Kenya and Tanzania with Njewa Safaris

My husband, Allan, always looks for the best travel for our dollar, shopping via the Internet. For a Feb. 4-17, 2006, safari in Kenya and Tanzania, we used a small company based in Nairobi: Njewa Safaris (Box 2009-01000, Thika, Kenya; phone/fax +254-20-210531, mobile +254-722-752520 or visit www.njewasafaris.com). The land price for our tour was $2,700 per person.

Before our trip, we talked to a couple who had used Njewa’s services and they recommended the company highly. Allan’s e-mailed questions to Njewa were always answered promptly, and she provided excellent service and, for us, a very personalized experience.

We had been to Kenya in 1989 with a different company, and for game drives there were six of us in a vehicle. For our 2006 trip we two were the only passengers, which made a lot of difference in being able to see and take pictures of the animals. Even though there was a severe drought in East Africa at the time of our trip, we had very successful game drives, seeing all of the animals we expected to see and more.

When we arrived in Nairobi the tour company director, Evans Njewa, met us at the airport, and the next day he accompanied us as we traveled by bus from Nairobi to Arusha, Tanzania. He stayed with us at the border while we obtained the necessary visas and introduced us to our driver and guide for Tanzania, Haruma.

In Tanzania we visited Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park and Lake Manyara Reserve. Our lodging there was in a tent-cabin, the ultimate safari experience — wonderful!

At the end of the 5-day Tanzania safari, Mr. Njewa was waiting for us at the Kenya border to welcome us back and introduce us to David, our driver/guide for the 8-day Kenya safari.

In Kenya we went to Amboseli near Mt. Kilimanjaro; Samburu; Lake Nakuru, famous for flamingos, and our last game reserve, Masai Mara.

In addition to exceptional game viewing, we paid $20 each for an optional visit to a Masai village. We happily took advantage of this chance to take unlimited photos of the tribesmen in their colorful clothes.

The game lodges we stayed in were beautiful and served good food in lovely dining rooms. We definitely weren’t “roughing it.”

The drivers were thoughtful, kind men who did their utmost to provide excellent service.

The only downside to this wonderful experience were the roads. They are terrible and you must be prepared for bouncing and bumping around all day. This added to the adventure, however.

At the end of our journey, when we returned to Nairobi, Evans and his wife, Mary, met us at our hotel for an evaluation of our experiences. Everyone got an A+. They were gracious hosts welcoming us to their country.

The safari experience is magical. We highly recommend this adventure to all travelers.

SHARON FISHER

Sonoma, CA