Jambo everyone,
Today we visited Ngorongoro Crater, considered by some to be the eighth wonder of the world. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is home for more than 25’000 animals that have taken up residence. We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few more animals before the heat of the day sent them in search of shade.
There were many sightings today of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds. We manage to see a ton of Lions, 24 to be exact. They seemed to be everywhere and we got really close to a large group of 11 of them.
The also managed to see 1 Black Rhino, although not as close as we would have hoped for.
We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the craters rim. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village.
We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the plantation lodge and the team is off to bed after a long, but very rewarding day on safari.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the safari crew
Sounds like you really had a great time at the crater, and the pictures tell it too! Lovely post! Thanks for sharing. The Ngorongoro really is a must-visit destination when heading to Tanzania. Just looking at the photos make me want to head to the country at once. Did you seek help from a tour operator for your trip? Would love to hear about it. Anyways! Keep safe and looking forward to reading more of your adventures!
Posted by: Krisan Sablaon on 4/15/2019 at 1:08 am
You guys look you had a blast visiting the crater and the village! I can’t wait to do the same during my trip. I heard visiting the Maasai village is a must if you’re in the area. I am honestly excited to get to know the Maasai people and their way of life which seems so different from what I am used to. I also read that the Maasai people welcome visitors to their village warmly with a song and dance. They even do this traditional dance known as the “adumu” or mostly commonly known as the jumping dance. Did you guys to experience this too when you went for a visit?
Posted by: Ana Katrina Lopez on 3/15/2019 at 7:35 am
Today was our first day of safari and we headed west to visit the beautiful Lake Manyara. The lake is a brief stopping ground for many migratory animals, beautiful and exotic birds and even tree climbing lions.
We manage to see a few wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo, baboons, impalas a few distance hippos, and elephants so close you could almost touch them. We also even managed to see two of those tree climbing lions. It was a pretty nice introduction to the incredible wildlife that Africa has and the team is looking forward to seeing more tomorrow.
Everyone enjoyed the day cruising around in our safari vehicles with cold beverages in hand while seeing the animals.
We wrapped up the evening relaxing at the beautiful Plantation Lodge.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew
You deserve all the cold beverages you desire :-))) Awesome pictures, great to see you all relaxing and enjoying such a wonderful safari :-)...“Summit, safari, shangri la”....Emily and Alysia…YES.
xoxo
Posted by: Shelby Schneider on 9/11/2018 at 4:30 pm
Today we started at 7 a.m. feeling good and refreshed after a much needed night of sleep. We had breakfast and then enjoyed some goodbye songs and dances from our amazing African crew of porters, cooks, and local guides (numbering 50 in total). We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips before hitting the trail one last time.
It took a little over three hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch before hopping aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge.
We are all safe and sound, cleaner, and smelling fresh after an exciting seven day journey up and down Kilimanjaro.
Stayed tuned, our safari starts tomorrow!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kilimanjaro crew
Congratulations to the team, especially Grant and Bridget! Can’t wait to hear from you and see your pictures from the climb. Have a great time on the Safari! Love, Mom
Posted by: Shelly Thomas on 9/11/2018 at 7:09 am
I love the pictures so much!!!! Thanks to the whole crew, for guiding this awesome bunch of people, and for feeding them and bringing them back safe! Love the smiles!!!! Have a blast on the safari!!! xoxo
Posted by: Shelby Schneider on 9/10/2018 at 3:05 pm
The Four Day Summit Climb September 7 - 10, 2018 led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and JM Gorum were unable to make a summit attempt. High winds and precipitation kept the groups from making their summit attempt. They will be descending from Camp Muir to Paradise this morning and will return to Rainier BaseCamp in the early afternoon.
Sunday, September 9, 2018 - 1:20 PM PTRMI Guide Bryan Mazaika called from the summit of Mt. Baker this afternoon. The team attempted the climb a day early to take advantage of a forecasted lull in the rainy weather. The decision proved wise as the team was able to summit 100% in dry weather! They will make their way downhill to camp where they will pack up and exit the program a day early to beat the coming rain and snow.
Congratulations team!
Bryan Mazaika checking from Mt. Bakers Coleman Deming Route. September 9, 2018.
The Four Day Summit Climb September 6 - 9 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. RMI Guide Steve Gately and team were 100% to the summit. Steve reported clouds and winds to the top of Disappointment Cleaver with winds 10-20 mph. The climbers left the crater rim just before 8 AM en route to Camp Muir. Once back at camp they will repack and continue down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Congratulations to all of you. What an accomplishment!
Posted by: Jan Charter on 9/9/2018 at 1:22 pm
WAY TO GO….Tara & group !! I can’t imagine how hard it was but also how majestic. I’m SO PROUD of you Tara & what you accomplished. Mt Ranier has been conquered !!! Can’t wait to hear ALL about it !! Love Mom
100% on top!!!
Today we had a wonderful albeit long day climbing to the summit of Kilimanjaro. The team woke at 11pm as we planned to thankfully clear skies after a cloudy evening that had us wondering the lay ahead.
We had a quick breakfast of porridge, tea and coffee before hitting the trail at 12am.
We climbed in hour increments with 10-15 breaks in between, which we've been doing every day thus far. The weather was pretty nice with just a little wind that kept us bundled up for most of the day. Thankfully the wind died just as we reached the crater rim know as Stella Point. It was one of the busiest days I’ve seen on Kili with more than 200 climbers, but the team timed everything just right and took great care of themselves.
The climb took about 7 hours to reach the top, and thankfully the sun had risen shortly before to help warm us and boost morale after climbing through the night. Once there, we hugged each other, enjoyed the view and took plenty of pictures of the sign that adorns the “Roof of Africa”.
It was a true test of endurance for most of the crew, and I'm really proud of everyone. We safely descended back to High Camp, had a quick lunch, repacked and continued further down the mountain to our final camp, where we are about to have dinner and then head to bed for some well deserved sleep.
Everyone is really looking forward to hot showers tomorrow to say the least.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili summit crew
Saturday, September 8, 2018 - 9:07 AM PTRMI Assistant Guide Avery Parrinello checked in this morning from the base of the chimney's on the Fisher Chimney Route of Mt. Shuksan. He reported that the team decided to abandon the summit attempt there because of poor and deteriorating weather conditions that included heavy rain. The team will return to camp and dry off the best they can for the hike out tomorrow morning.
Jambo Everyone back home.
Well we’ve finally arrived at our high camp, after a good nights rest and a short hike up to 15’000 ft. It has been mostly sunny all day with great views of Kilimanjaro and our route for tomorrow. Everyone is doing well and feeling good at this new altitude which is a good sign for things ahead.
The team just wrapped up lunch and discussed in great detail the plan for tomorrow’s climb. Everyone knows what what we’ll be wearing and what will be in the pack as well as the schedule. Our game plan will be to wake at 11 pm and have a quick breakfast at 11:30, then hopefully hit the trail right at midnight. Normally we try to leave a touch later, but there are quite a few climbers here tonight so we’re going to try and get a jump-start on most of them.
I’m expecting the team to reach the summit in 7 to 8 hours if things go according to plan. There have been several rounds of trivia with the winner getting a chance to make a satellite phone call from the summit. So everyone back home please keep your phones handy and if you receive a call from a strange number please answer.
That’s all for now. And keep your fingers crossed for us!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili Crew
The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guides Mike King and Chase Nelson reached Ingraham Flats today. High winds and a cloud cap kept the team from the summit, but they were able to get a bit of climbing in as they made their to the flats. The team will be starting their descent and be back at Rainier Basecamp in the early afternoon.
Congratulations Team!
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Sounds like you really had a great time at the crater, and the pictures tell it too! Lovely post! Thanks for sharing. The Ngorongoro really is a must-visit destination when heading to Tanzania. Just looking at the photos make me want to head to the country at once. Did you seek help from a tour operator for your trip? Would love to hear about it. Anyways! Keep safe and looking forward to reading more of your adventures!
Posted by: Krisan Sablaon on 4/15/2019 at 1:08 am
You guys look you had a blast visiting the crater and the village! I can’t wait to do the same during my trip. I heard visiting the Maasai village is a must if you’re in the area. I am honestly excited to get to know the Maasai people and their way of life which seems so different from what I am used to. I also read that the Maasai people welcome visitors to their village warmly with a song and dance. They even do this traditional dance known as the “adumu” or mostly commonly known as the jumping dance. Did you guys to experience this too when you went for a visit?
Posted by: Ana Katrina Lopez on 3/15/2019 at 7:35 am
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