Safari Recap: Serengeti

Hello Friends and Family!

We are now in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania enjoying a day of rest and some organizing at the "Friendly Gecko" Hostel which is very lovely and cozy and not too far from the Indian Ocean coast.  We are glad to have a few minutes (and internet access!) to write a bit more about our 5 day safari we just got back from on the 17th.

Joe in Arusha with Mt. Meru in the background

As we mentioned previously, we met a neat Australian couple (Kerryn and Paul) on the bus ride from Nairobi to Arusha who were also interested in taking a safari and who got excited when we mentioned that we wanted to see some animals as well as Ol Doinyo Lengai (an active volcano somewhat near Serengedi and Ngorongoro crater).  Joe and I were hoping for a little safari while in Tanzania but weren't exactly sure if and how that would work out and we were so thankful for Kerryn and Paul's enthusiasm and help with organizing which safari company to go with and what our trip should look like.  We picked a company called "Crown Eagle Adventures" (recommended by the hostel we were staying at in Arusha) and decided to go to Serengeti, then Ngorongoro Crater and finally Ol Doinyo Lengai (the active volvano) and we were so glad we did.

The day of preparations in Arusha for our safari was hectic.. again, trying to decide which tour company to go with, getting the money needed to pay for safari (they only accept cash), renting hiking boots for me, snacks (buying not renting), etc.  Normally people don't book a safari one day in advance but we were a bit pressed for time and were thankful for God's grace to get everything sorted and ready in one day!

On the road to Serengeti

The four of us plus Elly (our driver) and Godlove (our wonderful cook. Yes, his name was Godlove.) headed off the next day in our Land Cruiser from Arusha to Serengeti which we entered through the Naabi Gate in the southern part of the park, about a 7 hour drive.  The scenery was gorgeous: classic Eastern African red dirt, golden and green landscapes and blue sky with the most unbelievably photogenic clounds.  We went through several villages on the way and got to see many of the Maasai people in their traditional bright red and blue dress who live in these areas.  The first bit of the drive was on paved road and then for the last third or so it was all on dirt road.  We were very glad to be in the sturdy Land Cruiser and as Elly said, the bumpy dirt roads offer a "free African massage." :)

In our trusty Land Cruiser

We arrived in Serengeti as evening was approaching and were immediately greeted by some Thomson Gazelles, Giraffes, and lovely birds.  We had an evening game drive around the park (with the roof popped open it was so fun to cruise around with our heads out the roof checking out the scenery and animals!) and were instantly impressed by how vast Serengeti is and how full it is with amazing creatures!  We also saw the very classic African Acacia trees and enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the plains.

Giraffe welcoming us to Serengeti

Sunset over Serengeti

The camp we stayed at was right in the middle of the park, only a couple kilometers from watering holes full of hippos, prides of lions, hyenas (which we were told would come and drink out of the toilets in the camp at night). There were about 40 people camping while we were there, a basic cement building for cooking and one for eating (and bathrooms with showers, yeah!).  Godlove served us a delicious dinner of soup and then fried Tilapia (we were not expecting that!  I was thinking along the lines basic rice and beans :)) and we made our plan to leave on our morning "game drive" the next morning by 6am so we could see the sunrise while looking for big cats.  Kerryn and Paul had already done some Safari-ing along their journeys in Africa so far and knew that the early mornings and evenings are the best time to see some of the big cats-- lions, leopards and cheetahs.

Our dining room!

 After a very restful sleep in our tent, we headed out in our Land Cruiser in search for some cool animals and we came across first a couple of cheetahs hunting off in the distance, and then a lion hunting a gazelle (which happened to be right next to our truck)!  She didn't manage to catch it, but it was one of those moments where we were in the right place and the right time.  We looked to our right and saw the lion, and then on our left we saw the gazelle and sure enough, the lion sprinted right next to our truck towards the gazelle!  It was soo cool to see the lion close up as she darted past us.

Going after a tasty thomson gazelle

Hello buffalo!

We spent the rest of the day and the next in Serengeti and got to see lots of hippos, many gazelles (Thomson and Grant's), buffalo, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, warthogs, ostriches, heartbeast and loads of pretty birds (and big ones!) like the secretarybird, eagles and other birds we didn't know the names of =)  We also got to see a leopard in a tree eating an impala it had caught and then dragged up into the tree for breakfast!

A raft of hippos

A special highlight for me was on our last day in Serengeti. Joe spotted something in the distance and as we got closer, we discovered it was a whole pride of lions.  We parked in just the right spot and all of them walked right past our car... sixteen of them!  They were female lions and young male lions (so no mane yet for the young males) and were hunting for food.  We tracked them until they ended up finding the remains of some carcass in a tree and about 6 of the lions climbed up into the tree to eat what they had found.  I didn't know lions could climb trees..apparently there is a breed of lions that can.

Large pride of lions approaching!

As we were leaving the park, Joe and I were chatting about how we would have liked to have seen a grown male lion with a big mane but hadn't seen one.  Just 1/2k from the exit, we saw in the distance a whole bunch of safari trucks gathered together parked on the road which looked like an accident. It turned out that there was a male and female lion in the middle of the road!  So we parked by them and got to spent about 1/2 hour watching them.  They were so beautiful! (and very hot.. typically lions hide out in the heat of the day.. we were surprised to see them out).

Gorgeous male lion

 One other highlight was watching a bunch of baboons playing around on the side of the road just as the sun was setting.  We were enjoying watching them until one jumped onto the roof of our car!  Fortunately, Paul scared it away and Elly quickly drove off as fast as he could to knock it off the back of the car. =)

One of these guys tried to get into our car :)

Our time in Serengeti far exceeded any expectations we had and the vastness and beauty is hard to describe in words. Hopefully the pictures will help a bit!

More to come about our next stop... Ngorongoro Crater!