12 August - Day 38 (continued)
Arusha - Serengeti National Park
Accommodation: Serengeti National Park public bush camp
I’ve started this post a number of times and no words can describe the feeling of driving into the Serengeti National Park.
Well, there is one word - bumpy!
To arrive in the Serengeti, you must first drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation area. The Conservation Area encompasses the plains of the Serengeti National Park and the Great Rift Valley. Of course it also includes the Ngorongoro Crater. Driving into the conservation area the roads became thin, steep and bright red. We climbed through the mountains and outside our car windows the world became a rainforest. Both sides of the road were flanked by bright green trees, with the left hand side revealing a sheer drop into a valley that was as if it had been plucked out of a fairytale. The contrast from the bright green trees and the red dirt was spectacular.
Red dust flew into the air each time a safari vehicle drove past us, but it was too hot to keep the windows closed, so I took to opening and closing the window every few seconds. The dust was thick enough that it had coated the bushes on the side of the road, leaving them bright red and the leaves behind them green.
We stopped at the top of the hill to check out the Ngorongoro Crater view point. Mist hung in the air so the ground wasn’t a crisp view. However, we could see perfectly down to the bottom of the crater.
Unlike a national park, people are allowed to live in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (809,440 ha) and the Maasai certainly do. We drove around the winding hills as we continued onto the Serengeti, spotting the Maasai villages scattered around. The only areas off limits are the National Parks including the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater National Park.
If we had thought some of the roads we had been on during this trip were bad, the road into the Serengeti National Park was worse. Littered with giant potholes, big enough for me to curl up inside, the road was terrible. It took hours to drive into the park on the dirt roads leading down from the Ngorongoro Crater view point.
It was about 1600 when we reached the offical park gates, paid our fee and drove into the park. A childhood dream that was coming true. A bucket list destination I was pinching myself to arrive at. Just to add to the mind blown feelings, the first animals we spotted as we drove down the dirt hill and onto the first stretch of road were two secretary birds hunting for snakes and lizards.
The starting stretches of the park were lined with Thompson’s and Grant’s Gazelle’s pruning the grasses and cleaning themselves. The black markings on their faces were beautiful, with their incredibly long eyelashes shooing away any annoying flies.
Vast flat plains welcomed us on either side of the Serengeti. One side of the road had longer green-tinged grass with an occasional acacia tree standing out like a sore thumb. The left side of the road, however, had much shorter grass and surprisingly more animals. Emmanuel our guide explained that park rangers had recently undertaken a controlled burn to reduce the vegetation and re-seed the area.
Our Land Cruiser crawled through the dirt tracks, over hills and around sharp corners looking for any sign of life. Three black-backed jackles popped their heads out of the long grasses on the side of the road, one right next to our vehicle. It was the closest I had been to a jackle so far.
It seemed our luck with paws continued as we drove up some nearby hills, weaving around sandy tracks where we found three lionesses sunning themselves on the top of a hill. They were in complete relax mode with their legs in the air, soaking in all of the suns warmth.
With legs for days a female ostrich appeared on the side of the road, strutting through the long grasses. She was a few meters from our vehicle but didn’t seem to care too much about our presence.
For an afternoon, there weren’t too many animals out and about hunting or returning to their dens for the night. A spotted hyena did decide to show its face in the afternoon sun, its long coat picking up the orange hues through the long grass.
The sunsets in Africa are some of the best I’ve ever seen in my life and the sunsetting over the Serengeti, well I’d say it’s the definition of serenity.
We had made the most of the sunlight and arrived at one of the three public campsites in the Serengeti National Park in the dark. We pulled into the carpark where more than 20 safari vehicles were parked, in no orderly fashion - just wherever they would fit together. We walked a few meters into the campsite, where our tents had already been erected by Nelson at the edge of the campsite in the dirt, while William had been cooking our dinner. The campsite was incredibly busy with at least 50 or more tents of all different shapes and sizes also set up, flooding the area. On our left stood a large rustic stone building, which was the dining room and behind it also on the left was the kitchen. A stone path led past both rooms and all the way along the campsite, finishing at the bathrooms.
Popcorn and warm drinks awaited us inside the dining room, which was a big space filled with about ten tables of varying sizes for each of the groups. Dinner followed about 20 minutes after we arrived starting with a delicious vegetable soup, then rice, vegetables and a salad.
After the nightly routine of clearing my nose from all the dust and dirt I piled into the tent hoping to sleep before others to avoid any unwanted noises. It didn’t work out so well - either the excitement of what was to come tomorrow or the sheer fact of camping in the Serengeti kept me awake - and then so too did the snoring.
List of animals we spotted:
All the snakes at Arusha Snake Park
Baboons
Grey heron
Ostrich
Secretary bird
Grant’s gazelle
Thompson gazelle
Kori bustard
Superb starling
Black-backed Jackal
Lionesses
Topi
Warthog
Scopes (Hartebeest)
Golden jackal
Elephants
Spotted hyena
Hippos
Giraffes
Zebras
13 August - Day 39
Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater
Accommodation: Simba camp A (the only public campground in the area)
A 0530 breakfast of pancakes and coffee had us raring to go for our next game drive in the Serengeti and we set off as the sun started to light the skies.
We were one of the last safari vehicles to leave the camp, with most heading off before the sun emerged. We found most of the vehicles about ten minutes into our drive all stopping to watch a pride of lions crossing the dusty plains. There were at least four lionesses and nine cubs stalking through the long grass. We could only just see their heads as they peered over the long grasses or reached higher ground. We watched them cross the grassy, dusty plain to thicker scrubs on the outskirts where they disappeared out of view.
I was surprised to learn the Serengeti National park is the third largest park in Tanzania at 1,4763 square kilometres. Looking at the vast area of the Serengeti on a map I would have thought it was the biggest in the country.
Signs were a rare commodity along the dirt roads in the park, so I had no idea how Emmanuel knew his way around the park. Despite being a guide for six years, it would be so easy to get lost in the vast expanse of park. We pulled up alongside a few other safari vehicles with people’s heads peering out from the pop-up roof with their large lenses (some were certainly compensating). We stopped less than a metre from the side of a river bank, which was filled with hippos all piled on top of one another. I actually laughed out loud.
While I had seen hippo pools before, I had not seen any that were as impressive as this.
There were easily fifty hippos that we could see squished into a tiny river bed dozing and floating. They would rarely chat to each other but when they did, it would set most of them off, grumbling and grunting to communicate with each other. A few of them even had their heads resting on another hippos butt or back, while they slept.
Leaving the hippo pool, we drove for a few hundred metres before crossing a section of river. Despite a dry season, the water was high enough for a river crossing, lapping just millimeters from our door trim. Thankfully we crawling up the other side of the bank without any issues.
The landscape changed back to dry, grassy land where we spotted our first Dik Dik’s - the smallest antelope in the country. It was incredibly cute and certainly small, both the male and female were the same size, with the male parading two short antlers.
Both the male and female seemed to have a gland towards the corner of their eye that they would dab onto small plants as it walked through the scrub.
Emmanuel continued driving us through the park when Nicholas, one of the guys on our tour yelled out stop. We reversed back towards a tree where a Verreaux's eagle-owl sat dozing in the Y of the tree.
Without a care in the world a hyena appeared out from behind a bend in the road, running straight towards our car. It was spectacular
Areas of the Serengeti were dry and dusty, as I had grown up seeing on documentaries and in books. However, there were some incredible areas that seemed to appear out of nowhere, like an oasis, that were bright green and lush.
We drove to the top of a hill overlooking the plains of the Serengeti. I thought we were here as another look out and viewing area but it turned out this was a toilet stop. A few of us slowly started moseying towards the toilets when we spotted a lioness on the prowl. She seemed to be hunting some gazelle’s loitering nearby. I didn’t realise until after taking the photo below that a hyena was also lazing about, waiting for whatever it could scavenge.
A flock of superb starling’s also provided some entertainment by our toilet stop, squawking and jumping about searching for crumbs. A tiny blue bird called the Blue-capped Cordonbleu stopped for a visit.
Emu’s and hyenas were a regular occurrence, they seemed to be around every corner. However, this big male emu was out looking for a good time, strutting his stuff with his bright red neck around a nearby female.
We continued along the dirt paths, spotting giraffes and elephants playing. The roads were challenging, rough with corrugations. We weaved through the dirt roads as the vegetation continued to get longer and thicker. We all had our eyes peeled for what we might find hiding in the bushes.
A few minutes later, Emmanuel our driver yelled out serval!
I couldn’t believe my eyes but there in the long grass was a serval with its tiny head and large body pouncing around in the grass. He was busy at work searching for food, so only turned to look at what we were twice before disappearing into the bushes.
It was edging closer to lunchtime, so we were driving towards an area where we could stop and get out of the car for a stretch and to eat some food when we witnessed the most incredible sight.
Three lion brothers all sitting together in the long green grass. Looking around we spotted they had hunted and killed a buffalo, with the carcass lying about 100 metres from them. We stopped the car and watched them as each of the brothers took it in turn to feed. Ripping off chunks of meat before pausing to take a breath. It was incredibly warm and would have been even hotter in the full sun where they were laying.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was shaking. It really was a pinch me moment.
We exited the Serengeti National Park the same way we came in. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly the roads had not improved in the day we had spent in the park, so we took our time exiting. Excitingly spotting a number of Kori bustards on our way out.
Arriving back in the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area the Maasai villages hiding in the mountains again appeared into view. These villages were the neatest most beautiful I had ever seen.
We were about 300 meters from turning left into our campsite when we spotted a leopard walking towards us on the road. All of our jaws, including our guide/driver’s, dropped to the floor. Unfazed, the leopard sauntered into the bushes to our right and slowly disappeared, leaving us all speechless. Emmanuel turned to us and just said “you guys are so lucky, wow” and then continued driving to our campsite.
We pulled into the bustling public campsite, where at least one hundred tents flooded the grass area. Emmanuel turned to us and provided a briefing about dinner and safety. Our campsite was unfenced, which meant buffalo, giraffes, lions, zebra and even our friend the leopard could walk through the camp whenever they pleased. Therefore, we were told not to leave the confines of the campground and if we needed to use the bathroom at night, we must look both ways before exiting our tent. He said if a buffalo is anywhere near our tents or the toilet to wait in our tent until the animal moves before exiting.
Emmanuel finished his briefing by saying thank you to us and explaining how lucky we were today getting to see all the big five in one day. He said the last time he had experienced this was in November of 2022. Epic!
We had a few hours before dinner would be ready so I headed for the shower block and in typical female fashion, waited behind three women to finish their cold showers before I could jump in. The water was icy - I have no idea how the other ladies took so long in the shower.
Sharing my tent with Lynley was carefree, we both kept out of each other’s way and were considerate to one another. It made sharing a tent a total breeze. Unfortunately I didn’t have the best sleep in between Lynley and Vincent’s snoring from the tent nearby but it was only a few nights so I knew I would survive.
Laying in my tent, with the symphony of snores and hyena calls I had tears in my eyes. Not from the pain in my ears but thinking about my experience in the Serengeti. They were tears of joy, of course. Tears of gratitude. These two days were serious ‘pinch me’ moments.
Since I was a little girl, this has been a dream location that I never thought I would get to, but it’s happened, and seeing the wildlife here was one of the best experiences of my life.
List of animals we spotted:
Impala
Lionesses & cubs
Hippos
Gazelles
Dik dik
Verreaux's eagle-owl
Ostrich
Lioness
Elephants
Vervet monkey
Baboons
Giraffes
Puff adder
Serval
Buffalo’s & kettle egrets
Warthog
Lions (three prides)
Lionesses in a tree
Rhino & baby
Leopard
Secretary bird (four).
14 August - Day 40
Ngorongoro Crater Safari
Looking into the Crater from above, we knew it was going to be a long way down. However, we didn’t predict the 11% gradient the entire way to the base of the Crater. Our 4x4 crawled down the steep slope, surprisingly passing piles of elephant poop on the paved road. Through the trees lining the descending road we spotted an elephant slowing walking around the Crater floor.
Finally reaching the bottom of the crater we started our drive. Emmanuel, like many guides we have driven with, stopped to read the messages in the sand. Animal prints were scattered in between tyre tracks. Some it was easy to tell were old, while others looked fresh. How fresh, I didn’t know but it seemed I wasn’t wrong as we turned the corner to find a jackle in the sandy path, stretching its legs and yawning as we both assessed each other.
The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest of three in the area with its floor measuring 260km2. Due to the steep terrain to get down to the crater, there’s no giraffes in the area.
Incredibly, our luck continued today. We had only been in the crater for less then 30 minutes when we spotted a lioness walking through the long grass and then out onto the dirt path. Really it would be more accurate to say we spotted the 20 or more safari vehicles following her. Thankfully Emmanuel was considerate and gave her space, unlike some of the other drivers. We watched her as she delicately placed her big paws in front of one another, making grumbling noises as she walked.
Next minute, my peripheral vision picked up movement - two other lionesses came walking and then bounding out of the long grass in the distance. They were coming straight for our vehicle. Incredibly we saw them racing towards the other female and then greeting each other with a head rub and paws to their face and body. It was beautiful to see them greet each other with such love and affection.
The Ngorongoro Crater had a peaceful and open feel to it, despite the fact we were in a crater.
We drove past a number of lakes, spotting hippos, buffalo, flamingoes and grey crowned cranes.
Ngorongoro is an onomatopoeic word, which is used to describe the sound of the bell that hands around the neck of the lead cow in a herd. However, ironically, no cows are allowed inside the Ngorongoro Crater.
Herds of wildebeest and zebra were dotted across the crater floor, we thought they were large herds. However, Emmanuel explained that most of the herds, approximately 80%, had already migrated - like the herds in the Serengeti.
While I quite appreciate the wildebeest and don’t think they’re ugly whatsoever. I was the rare minority. It turns out they’re often called the spare part animal, with a face like grasshopper, mane like a lion, legs from a hyena and horns like buffalo.
Hyenas and warthog appeared in droves in the crater. Surprisingly, often together because warthogs are not scared of hyenas - who would have thought!
And just like that, our four hours in the Crater had evaporated. The day continues outside the parks here »
List of animals we spotted:
Hydax (dassie)
Golden jackle
Lionesses
Gazelles
Buffalos
Zebras
Grey crowned cranes
Lesser flamingos
Greater flamingos
Wildebeest
Eland
Warthogs.