All posts filed under: Tanzania

ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA

I finished up my Tanzania trip in Zanzibar. It was the perfect end to our incredible experience in Africa. Many people don’t know that the Eastern Coast of Africa lies on the Indian Ocean and has beautiful beaches. Zanzibar is an island right off the coast of Tanzania. We explored the main island of Zanzibar first. We went to a slave site where they used to auction and sell Africans as slaves and transported them by boat to the United States on slave ships in the 1800’s. It was really intense to see the slave quarters where they held them and the areas where they auctioned them off.  They used to keep around 60 slaves underground in a tiny holding quarter with barely any light. There were no toilets and they were chained by their hands and feet. It felt very eery to be standing in the slave chambers where people were being enslaved and treated like animals because of the color of their skin. As hard as it was to be there, it was important to learn more …

SERENGETI, TANZANIA | FOUR SEASONS HOTEL

I’ve been meaning to post the 2nd half of my Africa trip and I’m finally getting around to it.  Our second leg of the trip we spent in the Serengeti and Zanzibar. I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from the Serengeti. It was an unforgettable experience. We stayed at the Four Seasons Safari lodge which is located in the middle of the Serengeti. We saw every animal from the view of our hotel room balcony. It felt like we were in the middle of a zoo, but we were the animals and the animals were the onlookers looking at us…we were in their home. We spent most of the day relaxing on our hotel balcony looking at elephants, zebras, giraffes walk by. It was unreal. The Four Seasons resort was beautiful and I highly recommend staying there if you ever take a trip to the Serengeti. We saw so many animals driving from the air strip to the Four Seasons. We didn’t even need to do an actual safari. We also did …

LAKE NATRON, TANZANIA

From Dar Salaam, our group traveled to an area near Lake Natron. This was my favorite part of the trip- it was by far one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. It was through Kilombero North Safaris, and we stayed in a camping/hunting  lodge for a couple days with a group of professional hunters. We got to practice shooting at an open air range with a master firearms instructor, and learned how to shoot different kinds of rifles. Akram, who runs Kilombero North Safaris and owns the lodge we stayed at (and many other hunting lodges throughout Tanzania), stayed with us along with some of his family. They were amazing people and by the end of our stay, we felt like one big family. One of the days we visited a primary school of over 700 Masaai children, and we gave them bags of school supplies, clothing, and food. They held a naming ceremony where they gave each of us  Masaai names, dressed us in traditional Masaai clothing, and sang for us. They …

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA

     I had never been to Africa before. I was so anxious and excited leading up to the trip. We had an incredible itinerary with lots of exciting things planned and a lot of charity work involved. I didn’t know where to begin to prepare myself, so I decided to begin by going through my closet and packing up half my wardrobe to give away while being there. We knew we were going to visit a primary school which really needed school supplies, so we packed up suitcases filled with school supply necessities. I also had to get the necessary shots before traveling to Africa (and if anyone knows me they know that is my biggest fear in life), so I had major anxiety leading up to that. I also knew I was going to meet the President of Tanzania, which I was really excited about. I packed up 8 big bags of luggage and was finally ready to go. I had no idea what to expect out of this trip, but I was looking …

TANZANIA

My trip to Tanzania was indescribable. I feel like no words or blog post can do it justice. It was the trip of a lifetime and I am extremely blessed to have experienced it.  I didn’t want to take a vacation…I wanted a life changing trip.  I went with an incredible group of friends which made the experience even more unforgettable. We did so much that we had a trip and vacation all in one which was really special.  We did a lot of charity/community service work in the city of Dar Es Salaam, stayed in a camp near  Lake Natron and visited the Masai people and their villages, experienced a wildlife safari for the first time in the Serengeti, and ended the trip on the beautiful white sand beaches of Zanzibar and Mnemba Island.  I can’t sum up the trip  in one post, so I am planning to do a couple posts to break things up and make it easier to read. Because I traveled all over the country of Tanzania, I will split …

AFRICA

I am so excited to leave for Africa today. I didn’t just want to go on vacation, I wanted to take a life-changing trip. I’ve been feeling the need to escape the “Hollywood” bubble that I work and live in and do something to make a difference and help make the world a better place. Africa seemed like the perfect answer for me right now. I am visiting Tanzania and have an amazing itinerary planned (some activities include visiting schools, orphanages, and villages, going on a  safari, hunting in the Serengeti, and visiting the beaches of Zanzibar). I am bringing several suitcases of clothing, school supplies, and other items to donate.  I am truly blessed for this opportunity to learn about the culture and traditions in an incredible way. I can’t wait to share my experience with you on my blog and social media! I hope this trip encourages and inspires more people to visit this beautiful country. Stay tuned…