Day 15

Goodbye Bilila

Leaving the Kempinski Bilila Lodge and
Heading towards the next destination: Zanzibar

A wonderful time in the Bilila Lodge Kempinski

The last eight days I had a splendid time in the Bilila Lodge. I experienced the wonderful natural life of the Serengeti and spotted lots of amazing animals, from tiny insects that looked exactly like leaves, to snakes and other reptiles, lions, zebras, and huge hippos, elephants and giraffes. I saw the spectacle of the annual migration with thousands of wildebeest around me. I even had a stunningly beautiful aerial view over the Serengeti and breakfast in the wild.
I went to local farms, the nearby village and the market and met many wonderful people there. I learned about the communities and horticulture projects.

And last but not least, I had a really great time with the people in the Lodge. It doesn’t matter whether I was walking above the wild on the walkways, enjoying a tasty meal with the view over the Serengeti, sitting in the sun at the infinity pool or exploring the fine architecture of the Lodge: the excellent staff were always ready to help, have a friendly chat and make the stay outstanding. I heard lots of stories and even learned some snippets of Swahili from the Maasai-guards.

So I left the lodge today with a big “thanks” and the hope to return one day.

Flight to the next Destination

A last game drive took me to the Serengeti Airstrip. In the vast plains lies this tiny “airport” where you leave in petite aeroplanes. No counters or gates here – when I asked for the check in they just pointed at the captain who was having a cup of coffee at the small bar. Together we walked over the apron to the plane, threw my luggage in and started off with a handful of other passengers – a really easy way to travel!

If you fly with a smaller propeller plane for the first time, this is a real experience. There is no divider between cockpit and passenger compartment – it’s a feeling like sitting in a small bus. Because these machines don’t fly so high I enjoyed a last view over the Serengeti before we headed towards Arusha. Changing planes in Arusha was no problem at all: They just remember who you are and where you want to go and tell you personally when your plane is ready.

I am concluding this day with being both a little bit wistful about leaving the Serengeti, and at the same time being very curious about my next destination: Zanzibar!