Now this is what we are all about! Happy faces the entire lot. Congratulations to ALL!
(Kurt will adding more specifics and photos in the coming days!)
Month: February 2013
BCM2 KILIMANJARO CLIMB/SAFARI TRIP Feb 12-25 2013
They are off and climbing.
Both Kurt and April are on trail to High Camp and then to the Summit of Kilimanjaro with a Team of Eleven Climbers. Eight are from the Summit For Someone Program.
The Team reached High Camp on the 17th after a 3 day hike in through the jungle. After a days rest at High Camp (15,100′) they awoke for a pre-dawn final push for the summit. All went as planned and they ALL attained the summit at 7:45 AM on the morning of the 19th of February.
For all the blog followers, more photos to come with details of the climb.
Congratulations to ALL the Climbers on a successful climb.
Successful Game Viewing Safari February 6-10, 2013!!
A cheetah in the Serengeti. Cheetah's are lean powerful cats built for speed. They're the fastest animals on our planet capable of speeds of 70-75mph/112-120kph for distances of up to 1600'+/500m when hunting prey.
SMI guides Kurt Wedberg and April Mayhew are back in Moshi, Tanzania after leading another amazing game viewing safari in Tanzania. Joining them on safari was Dan Cherico, James Gault, Beth Keller, and Emily McIntyre along with Christine Loredo and Frank Martin who stayed for one day. Over five days the group visited Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the great Serengeti Plains. They also visited a Masai village and saw the Olduvai Gorge archaeological site. At the end of their five days they flew from the Serengeti back to Arusha, Tanzania where some continued on to Zanzibar Island while others flew home.
April and Kurt are now awaiting the arrival of their next group of 11 folks who will attempt to climb Kilimanjaro (5895m/19,340′) February 14-20. Stay tuned for highlights from this climb.
Below are some pictures from the animals the group saw on safari.
A lioness with a cub survey's the landscape from the perch of a tree in the Serengeti.
A mother leopard checking out a hollow log before letting her cubs enter it for hiding.
A leopard cub learning to survey the landscape for danger from the top of a fallen log. It’s mother was watching from a nearby tree.
Zebra's in the Ngorongoro Crater. Zebra stripes are as unique as human fingerprints. When in a herd their stripe patterns make it difficult for predators to tell them apart from one another.
A zebra couple courting in the Ngorongoro Crater.
A mother elephant giving herself a mud bath in the Serengeti. Elephants use mud as a cooling mechanism during the heat of the day.
A hippo yawning in the Serengeti. Hippo's spend most of the daytime hours submerged up to their heads in water. They're herbivores and only use the large front teeth for fighting.
An Olive Baboon baby hitching a ride on its mother's back in Lake Manyara National Park.
A Blue Sykes Monkey in Lake Manyara National Park.
A Masai Giraffe eating acacia tree leaves in the Serengeti. Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world with some males reaching over 19'/6m. Their food supply is therefore plentiful since no animals can reach where they normally eat.
Cheetah's scanning the landscape while a third rests in the bushes to the left.
Hippos play fighting in the Serengeti.
Elephant mother and a calf less than a year old in the Serengeti. Elephants don't have any natural predators besides lions who will attack unguarded calves. Mothers usually keep their young close by and protected from danger.
Safari in style!! Dan Cherico, James Gault, Beth Keller, Emily McIntyre, and April Mayhew loaded up and ready for safari with SMI founder Kurt Wedberg and his long time safari driver Tarimu from Marangu, Tanzania in front. Tarimu is a skilled driver who knows the game parks and is intimately familiar with the behavior patterns of the animals. Kurt and Tarimu have been running safaris together since 1998 having countless memorable events over the years together. Tarimu drives a 4x4 Land Rover equipped with a removable rooftop, air conditioning, and electric charging ports. The vehicle can comfortably seat seven people in addition to Tarimu.
After an excellent 5-day safari the group is ready to fly out of the Serengeti for a birds eye view of the terrain we just covered over the preceding days!