Ethiopian Airlines Kilimanjaro – Addis Ababa – Bangkok

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Tara

This was a United Airlines award and for this homeward bound leg we had Ethiopian Airlines from Kilimanjaro JRO to Addis Ababa ADD in economy (no business class available), then business class the rest of the way to Bangkok ending with Thai to Brisbane BNE.

Although the first leg was in economy, we did pay for a business class ticket with miles so I tried to get us into the lounge at JRO. No dice. The lady did try, she went and asked her supervisor if they could let us in and he said no. It wasn’t a fantastic lounge anyways but would have been better than the gate.

So off to the gate we went to mingle with the “hoi palloi” and show off my new braid.

Mt Kilimanjaro was shy and didn’t come out to say goodbye.

Same mediocre business section as before on the 737. The flight to Bangkok was on a 767 which was marginally better but no lie-flat seats. We were still tired enough to get some sleep.

Breakfast – they did bring eggs but I forgot to get a photo.

So Ethiopian Airlines left me less than impressed. I would have liked it much better if we had been in economy paying less for the award as my expectations would have been lower. Their economy is OK if that’s what you pay for. But I don’t recommend paying extra to fly business on this airline.

How To Beat The Overpriced Taxis To The Airport

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Tara

There seems to be some kind of racket in Arusha where all taxis charge $50 to the airport. I am no fan of taxis at the best of times and even less so when I think I am getting ripped off. Now for most people, your safari company will pick you up at the airport (maybe with additional charge so ask) but most people also stick around Arusha for a day or so afterwards to sightsee on their own. When you are ready to leave, if you ask your hotel to call a taxi, it will cost $50. Taxis on the street may be more willing to bargain but they do tend to jack up the prices for foreigners going to the airport. Some of the domestic carriers do have shuttles but we were on Ethiopian Airlines that didn’t have a shuttle.

You don’t have to put up with these rates, here’s how to get 2 people to the airport for around $10. Here’s the basic route using L’Oasis Lodge (highly recommend) as a starting point.

Step 1 – Lodge to main road. For L’Oasis, this is about 10 minute walk down a dirt road to the main road.

Step 2 – You will see a bus station and usually several people waiting for buses. Mini-buses will pull up and the conductor will shout the destination. When you hear “Moshi, Moshi, Moshi”, hop in. The fare is around 3000-4000 Tanzanian Shillings, about $2.50 USD. The mini-bus will be crowded and if you have heavy luggage (which you really shouldn’t) you may want to pay for extra seats. It will take around an hour to the junction. Tell the conductor you are hopping out at the airport junction road. You won’t be the only one, though you will probably be the only foreigner.

Step 3 – At the junction, taxis will be waiting and approach you. We paid 10,000 TZS, around $5 USD. Since we had plenty of time, we had lunch in a cafe and I decided to get my hair braided while my husband got a shave.

But there’s your transport from Arusha to the airport for around $10 USD!

Jardine’s AKA Red-fronted Parrot (Poicephalus gulielmi)

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Tara

The Red-fronted Parrot (Poicephalus gulielmi), also known as the Jardine’s parrot, is a medium-sized mainly green parrot endemic across wide areas of Africa. It has three subspecies. The extent and shade of the red or orange plumage on its head, thighs, and bend of wings vary depending on the subspecies.

These two photos are a juvenile Jardine’s Parrot at Birds of Eden.

Although I saw a Jardine’s zoom by at Arusha NP I didn’t get a photo of an adult so I will fall back on the Wikipedia one.

They have a huge range across Africa in separated areas but many of these would be difficult for a tourist to access. The best places are Arusha NP in Tanzania and Kakum NP in Ghana.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE JARDINE’S PARROT

VIDEO

IBC has a clip of some parrots in Ghana. I came up blank for a video on YouTube of WILD Jardine’s Parrots although there was a lot of captive bird clips.

Lodge Review: L’Oasis, Arusha, Tanzania

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Tara

Everyone who is headed out for a safari in the northern Tanzania parks will be at least passing trough Arusha and most likely staying a day or two. L’Oasis is located in a quiet area on the outskirts of town and a short walk from a main road where you can get public transport.

Sadly Henry the Crested Crane was killed by a neighborhood dog last year. I had really been looking forward to seeing him as he liked to hang around the swimming pool.

The staff are very friendly and helpful. In the right, you can see a small library if you are looking for a book to pass the time. The power went out several times while we were there (the whole town, not just the lodge) so it was nice to have books! The internet is strongest near the reception but we had the nearest bungalow which also picked up the wifi signal.

They have a small souvenir stall. That painting of the Superb Starling came home with us and is now in our living room!

This is a dining room/bar/lounge area where you can just relax or order something from the menu which will be brought up to you. The hamburgers were delicious!

Here’s the pool by day and by night.

The bungalows are really cute! I loved the African decor and the towel animal!

The ensuite

Breakfast is included in most room rates and offers a good selection of eggs, fruit, bread and jam. The artwork on the wall was really nice.

A few birds hang out, probably more but we left really early so didn’t have time to see more birds at the lodge. Mostly little Weaverbirds and Bulbuls.

You can book either through their website or try Booking.com if you have a good click-through portal. Sometimes Booking.com is cheaper. You pay at check out and they do take credit cards when the power is on. If the power supply is dodgy, best to pay the night before if you need to use a credit card.

This is a fantastic little eco-lodge very convenient to town if you need to go there (we didn’t but you might). It has real African character and we really enjoyed our stay!

Why You Shouldn’t Check Bags, Especially In Africa

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Tara

The video I found on YouTube shows exactly how easy it is for crims to get into your checked bags, steal what they want and make your bag look like it hasn’t been touched. His friend was robbed but you don’t have to be!

Although the man making the video recommends a hard sided bag, my solution is far simpler – don’t check any bags at all! Use carry-on bags/backpacks such as the E-Bags Motherlode and bring a Scottevest so you can put any heavier items in the pockets if your carry-on exceeds the weight limit. Some airports do weigh carry-ons so be prepared!

One Last Look At Fischer’s Lovebirds

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Tara

It wasn’t breeding season when we saw them at Ndutu, Tanzania but this short video shows some of the joys and dangers of being a Fischer’s Lovebird in the wild.

Arusha National Park – A Day Trip

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Tara

Arusha National Park is often bypassed in favour of the larger parks like Serengeti & Ngorongoro but it is well worth a visit whether you are a birder or not. For one thing, the views of Mt Kilimanjaro are amazing from here! Thoughout this post, you will see several angles of Kilimanjaro taken from different locations as the photos are posted in chronological order.

I asked Fortes whom I had booked the car/driver package with but they wanted to charge the same amount for a day trip as they did for the multi-day trip which had included allowances for the driver’s food and accommodation. I thought I could get a better price so I rang a few places from the hotel and finally booked a different car/driver for the day. One annoyance for me as an Australian is that tour operators kept quoting in USD even though I would have to withdraw cash Tanzanian Shillings from the ATM from my Aussie bank account.

An easy 40-minute drive from Arusha. Approximately 60 km (35 miles) from Kilimanjaro International Airport. The lakes, forest and Ngurdoto Crater can all be visited in the course of a half-day outing at the beginning or end of an extended northern safari.

After you enter the park, you will see the reception where you pay the fees. They take Visa & Mastercards.

The jeep and the contact details as per their logo.

Before heading off, you can use the toilet and check out the information boards.

I am not going to be able to find all these birds in my 800 page book, especially when the LBJs are so similar, not to mention female birds whose partners are more colourful. I’ll do my best!

Little Bee-eaters

There is a museum with some taxidermied displays of birds.

Baboons

Colobus Monkeys – the flagship species of ANP.

Collared Sunbird

The driver takes a break while we chill out at the lookout point.

Paradise flycatcher

Blue Monkey

Little Bee-eater

1000’s of Flamingoes

African Hoopoe

Picnic area

Heuglin’s Masked Weaver

Common Bulbul

I wasn’t happy when a school bus full of noisy kids showed up.

Siesta time!

Common Bulbul

Collared Sunbirds

Somewhere around here was where the Jardine’s Parrot shot out of a tree overhead and disappeared into the dense forest. I tried a Hail Mary shot but failed to get him.

White-browed Robin-Chat

Back To Arusha

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Tara

The drive back to Arusha was anti-climatic. The driver tried to steer us to shop at a couple stalls but we already had enough stuff and I knew he was angling for a commission from certain stalls.

A pink church

Trumpeter Hornbill

Cultural Hertitage Centre back in Arusha

A mosque in Arusha

Interesting pub!

Heading to our hotel on the back roads

Having some time to kill, I got my hair braided in one French braid.

Ina got a shave.

Beautiful Sunbird (Cinnyris pulchella)

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Tara

The Beautiful Sunbird (Cinnyris pulchella) (formerly placed in the genus Nectarinia), is a sunbird. The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time.

The name and the description are the same. I managed to get a few good photos in Ndutu and Tarangire.

The much duller female

They have a large range stretching from the West Coast of Africa to Ethiopia in the east and as far south as Tanzania. Look for them in flowering plants in lodges, they seem to know a good free feed when they see one! The red dot shows Ndutu where I had my best sighting.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BEAUTIFUL SUNBIRDS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

HBW

VIDEOS

There are a few clips from the Gambia on IBC as well as this one from YouTube.

Fischer’s Lovebird (Agapornis fischeri)

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Tara

The Fischer’s lovebird (Agapornis fischeri) is a small parrot species of the Agapornis genus. They were originally discovered in the late 19th century, and are named after German explorer Gustav Fischer.

I managed to get up close and personal with some at Ndutu Safari Lodge where they frequent the garden and small pond near the dining room.

Trying to catch one in flight – turned out blurry.

Nesting site just outside the lodge.

Most of their range is in Tanzania but they do extend into Kenya a bit. The best place by far to practically guarantee good sightings of Fischer’s Lovebirds is Ndutu Safari Lodge (red dot) in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania. Some people on Xeno-Canto have reported sightings in Lake Navaisha, Kenya – see below.