Serengeti National Park

Arusha to Serengeti National Park

March 7

We woke up at the crack of dawn. I was feeling much better, although the morning started with a sprint to the washroom; well maybe two or three sprints to the washroom. Darn; now I have to drink all that water. I reported my condition, which meant rice, bread and bananas only, for me, until further updates. The good news is that I don't seem to have a fever and my tummy does not hurt. I can do this. We packed our own lunches with a selection of salad makers, myself excluded, that Kioko had cut up for us. After our camping equipment and essentials were loaded onto a safari jeep, we jumped on the jeep that was to be home for the long safari drives ahead. Sam stayed behind to watch over the truck and our belongings.

We arrived at the gates of the Ngorongoro Crater by 8:00 and waited over an hour for the registration process to be complete. Then we were free to explore. The crater was a spectacular site from the rim. When we descended into the crater we sited a large mass of animals including a herd of migrating wildebeest, zebra, a herd of giraffe crossing the road, rhino and menagerie of colourful birds flying overhead and fulfilling their roles in the food chain. We continued on our game drive until we reached the gates of the Serengeti at about 5:00 pm After a short break and refreshment we were on our way again heading to our camp in the Serengeti. Since the sun was beginning to set, we focused on hurrying over the washboard roads. Chris was at camp waiting four us and had our tents up already. Kioko had dinner made and we were all grateful indeed. Full course meal for Ed. Soup and rice for me. MMMMM!!!!!

Serengeti National Park

The wide open plains of the Serengeti, green afgter the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season and home to thousands of hoofed animal and fierce predators, is the quintessential image of Africa. Flat and rolling with long grasses, the plains get its name from the Masai word siringitu, “the place where the land moves on forever.” 

March 8

We woke up this morning with the hyena laughing in the grasses next to us. Our camp was not gated so we virtually camped in a camp right in the middle of the Serengeti. Fortunately there was a full moon last night so we were able to find a tree to back into and have full view of the Serengeti around us to watch for unwelcome predators, while performing our 2:00 am washroom habits. After a couple more hours sleep everyone was up, and eating toast and preparing for our morning game drive.

By 7:00 am we were on the road in search of cats in the tall grasses. We passed by a swampy area that had so many hippo, it looked like the swamp was filled with large grey rocks. We scanned landscape after landscape and soon came across a leopard walking towards us. It actually crossed the road right in front of us. Next we came across a cheetah with four cubs. We watched her for a long time and were able to get some close-up views. It was awesome! We have now seen the Big Five plus one: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo and cheetah. Back to camp for lunch and a siesta. We ended up retreating to our tent, protected from the tsetse fly after one bit me in the butt, right through my pants!!!

At 3:00 we went for another three hour game drive. We saw some very sleepy cats very relaxed in trees well protected from the sun and that pesky fly. At sunset we saw a pair of giraffe feeding on a tree. They carried on with life right beside us on the side of the road as we snapped one picture after another. Once back at camp we made a fire and chatted while Kioko made dinner. Reflections of experiences we have had together and funny stories were shared during dinner and into the evening. When the hyenas starting calling, we went to bed. Tomorrow is a big travel day.

Ed washing and drying pots. Yeah!!!!!

Acacia Tree

Small section of the wildebeast migration