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To the Serengeti: LAX-DXB-DAR-DXB-LAX on EK F/J w/ Photos

To the Serengeti: LAX-DXB-DAR-DXB-LAX on EK F/J w/ Photos

Old Mar 26, 2017, 3:22 pm
  #1  
gba
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To the Serengeti: LAX-DXB-DAR-DXB-LAX on EK F/J w/ Photos

It’s been a while since I’ve published a report on this forum. Since that time, the quality of report seems to have increased somewhat while my own abilities have, at best, remained level. I’ve got a fair number of pictures, but only limited notes to work from, so I’ll probably focus a bit more on the visual aspects of the trip, and especially the Serengeti itself, as Emirates has been fairly well-reported on here.

If you’re interested, my prior reports are:

1. ElAl NYC to TLV in Coach
2. AS/BA F SEA-SFO-LHR-BKK-SYD-SIN-LHR-SEA plus LDH
3. DBV and OTP in Dec. via DL J and LH F: SEA-AMS-ZAG-DBV-ZAG-VIE-OTP-FRA-SEA
4. The world is round! SEA-SFO-PVG-BKK-HKT-SIN-PVG-ZRH-FRA-ORD-SEA on UA, LX, LH F, TG, SQ C, and 3K Y
5. SEA-IAD-MUC-VCE-FRA-BKK-HKG-DPS-BKK-BRU-FRA-SEA on UA/TG A380/LH/CX C, TG, the JW Marriott Hong Kong, Conrad Bali, and GM Chedi Club
6. SEA-IAH-IST-SJJ/ZAG-FRA-YVR-SEA in TK/OU C and LH F
7. SEA-DXB in Emirates Business Class

The planned approach for this report is:
1. Emirates F LAX-DXB
2. Emirates F DXB-DAR
3. Sightseeing in the Central Serengeti
4. Sightseeing in the Ndutu Area
5. Sightseeing in Ngorogoro Crater
6. Emirates J DAR-DXB
7. Emirates J DXB-LAX

Let’s get to it!
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Old Mar 26, 2017, 3:40 pm
  #2  
gba
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Emirates F LAX-DXB

February 10, 2017
Emirates 218, LAX-DXB
777-300ER, A6-ECW
Depart: 9:30pm
Arrive: 1:30am+2
Duration 16:00
Seat: 2F


We were connecting off an Alaska flight which was too boring to include in this report so we headed through the LAX south-side tunnels and the new TBIT connector straight to the Emirates lounge. It probably wasn’t the most lux approach to our flight, but once we were in the lounge the ruggedness of the airport faded away. The lounge was a pleasant rest-stop before the flight and had an ample selection of hot and cold food items and a range of beverages. Although the lounge is set-up to be self-service, there were a couple extremely friendly servers offering assistance and clearing away used plates and glasses. The only disappointing aspect was the very basic shower facilities located within the restrooms.

We left the lounge before any sort of boarding announcement was made but by the time we ambled over to the gates 1st and business class boarding with underway. Much to my disappointment, the flight had been switched from an A380 to a 777 the week before we were scheduled to depart (no shower no bar ) but it’s hard to say that the opulent, intimate 777-300ER first class cabin was disappointing. We were greeted by a friendly flight attendant, shown to our seats, given a brief overview of its features, and offered a beverage of choice which was promptly served.


Settling in...welcome oj, snack basket, and vanity


Minibar upon boarding

Drinks were quickly served, followed by pajamas. All of business class boarded through 1L which made for a bit of unnecessary bustle in the cabin before departure but soon enough the announcement was made that ground crew must disembark and we were offered Arabic coffee, dates, and a hot towel before pushback.


Pre-departure coffee and dates

We pushed back right on time at 9:30pm and slowly taxied to runway 24L before launching into the air to the west at 9:50pm.
Quickly, the thick curtains between first class and business were pulled shut, fast track cards were distributed, and the snack baskets which were at our seats upon boarding, but had been collected for take-off, were returned. Menus were distributed, and food and drink orders were taken.


Menu Page 1


Menu Page 2


Wine list (Dom is on the prior page, not pictured)

Given the late hour and Emirates generous portions, I opted to skip a “main” and just go for caviar, mezze, and dessert which was more than enough food. The mezze was spectacular, I probably would've been content just grazing on it the whole way to Dubai. The meal concluded with coffee, packaged chocolates, and a hot towel.


All set for dinner


Caviar time!


So much mezze...this really isn't an appetizer, it's a buffet


Coconut and pineapple delice

I asked that my bed get made up, closed the doors to my suite, and dozed for exactly 4 hours which seemed to be the perfect amount of sleep given our late night arrival into Dubai.


Bed time!

The downside of sleeping so little, however, was that we still had nearly 10 hours of flight time remaining and I was exhausted. After a couple of cappuccinos, however, I was ready to take on the day, or at least the Emirates IFE system and a light snack.


Midflight canapes

Service throughout was friendly but not particularly pro-active (more Cathay than Singapore, if you would, but not nearly as impressive as either of those airlines). Our route took us slightly south of the North Pole over Hudson Bay and Southern Greenland then south over St. Petersburg, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran before crossing the Gulf and landing in Dubai from the west.
Roughly 2 hours out, I ordered a pre-landing meal of (more) caviar, salad, the smoked salmon from the breakfast menu, and some fresh fruit. At some point I realized that I’d eaten a ton of food over the past 16 hours but avoided any “hot” options which was probably a bit odd, although I was trying to avoid feeling completely stuffed at the end of the flight (moderately stuffed was an improvement).


One of the better airline salads


Smoked salmon and cream cheese for breakfast


Fruit plate

A selection of juices was offered to end the meal, followed by a hot-towel as we began our decent into Dubai. The IFE had been showing us arriving nearly an hour early for much of the long journey from LAX but after four loops over the Gulf and a somewhat bumpy landing I was grateful to pull into a gate on-time at 1:30 in the morning. All in all, even extreme comfort can’t overcome the fact that this is a l-o-n-g trip—I was definitely ready to be back on the ground.

Last edited by gba; Mar 26, 2017 at 5:06 pm
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Old Mar 26, 2017, 6:16 pm
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I was across the border in the Mara a couple months ago - simply spectacular. Of course, *A has me hostage so I slummed it in J/Y on LH/LX/UA so this report is on a different level than what I experienced.

Also, bravo on the restraint, I don't think I would have been able to control myself with that menu...
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Old Mar 27, 2017, 10:33 am
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Lovely start. Looking forward to reading the rest of your TR!
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Old Mar 28, 2017, 8:31 am
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The food presentation on EK F class looks tempting ^
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Old Mar 28, 2017, 7:20 pm
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The downgrade of 777 to A380 is significant. But like you said, first class is still good.
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Old Mar 28, 2017, 9:01 pm
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gba
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Emirates F DXB-DAR

February 13, 2017
Emirates 725, DXB-DAR
777-300ER, A6-EPF
Depart: 10:30am
Arrive: 3:30pm
Duration 5:30
Seat: 1E


After a couple nights in Dubai to break up the trip, we were ready to continue our journey onward to Tanzania. After a brief trip through the A first class lounge and a foot massage, we hustled to the B gates to board our 777-300ER for the short flight to Tanzania. We again boarded through 1L and were quickly setting in to our seats in Row 1. We were offered our choice of drinks from the bar as well as newspapers, magazines, slippers, and eyeshades.

Despite both being 777-300ERs, this airframe and a considerably more modern interior than the one we took for the long flight from LAX, including an HD screen, an HD touchscreen for seat controls, and an HD handset for IFE controls, as well as the impressive fiber-optic stars in the floor which our previous plane had lacked. The more modern controls werent just fancier, but also made the system easier to control.

The captain came on the p/a to announce the completion of boarding and a 5 hour flight time about 10 minutes before our scheduled departure and the crew hopped into action offering the traditional Arabic coffee and dates before we pushed back.

After the door closed, we waited another 20 minutes to pushback due to traffic and spent another 15 minutes taxiing before we took off from runway 12R. The crew had used the time on the ground to distribute landing cards for Tanzania and as soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off launched into action distributing menus and taking drink orders.


Menu


More of the menu. Unlike DXB-LAX, cheese gets a full page.


Wine list

It was a bit of a bumpy climb-out (so much so that a glass was dropped in the aisle). Having had my share of nibbles in the F lounge, I started out with some canapes and a cheese plate which were a perfect accompaniment to the movie, the Accountant.


Canapes


Way too much cheese.

The service on this flight was a cut above our outbound from LAX and the personable purser and his staff made sure everyone was comfortable, hydrated, and well-fed. I ordered a late lunch towards the end of the flight and tried the seafood duo appetizer and the lovely Bzar Fish which was not at all bizarre.


Seafood duo


Bzar fish

My meal concluded with the praline cheesecake and a hot towel and before I knew it we were descending into Dar es Salaam.


On an airplane, there's always room for dessert

We landed from the east and pulled into our gate just a couple of minutes behind schedule due to our slow departure out of DXB. Upon arrival, we waited nearly two hours for visas in a hot, stuffy, immigration hall and quickly headed out the arrivals door and back in the departures door to catch a FastJet flight from DAR-JRO where our safari would begin.
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Old Apr 3, 2017, 10:51 pm
  #8  
gba
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Central Serengeti

Our safari kicked off with a flight from Arusha to Seronera in the central Serengeti. We were fortunate to be in the central Serengeti at the same time as the bulk of the wildebeest and zebra migration, the wildlife viewing was incredible!


View of Mt. Meru from Arusha Airport


Zebra and wildebeest from the air


Zebras of all ages


Drink up!


Mom and baby leopard


Baby leopard up close


Leopard on the run


Giraffe up-close


Elephants resting in the afternoon shade


Mom and baby elephant


Cape buffalo up-close


Zebra and wildebeest herds


Mom and baby hippo

Last edited by gba; Apr 5, 2017 at 9:00 am
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Old Apr 3, 2017, 11:04 pm
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Great trip report! Serengeti is on my list, hope to get there sooner rather than later
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Old Apr 3, 2017, 11:06 pm
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Beautiful photo's of the Serengeti animals, gba, especially of the leopard on the run.
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Old Apr 4, 2017, 5:05 am
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Fabulous photos- what an inceredible spot the baby leopard is as well! Can't be more than a few months old? It's tiny!
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Old Apr 4, 2017, 9:54 am
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Jaguar?
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Old Apr 5, 2017, 8:59 am
  #13  
gba
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Originally Posted by LANDJ999
Jaguar?
Total brain failure, that's a leopard. Will go edit the captions.
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Old Apr 8, 2017, 11:02 am
  #14  
gba
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SW Serengeti

We also spent a day on a game drive in the Ndutu area near the border of Serengeti National Park and the Ngorogoro Conservation Area. The wildlife wasn't as dense as in the central Serengeti area, but we had several close encounters with large mammals!


Giraffes on the move


A jackal and a vulture argue over lunch


Mother lion cleans a cub


Lion cub close-up


Cheetahs relax in the shade


Just lion around


Elephant bath time
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Old Apr 22, 2017, 3:00 pm
  #15  
gba
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Ngorogoro Crater

A highlight of a Tanzanian safari is seeing the Ngorogoro Crater which has an impressive array of wildlife throughout the year. Compared with the dry Serengeti, it was a much lusher area for game viewing. The day we spent there was one of the best of the trip.


Wildebeest Nursery


Lion yawning


Hippos being hippos


Crested Crane


Warthog Family


Rhinos!
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