Serengeti - Tanzania - June, 2013

We have made it to the Serengeti in Tanzania via a plane trip from Johannesburg to Nairobi to Arusha and at long last, the Serengeti – with one moment to catch our breath, if you can call it that, at a brief overnight stay in The Arusha Hotel.


 So yes, I’d say we are continuing on the hectic safari pace.

Our driver picks us up at the airstrip and immediately we are off to see the wildlife – leaving the check in at our camp for later.  This safari experience is quite different in the National Park as opposed to a private game reserve.  Off-roading is strictly prohibited so we must stay on the beaten path.  At first it is an adjustment as we spy the dangling legs of a leopard in a tree.  We’d love to get closer but will have to rely on Gilbert’s telephoto lens to give us a better view of the big cat.

But patience has its rewards. 

We soon have a mother elephant and her baby crossing the road in front of us.  Further afield, we come across 2 male lions lazing under a tree for their nap.  Lions can spend up to 20 hours/day sleeping so it is no wonder we find them in their usual prone position.  And then off in the tall grass we spy a lioness and 4 cubs.  The mother is gazing at something - so intent is her stare we think she might be stalking prey.  She begins to walk towards us, never losing her focus, with the cubs playfully in tow.  They cross the road in front of us and suddenly, another lioness, the sister of the first one, emerges from behind the group.  At once there is a heartwarming and very affectionate family reunion amongst all the lions.  So it was one sister looking for the other – not the stalking of prey - that had the one lioness so focused.  We watch the pride enjoy a refreshing drink at the nearby watering hole and then once again, head off into the tall grass, leaving us awed by having been in their presence.

But the wow factor with the Serengeti doesn’t end there.  We cannot believe the number of animals we are seeing.  The Serengeti is teeming with wildlife.  The herds of animals are huge (ranging from 50 or so into the thousands) and we don’t need to ‘hunt’ for them as we did at Sabi Sabi. 

Instead, they are often near the roadside or crossing just in front of us so viewing is quite close and unobstructed and we quickly realize the need to off-road is really not necessary.

But the Serengeti is more than just animals. 



The landscape is right out of the ‘Discovery Channel’.  The grassy plains extend as far as the eye can see with Acacia Trees dotted here and there to offer respite to the animals during the heat of the day.  It is as though Marlin Perkin’s, ‘Wild Kingdom’ has come to life right before our eyes– everything seems almost surreal.

I can tell you what is real - our accommodation.  We will spend 2 nights in the Serengeti in an upscale tented camp.  Our tent comes complete with our own private port-a-potty and shower. 

We tell the staff when we would like a shower, they come and pour hot water in the tank, and we relish cleaning off the dust and dirt from the day’s drive.  And we are hardly sitting around a campfire eating ‘wieners and beans’ or ‘spam’.  The chef is cooking up gourmet meals, including soup for a starter.  It is truly amazing what someone can prepare with limited resources in a tented kitchen.  So all in all, I wouldn’t say we are really roughing it.

One surprise we have found with the Serengeti is all the controlled fires that are burning.  The air can be a bit hazy and smoky at times.  This is done yearly to rejuvenate the soil for plant growth, which in turn, the animals will feed on.  Our first night in the camp and we have a fire glowing a mere 150 feet away.  We are assured that the fire is controlled but it could only take a bit of changing wind direction to blow an errant burning ember in our direction.  And guess what - our tent is nearest the fire so we are the ‘first line of defense’ if anything were to get out of hand.  As you might imagine, I did have trouble falling asleep but as I’m still blogging it is obvious we must have made it through the night.  Fortunately, the blaze had been extinguished by the following evening so I could welcome a sleep that came effortlessly.

But the real reason we chose this camp in Tanzania is to see the

wildebeest migration.  And to this end we were not disappointed in the least bit.  There are 2 million of these animals on the move, driven by the need for finding food and water.  I am not overstating the fact when I say we ended up seeing hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, more than we could have ever imagined.  The males butting heads as they protect their territories while the females, slowly and deliberately, continue along a trail in single file, sometimes nursing their calves which are about 3-4 months old. 

And the sound is impossible to miss – a constant low, grunt-like, cow-like bellow – at times almost deafening given the numbers of wildebeest.  Lucky for us, our driver found a little used path through the grass and took us right into the midst of the animals.  Unlike the lions, the wildebeest are not exactly happy with our presence.  But if we remain still they eventually settle down and tolerate us being there, although they do keep their distance.

It is not just wildebeest we see but also hundreds of zebras who

tend to hang around the herd.  Safety in numbers as they say?  And we’ll add to the mix some hyenas looking for an easy meal, a small band of warthogs, (actually quite cute with their radar tails straight in the air) a few ostriches, various kinds of antelopes and even a huge herd of Topi.  Let’s face it - there are just animals everywhere.  I’ll say it again - a truly amazing sight. 

I ask you - what could be better than enjoying a picnic breakfast while viewing giraffes off in the distance.  We’ll continue to see animals as we are in the vicinity for 4 days.

Our morning safari ends around 1pm – when the hot, Serengeti sun is at its peak and it becomes uncomfortable in the jeep.  So let’s talk about what happens on a safari in the late afternoon.  It is still hot but we now have this insect called the Tse Tse Fly.  And this fly just loves the heat and tall grass and trees and HUMANS!  And we humans, as in Gilbert and myself, are naïve as to their behavior and habitat.  We head out on the road with our driver, windows down, roof open.  Unknowingly, we enter ‘fly territory’ and immediately the jeep is filled with these ‘nasty buggers’!  We are literally being attacked and eaten alive.- These flies are invincible – they bite through clothing and when you whack and stun them, they just get up and fly and bite again.  We quickly roll up the windows, close the roof with 50-60 flies still with us in the jeep. 

I fashion a Burka out of 2 blankets, protecting my eyes with my glasses.  Gilbert wraps a blanket around himself, Burka style, and then tries ridding the jeep of ‘the plague’ by hitting them with his hat.  Our poor driver has about 20 on his head – these flies love the colour black and our driver is hatless and black – not a good combo.  He multi-tasks – swatting flies and somehow managing to drive the jeep to safety - where the bush has been burned so there is no grass or trees or flies.  For a few minutes, the whole situation was out of control as we were no match for the flies.  It was actually quite a hysterical moment - we are laughing even while Gilbert and the driver manage to beat all the flies out of the jeep.  Then we role up the windows, close the roof, put on the fan (not air conditioning so we swelter in the heat), declare our jeep a ‘no fly zone’ and try our best to safari.

This means driving back into the fly area with the insects pinging off the jeep.  They actually can fly faster than the jeep.  However, we are rewarded for the effort as we see Baboons (80 or so?) as they methodically and ceremoniously make their way through the grass, gravitating towards a group of trees, and then slowly climbing the trunks to find their resting place in the branches for the night.  It is such a silent retreat and once in the trees, the baboons miraculously blend in and fade away into the darkness.  There was just something about their slow march and lack of sound that had me mesmerized.  I could have watched them for hours.  In the morning, the procession is reversed as they climb back down and head off into the grass once again.

Of note – we did give an afternoon safari a try again.  It really was a feeble attempt as it was too difficult to survive the suffocating heat of the enclosed jeep.  And we refused to even think of being ‘eaten alive’ by flies again.  But in defense of the Tse Tse fly – if it wasn’t for them, the Serengeti and other game parks in Tanzania would have been settled by humans and there would not be the abundance of wildlife we see today.

After 2 nights at the one camp, we moved to a different site, just outside the Serengeti Park boundary.  The drive to get to the new camp took all day but certainly held our interest.  Here are some highlights:

We stopped to observe a large group of hippos, wallowing in a muddy, stagnant pool, with a couple crocodiles for company.  It is the only time in all our safaris that we noticed an overwhelming animal stench.  OK - Hippos stink!

We came across a group of giraffes moseying along right next to the road – probably the closest we have been to them to date.  Suddenly, they all stopped, stood tall and stately (as only a giraffe can do – and the very tall Dutch as well) ears perked, and stared to where a baboon began to issue a vocal ‘predator in the area’ warning call.  Try as we might, we could not see the danger but we trust in the animals instincts.

Next up was an Albino Vulture perched in a tree. 

Maybe he was keeping an eye on his ‘kin’ as nearby was a large group of vultures, hanging out by the watering hole.  Or maybe he was watching out for his chance to feed on a kill that was just over the rise on the hill.

 

  No matter, Gilbert and I concur that vultures are just as big and ugly in real life as on TV.

We drive a bit further and pass a recent wildebeest kill by the side of the road.  It was apparent that a lion had been recently feeding on the animal.  There was a huge gaping hole in its side where it had been eaten away so not a pretty sight. 

Our driver was certain the lion was lurking nearby but we just couldn’t see him/her.  Vultures were waiting in the trees for their chance at some leftovers.  However, they won’t attempt to feed until the lion has had its fill.  We decided to return to the spot when it was dusk, hoping to catch the lion enjoying its dinner.  About 2 hours later, we checked back and did find the lioness sleeping in the tall grass right next to her kill.  Her tail would continually twitch and every so often she’d stretch her giants paws in the air.  But she never did wake up and eat for our benefit.

Of note - our new camp site did not offer as much in the way of wildlife as we had anticipated.  We were higher up a mountainside so even the Tse Tse flies were gone.  Instead, the area has been settled by the Masai people who herd cattle on the grasslands.  We did do one morning hike through the area which we enjoyed but was fairly uneventful.  The following morning it was time to say good-bye to the Serengeti and the safaris.

However, we did leave early to drive to the airstrip for our flight back to Arusha, just in case we came across one last chance at some interesting wildlife.  And so it materialized – off in the distance a huge herd of animals. 

Our driver found a path and took us right up to Cape Buffalo – numbering in the thousands.  When in a group the Cape Buffalo turn and run, then stop and stare at you, then turn and run, then stop and stare.  This was our farewell and final memory as we eventually made it to the airstrip and boarded our flight out of the Serengeti.

We did stay 3 more nights in Tanzania near the town of Arusha.  I had decided we would need some R&R for a few nights before our overnight flight to Frankfurt.  I had booked us into the Twiga Campsite and Lodge but our airport pick-up inadvertently took us to the Twiga Lodge.  By the time we realized the mistake we decided to stay put – the distance between the lodges was just too far – at least 3 hours.  Turns out – we really enjoyed the company of the owners, Paul and Erika, at Twiga Lodge. 

They treated us to some delicious home cooked meals and delightful conversation.  A nature walk with Paul through the local village and area was a bonus.  All in all, it was the perfect way to end our stay in Africa.

We do hope we have a chance to meet up again with the people we have met – so be sure to email me wheneveryou will be in our neighborhood.  In the meantime, we’ll catch up with everyone when we reach Germany.