May 3rd and 4th, 2025

Part 1 of this unbelievably action-packed Tanzanian Safari can be found here!

While it wasn’t intentionally planned as a middle of the night departure, that’s what worked out best for the connections. I quickly took my Malarone (malaria prophylaxis medication) and a low dose aspirin before heading to bed on the early side at 9:00. With only a tiny bit of re-packing a few things, it would hopefully be a quick process in the “morning”. The alarm blared at 2:15am and I wish I could say the excitement helped me jump out of bed. It did not. I stumbled to the shower and quickly washed my hair and got all spiffed up. There was no knowing when my next real shower would be. The room had a soaker jacuzzi so I also made use of that for 10 or so minutes, once again not knowing when my next luxurious soak might be. No tub goes unwasted. Ever.

Sadly, the hotel did not have a shuttle that early (it only started at 4:00) and I needed to be at the airport by 3:15. I dialed up a Lyft and was picked up at 3:00 making it to BNA in plenty of time. In fact, had I known that the JetBlue counter wouldn’t open until 4:15, I’d have slept a little longer. This irritated me some, but I didn’t let it work me up because I WAS ON MY WAY TO AFRICA!!!!

With my TSA Pre-check I breezed through security for my 5:15am on-time departure and was soon landing at the hellishly large, chaotic JFK. No, the construction there will never end. Ever. (Pro-tip: Getting TSA Pre-check, and now Global Entry has been some of the best travel money I’ve ever spent! If you travel internationally more than once a year, totally worth it!)

I spied my next aircraft as we parked at our gate!

I had spent countless hours researching lounges at JFK, but in the end there just wasn’t enough time to get my money’s worth. I landed at 8:45 and my next flight was set to go out at 1:45. In those 4 hours, I needed to claim my bags, check in with Kenya Airways and get those bags re-checked, get through security, find my gate, and eat something. Lots to do! But first, I had to make my way from Terminal 5 to Terminal 4. Which meant a long walk with heavy bags. Sure, I could have taken the train or shuttle or whatever it was, but it wasn’t super far (less than ½ a mile) and I wanted some (fresh?) New York air. This would be the last I’d get of any “fresh” air of any kind for a very, very long time.

On the walk, I got to see one of the few A380s at the gates. Yes, they are super cool and absolutely immense aircraft that absolutely dwarf their neighbors, but today’s long-haul for me would be on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

Kenya Airways Check-in Frustrations at JFK Terminal 4–

Safely making it to the terminal that Kenya Airways uses I found the line for check-in. They were not open yet, so I got in line with 50 or so other passengers. About 30 minutes later the agents showed up and started getting people checked in and bags taken care of.

Things went smoothly at first, but it wasn’t 15 minutes into the process that the first agent working with me called another person over. They then sent me to the counter from the little stand-alone kiosk they started me at which had a manager-type at. I started to panic a bit and at one point there were literally 5 agents looking at the screen, my printed confirmations, and boarding passes. They gave me a vague explanation of the issue and some sort of excuse that they couldn’t check me all the way through because I didn’t have a return ticket, or so I thought. They finally handed me my new printed boarding pass and I did notice a “Security Code 1067” at the bottom of it.

Great, just what I wanted: A hassle at security.

To my surprise, I breezed through that, once again with my TSA Pre-check.

Huh.

They told everyone to be at the gate at 12:15 for our 1:45 departure. Seemed excessive, but whatever. I follow the rules. It still left me some time to find a bite to eat. I present to you: the world’s most expensive, mediocre hamburger. It was fine, and knowing I was a hostage diner, I ponied up and paid the piper. I did not tip well because the server had a ‘tude. If you can’t smile and the fact that you hate your job shows on your face, you don’t get a good tip. That’s how it works.

They started boarding 45 minutes prior to the flight and despite paying about $210+ for an upgrade to ….

Ok, let’s back it up a bit! There’s another tale that must be told. About 4 days before the flight I got an email from Kenya Airways that offered me an upgrade. First class would set me back $2,000+ so that was a definite NO-GO, but for bulkhead and priority boarding I could get Premium Economy for $210+. So I put in a bid.

2 days later I got an email saying that my bid was accepted but unfortunately my CC was denied. At the same time I got a email from my bank saying they’d detected fraud on my account, and they froze my debit card. Oh, for Pete’s sake!! Come ON! I called my bank in a panic because I didn’t want to lose my upgrade. They put the travel notice in and fixed the card. I then called Kenya Airways and asked them to please re-run the card and try to get my upgrade for me. Luckily, the next day, I was notified that they had tried again and all was good. I’d be first to board and have all kinds of leg room. YAY!


Not so fast- The Check-in Frustrations Continue!


Remember that Security Code 1067? Yeah, about that. When my group was finally called, they got all flustered and asked me to step aside so they could continue boarding while they figured my issues out. Like, say what?! How could 5 GATE AGENTS not get this “figured out” 3 ½ hours ago?!?! The real story was that they could not check me all the way through because my continuing flight was NOT on Kenya Airways but on Precision Air. Well yeah, no sh!t, that’s how y’all booked it! Gee whiz! They asked for my printed confirmations AGAIN, and finally with just a few minutes to go before boarding closed, they let me on.

HO-LEE crap my stress was through the roof and was I was NOT happy. I’d paid a lot of money to be one of the first on and I was literally THE LAST PERSON ON THE PLANE. Would I fly them again? Absolutely not. Ever.

Kenya Airways 787-8 Dreamliner Flight Experience-

Phew! I was on the plane and was finally winging my way to Africa- Nairobi, Kenya to be exact. I could not find a direct flight to Kilimanjaro, so I took what I could find at a decent price. Here are the repairs that a more budget airline can get you. (Yes, I know it’s perfectly safe, but… not a good optic.)

It was nice having the bulkhead and it gave me all those 1st Class Wannabe feels. Well, the little 1st Class Kit that I put together sure didn’t hurt either. I spread out all of my bougie goodies and got quite a little giggle from the crew who served the first of my 3 meals. Why not spend $5,000 less and use it on another grand adventure?

The flight itself was uneventful and as long and tedious as any other 13-hour flight I’ve ever done. My neck is just too whacked to get much, if any, sleep at all anymore. I tossed and turned, and even the Ambien I’d taken hadn’t helped much. I closed my eyes, woke up to eat, twice more, and even enjoyed a glass of pretty decent South African wine.

Nairobi Airport (NBO) Simba Lounge Review & Price-

Getting a relatively low fare came with a price of its own, namely a 10-hr long layover in Nairobi. It was so long that it was worth finding a lounge to relax in. I’d also done extensive research on the lounges at Nairobi Airport. There are a whopping 4 choices, all of which looked great and all of which accept Walk-Ins on a first come, first served basis. I ended up in the Simba Lounge mostly because that’s the first one I came across.

The price is very reasonable at $40/pp. and includes food, drinks, a shower, space to lay down if you want (not beds though), and ability to charge devices. I got settled in and asked for a latte. Having some natural light come in from over the apron was nice as well.

I’d bought a gimbel for my iPhone knowing that bumpy rides that I’d want footage of were ahead in my trip. I used some of the time in the lounge to learn how it worked and practiced with it some. Here is my first attempt at trying to use it. Please excuse the jerky zooming and amateur nature of the results; hopefully, it will give you an idea of what $40 can buy you in the Nairobi Airport should you find yourself there and have time for a lounge.

Around 6:30pm, I figured it was time to get checked in for the short, 1-hour flight to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania. Once I got my boarding pass, I made use of the Asante Lounge just adjacent to my gate. The staff at Simba Lounge told me that since I’d paid for access to that one, I could spend some time in the Asante if I’d like at no additional cost. That, I thought, was a very sweet and generous gesture. I got another small plate of food to tide me over knowing that’d be my dinner for the night. It was fantastic! Very good food for an airport lounge for sure. The décor was such a fun foretaste of what was to come.

The Asante Lounge:

Right on schedule I boarded my ATR72 (first time on one of those) and arrived in Kilimanjaro at 9:00.

Finally in Africa, Safari Here I Come!

There, I had to clear immigration and customs which wasn’t too bad. First, I had to get hassled about having a Yellow Fever Card (I do) but it is NOT a requirement if you spend less than 12 hours on your Kenyan layover and do NOT leave the airport. I satisfied both of those so continued on to the window to present my pre-obtained visa ($100 for US citizens or $50 for everyone else) , get cleared for entry, collect my bag, and meet my concierge team. I was finally… there. The relief was too enormous for words. The adventure (well more of it anyway) was really about to begin!

9 days of luxurious pampering began when Kelvin and Delvina grabbed my bags and showed me to the van that would take me on a private transfer to the guesthouse I’d stay in for the next 2 nights in Arusha. I was given a dope water bottle that I brought home with the logo of the Safari Company I used, Wilderness Destinations, some yummy little cookies, and some freshly squeezed fruit juice with ginger to enjoy on the 1 ¼ -hour drive. The rain drove down in buckets and there were literal rivers running down from the higher neighborhoods and onto the main road we were on. I tried to take a video, but the darkness and car windows made it impossible. I was shocked at the rushing rapids of some areas and wondered if anyone was ever swept away by these torrents.

I’d asked Delvina if they could please stop at an ATM which they happily obliged and I took out about $200 of local currency which lasted me well into the trip.

Finally, at 11:30pm, after a full 38+ hours of traveling, I was greeted by the staff at Katambuga House in Arusha and given a welcome toast. It was so nice of the staff to wait up for me! And with 2 weeks of adventures lying ahead, I fell into bed absolutely exhausted with an alarm set for 6:15 the next morning for some wild exploring!

Come back soon for a full review of Entara’s Katambuga House just outside of Arusha!! Meantime, enjoy other travels including Italy, Greece, The Balkans, and Disney!! Lots of trips with food reviews, itineraries, tips, trips, and even some mistakes we made that can save you some hassle!