Unique trip?

[gibson1525]

We all know about cozumel, the caymens, the bahamas, etc. i was just curious if anyone has a unique trip that they have taken and would like to share. my wife and i are always looking for places to go that are off the beaten path. our recent trip to montserrat was one of the most enjoyable we've been on, partly due to the fact that we were the only tourists on the island. so lets hear about yours.....

[MSilvia]

I did some great diving off the coast of Kenya in the Watamu marine reserve when my wife and I were there on our honeymoon. The reefs were in great shape aside from some old sugar/sand bags that were washed off a ship during the big tsunami. There were lots of tropicals, especially sgt. majors and moorish idols, as well as plentiful poisonous critters like lionfish, scorpionfish, and stone fish. Octopus and morays were everywhere, I saw a manta near the surface on the way to the dive site, and the day before I went out there was a prolonged encounter with a whale shark.

[iowdivnut]

My last trip was to Lake Tahoe, NV. I did a high altitude specialty course while I was in the area attending a conference. Beautiful diving, wasn't much to see a few fish, crayfish and rocks. The visibility was great almost as good as the tropics, but the water was about 30 degrees colder. If you ever get the opportunity give it a try.

[gibson1525]

i've been to lake powell but never made it to tahoe. sounds like a good time.

[gibson1525]

Originally Posted by MSilvia

I did some great diving off the coast of Kenya in the Watamu marine reserve when my wife and I were there on our honeymoon. The reefs were in great shape aside from some old sugar/sand bags that were washed off a ship during the big tsunami. There were lots of tropicals, especially sgt. majors and moorish idols, as well as plentiful poisonous critters like lionfish, scorpionfish, and stone fish. Octopus and morays were everywhere, I saw a manta near the surface on the way to the dive site, and the day before I went out there was a prolonged encounter with a whale shark.

i didn't even know they had diving down there, did you go for the diving?

[bversteegh]

Dominica is a beautiful island - kind of like a Hawaian island only with good diving. Has some great hiking/topside activities, great for a SO that doesn't dive.

[gibson1525]

i actually live in dominica right now, and i agree with you 100%, it's a great island.

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by gibson1525

i didn't even know they had diving down there, did you go for the diving?

They don't have a lot of budget for advertising.
We went for the whole experience. After a three day layover in Amsterdam, we spent a week at an Italian resort in Watamu (about an hour and a half north of Mombasa), enjoying the Indian Ocean diving, the white sand beaches, and the local culture and tourist stuff, then we went on a 3 day safari in the Tsavo West and Ambosili game reserves, including a visit to a Masaai village. It was a fantastic trip.

[gibson1525]

those pics are great! i've always wanted to do a safari, to combine it with some diving might be the ultimate trip. do you have a trip report-where you stayed, operators you used, etc.? i would love to do something like this someday.

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by gibson1525

those pics are great! i've always wanted to do a safari, to combine it with some diving might be the ultimate trip. do you have a trip report-where you stayed, operators you used, etc.? i would love to do something like this someday.

I don't really have a comprehensive trip report, but I'd actually recommend a different place than we stayed. To make a long story short, we ended up at an Italian resort because we got to stay there for free. If I was paying, I would have stayed at one of the British resorts on the same beach... Hemmingways maybe. Our dives were with Lorenz Riedl's Scuba Diving Watamu Ltd. Although we saw what looked like some great diving opportunities out of the (absolutely beautiful) White Sands resort in Mombasa, which might be more convenient.

We couldn't have been happier with the safari tour however, and would recommend Mic's Safaris without hesitation.