The Serengeti

Over three days, we journied deep into the heart of Tanzania, through the Great Rift Valley, and into the middle of the Serengeti.  We were incredibly lucky to see so much, including all the Big 5, and enjoyed camping right in the open admist the wild of the great plains.

We split up into two Jeeps to get the best views as we bumped along like crazy down the rutted roads.  You have to hold on tight when the driver gets word of an animal spotted somewhere, because he tears off on the chase.



Our driver heard about a leopard, and we were thrown back into our seats for the drive over.  This cat is very elusive, and usually the most difficult of the Big 5 to see.  Turning a corner, we crashed into a dirt pile!  As we picked ourselves back up, our driver laughed that "this is Africa", and backed up and drove through the grass.  We arrived and watched as the pair of leopards get up from their perch and then climb down the tree.

This hyena was lazing about in a mud puddle like a warthog, escaping the afternoon heat.  But he got nervous as we passed and jumped up, wearily heading back into the grass.

Pumbas everywhere!  We learned that "pumba" just means "husk".

After another jolt and mad dash, we came ripping down the road just in time to see a massive family of elephants crossing the road in front of us.  There were about 25 of them, so gentle and unconcerned by us.  It was an absolutely beautiful moment.

Cape Buffalo, one of the Big 5

A word on the Big 5:
Made up of Cape Buffalo, elephants, Black Rhinos, lions, and leopards, the Big 5 are all prized trophy animals, but they also are all dangerous.  It's a hunting list, and would have been a measure of status to collect all 5, as they are all difficult to track and hunt on foot.  Now, the allure is often that they are more rare (except the Buffalo) and elusive.

Black-backed jackal

Gentle giraffes are everywhere! It was wild to see them run, it's almost like it's in slow motion.  At the giraffe centre in Nairobi, I got to see and hold a giraffe femur, and it is solid and heavy, designed for strength, and it's kick can kill.

Scenery was beyond incredible.  We were lucky to finish our game drive for the day just as this storm was rolling in.  It poured on our campsite, but was comfortable inside the tents.  Our tents are industrial with thick canvas and flies, and heavy duty poles (although I managed to break one anyway).  They are a right pain to put up and take down, and I hear my dad's voice everytime we have to pack them away wet.  You're right Dad, it ruins the tent, these smell awful.

Possibly even more incredible than the lions, which have always been my favourite animal, and which I was most excited to see, we came upon a huge migration of wildebeest and zebra.  There must have been a few thousand animals all in this one area, and they ran out of the way as we drove slowly down the road, then sealed back together behind the Jeep.

We saw about 5 lions in the Serengeti.  We were again so lucky - the rain the night before meant that these cats didn't want to lie about in the wet grass, so they were hanging about in trees.  We spent a lot of time watching and admiring!  On our way out of the park, we saw a pride of lions perched on a massive rock pile and everyone was pleased that Pride Rock is real.



After a night at the most exquisite campsite on the crater's rim, we descended into Ngorongoro Crater. It was otherworldly, reminiscent of Jurassic Park, Land Before Time.  The 500m tall crater walls enclose a flat plain dotted with pools, and the clouds threatening to enter the blue sky over the crater never made it, dissipating over the rim.

We saw this pair of lions in the grass facing away from us, maybe 20 m ahead.  The male was looking like he had survived a fight or two, with a limp leg and scar on his forehead.  After we'd been watching a while, the female got up and stretched, and the male followed her. They crossed immediately in front of our Jeep, and right beside our window, the male attempted to mate but was roared away by the female.  It was quite a sound from 2 m away. She then led the way to sit just on the grass next to us, facing us and making for some amazing close ups.

It was a phenomenal few days, and a bucket list experience.  We were so lucky to see all we did, and I feel good about the next few national parks on the list!

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