Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Ngorongoro crater has the highest density of wild animals anywhere in the world. It is also the world’s largest inactive, intact volcanic caldera. Topography is stunning and you can get really close to the animals. We reached Ngorongoro from Serengeti driving through some very nice scenery and coming across giraffes moving between Ngorongoro and Serengeti.

Camel on the road from Serengeti to Ngorongoro, Tanzania
Camel on the road from Serengeti to Ngorongoro, Tanzania
Giraffe on the road from Serengeti to Ngorongoro, Tanzania
Giraffe on the road from Serengeti to Ngorongoro, Tanzania

We arrived to the lodge on the rim of the crater as the sun was starting to go down. Sunset over the Ngorongoro crater was spectacular as we watched clouds pouring over the rim and rays of lights reflecting in the lake at the bottom of the crater.

Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Driving down to Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Driving down to Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania

After very nice breakfast watching the sunrise over the crater we started the game drive. Ngorongoro is a very popular tourist destination and the crater does get quite busy with the vehicles. Animals do not seem to be disturbed by this though and we could get very close to them. We saw herds of wildebeest, zebra, all kind of antelope, wild hogs, buffalo, black-backed and golden jackals.

Wildebeest herd, Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Wildebeest herd, Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Wildebeest, Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Wildebeest, Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Waterhog and buffalos in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Waterhog and buffalos in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Zebra in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Zebra in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Golden jackal, Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Golden jackal, Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Black backed jackal, Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Black backed jackal, Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania

We were lucky to see caracal though it was a little in a distance. Then we came across a lion on the road walking past parked vehicles. We saw a pride of 8 or 9 lions in a distance and they went hunting wild hogs. Wild hogs got away and looked hilarious running with their tails straight up like antennas. We then saw 3 more lions sleeping. Elephants and hippos are plentiful and we saw a rhino but it was really far away.

Caracal inNgorongoro crater, Tanzania
Caracal inNgorongoro crater, Tanzania
Lion walking past tourist vehicles in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Lion walking past tourist vehicles in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Lion in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Lion in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Elephants in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Elephants in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania

Bird life is very good as well with all the greenery and water.

Grey crowned crane in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Grey crowned crane in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Pelicans in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Pelicans in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Kingfishers in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Kingfishers in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Hoopoe in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania
Hoopoe in Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania

We had only one day in the Ngorongoro and had to leave the crater by about 1:30 since we had to be out of the park gate by 3pm as we had one 24 hour permit. We overnighted in a hotel not far from the gate outside of the park and then headed past Lake Manyara to Tarangire national park for one more game drive and 4th park on this trip.

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Lake Manyara Safari, Tanzania

Lake Manyara national park is about 3 hours drive from Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania. We visited it on the way to Serengeti and Ngorongoro parks in late May. We stayed at a lodge on top of the hill overlooking the lake with phenomenal views.

After overnighting at the lodge we went for a game drive down at the lake. Lake Manyara and nearby Tarangire national parks are less known than their famous neighbors Serengeti and Ngorongoro which means there are not as many tourists and excellent wildlife – not the least due to the permanent sources of water.

Elephants in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Elephants in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Impala crossing the road in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Impala crossing the road in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania

The drive starts through the jungle forest where we saw blue and velvet monkeys, baboons, elephants, wild hogs and impala. Animals seem to prefer to use the road rather than making their way through the thicket of the forest.

Baboons in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Baboons in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Velvet monkey in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Velvet monkey in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Waterhogs in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Waterhogs in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Elephant in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Elephant in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania

Once past the forest the drive heads to the shore of the lake to the flat grassy areas with some bush. There are lots of zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, more elephants, hippos and all sorts of birds

Giraffe and wildebeest  in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Giraffe and wildebeest in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Buffalos in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Buffalos in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Zebra in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Zebra in Lake Manyara national park, Tanzania
Buffalos in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Buffalos in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Grey heron in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Grey heron in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Brown snake eagle in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Brown snake eagle in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Flamingo in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Flamingo in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Red-billed hornbill in Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Red-billed hornbill in Lake Manyara, Tanzania

Lake Manyara is known for the unusual behavior of lions who climb the trees along the shore of the lake – something they do not normally do. We saw two lions sleeping in the trees – or rather a part of a paw of one lion barely showing between the branches of the tree and a tip of the tail of another lion.  

The most exciting sighting of the trip was the leopard. Unlike normally sleepy cat, this one was a restless one running up and down the tree, then settling briefly on a branch and staring at us and then running around again. All the cars actually put their roofs down and kept windows closed just in case it decides to jump on a car. Leopard eventually just left but we got some very nice shots.

Leopard, Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Leopard, Lake Manyara, Tanzania

After a full day drive through the park – with lunch boxes provided by hotel – we returned to overnight again at the same lodge before driving off early next morning to Serengeti

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Diving and Hiking in Exmouth, Western Australia

Around Exmouth you can dive and snorkel Ningaloo reef, fish, enjoy endless pristine beaches and hike in Cape Range National Park. Exmouth is a small town of about 2,000 people tripling its population during the high season. It is located 1,270km north of Perth on the coast of Western Australia.   We dove Exmouth Navy Pier considered to be one of the best shore dives in the world and among top 10 Australia dive sites. We snorkeled along Ningaloo reef at Turcuoise Bay and Oyster stacks, walked along and picnicked on perfect white sand beaches, and drove around and hiked for stunning views in Cape Range Natural park.

Beach in Cape Range National Park, Exmouth WA
Beach near Exmouth, Western Australia

Logistics

Our trip to Exmouth was a part of a longer West Coast trip camping near Coral Bay as a base. We drove up to Exmouth and spent two nights there staying at Ningaloo Lodge. On the first day after arriving around noon time to Exmouth we went to Cape Range Park which has an impressive terrain of cliffs sloping into ocean with many beautiful beaches all along the shore of the park. We  hiked around Yardi Creek which flows through a strikingly red canyon.

Yardi Creek, Cape Range National Park, WA
Yardi Creek, Cape Range National Park, WA

Next day we went for our Navy Pier dive with Dive Ningaloo.  Exmouth Navy Pier is a functioning Navy Pier and only one company is licensed to run the dives. The pier has been closed to public access  for more than 50 years and has lots of marine life as a result. We did two dives of about 50 minutes each – very precisely timed for slack tide as currents can be very strong and saw big schools of fish, sharks and huge cods.

Exmouth Navy pier, Western Asutralia
Exmouth Navy pier, Western Australia

On our last day in Exmouth we went back to Cape Range park to snorkel at Turquoise bay and Oyster stacks and picnic on the beach. It is a stunningly beautiful place and Exmouth is an excellent base to explore Ningaloo coast.  There are several nice restaurants, two supermarkets, several hotels and self-catering rentals, and good roads making it possible to get around without four wheel drive.

Kangaroo, Cape Range National Park, WA
Kangaroo, Cape Range National Park, WA

Diving in Coral Bay, Western Australia

Coral bay 1,100 km north of Perth on the coast of Western Australia is where Ningaloo reef touches the shore and one can swim and snorkel over the reef directly from the beach. Coral bay has a hotel, two caravan parks, a handful of restaurants and a few permanent residents. The shoreline is a sequence of pristine bays with perfect white sand beaches protected by sand dunes where kangaroos hop.

View of Coral bay, Western Australia
View of Coral bay, Western Australia

We snorkeled off the shore and did a dive/snorkel trip to see mantas, sharks and impressive corals. There is also whale shark and humpback whale watching depending on the season – with spotter planes significantly improving chances of seeing them. We were there in June and Humpback whales were just starting to arrive.

Corals at Coral Bay, Western Australia
Corals at Coral Bay, Western Australia

What to see

Logistics

We did Coral Bay as part of a longer road trip from Perth to Exmouth camping about 15km north of Coral Bay at Bruboodjoo camp site as a base. This camp site does not have any amenities and one has to be fully self-sufficient including water and portable toilet. There are two caravan parks with amenities in Coral Bay itself, a hotel and backpackers (with rooms with private ensuite bathrooms).

beach near Coral Bay, Western Australia
beach near Coral Bay, Western Australia

We snorkeled off the beach on the corals in Coral Bay itself and also did an organized tour with Ningaloo Reef Dive which included two dives and snorkeling with Mantas (spotted by spotter planes). We also went exploring the shore on a quad bike driving on the beach and inland sand roads around the dunes.

Oyster bridge, Coral Bay, Western Australia
Oyster bridge, Coral Bay, Western Australia

The scenery is pristine – there are endless empty beaches, oyster reefs and we even saw a guitar shark about a meter off shore with its dorsal fins sticking out of the water. It is am amazing place of largely untouched nature and out of this world sunsets.

Sunset, Coral Bay area, Western Australia

Danum Forest

jungle-view-from-room

Jungle view from chalet’s veranda

438 sq km Danum Forest or Danum Valley Conservation Area is one of the best remaining protected lowland forest areas in South East Asia. This primary forest has reach variety of flora and fauna. We saw orangutans, gibbons, various monkeys and variety of birds on tracks through the jungle.

What to see

danum-view-from-top

Danum river, forest and lodge view

The only option for tourist on a visit to Danum forest is to stay with Borneo Rainforest Lodge. They have 3 day and 4 day packages which include guided walks through the jungle with excellent guides – we did 4 day 3 night option. Given what a production it is to get there and variety of things to see 4 days is definitely worth it. The lodge is comfortable and well maintained.  There are beautiful views over the jungle from chalet room verandas and from the restaurant area.  We saw all kinds of exotic birds while enjoying a sun-downer at a restaurant deck. And we were told that a week before we arrived there were orangutans in the area and they would even walk up to the lodge. We were not so lucky – but deers did come very near.

wet-floor-sign

trails in Danum feature helpful signage

 

The walks are along the well maintained tracks. When we were there in August 2013 it drizzled most of the time which made tracks a bit muddy but passable. You do need proper hiking shoes.  Long pants are very much advisable as leeches are widespread. You can get basic cotton leech socks at the lodge.

orangutan

Orangutan

 

The guides are excellent and are able to track and spot all kinds of creatures.  We saw orangutans and it was definitely so much more exciting to see them in the wild than seeing them at a feeding platform at Sepilok.

 

 

red-monkey

Red monkey

 

We also saw gibbons, red monkeys and variety of other monkeys as well as variety of birds. Being wild creatures, they do not come very close. It is difficult to get good pictures and for any close-up serious optics would be needed.

 

 

Logistics

Borneo Rainforest Lodge package in Danum forest includes airport transfer from Lahad Datu.  We flew into Lahad Datu from Kota Kinabalu. After Danum forest we were going to Sipadan and arranged private transfer with the Lodge to Semporna.

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Mount Kinabalu

mt-kinabalu-4095m

view of Mt Kinabalu

Why climb Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu summit is the highest mountain between Himalayas and New Guinea. Low’s peak is 4,096 meters (13,438 ft) above sea level. It is a strenuous hike but not too difficult and a person of average fitness can easily do it. Views from the top are stunning and the terrain at the summit area is fascinating. I am not much of a mountaineer and this is so far the highest mountain I came up to. My legs hurt for a week after, but it was definitely worth it.

track-low-part

trail “steps” at about 2 km

What to see

A permit is required to climb the Mount Kinabalu and currently only 2 day/1 night option is available (it was possible to climb the mountain within a day before). The official info is here. Currently only 135 permits are issued per day. I hiked in August of 2013 using Ranau trail from Timpahon gate – which it seems is the only available option now after the earthquake in 2015. The trail is well maintained and first 4km or so is along the laid out “steps” through the jungle.

around-km5

trail at about 5km

lodge-at-the-top

view from the hut to restaurant and clouds

sunrize

sunrise view from the summit

gets-crowded-at-the-peak

crowd at the summit

way-down

going down, glaciers were here once

 

As you climb higher the trees get shorter and path less of a “staircase”. Most of the first day hike is through hot steaming jungle. T-shirt and long light pants worked fine for me. Definitely bring plenty of water.  Mandatory guide – paid as part of the permit package – can also help carry your bag if you wish.

 

 

At the end of the first day hike is Panalaban where there is a restaurant and several huts to eat and have a nap before waking up for the summit portion of the hike at about 2am. The views keep getting better as you go up. On the day I was there the hut and restaurant were above the clouds and sunset views were majestic.

 

The huts have bunk beds with sleeping bags on them so you do not need to bring your own sleeping bag. We were awaken at 2am, had some coffee and cookies and headed for the summit. It took me less than 3 hours to hike up to the summit and as a result I had to wait for almost an hour for the sunrise.

The air gets really cold – even in August – I had a sweater on, windbreaker and even bought a hat at the base camp. I was fine while hiking but got really cold waiting for the sunrise. On the upside though for some time I had the summit almost to myself. By the time of sunrise the remaining 100 plus climbers with their guides came up and it was quite busy at the top – good thing there is a permit system.

The hike to the summit feels like being on another planet. The surface of the top of the mountain has been chiseled by sliding glaciers, wind and rain over millions of years into striking structures. The walk down after the sunrise is spectacular as you look past the mountain down to the lands below shrouded in fog and passing clouds.

slope-down

view from thee bottom after descending through via ferrata

 

I did Walk the Torq on via ferrata down the steep part of the descent (this is the highest via ferrata in the world apparently). Never having climbed steep mountains, first I was not sure about getting hooked to the cables and having a helmet on, but the climb down was great fun and actually I thought that if I could I would descend like this all the way to the bottom rather than hitting the “steps”.

umbrella

After reaching the base camp and enjoying nice hot breakfast it was back to the trail and rock “steps”. At some point light rain started and my guide pulled out an umbrella and continued to stroll down the trail.  Seeing that umbrella was sobering as in my mind I was a tough mountaineer scaling the mighty Mt. Kinabalu not a casual walker. We then came across quite a number of asian hikers that appeared to be Korean and Chinese retirees cheerfully walking up the trail with umbrella in one hand and walking stick in another. Further humbled by encounter I tried my best to finish the hike without dragging my tired feet too much. I was down and back to the gate  by about 1pm.

Logistic

You must book through one of the agencies to secure the permit and guide. I booked my trip through ABC tours. It seems a number of operators offer the same package including pick up and drop-off to a hotel in Kota Kinabalu, climb, guide, food, overnight at one of Panalaban huts, and via ferrata as an optional add-on.

Back to Malaysia

 

 

Sepilok & Kinabatangan river

Why go to Sepilok or Kinabatangan river

3-orangs

Orangutans on the feeding platform, Sepilok

You are guaranteed to see orangutans at Sepilok orangutang rehabilitation center. The experience is not quite the same as seen them on a track in a jungle but is still fully worth it. On Kinabatangan river safari you get to see variety of monkeys, macaques, might see orangutang and Borneo pygmy elephant, as well as rich variety of birds and reptiles.

What to see

orang-acro

Orangutang getting to the feeding platform, Sepilok

Sepilok Orangutang Rehabilitation Center cares for young orangutans orphaned as a result of illegal logging and deforestation and those illegally caught and kept as pets. There are dedicated walkways in the Center and a viewing platform where orangutans are fed as part of their rehabilitation process. Recently rehabilitated individuals have their diet supplemented by daily feedings of milk and bananas. The additional food is purposefully boring to encourage the apes to start to forage for themselves.

sepilok-ppl

tourists looking at the orangutang feeding platform, Sepilok

You are guaranteed to see orangutans and get good pictures if you have a reasonable lens /zooming capability on your camera. It gets quite crowded around orangutan feeding time and the place is quite touristy. But orangutans seem to not mind and do their own thing which is come out on to the feeding platform, eat, hang around for a bit and go off back to the wood.

 

river-view

Kinabatangan river view

 

Kinabatangan river is the second longest in Malaysia and its lower flood plains are part of Sukau-Kinabatangan nature reserve. A number of lodges mostly concentrated around Sukau offer river tours along the river to see variety of wild life.

 

 

longnose-on-tree

Proboscis monkeys along Kinabatangan river

monkey-1

Macaque

The boats go out early in the morning and later in the afternoon when animals are more active and conveniently, light is also better for pictures. We have seen a variety of monkeys including proboscis monkeys endemic to Borneo. We have seen a couple of groups of proboscis monkeys in the trees along the river and followed one group hopping along the river bank from tree to tree.

We have also seen several groups of macaques, a wild pig, a python and variety of birds. We almost saw pygmy elephant.When our boat reached the place where a couple of elephants were sited (guides from different lodges inform each other by mobile), the elephants went further into the jungle and all we could see we think was a silhouette of elephants and trees moving where they walked away.

owlThe night river tour departs after dinner. We saw several birds including owls and a  variety of reptiles – crocodiles and a few frogs. The experience of gliding quietly on the river looking out into the darkness and listening to night jungle noises is definitely recommendable even though you might not see any big animals at nigh.


Logistics

We were booking last minute and most places, especially on Kinabatangan river were full.  It seems staying in a lodge on Kinabatangan and doing a day trip to Sepilok is a good option – but most of the lodges on Kinabatangan were full when we tried to book.  We stayed one night near to Sepilok at Paganakan Dii Tropical retreat which was fine. We then proceeded to Kinabatangan river and stayed in one of the basic lodges that was still available and that Paganakan Dii helped us book. From Kinabatangan river we took an overland transfer to Semporna to dive Sipadan.

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Palau topside

 

babelbaobHaving two days in Koror waiting to get on our liveaboard we decided to rent a car and explore the big island of Babelboab. We used a local car rental info for which we got from the hotel (DW Motel). Conveniently car rental guys dropped and picked up the car from the hotel. We ended up with Nissan Cube – the only car available at the time – and first were skeptical but it did a good job including driving on gravel roads.

There is main excellent quality circumference road called Compact road in Babelboab connecting to Koror. Most tourist sites however are off this road and are only accessible by gravel roads. We got a map with all the sites from the hotel and generally were able to find our way quite easily. At first we thought the compact road was called so because it is a proper compacted road, but it turned out the name is derived from the Compact of Free Association – the agreement governing the relations between the U.S. and Palau ratified in 1994. The funding available under the Compact presumably paid for the road – hence the name.

To learn more aboutterrace Palau and other islands in Micronesia history there is an informative documentary called History of Micronesia.  Palau is believed to be first settled about 3,000 years ago. It was “discovered” by westerners in late 17th century. In 19th century Palau became part of Spanish East Indies, then after Spanish-American war it was sold to Germany, then in

monoliths

The view on the platform with monoliths and the ocean

1914 after WWI peace agreement control over the islands went to Japan. During WWII major battle was fought in Pelelliu between Japanese and U.S. forces. After the WWII Palau became part of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands with administrative control of the US. In 1994 Palau became independent after ratification of the Compact of Free Association.

monoliths-2

monoliths

From the early historical period, there are terraces dating to more than a thousand years used for growing food (there is not much agriculture now in Palau and about 90% of food is imported). Badrulchau monoliths are large stone structures dated to 160 AD and located in the northern tip of the island offering spectacular ocean views.

bai-1

Ameliik Bai

Bai are traditional meeting houses where men would sit down to discuss matters of significance (and it seems party while at it). The houses are beautifully decorated by paintings depicting events of importance such as fishing expeditions, or fights between clans. At Ameliik Bai there was a guide/tourist officer/fee collector who gave us a tour of the Bai and shares the stories.

 

jap-tank

Japanese WWII tank, Peleliu

japanese-lighthouse

Japanese control tower WWII, Babeldaob

From Japanese and WWII period there are several destroyed buildings. The lighthouse/communication tower at the very northern tip of the island has the ruins and also offers a spectacular view. More WWII history is on Peleliu island. We did a land tour on Peleliu as part of our liveaboard trip offered by Aggressor. There is a good museum documenting the war and the battle on Peleliu and memorials, fortifications, tunnels, tanks and artillery scattered around the island. Peleliu is now a sleepy island with population of about 700 and no hotels or other tourist infrastructure.  It is hard to believe that more that 20,000 troops were fighting there one day. Our local guide was explaining that people of Peleliu (who left for a neighboring island ahead of the battle) could not quite understand why did these foreign people come to their island to fight between themselves.

capitol

National Capitol, Melekeok

The most resent addition to Palau tourist attractions is the National Capitol building in Melekeok.  There is apparently unsettled argument as to where exactly the capital of Palau is after the decision was made to move it from Koror. The huge capitol building reportedly costed a fortune (including borrowed money) and now appears not heavily used. Melekeok population is about 300 with most employees presumably commuting from Koror.waterfall

Of the natural attractions, aside from beaches and stunning views, there is a Ngatpang waterfall. There is a zipline over jungle which gets you about half way to the waterfall but we arrived late in the afternoon and it was closed for the day.  Instead we hiked all the way to the waterfall – about an hour each way through the jungle. The hike is easy (we walked in flip-flops) and you pass an old rail line from Japanese times now covered by Jungle and have nice views of the waterfall and jungle from the hill before you descend. The waterfall is refreshing after a walk through steamy jungle. We were the only tourists around.

In our trips around Babelboab waterfall-viewwe did not see any restaurants and only a couple small convenience stores so it is best to bring along snacks and get a good breakfast in Koror. We liked Rock Island Cafe for generous breakfast. For dinner we headed to Drop Off Bar&Grill. They have excellent seafood and you can swap tories with other travelers and locals over a pint of Red Rooster (Palau’s own beer!). Crucially, Drop Off is located at/near the marina from which the liveaboards depart.

Travelled: Ocotober 2014.

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