Amazonia Travel » Cloud forest

The View From Kiliview Lodge

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:32:55 +0000

By: Esther Wambui

THE VIEW FROM KILIVIEWLODGE

Finally I am here! This is one of the days when all I needed was a hug and a smile. Even though my body was exhausted from travelling from Nairobi to this beautiful town in the Kilimanjaro region, it is nice and slow compared to the big town that I have been living in. Breathe in and out …….you are here! As I alight from the lorry I hear ‘’Pole kwa safari, karibu Tanzania.’’A short guy greets me with a brown hat and a beaming smile on his face. “My name is Phillip.’’ And as I shake his strong hand I say “Asante sana.” He offers to help me with my bags and we exchange conversation and then head to the hotel where I was to put up for the night.

The next morning after breakfast my guide was there waiting for me, with more and more smiles. My bags in hand, I am all set. It’s day time and I am able to see more of Moshi town. I see a well kept round-about with a freedom fighter sculptor. There is no traffic, unlike Nairobi. Our driver heads westwards. I see women wearing well tailored khangas and vitenge that showed their shapely curved bosoms and I felt out of place for once with my tight fitting jeans.

We kept on the road for half an hour and the scenery suddenly changes. There are a lot of banana plantation, and the soils are rich volcanic soils with rows of coffee plantation with a few with ripe berries. We pass a small town and Phillip smiles and waves to some people at some grocery stores and he informs me we are at his village town, Marangu. We are as

cending to the lodge. There are sharp corners, some of them with dropping ledges of over a thousand feet, and I fearfully close my eyes. He assures me that the driver is an experienced driver; we got to the lodge and I exclaim phew! But what takes my breath away is the beauty and the clean. We are 10,500 ft above sea level. I have never been this high— you see have never been in an aeroplane either! Shhhh! There is a familiar sound and I am Alice in Wonderland. Stunned, I notice rows of huge eucalyptus trees that mark the boundary of the forest reserve that adjoins Kilimanjaro View Lodge. At a distance there were moorlands and the peaks of Mt Kilimanjaro seemed like a stone’s through away although I knew it was thousands of feet. When the sun started to go down there was my mountain coloured in red, orange and bright yellow colours. Soon the mountain was covered with the grey clouds. I watched as the clouds took the majestic beauty off my eyes and I had to go in my hut to get my sweater. From afar I could see the traffic on the road to Arusha, sixty miles away.

At seven o’clock the waiters come to inform me supper is ready. I thought it would be something light but I was mistaken. In the huge dining hall the chef served us zucchini soup with bread. Mmm…I could not help but have a second helping. After the soup was the spaghetti Bolognese, which was also delicious. For desert we had pineapple and water melon. What a day!

The following day I went to the local Chaggaa village. There was a dance and all the women were dressed in their traditional khangas. The men sat aside and watched them as they sang and shook their bums as they sipped the local brew called mbege. I wanted to stay much longer but couldn’t as Monday was another working day for me. I wanted to go to the nearby waterfall, pluck the coffee berries, and learn much more of these friendly Chaggaa people, but sadly enough i had to hurry back to the lorry and with fond memories make the descent back to Moshi. I smile as I muse that I have been to Moshi, but didn’t climb Mt Kilimanjaro. I make a promise to myself to come back someday and do that.

Ps. If you need assistance in planning this experience for yourself, contact essynono@yahoo.com.

Esther Wambui lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

Cheap Holidays in La Gomera

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:14:50 +0000

By: Mark Ian Nettlemill

The now dormant volcano of La Gomera is a great place for spectacular scenery and invigorating walks. Holidays in La Gomera, the second smallest of the Canary Islands, offer something different from the usual holiday tourist traps.

History of La Gomera

For such a small island, La Gomera has a big history! Famed for being the last stop Christopher Columbus made before sailing the Atlantic, the house Columbus stayed in can still be visited! The island is also well known for the unique “Silbo”. This is a whistling language used by Gomerans to communicate with ease across the steep valleys. The whistling language can still be heard today and has recently been entered into the Gomeran school curriculum.

Things to Do in La Gomera

La Gomera’s main selling point is the Garajonay National Park. Masses of rain-forest like trees, hills blanketed in heather and mountains covered in clouds – this is Garajonay National Park! The highest parts of the park are continuously covered by rolling mists and wispy clouds making the whole view seem like a poster for Lord of the Rings! Garajonay has clearly marked routes and paths that you can walk, jog or cycle along and the log-cabin restaurant at the dry lake bed of Laguna Grande has some of the best food on the island!

Beaches of La Gomera

As for beaches, La Gomera has some hidden treasures! The black sand beach of the islands capital San S

ebastian has a nice view of Mount Teide and the clearest water around – great for scuba diving! All around La Gomera you can find small deserted beaches that make great secluded sunbathing spots – what more could you ask for from a holiday?

Hotels of La Gomera

La Gomera has few hotels and the more modern hotels can be found in the capital, San Sebastian. The Parador hotel in San Sebastian is a four star manor house hotel with spectacular views and tropical gardens, the perfect place to spend your holiday! Another fantastic hotel to look at for your holiday is the Hotel Jardin Tecina on the south coast of La Gomera. Made up of homely cottages in lush tropical gardens and set on a cliff top, the Hotel Jardin Tecina offers some sensational views and is the perfect place to relax after a long day of sight-seeing!

Once you visit La Gomera, you’ll never want to leave!

India Wildlife tours

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:14:39 +0000

By: Gaurav Kaushik

India is the home to large variety of wild beasts and is heaven for the enthusiastic photographers. With its unique geographical location it sees 5 seasons every year. There are as much as 488 Wildlife Sanctuaries and 89 National Parks in India.

Other than wild beasts India also has large variety of birds the migratory birds also come to India during the winter season. The country also brags of over 2000 species of insects, frogs and over 700 species of fish.

How To Planning The Trip!

The tour companies plan the wildlife trips all around the country and also to Nepal. The itineraries are prepared by the company so that the wildlife adventurers can have maximum to explore and experience. There are the best adventure tour spots in Northern and Central India which can be visited by the tourists.

Compass India Incorporation provides its guests with good accommodation facility and at reasonable prices. The India wildlife tours offered by them are designed for the people who have keen interest in wildlife. These places are amazing for the travellers who are fond of photography. One can also get familiar to the local culture of the respective place and enjoy some bird watching. A visit to the nearby village can provide the travellers with some snacks and tea.

Why wildlife trip to India?

India is incredibly rich in flora and fauna and is among the 12 mega diversity countries of the world. There are over 1200 species of the birds inhibiting in India, this means around 13% of the total birds exist

s alone in India. One can also get a luxurious stay in ideal resorts, which provide all facilities to the guests.

The variety of wildlife existing in Indian cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. This land is bestowed with the beauty of nature the mountains, seas, lakes, deserts and forests of varied types can be found in this sub-continent.

There are around 14 species of wild cats which include marbled cat, clouded leopard, lynx, snow leopard, caracal are few among them. Lions and tigers can also be found over here. There are 8 different species of deer in the forests, which gives pleasure to the naturalists. Other animals which can be seen here include a one horned rhinoceros, wild buffaloes, elephants, wild oxen etc. The jungle is full of primates, macaques and languor. Black bucks can be seen moving around on this vast land. One can enjoy these sights by moving in open jeeps, elephants, cycle etc.

Bornean Clouded Leopard

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:43:15 +0000

By: Omer Ashraf

Bornean Clouded Leopard has lived on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra for hundreds of thousands of years and yet was only recently recognized as a separate species. Called ‘Neofelis Diardi’ the cat is now believed to be different from the mainland clouded leopard ‘Neofelis Nebulosa’. The difference was established after a detailed chromosomal analysis whereby enough contrast was found with the clouded leopard to stop considering it as its subspecies. In fact the extent of genetic variation was similar to what is found in DNA of other big cats.

To a keen eye the difference is easily appreciable in even the coats of the two cats. The Bornean Clouded Leopard has a coat that is darker, with a double dorsal spine, and smaller cloud markings with numerous distinct spots within them, than the mainland Clouded Leopard. It is the largest predator on the island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world, and its two inch canines are second only to the saber toothed tiger in feline history.

Little is known about the behavior and lifestyle of this secretive animal that resides deep within the rain forests of Borneo. The agile body, short legs, large paws, sharp claws and great climbing ability enable it to reside and stalk high on trees and take down a variety of prey using its great stealth and hunting apparatus. Deer, monkeys and pigs – the usual prey – are killed by a single bite from those great teeth, and despite its short stocky physique (weight nearly fifty to sixty pounds, length around three feet excluding tail) l

arger prey is frequently taken without hesitation.

As with every other big cat in nature, man-made threats continue to push it against the wall in its fight for existence in the wild. In the case of Bornean Clouded Leopard, these include mainly habitat destruction by logging and new rubber and palm oil plantations. Recently however, the three governments controlling Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia) met and drafted a landmark conservation agreement to protect the heartland of Borneo and designate it for conservation and sustenance of the diverse fauna and flora of one of the last remaining heavens on earth – raising hope for one of the most beautiful cats of them all!

No related posts.

Avoiding The Worst Costa Rica Tourist Traps

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:38:48 +0000

By: Tim Roseland

Like all thriving tourist economies, Costa Rica’s tourism industry has its share of shady operators. While they are far outnumbered by the honest and friendly tour operators and Ticos, you don’t want an encounter with one of them to spoil what could otherwise be the best vacation of your life. We’ve collected just a few tips to help you negotiate your way around some of Costa Rica’s more notorious tourist traps:

Having a travel agent book your trip to Costa Rica may not be necessary and could end up costing you more than you need to pay, because some travel agents tack on as much as $50 per night to the cost of you hotel in Costa Rica. Spending a few hours to confirm your hotel reservations online could pay off with enough savings to let you extend your stay.

While you’re making your hotel arrangements, be sure to check on the distance from each hotel to the major tourist attractions. The closer they are, the less you’ll have to spend in cab or bus fare.

If you’ve decided to rent a car and drive yourself to the sights of Costa Rica, be aware that the metropolitan police have a habit of appearing out of nowhere to nail drivers on traffic violations. What most tourists don’t know is that if they are tickets, they can pay the tickets at any Bank of Costa Rica and should never hand money over to a policeman who says that for a fee he will take care of the ticket himself.

But why risk any encounter with the local law enforcement if you don’t need to? Taxi and bus ser

vice extremely easy to find in Costa Rica, and it will remove any chance of your winding up with your rental car stuck in a muddy ditch on some one-lane mountain road with the nearest help hours way. Simply include carfare in you’re your travel budget, and keep some extra cash hidden in your sock or other safe place for a cab should an emergency arise.

If you’re tempted to spend money on the Canopy or Sky Bridge Tours of the Monteverde Cloud Forest, stop and think. It’s called a cloud forest for a reason, and if the clouds are present during your visit, the chances are that you won’t see much in the way of forest wildlife. Even if you arrive at the Cloud Forest on a clear day, you shouldn’t attempt the tours unless you have a streak of daredevil.

The Sky Bridge will have you walking on a bridge high enough to clear the forest canopy, and the Canopy Tours will have you riding a ski-lift type of car attached to the forest trees. While both may provide tremendous views on the wildlife, neither is meant for people who suffer from vertigo.

One rather disturbing facet of traveling to the remote areas of Costa Rica is that the public restrooms lack not only toilet paper, but toilet seats! If you know you have an adventure in the Cost Rican wilds scheduled, make use of the restroom at your hotel or restaurant before you start, and bring along your own toilet paper to be on the safe side.

Remember to book your Costa Rica vacation at http://www.myroadtotravel.com