November Visit

[JoeDif]

DW and I recently booked a long weekend during November. We will be staying for the first time at AKL, Arushu Savanna view. Are there any ALK veteran who can give me some tips on best time to view the wildlife? Also any other must see photographic points of interest around the resort?

Thanks

 

[ssanders79]

DW and I recently booked a long weekend during November. We will be staying for the first time at AKL, Arushu Savanna view. Are there any ALK veteran who can give me some tips on best time to view the wildlife? Also any other must see photographic points of interest around the resort?

Thanks

Depending on how early in November you are going you should have the Christmas decorations to enjoy around the resorts and parks. The decorations change from Halloween to Christmas almost overnight. The last Not So Scary is 10/31 and the first Christmas Party is 11/8.

 

[JoeDif]

Depending on how early in November you are going you should have the Christmas decorations to enjoy around the resorts and parks. The decorations change from Halloween to Christmas almost overnight. The last Not So Scary is 10/31 and the first Christmas Party is 11/8.

Thanks!! We timed it for the Christmas decorations and Osborne Lights, 11/10 -11/14.

 

[thomas998]

We stayed there one time in the summer... At that time the animals got up and moved from their holding area near the hotel to a point out of view as soon as they could... they didn't return to anyplace where you could see them until the evening. I don't know if they were simply trying to avoid people or were trying to find some cool spot somewhere else.

The only animals we EVER saw in the broad daylight were a couple of giraffes.

We saw more animals in the first minute of the animal kingdom safari ride than we saw at the lodge in our whole stay there.... don't get your kids hopes up. We made that mistake and they kept asking every day where the animals were.

I would plan to get up just before sunrise for your best chance of watching the animals run away from the hotel each morning.

 

[Porktitioner]

We had a different experience. It seemed that there were always some animals outside our balcony. However, morning was definately the best time to see them. Same goes for the safari ride.

 

[Bstanley]

I recall the schedule for the animals being 'breakfast' early, maybe 7am - 9am. then free time until 1pm or so when many would be moved in bunches back to the barn for whatever veterinary reasons there might be, then back to the Lodge in the late afternoon for more feeding/wandering.

The handlers put food in various spots around the savannahs to encourage the critters to wander about, but often the animals don't spot it, or perhaps they are being shy? We didn't have any problems seeing a fair number of animals in the morning and late afternoon, but some days were clearly better than others.

From our balcony we saw Giraffe, Zebra, Kudu, Thompson's Gazelle and Ankole Cattle.

This picture was taken at 8:30am (according to EXIF) during 'breakfast'. This guy (Ankole Cattle) was located about 100 ft from the balcony (the tall grass you see is part of the 'barrier' to keep the critters away from the building). In the background you can see some Kudu and Tommies that are maybe 200-250 ft away.

The Zebra in the center of this shot were about 200-250ft away. They were out and about at the same time as the critters above.

 

[cpbjgc]

We love AKL and have stayed a few times, but only once with a savanna view. We stayed with the Sunset Savanna view the last week of January 2010. The best animal action for us was late afternoon just before the evening feeding. Here is a link to some shots I took from the balcony. The other thing to remember is there are numerous public viewing areas off the looooong (sorry, could not help myself ) hallways, so if you have time you might check those out. If you have a chance you might also check out Kidani which we did last trip. We even saw some animals when eating a Sanaa:

The resort is also a treasure trove of spaces that lend themselves to long exposures, UWA and fisheye photography (if you have such lenses available), both interior and exterior.

Have a great trip! That is definitely our favourite resort (after OKW) and will likely be on our itinerary on our next trip.

 

[JoeDif]

Thanks everyone for the info and tips!!

 

[Pugrpooh]

It's been 8 years since we stayed there, but I remember seeing the animals fairly often. The best was at night, sometimes I would wake up and look out the window and the animals would be right outside. It was so peaceful to see them in the middle of the night!