees working throughout the country to protect elephants, rhinos, and big cats.

Set out on African wildlife safari in three wildlife conservancies known for their high concentrations of African megafauna: Amboseli National Park blessed with Mount Kilimanjaro view, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and Masai Mara National Reserve.

In Nairobi, interact with orphaned elephants at the renowned David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, featured in the September 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine.

Delve into Samburu culture during a village visit, and learn about wildlife conservation efforts carried out in partnership with local Maasai communities

In the rolling grasslands of southern Kenya, experience a fascinating and fragile ecosystem through the eyes of people dedicated to saving it. Embark on game drives in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, and track rare species like African wild dogs and white and black rhinos through the thriving Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. 

In the legendary Masai Mara, observe herds of zebras and wildebeests—and the fierce predators that hunt them. Along the way, meet researchers, wildlife biologists, and conservationists who are confronting poaching and habitat loss in East Africa head-on.

Day 1: Nairobi - Amboseli National Park

Arrive at the airport in Nairobi, where our staff will be on hand to facilitate your transfer to the hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodations:Tamarind Tree Hotel

Day 2: Full day Exploring Amboseli National Park 

Fly to Amboseli National Park, a conservancy of far-reaching grass and marshlands irrigated by underground runoff streams from Mount Kilimanjaro. These landscapes provide a habitat for hundreds of elephants, making the park one of the best places in Africa to spot these majestic pachyderms. Enjoy a safari en route to our sustainable safari lodge, set within view of Mount Kilimanjaro—the world’s highest freestanding peak. After lunch and time to settle into your tent, set out on an afternoon safari, on the lookout for cheetahs, lions, zebras, and other creatures scattered across the endless savanna.

Meals Included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations:Tortilis Camp

Day 3: Amboseli National Park tour

Go on African safari in Amboseli and learn about elephant behavior while seeking out resident herds. As we travel across the grasslands, keep an eye out for the savanna’s smaller creatures, including some of the more than 400 bird species that have been identified here—from superb starlings to grey crowned cranes. Spend an afternoon at the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, home to the longest running study of wild elephants in the world. Its director, Cynthia Moss, has received support from the National Geographic Society for her work. Meet with project researchers to hear about their time in the field observing herd dynamics and collecting biological samples.

Meals Included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations:Tortilis Camp

Day 4: Amboseli National Park - Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

Fly to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, 62,000 acres of golden savanna dotted with iconic umbrella thorn trees on the northern flanks of Mount Kenya. Considered a model in the conservation field, this healthy wildlife habitat is home to a number of rare species, including the reticulated giraffe, the dazzling Grevy’s zebra, and African wild dogs.

Lewa and the neighboring Borana Conservancy also harbor roughly 15 percent of Kenya’s entire rhino population. Settle into your tented camp; then set out on safari to track these and countless other creatures, and cap off your day sipping sundowners on the savanna.

Meals Included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations:Lewa Safari Camp

Day 5: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy 

If you wish, rise at daybreak for a birding walk, spotting avian species flitting and fluttering amid the grasses. Lewa is home to more than 350 bird species, including beauties like the lilac-breasted roller, Hartlaub’s turaco, and the variable sunbird.

Or see Lewa from a different perspective on a thrilling bushwalk. Tread in the tracks of lions, rhinos, and leopards; spot tiny members of the ecosystem; and learn to identify local flora. Later, meet with members of Lewa’s award-winning security team, whose effective patrolling of the reserve has ensured that not a single rhino has been poached in the past three years (to date). If you wish, join the team and their highly effective tracking dogs on a simulated patrol of the conservancy.

Meals Included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations:Lewa Safari Camp

Day 6: Lewa wilderness Conservancy tour 

After breakfast, choose an excursion: Venture into the Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve and traverse hanging bridges strung through the canopy for a chance to spot black-and-white colobus monkeys swinging among the trees; then take a refreshing swim beneath a waterfall. Or delve into Samburu culture during a village visit, and see how traditional dwellings are constructed. This evening, enjoy another safari, followed by a festive dinner in the bush.

Meals Included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations:Lewa Safari Camp

Day 7: Lewa Wildlife conservancy - Masai Mara Game Reserve

Take a final safari in Lewa en route to the airstrip, then fly to the legendary Masai Mara National Reserve. Settle into our stunning safari camp, located on the edge of the Soit Ololol (or Oloololo) Escarpment in a private concession that shares an unfenced border with Masai Mara—but is free of the reserve’s crowds. After lunch, get an intimate look at the area’s legendary landscapes on an open-vehicle wildlife drive.

Meals Included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations:andBeyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp

Day 8: Masai Mara and the great wildebeest Migration experience 

At first light, head out on safari to track the animals that traversed the area during the night. View plains game such as Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, topi and eland antelopes—as well as their stealthy Big Cats predators—at one of their most active times of the day. 

This area is reputed to have one of the highest concentrations of predators in all of Africa. Glimpse large pods of hippos submerged up to their nostrils in the Mara River and crocodiles sunbathing on the shore. Then set out on an evening safari along the shores of the Mara River.

Meals Included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations:andBeyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp

Day 9: Full days Masai Mara Big Cats Trails

Breakfast and Later, set off on one last safari, then toast our adventure during a farewell dinner under a starlit sky.

Meals Included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations:andBeyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp

Day10: Masai Mara National Park - Nairobi

Return to Nairobi to meet Wild Race Africa for the Naitobi city tour excursions.Visiting the Giraffe Centre, where the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe is bred in captivity before being released into the wild.

Continue to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the world’s most successful rescue and rehabilitation program for orphaned elephants.

Enjoy the opportunity to shadow the center's caretakers and get up close to the elephants during their afternoon feeding. Later, transfer to the airport for your flight home

Talk to us ..

Simon Milambo

Independent African Safari Expert.

Wildrace Africa Safari tours and travel .  


WhatApp & Face time: +254 725 971 349

Safari Booking Office Tel: + 254 725 971 349

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[safariporini-blog]

Tanzania Camping Safari 5 Days

Itinerary Highlights

Duration:  5 Days Category:  Safari, Northern circuit Destinations: Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti Attraction: Tarangire river, Big Five Budget Level:  Standard Tour Guides Language: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Start in: Arusha End in: Arusha Packing list: Camera with enough zoom and memory space and extra batteries, binoculars, light clothes, safari boot, mosquito repellents, sunhat, sunglasses with ultraviolet radiation filtering etc. Extra info:  Rangers will escort all walking along the wildlife areas.

Itinerary Summary

The safari will take you to northern circuit famous national parks  to the fascinating baobab woodlands of Tarangire the Ngorongoro where man and wildlife have been peacefully shared the land. Day 1-ARUSHA-TARANGIRE Arrival at Arusha airport with morning flight picked up and proceed with a strait drive to Tarangire National park which known as a home of Elephants with picnic lunch proceeding with game drive in the middle of the park and be able to observe the big herds of Elephants 5-10 and sometimes up to 20 though do not forget to peal your eyes on top of trees as you might be able to spot a Leopard game drive till late evening dinner and overnight Jambo Campsite here hot water shower is possible. Day 2 TARANGIRE-SERENGETI After breakfast and parking all the camping equipment’s boarding in the safari vehicle leave park to Serengeti via Manyara to rift valley escapements towards the Serengeti national Park today you have an option of visiting the Masaai village on your way to Serengeti, reaching Serengeti by the evening having your evening game drive towards Seronera campsite for dinner and overnight here you will have a cold water shower. Day 3-SERENGETI-FULL DAY Early morning 6 Am o’clock weak up after a hot cup of coffee or tea, leave the camp for morning game viewing to the heart of Serengeti national park while enjoying the Morning beautiful sun rises a full day tour on the Serengeti plains will offer you a maximum wildlife visibility and today expect to see as many wildlife as possible like lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, buffalos, hyenas, jackals, topis, impalas, gazelles, hippos, with many more and if you a birds lover this is your time to spot as many birds as you can and your driver guide will help you to recognize their names and species, you will proceed with game drive till very late in the evening just after sun set observation then you will drive back to the camp for meals and overnight at Pimbi campsite. Day 4- SERENGETI-NGORONGORO Early morning 6 Am o’clock weak up after a hot cup of coffee or tea, leave the camp for morning game viewing to heart of Serengeti national park while enjoying the Morning beautiful sun rises though it’s going To be chill in the morning, get on with the game drive till on the midday drive back to camp for full breakfast and Lunch which means a Branch. Then leave the camp for Ngorongoro Conservation area while you are keeping having game en route towards Ngorongoro dinner and overnight at Simba Campsite where you may have a hot water shower. Day 5-NGORONGORO CRATER-ARUSHA After breakfast having picnic lunch with you a short drive to descending gate and drive down the crater floor 650 meters deep for a half day game drive crater and if one is lucky can see rhinoceros the only remaining Tanzanian Black Rhinos, Though the crater has a number of permanent residence animals due to permanent water available throughout the year therefore many of the animals prefer to stay though they are free to come in and out the crater. Thus expect to see a lot of wildlife very close to the road if ones luck will Lions, Zebras, Wildebeest, Hyenas, Jackals, Gazelles, Hippos, After lunch ascend on the crater rim and the trip back to Arusha and drop off at your booked hotel for dinner and overnight.

TOUR PRICE INCLUDE

Transport 4WD with pop up roof Accommodations full board in Tents Meals 3 Times a day breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Entry Park fees Ngorongoro crater fees Camping fees Tents, Sleeping Bags, Table, Chairs, Mattress/Foams Mineral water all days in Safari

TOUR PRICE EXCLUDED

All things of personal nature Airport Transfer Tips and gratitude’s for Driver Guide and Safari Chef/cook Visas and airport Taxes Travel Insurance International air flight ticket departure taxes Laundry Services Read the full article

[himalayanasiatrek]

Best Guide to Nepal – Nepal Tour Package Guide

To the north of India and south of Tibet (China), lies the Nepal, nestled in the mountain ranges of the mighty Himalayas. Nepal is situated in the heart of the Asian continent and has served as a meeting place of two of the world’s greatest civilizations –the Indian and the Chinese. From these civilizations, Nepal has developed an individual culture which dates back t a period much earlier than the Christian era or that of Gautam Buddha, who was born in Nepal 2600 years ago. The group of small prosperous kingdoms comprising the land had already been established for many centuries. Nepal has often been described as the Home of Gods and temples or shrines are dominant on the Nepalese landscape. For centuries it has remained, unsullied by foreign invasion, as the land of legend and the Forbidden City.

Sightseeing Place for Nepal Tour Package:

Kathmandu Valley: The Kathmandu valley is situated at an altitude of 1336 meters and capital city of Nepal also. The rich tapestry of the cultural heritage of Nepal is synthesized in the Kathmandu valley, the home of the ancient and sophisticated Newari culture. The Newars are the indigenous inhabitants of the valley and the creators of the splendid civilization of its three cities: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. The skillfully built temples and palaces, delicately engraved stone and metal images, carved wooden columns and pillars, and the history laden shrines and Chaityas of these three historical cities stand testimony to the Newar’s artistic achievements.

Kathmandu Durbar Square ( Hanuman Dhoka) : Kathmandu durbar Square is the historic seat of royalty and with its old temples and palaces , epitomizes the religious and cultural life of the people. It is here that kings of Nepal were crowned and their coronations solemnized. Best things inside Kathmandu Durbar Square are: Taleju Temple (1549 AD) , Kal Bhairav  : the god of destruction , Nautalle Durbar  , Coronation Nasal Chok , the Gaddi Baithak , Big Drum , Jaganath Temple and other temple & shrines. The other main thing of inside Kathmandu Durbar Square is Kumari Temple. Kumari (Vestal Virgin ) or the Living Goddess , who represents a very ancient Hindu deity of Nepal locally known as Taleju , is Buddhist by birth. The building has intricately carved wooden balconies and window screens. The Kumari acknowledges greeting from her balcony window. Once a year , during Indra Jatra festival , the head of states of Nepal (President) seeks the Kumari’s blessing.

Budhanilkantha Temple: Budhanilkantha Temple is one of the holy temple for Hindi followers which is located north side of Kathmandu at the base of Shivapuri hill a remarkable colossal statue of Lord Vishnu, reclining on a bed of snakes. This is one of the masterpieces of stone scoltures of the Lichchhavi period.

Changu Narayan Temple: Changu Narayan Temple is one of the oldest temples in Kathmandu Valley which was built by King Hari Dutta in 323 AD and listed in UNESCO. Now days From Nagarkot to Changu Narayan Temple and vice versa is one of the famous one day hiking tour in Kathmandu Valley.

Khokana : Khokana is a typical Newari farming village which is located southern part of Kathmandu that encircles the two cities of Kathmandu and Patan. Khokana village begins with a wide of cobbled street and in the middle of the main street lies the temple of Shekali Mai, Khokana’s local mother Goddess. Khokana is famous for mustard oil , which is still made in traditional way and spun woolen yarn.

Namo Buddha : Namo Buddha is situated on a hill above Panauti : a unique Newar community village . In here, you will visit Thrangu Tashi Yangtse and very peaceful place. Nowdays Namobuddha to Nagarkot is one of the best hiking route near Kathmandu valley.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square : Bhaktapur or the city of Devotees still retains a medieval charm and visitors to this town are treated to myriad wonders of cultural and artistic achievements. The past glory of the Malla rulers continues to be reflected st the Durbar Square. Bhaktapur is famous for wood carving and the Bhadgaolen topi or Cap. Bhaktapur Durbar Square includes The Golden Gate , The Palace of 55 Windows Batsala Devi and more things in there.

Patan Durbar Square : Patan Durbar Square is located in the heart city , constitutes the focus of the visitors attraction. The Square is full of ancient palaces , temples and shrines , noted for their exquisite carvings. Inside Durbar Square , there are 3 main chowk or courtyards named Mul Chok , Sundari Chok and Keshar Chok . The main attraction is a maserpiece of ston architecture , the Royal Bath Tushahity .

Around Pokhara Valley : Pokhara , an enchanting city nestled in the tranquil valley , is starting point for Nepal’s most Trekking Package in Nepal   like Annapurna Region Trekking : Annapurna Base Camp Trek , Upper Mustang Trekking , Ghandruk Ghorepani Trek. The serenity of Phewa Lake , Begnas Lake and magnificence of the Fish Tail , Dhaulagiri and Annapurna Range rising behind it create an ambience of peace and magic. Pokhara Valley surrounding by thick forest , gushing rivers , clear lakes, and the world famous views of the Himalayan.

Chitwan : Chitwan is one of the fines national park in the Asia renowned for its dense concentration of wildlife and top class tourist hotel , which provide the opportunity to see animals in their natural habitat. Chitwan which means the heart of the jungle is among the last surviving examples of the continuous band of forests and grasslands which once extended from the Indus river in Pakistan to the Burmese boarder. The main attraction here is the Chitwan National Park , one of the largest forest regions in Asia with wildlife such as the rare great one – horned rhinoceros , several species of deer , sloth beer , leopard, wild boar, fresh water , amazing sunset view from Rapti River , Tharu culture and their life style.

Lumbini : Lumbini , the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam , the Shakya prince and the ultimate Buddhha, the Enlightened One , is the pilgrimage destination of the world’s millions of people faithful to all schools of Buddhism. This nativity site, identified by Indian Emperor Ashoka’s comme –morative pillar is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The main attraction at the Lumbini remains the sacred Garden spread over 8 sq km and possessing all the treasures of the historic area. The Mayadevi Temple is the main attraction for pilgrims and archaeologist alike. Here we find a bas relief of Mayadevi, the mother of Buddha giving birth to him.

There are other famous places to visit for Nepal Tour Package like Nagarkot , Dhulikhel , Godawari, Bandipur , Sarangkot, Palpa, Daman, World Peace Stupa.

For exploring Nepal, Himalayan Asia Treks has given some outlined itinerary like Kathmandu Pokhara Tour , Kathmandu Pokhara Chitwan Tour , Nepal Circuit Tour .

[moonlighttoursexpedition]

19 Days East Africa Wildlife Tours Kilimanjaro Trekking Adventure Africa Expedition

19 Days East Africa Wildlife Tours Kilimanjaro Trekking Adventure Africa Expedition

East Africa is most often perceived as a flat arid Savannah, the 19 days Kenya and Tanzania Combined Kilimanjaro Climbing Safari. Tanzania & Kenya Combined Safari Covers East African Parks, Ngorongoro Crater 2 days, 1 day Tarangire and 6 Days Kenya Safari, Kenya and Tanzania Camping Safari 19 days and 18 Nights Safari

Day 1: Arrival In Entebe - Kampala Upon arrival you will be met by Innocent (Adventure Africa person in Uganda) who will drive you to the hotel where you will review the adventure program with him again and ask any questions pertaining to the trek. Overnight in Kampala Fairway Hotel B/B Day 2: Kampala – Bwindi impenetrable forest An early morning start from Kampala takes you south west and across the Equator; you will drive through savannah grasslands seeing banana plantations and herds of Ankole cattle with their long carving horns. You then ascend into the Kkigezi Highlands known as the "Switzerland of Africa"with terraced farming and mountain scenery. Lunch break in Mbarara, and then proceed to Buhoma Lodges.This will be a long day drive which takes 8-10hrs. Day 3: Gorilla trekking

After an early morning breakfast proceed for a briefing by park rangers/ guilds enter the gorilla securer for your adventure, the beauty if this rains forest is spectacular, the area offers a dramatic steeply forest landscape and is incredibly dense but cris-crossed by numerous animals trails allowing access to tourist the time taken and the terrain varies with the movements of these great primates. The thrill of spending time observing these great and endangered giants is awesome, exciting experience. Many find it rare and moving opportunity. Dinner and overnight at lodges Day 4: Bwindi impenetrable forest – Ishasha sector After breakfast, enjoy our drive from Bwindi Impenetrable to Ishasha sector part of queen Elizabeth national park, famous for its tree climbing lions dinner and overnight at Savannah Resort Day 5: Ishasha sector – Queen Elizabeth national park

Depart from ishasha sector and enjoy your ride to the northern sector Queen Elizabeth national park systems of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers and swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is home to incredible abundance of wildlife. Lions, leopards, elephants, cape buffalo's, forest hogs, Uganda kobs, giant forest hogs, bush backs, water backs, with this vast arrays of Uganda wildlife. Dinner and overnight at Bush lodge Day 6: Queen Elizabeth national park Start your day with an early morning game drive, in the afternoon visit the volcanic area of Queen Elizabeth N.P. with its many salt lakes and extinct craters, in the afternoon take a boat cruise on Kazinga Channel, which joins lakes George, and Edward. From the comfort of your boat you can watch for elephant and other game on the shore. Hippopotamus, crocodiles and water birds can be seen along the banks. Dinner and overnight at Bush lodge Day 7: Queen Elizabeth NP - Lake Mburo NP Enjoy your early morning chimp trek at the kyambura gorge and there after depart to lake mburo national park, enjoy a game drive while entering the park dinner and overnight at Rock Rwebock Day 8: Lake mburo – Kampala - Arusha Enjoy your morning breakfast and there after depart from Lake Mburo and transfer to Kampala or the airport and head straight to Kia Arusha. Upon arrival you will be picked up and be transferred to Arusha Tourist Inn Hotel for dinner and overnight. Day 9: Arusha - Serengeti Pickup at 0730am after the breakfast, then head to Serengeti, the drive normally takes about 5hrs.on arrival check in the lodge and then proceed for the late afternoon game drive until 1830hrs.return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. Day 10: Full day Serengeti

After the breakfast leave the lodge for the whole day game drive, on this day you will have picnic lunch with you so that you can have quality time in the park. Explore the park until 1830hrs and then return to the lodge for dinner and overnight Day 11: Serengeti - Ngorongoro Morning game drive ad early ae 6am until 0930am return to the lodge for main breakfast as you check out and proceed for the final game drive as you head in Ngorongoro. Dinner and overnight in the lodge Day 12: Ngorongoro – Arusha Early morning breakfast, check out the lodge and then go down the crater. Spend the whole day exploring the crater; here you will be able to see the big five as well as cheetah. There after ascend and proceed back to Arusha and drive straight to the the hotel

Day 13: Arusha - Amboseli After the breakfast check out the hotel and drive to the border where you will be met by our Kenyan driver who will proceed to Amboseli for Lunch.

Day 14: Amboseli Full Day After the breakfast proceed for the full day of game viewing in the Park. Amboseli National Park is located at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain. The snows of the mountain form a majestic backdrop to one of Kenya's most popular spectacular displays of wildlife - lion, elephant, leopard, rhino,cheetah, buffalo and host of plains game, creating Kenya's most sought after photographer's paradise. You will have lunch and leisure break at look out point or at the observation hill for the peak of Kilimanjaro which may be seen in clear weather. Large herds of elephant and hippo can be seen bathing swamp grounds whose water source is Mt. Kilimanjaro. After lunch proceed for another gamed drive which will take you until 1830hrs where you will return to the Camp for Dinner and overnight in Amboseli Camp or lodge

Day 15:  Amboseli - Lake Nakuru Wake up call, then have a cup of hot coffee, then proceed for the early morning game drive, this will take you until 0930hrs where you will return to the Camp of Lodge for Main breakfast, there after you can decide to go for a short walk with the Masai morans and then leave for Lake Naivasha arriving late afternoon. On arrival check in and then proceed for the boar ride for about 1 hour. Dinner and overnight in the camp

Day 16: Lake Naivasha - Masai Mara

After the breakfast proceed to the floor of rift valley, You will watch enthralling Rift valley with it's vast vegetation and the sun rays kissing the far and wide stretching mountains in the surrounding. The Great Rift Valley has been reckoned as a wonder of the world stretching from the Middle East passing through Africa and has a great and vast chunk in East African part and ends in Mozambique in the South. After about 15-20min of getting history you will proceed to Narok. Narok is a town west of Nairobi that supports Kenya's economy in south-west of the country, along the Great Rift Valley. Narok is the district capital of the Narok County and stands as the major center of commerce in the district. Narok has a population of around 40,000 people, mostly Masai. The Masai, natives of Narok district, refer to Narok as  Narok (meaning black water or dark water) named after, Enkare Narok, the river flowing through Narok town. The elevation of Narok is 1827 meters (5,997 feet) in altitude. You will have your hot lunch here and there after proceed to Masai Mara, on arrival you will be received by our Masai Mara Staffs and then assist you to check in the Camp, leave for the late afternoon game drive which starts immediately upon your arrival, this game drive offers you the 1st day 1 evening big 5 kill as well as Africa Sunset around 1830hrs, then our driver will drive you back to the Lodged where you will be served with Africa food in the Lodge. Day 17: Masai Mara Game Reserve Full Day Masai Mara is situated in south-west Kenya and is one of Africa’s Greatest Wildlife Reserves. Together with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania it forms Africa’s most diverse, incredible and most spectacular Eco-Systems and possibly the world’s top safari big game viewing Eco-System. I am sure you have heard the wildebeest migration is nothing short of amazing. It is one of the things you have do add to your bucket list. This will be the full day explore the Masai Mara, breakfast will be served as early as 0730am, then our cook will pack for you fresh picnic lunch since the whole day will be exploring the Masai Mara famous 7th wonders of the World. This game reserve is Kenya's finest wildlife sanctuary. Including migrants, well over 450 species of animals have been recorded here. Mara plains are filled with migrating wildebeest and zebra, there is also resident wildlife year round. The Mara's gentle fertile climate bounded by The Rift, offers perhaps the richest stocked reserve set within some 1672 sq km - an unlimited spectacle of wildlife. Located 268 km west of Nairobi, the emphasis here is on game. Herds of immense Elephants, browse among Lion, Buffalo, Thompson Gazelle, Zebra and Topi. You may occasionally sight black Rhino. In the Mara River Hippos play and Cross bask on the banks. The annual migration of a million Wildebeest follows the rains north.After exploring the park return to the camp for dinner and overnight.

Day 18: Masai Mara - Lake Nakuru You will have a wake up call as early as 0600am, you will have hot African Coffee or Tea and then proceed for Pre - morning game drive as from 06:30hrs for the next 3 hours until 0930hrs, then our driver will drive you back to the camp where you will be served with full breakfast as you check out the camp to proceed to Lake Nakuru, if willing on this day you can as well visit the Masai Village for one hour and learn more of the Masai Culture, lunch will be in Narok town or ( Mai Mahiu) hot water after lunch proceed to Lake Nakuru and arriving early evening and if time allows you will have short game drive as you head to the Lake Lodge

Day 19: Lake Nakuru - Back To Nairobi The Bird Watchers’ Paradise the Lake is on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by wooded and bushy grassland, lies the beautiful Lake NakuruNational Park. Visitors can enjoy the wide ecological diversity and varied habitats that range from LakeNakuru itself to the surrounding escarpment and picturesque ridges. Lake Nakuru National Park is ideal for bird watching, hiking,picnic and game drives. Breakfast will be served at around 0730am there after proceed for the game drive, you will have a chance to visit a unique sanctuary catering for a sizable number of the endangered White and Black rhinos as well as Rothschild giraffe. Water bucks, predators such as the lion and leopard are common at the park. Also to be seen is a myriad different variety of bird life in and around the lake. Flamingo's are also plenty at the lake. Leave for Nairobi late afternoon arriving in Nairobi in the afternoon with a drop off to the hotel of your choice or back to the airport to catch up with your flight for the next destination.

Price

                1pax  $10450

             2-3pax: $25080

Price per person: $8360

             4-6pax:  $37620

Price per person: $6270

Inquire For The Package Price

Included In The Package 1: All park entrance fees 2: Accommodations in either of your preference  3: Full board,three meals per day while on safari 4: Pick up from the airport upon arrival 5: Drop off to the airport the last day 6: Game drives 7: Drinking water Excluded In The Package 1. Tips for the drive and cook

2.Gorilla permit What To Bring 1: Sunscreen and lip-balm 2: First aid kit and insect repellent 3: Binoculars 4: Camera with zoom lenses 5: Spare film or memory card and batteries or battery pack 6: Sun glass and sun hat 7: Long sleeved shirt and long trousers 8: Warm sweater 9: Day pack

Make Reservation!

[elevationproject-blog]

Real, actual nature: driving through the extraordinary at Akagera Park

By Karis Chitty, Elevation Project

Saturday, April 22

Up “dark and early” (#Chongquotes), we stumble into the minibus half awake, coffees in hand. We drive through eastern villages as the darkness lifts, through fresh morning air, past sunflowers growing in patches beside red houses, following the red dirt road. It’s something like 4:30am, but we’re all awake, stoked.

When we arrive at the gates of Akagera Game Park, our guide, George, joins us, making 9 of us crowding into the van. Tearing Laura and Andrew away from recording birdcalls, we head into the park up the deeply rutted path, tossed around wildly in our seats. George tells us to enjoy the “African massage.”

We’ve committed to a very long day – a full 12 hours between leaving our hotel and exiting the park on the other side. We drive through rain and sunshine, through hills and valleys, past lakes, over plains, and through mud. In the hills, we pass herds of water buffalo, zebras, and impalas, and in the flatlands we find scores of hippos and crocodiles gathered on the shores of the lakes. We spot giraffes, baboons, warthogs (more commonly referred to as pumbas, Lion King style), topis, antelopes, and even, miraculously, a beautiful leopard and a massive tusked elephant. Our team of classic mzungus (white people) can generally be found hanging out the open windows, iPhones in hand, snapping photo after photo. Laura very nicely reminds us to “also just look.”

The daylong adventure is by no means a quick and easy viewing experience, but to me, it was an infinitely more meaningful one. I grew up visiting zoos full of beautiful animals living in small enclosures, a living display for us to consume. It’s a confined, controlled, manufactured experience of nature. This is something totally different. It’s experiencing the beauty of these animals in the context of their natural environment, rather than observing a contrived, diminished version of something that is meant to be wild and free. It’s the fluid walk of a giraffe, striding up the hillside to pose for us at the top; the many grumpy faces of buffalo staring down our van; hippos yawning, splashing, sputtering, and grunting as they watch us from just offshore; crocodiles that look like they crawled straight out of Jurassic park and into these swamps, herds of zebra galloping across the plains; the large head of a leopard watching us steadily from the bushes. It’s a humbling experience, realizing that we are just guests in their world, free to observe but aware that here, we are very low on the food chain. 

The length of the journey is well worth it for other reasons too. Crammed in that bus for so many hours, we talk about everything around us, we learn more about each other, we laugh with (and at) each other over cultural differences and bird names and Mark’s hippo vendetta and Andrew’s animal impressions and so many other things. George teaches us about the animals we are seeing and about the history of the park, which, like the rest of the country, has been marked by political unrest, violence, and genocide. Akagera Park was once home to many lions, which were all poisoned in the aftermath of the genocide. Now they are rebuilding, just like the rest of the country, and with the arrival of new lions from South Africa and cubs born this spring, there are now 9 lions roaming Akagera. Like every other part of Rwanda, it is resilient, beautiful, and full of new life. 12 hours is well worth the time to explore it.

[kuwahuru]

Katavi National Park

The far west of Tanzania gives home to two of Tanzania’s lesser known national parks: Katavi National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park. This western circuit is extremely remote, tricky to access and pretty costly to visit. As a result few people make the effort to come here and so it has remained an untouched, unique experience, and absolutely worth visiting. About Katavi National Park Formerly a game reserve, the park was established in 1974. The park is located Southwest Tanzania, east of Lake Tanganyika. The headquarters at Sitalike lie 40km (25 miles) south of Mpanda town. being Tanzania’s third largest national After Ruaha and Serengeti. park it covers an area of 4,471 square km(1,727 sq miles). Katavi National Park is a name to conjure with. It is one of the best parks in Africa and many safari operations would love to start camps here. However, the logistics and costs are so difficult, that there are only a couple of small, permanent safari camps sharing this 4,500km² of wilderness. You sometimes run across more prides of lion than other people on a game drive. Flora & Fauna of Katavi National Park Once in Katavi, Tanzania's third largest national park won't disappoint you. Two enormous plains of knee-high golden grass – Chada and Katasunga – dominate the park, surrounded by varied woodlands and a usually abundant amount of game. Katavi’s animals Katavi National Park is at its best in the dry season, when the plains fill with thousands of zebra, topi and impala. Hartebeest, giraffe, and Defassa waterbuck are also very common, there's a large population of resident elephants, and some impressive herds of buffalo. Katavi is a great park for watching lion-buffalo interactions. Spotted hyena are frequently seen, whilst leopard appear on the woodland fringes, but are more elusive. Wild dog do live here, but tend to stick to the escarpment and are rarely seen on the plains. During the dry season, the Katuma and Kapapa rivers are the only water for miles. As the game files down to drink, hundreds of hippo congregate in the tiniest waterhole and enormous crocodiles sit out the heat in river-bank mud-holes. Birds Katavi hosts large flocks of open-billed and saddlebilled storks, spoonbills, crested cranes and pink-backed pelicans. Raptors are plentiful whilst the woodlands of the national park are home to species as diverse as African golden orioles, paradise fly-catchers and pennant-winged nightjars. Vegetation in Katavi Katavi is situated on the northern aside of the ‘Rukwa Rift’, an extension of the Western Rift Valley. Katavi’s dry woodlands are dominated by brachystegia species, which are mostly native to tropical Africa and dotted very densely around this area. How to get there By Air: Kuwahuru Tanzania Adventure will  arrange charter flight from Dar es Salam, Mwanza or Arusha cities to either Mpanda airport which is located in Mpanda town or to Sitalike and Ikuu airstrips inside the park. By Road: From either Dar es Salaam via Mbeya (1513Km), Arusha via Tabora (1015.7km) or Mwanza via Mpanda (741 km). From Kigoma (390 km/240 miles) only in Dry season By Rail: It is also possible to reach Mpanda by train from Dar es Salaam via Tabora then catch a public transport to Sitalike, where game drives can be arranged. Best time to visit May to October and mid December. Accommodation Two seasonal luxury tented camps overlooking Lake Chada. A rest house at Sitalike and campsites inside the park. Basic but clean hotels at Mpanda  Several lodges and hotels at the village of Sitalike and Mpanda town, Outside the park: Read the full article

[kuwahuru]

Katavi National Park

The far west of Tanzania gives home to two of Tanzania’s lesser known national parks: Katavi National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park. This western circuit is extremely remote, tricky to access and pretty costly to visit. As a result few people make the effort to come here and so it has remained an untouched, unique experience, and absolutely worth visiting. About Katavi National Park Formerly a game reserve, the park was established in 1974. The park is located Southwest Tanzania, east of Lake Tanganyika. The headquarters at Sitalike lie 40km (25 miles) south of Mpanda town. being Tanzania’s third largest national After Ruaha and Serengeti. park it covers an area of 4,471 square km(1,727 sq miles). Katavi National Park is a name to conjure with. It is one of the best parks in Africa and many safari operations would love to start camps here. However, the logistics and costs are so difficult, that there are only a couple of small, permanent safari camps sharing this 4,500km² of wilderness. You sometimes run across more prides of lion than other people on a game drive. Flora & Fauna of Katavi National Park Once in Katavi, Tanzania's third largest national park won't disappoint you. Two enormous plains of knee-high golden grass – Chada and Katasunga – dominate the park, surrounded by varied woodlands and a usually abundant amount of game. Katavi’s animals Katavi National Park is at its best in the dry season, when the plains fill with thousands of zebra, topi and impala. Hartebeest, giraffe, and Defassa waterbuck are also very common, there's a large population of resident elephants, and some impressive herds of buffalo. Katavi is a great park for watching lion-buffalo interactions. Spotted hyena are frequently seen, whilst leopard appear on the woodland fringes, but are more elusive. Wild dog do live here, but tend to stick to the escarpment and are rarely seen on the plains. During the dry season, the Katuma and Kapapa rivers are the only water for miles. As the game files down to drink, hundreds of hippo congregate in the tiniest waterhole and enormous crocodiles sit out the heat in river-bank mud-holes. Birds Katavi hosts large flocks of open-billed and saddlebilled storks, spoonbills, crested cranes and pink-backed pelicans. Raptors are plentiful whilst the woodlands of the national park are home to species as diverse as African golden orioles, paradise fly-catchers and pennant-winged nightjars. Vegetation in Katavi Katavi is situated on the northern aside of the ‘Rukwa Rift’, an extension of the Western Rift Valley. Katavi’s dry woodlands are dominated by brachystegia species, which are mostly native to tropical Africa and dotted very densely around this area. How to get there By Air: Kuwahuru Tanzania Adventure will  arrange charter flight from Dar es Salam, Mwanza or Arusha cities to either Mpanda airport which is located in Mpanda town or to Sitalike and Ikuu airstrips inside the park. By Road: From either Dar es Salaam via Mbeya (1513Km), Arusha via Tabora (1015.7km) or Mwanza via Mpanda (741 km). From Kigoma (390 km/240 miles) only in Dry season By Rail: It is also possible to reach Mpanda by train from Dar es Salaam via Tabora then catch a public transport to Sitalike, where game drives can be arranged. Best time to visit May to October and mid December. Accommodation Two seasonal luxury tented camps overlooking Lake Chada. A rest house at Sitalike and campsites inside the park. Basic but clean hotels at Mpanda  Several lodges and hotels at the village of Sitalike and Mpanda town, Outside the park: Read the full article

[safariporini-blog]

Tanzania Camping Safari 5 Days

Itinerary Highlights

Duration:  5 Days Category:  Safari, Northern circuit Destinations: Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti Attraction: Tarangire river, Big Five Budget Level:  Standard Tour Guides Language: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Start in: Arusha End in: Arusha Packing list: Camera with enough zoom and memory space and extra batteries, binoculars, light clothes, safari boot, mosquito repellents, sunhat, sunglasses with ultraviolet radiation filtering etc. Extra info:  Rangers will escort all walking along the wildlife areas.

Itinerary Summary

The safari will take you to northern circuit famous national parks  to the fascinating baobab woodlands of Tarangire the Ngorongoro where man and wildlife have been peacefully shared the land. Day 1-ARUSHA-TARANGIRE Arrival at Arusha airport with morning flight picked up and proceed with a strait drive to Tarangire National park which known as a home of Elephants with picnic lunch proceeding with game drive in the middle of the park and be able to observe the big herds of Elephants 5-10 and sometimes up to 20 though do not forget to peal your eyes on top of trees as you might be able to spot a Leopard game drive till late evening dinner and overnight Jambo Campsite here hot water shower is possible. Day 2 TARANGIRE-SERENGETI After breakfast and parking all the camping equipment’s boarding in the safari vehicle leave park to Serengeti via Manyara to rift valley escapements towards the Serengeti national Park today you have an option of visiting the Masaai village on your way to Serengeti, reaching Serengeti by the evening having your evening game drive towards Seronera campsite for dinner and overnight here you will have a cold water shower. Day 3-SERENGETI-FULL DAY Early morning 6 Am o’clock weak up after a hot cup of coffee or tea, leave the camp for morning game viewing to the heart of Serengeti national park while enjoying the Morning beautiful sun rises a full day tour on the Serengeti plains will offer you a maximum wildlife visibility and today expect to see as many wildlife as possible like lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, buffalos, hyenas, jackals, topis, impalas, gazelles, hippos, with many more and if you a birds lover this is your time to spot as many birds as you can and your driver guide will help you to recognize their names and species, you will proceed with game drive till very late in the evening just after sun set observation then you will drive back to the camp for meals and overnight at Pimbi campsite. Day 4- SERENGETI-NGORONGORO Early morning 6 Am o’clock weak up after a hot cup of coffee or tea, leave the camp for morning game viewing to heart of Serengeti national park while enjoying the Morning beautiful sun rises though it’s going To be chill in the morning, get on with the game drive till on the midday drive back to camp for full breakfast and Lunch which means a Branch. Then leave the camp for Ngorongoro Conservation area while you are keeping having game en route towards Ngorongoro dinner and overnight at Simba Campsite where you may have a hot water shower. Day 5-NGORONGORO CRATER-ARUSHA After breakfast having picnic lunch with you a short drive to descending gate and drive down the crater floor 650 meters deep for a half day game drive crater and if one is lucky can see rhinoceros the only remaining Tanzanian Black Rhinos, Though the crater has a number of permanent residence animals due to permanent water available throughout the year therefore many of the animals prefer to stay though they are free to come in and out the crater. Thus expect to see a lot of wildlife very close to the road if ones luck will Lions, Zebras, Wildebeest, Hyenas, Jackals, Gazelles, Hippos, After lunch ascend on the crater rim and the trip back to Arusha and drop off at your booked hotel for dinner and overnight.

TOUR PRICE INCLUDE

Transport 4WD with pop up roof Accommodations full board in Tents Meals 3 Times a day breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Entry Park fees Ngorongoro crater fees Camping fees Tents, Sleeping Bags, Table, Chairs, Mattress/Foams Mineral water all days in Safari

TOUR PRICE EXCLUDED

All things of personal nature Airport Transfer Tips and gratitude’s for Driver Guide and Safari Chef/cook Visas and airport Taxes Travel Insurance International air flight ticket departure taxes Laundry Services Read the full article

[safariporini-blog]

Tanzania Camping Safari 5 Days

Tour Overview

Tanzania Camping Safari 5 Days will take you to northern circuit famous national parks on 5 days Tanzania Camping Safari to the fascinating baobab woodlands of Tarangire the Ngorongoro where man and wildlife have been peacefully shared the land.

Tour Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arusha-Tarangire Arrival at Arusha airport with morning flight picked up and proceed with a strait drive to Tarangire National park which known as a home of Elephants with picnic lunch proceeding with game drive in the middle of the park and be able to observe the big herds of Elephants 5-10 and sometimes up to 20 though do not forget to peal your eyes on top of trees as you might be able to spot a Leopard game drive till late evening dinner and overnight Jambo Campsite here hot water shower is possible. Day 2: Tarangire-Serengeti After breakfast and parking all the camping equipment’s boarding in the safari vehicle leave park to Serengeti via Manyara to rift valley escapements towards the Serengeti national Park today you have an option of visiting the Masaai village on your way to Serengeti, reaching Serengeti by the evening having your evening game drive towards Seronera campsite for dinner and overnight here you will have a cold water shower. Day 3: Serengeti-Full Day Early morning 6 Am o’clock weak up after a hot cup of coffee or tea, leave the camp for morning game viewing to the heart of Serengeti national park while enjoying the Morning beautiful sun rises a full day tour on the Serengeti plains will offer you a maximum wildlife visibility and today expect to see as many wildlife as possible like lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, buffalos, hyenas, jackals, topis, impalas, gazelles, hippos, with many more and if you a birds lover this is your time to spot as many birds as you can and your driver guide will help you to recognize their names and species, you will proceed with game drive till very late in the evening just after sun set observation then you will drive back to the camp for meals and overnight at Pimbi campsite. Day 4: Serengeti-Ngorongoro Early morning 6 Am o’clock weak up after a hot cup of coffee or tea, leave the camp for morning game viewing to heart of Serengeti national park while enjoying the Morning beautiful sun rises though it’s going To be chill in the morning, get on with the game drive till on the midday drive back to camp for full breakfast and Lunch which means a Branch. Then leave the camp for Ngorongoro Conservation area while you are keeping having game en route towards Ngorongoro dinner and overnight at Simba Campsite where you may have a hot water shower. Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater-Arusha After breakfast having picnic lunch with you a short drive to descending gate and drive down the crater floor 650 meters deep for a half day game drive crater and if one is lucky can see rhinoceros the only remaining Tanzanian Black Rhinos, Though the crater has a number of permanent residence animals due to permanent water available throughout the year therefore many of the animals prefer to stay though they are free to come in and out the crater. Thus expect to see a lot of wildlife very close to the road if ones luck will Lions, Zebras, Wildebeest, Hyenas, Jackals, Gazelles, Hippos, After lunch ascend on the crater rim and the trip back to Arusha and drop off at your booked hotel for dinner and overnight.

Price Include

4WD Vehicle with pop up roof Park entry fees special campsites fees Meals 3 times a day Accommodations as per itinerary Airport Transfers 2 ways Mineral water all days in safari

Price Exclude

International flight All things of personal nature Personal travel insurance Tips and gratitude's to porters in hotels, Tented camps and your driver Guide is Recommended Laundry services

Read the full article