Blast Off!
I’m glad you can join me for the start of my trip around the world. It’s been five months since the idea of shedding my old life for a new one came about. It was a crazy five months to do just that, but I am now very excited to begin. The schedule has me in Africa for June into Sepetember followed by about five months in South America. Beyond that I plan to circumnavigate the Mediterranean Sea with travels to West Africa, Ethiopia and Eastern Europe. I’m not sure what happens after that, but Asia and Australasia will eventually be visited. I am allocating two years for this adventure, but how can one be sure about anything given that kind of timeframe? Maybe the trip ends in six months or maybe it will never end…
Africa… The starting three months will not be like the rest of the trip. I am on a tight schedule for three months going from one safari to another covering ten countries. The blog may not be kept up-to-date as often I would like due to safari and Africa logisitical issues, but if you stick with me, I will eventually get the stories told and the photos posted. Since the first Africa visit is so well planned, I can explain what I am doing beforehand…
June 2 – Fly from JFK to Johannesburg.
June 4 – Fly from Johannesburg to Vilanculos, Mozambique to spend five days on Benguerua Island which is part of the Bazaruto Archipelago. I have read descriptions that this is the “crown jewel of Africa” as well as the “crown jewel of the Indian Ocean”. I will be there for scuba diving, snorkeling, sea kayaking and jet lag recovery.
June 9/10 – Fly from Vilanculos to Johanneburg to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Zanzibar. Zanzibar is a tropical island off the coast of Tanzania. It will be my first experience with the Muslim world and I will be awoken at 5:30 on the 11th by the muezzin. I will stay in Stone Town and I currently have no real plans to follow.
June 12 – Fly back to Dar es Salaam and then travel to Saadani National Park which includes beach on the Indian Ocean and the Wami River as well as a lot of animals. This will be my first experience with hippos, crocodiles, elephants and other land animals.
June 14 – Fly from Dar es Salaam to Arusha, Tanzania to start my first safari in the Serengeti. The safari will include Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Ngorongoro Crater and three days with the Barabaig tribe who are also known as the Rainmakers. The great migration will be occuring in this part of the vast Serengeti and I will do a hot air balloon ride over it one morning.
June 24 – Fly from Arusha to Nairobi, Kenya and then travel to the Maasai Mara. Cheetahs and the Maasai Mara people will be highlights.
June 29 – Fly from Nairobi to Lusaka, Zambia to Mfuwe, Zambia for the start of a 10-12 walking safari in South Luangwa Valley. We’ll be tracking animals on foot and hopefully not become their dinner.
July 10 – Fly from Mfuwe to Lusaka to Nairobi to Entebbe, Uganda. I will be working on a farm in Uganda for three weeks as part of WWOOF (http://www.wwoof.org/).
July 31 – Fly from Entebbe to Nairobi to Kigali, Rwanda to start a highland gorilla safari in Rwanda and Uganda. I have two permits to see the gorillas in two different parks. We will also see a lot of other primates. I will be staying at the Hotel des Milles Collines from Hotel Rwanda fame and will visit the Genocide Museum.
August 9 – Fly from Kigali to Nairobi to Johannesburg to Cape Town… very long day! I will spend some time with a rental car visiting the sites in and around Cape Town as well as in the Winelands area.
August 13 – Fly from Cape Town to Walvis Bay, Namibia for time on the Skeleton Coast as well as Etosha Pans. Desert and ocean will be the focus of this visit.
August 20 – Fly from Windhoek, Namibia to Johannesburg to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo for the start of a safari that takes us into the Congo and Central African Republic. Highlights will be lowland gorillas, forest elephants and pygmy tribes.
September 6 – Fly from Brazzaville to Johanneburg to JFK.
Let the adventure begin….
Tags: Africa, Start, Travel
vagabondrick
Good luck with everything! This sounds so exciting – I’ll bet you’ll have enough material to write a book!
Cheers,
Katie
Thanks for getting this started, Rick. I am so excited for you and have subscribed to the RSS feed so that I can follow your travels. You are going to have such an adventure. I am so glad you are going to share it with us.
Have fun!
-Karen
hey, hey, way to go Rick. Bon Voyage. And I can get to the blog simlpy by clicking on the address from your e-mail. Thank You
We are sooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited for you! Best wishes and all of our love is with you!
Rick,
Good life choice, and an exciting itinerary in Africa! Stay out of Darfur! Our love and prayers are with you always.
Stay safe and have a ball! We’ll be following your adventures…
Bon Voyage!
Love, Marie and Dave
I look forward to hearing of your exciting adventures, and have no doubt that you will have many others vacariously traveling with you.
Safe Jouney to you, Rick!
-sam
Au revoir dear brother. Your life is about to change forever. This change that will bring a deeper meaning and understanding of your life as well as the life of all creatures. I wish nothing but positive experiences and when they aren’t as you had planned, be patient as plan B will work out just fine! Remember….you will never get more than you can handle…so push it as far as you can because by doing so you won’t miss anything.
My only advise is to remember that people, wherever they live, are wonderful and it will be your experiences (small or large) with the people of the world that will be left in your memory forever.
Good luck, good days and good nights. I love you. See you in September. Julie
It is fitting that you are starting your travels near the Cape of Good Hope.
Remember that we are all with you for every step of your journey! Let go of any preconceived notions and enjoy what the people of the world have to offer.
Bravo for your courage and safe travels!
Kevin & Jen
Rick, sounds like a fantastic adventure. Have fun
and in case you see some great big kittykats say hello to them for us. See you in September.
Dave and Ann Marie
Rick,
Well you are into your adventure full-fold. Hope that all your journeys are safe, your experiences life-changing, and friends from your “former” life not forgotten.
Nan
Hi
I have a wine business (based in Cape Town) amongst other things, being: holiday accommodation, arranging safari’s and adventure trips and I’m a personal chef. Everything under one umbrella, so to speak.
Besides being an agent for the Africa Travel Co., in Cape Town, I’ll sort out your accommodation and book your flights FOR FREE.
So, PLEASE, look me up if you’re ever planning to visit Cape Town. Check out my website (sorry it’s VERY basic) http://www.geocities.com/janizaf or e-mail me vino-tech@telkomsa.net
Regards
Janine