5 Day Safari

  Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Saturday, December 3, 2005

Hello Everyone,

First of all thank you to everyone who has been emailing us and posting comments in our blog. It has been really great reading what you have to say. It is especially nice to hear from you all, it makes us feel very connected to home.


We are back from our Safari. All we can say is everyone should try to do this once in their life if at all possible. We both agree it is the most amazing experience we have had to date.

We decided to go on a private safari, just us and the driver. The cost difference to go with a group of other people was minimal. This way we got to have the experience all to ourselves and go at our own pace and schedule.

Our driver Ali picked us up at our place in Arusha. He was very polite and professional. The vehicle was a landcruiser with removable roof top hatches. Our first stop was Tarangire National Park, about 2 hours drive southwest of Arusha. On the way we saw acres of coffee plantations and many small villages.

On the road into the park the first creature we saw was a dung beetle crossing in front of us. It was rolling what else, a big ball of dung! It was quite commical looking. The park was beautiful. It is best known for the Baobab trees and elephants. It did not dissapoint. The Baobab trees are so large, some of them are about 20 feet in diameter around the trunk. They are as old as 500 years.

We saw dozens of elephants, from huge males to small babies. Hard to get over how big these animals are. We learnt that they are either right or left tusked, just like humans. You can see which tusk they use most from the wear.



Other sights were two female Ostrich with a count of 42 babies, our driver said it was a rare sight to see so many. The male is black, and gets a pink head, neck and legs when it is mating time. The female is brown in colour. The female sits on the eggs in the day because she blends into the ground and the male sits at night to blend in to the dark.

We also saw giraffes, worthogs, impala(a small deer like creature) also the dik dik(the tiniest of the antelope family, only 35cm high) they are so cute. Zebra, eqyptian geese, mongoose, and snake hawks were also sighted.



Our first nights accomodation was called Mgunga Tented Camp. Remember the tents in M.A.S.H., this was it. It was a beautiful setting, about 10 tents surrounding a grassy area in the middle. Lots of trees all around to enclose the setting. The staff were very welcoming. On the road to the camp we went through a small village, all the children wave at you as you come through and shout Karibu(welcome) they were so cute.

We had many experiences with nature at the camp. The grassy area in the middle had monkeys and lots of different birds in it. We had two small twin beds in the tent and had to make sure the mosquito net was down and spray the room before we went to bed. The night was full of sounds. There is a small animal called the bush baby, kind of looks like a larger chinchila. It screams, it sounded like a small child. The crickets were deafening. These large bee like things spent hours buzzing into the sides of the tent trying to get in. They honestly sound like small helicopters, very annoying.

The bathroom was interesting, they lit a fire under a metal container when we arrived and told us hot water would be ready in about an hour. We didn't shower though, the wall and shower head were crawling with thousands of small ants, they would have sprayed all over us. We saw a spider near the toilet that was the exact shape of a swaztika, it had an almost sqaure body with bent legs, we didn't get too close, lol!

We were seated for dinner in a large mosquito netted dining area. We sat with the only other guest at the place. It was a man from Belgium, very interesting fellow. We ate by candle light only. We had pumpkin soup, and a fish called Talapia(from Lake Victoria) potatoes, carrots and green beans. We had to get used to the staff standing only 2 feet away from the table looking at you while you eat. They are waiting to attend to any need you might have during dinner. After we finished eating and the staff knew we were going to just sit and talk they left us to ourselves. We had a large flapping thing start to dive at us, Jack shone a flashlight at it and it had big eyes. The 3 of us got out of the chairs and were laughing and screaming as we swatted at it. We were later told it was a bat.

The 2nd day was up early and off to the famed Serengeti. On the way we passed thru many Maasai villages. They have cattle and live in small grass huts. You can't imagine how they exist. The most simplitic lifestyle, and they live into their 90's. We passed vast open spaces of land, and you will see one Maasai and a coulple of cattle way in the distance. They wear a bright coloured cloth called a Shuka wrap. Their main exsistance for centuries was just the cows milk and blood. Now some eat a bit of stiff porridge and maize as well.



The serengeti is at an elevation of about 4500 feet. We arrived at the gate at about 11am and started our drive into it. The size is 14763 square kms. The word serengeti is a Maasai word meaning endless land. We spent 2 full days driving around it and only saw a dent of it. It is the size of 3 three European countries put together, Ireland, Switzerland and we forget the other, lol!

Our first sights of the plains gave us goosebumps, we could hardly believe we were there. I now understand all the peoples comments who have been there before. It's a sight you have to see with you own eyes. In more forested areas we saw the head of the migration, thousands of wildebeest and zebra, it was incredible. Our first big spotting was a male lion, it came close to the vehicle and laid down. It's head and mane are so large. We also saw another 6 lioness and their cubs. The day was filled with many other animal sightings.





We got to our next accomodation. It is called the Serengeti Sopa Lodge. It sits up overlooking the central Serengeti. The view is breathtaking. It was so tranquil. When we arrived everything we owned including us was caked in dust. We couldn't wait to shower. We were also full of bites from the Tse tse fly. What a pain they are. They are actually attracted to the fast moving vehicle, they come in and trick you by flying down to the floor and biting your ankles, it feels like a stinging pinch. The lodge was very nice, definately an upscale place catering to tourists. It is Africa though, the power would go out for a few seconds at a time when the genorators would switch over. It was quite interesting when the whole dining area would go black for a few seconds during dinner. Hot water is only available for a few hours in the morning and the evening, as in most places. A large lizard ran around the couches in the lounge while we were sitting. We are getting more used to stuff like this happening now, lol!



Our view from our room was a grass and treed area. In the morning we had a few different types of antelope outside the sliding door. Jack got up early to see a few giraffe walk past the front sitting area of the lodge. It was all too surreal!

The 2nd day in the Serengeti. This day we drove to another part called the Serena valley. We saw 3 lioness under a tree right away in the morning. Other sightings were a few day old Hartebeest, still with ambilicle cord. A rare spot was a leopard in a tree, it had a fat belly so had just eaten, it looked quite relaxed. Another rare spot was a Serval cat, we got a glimpse, but it was not that close.

The best sighting had to be the lions, we saw 10 lions that had just killed a wildebeest. Unfortunately one of the larger females had broken here foot right at the joint during the catch. The driver said it would take a while but whe would eventually die. Her family would not leave her though, they will take care of her. The whole group of lions were still running with adrenaline from the kill, so they were exciting to watch. The young males were play fighting. Another spotting had a group of 13 lions, a mix of small cubs, females and males. They were a bit lazier and laid in the shade as we watched.



We also passed through areas of the Serengeti that had large rocks hundreds of feet in height and width. They are called Kopjes. They are from 2.5 to 4.5 million years old, and were pushed up through the earths surface. They are like a iceburg, we only see a small portion of them above land, the rest is below the surface, so you can imagine how big they are.




We stopped for picnic lunch to find more animals in the bathroom at a rest stop area. There were two hyrax, a rodent the size of a small cat. One in the entry and one on a ledge inside. The rest of the day had us seeing more zebra, wildebeest, and warthogs. Some elephant and giraffe as well. A watering hole again had hundreds of zebra and wildebeest around it. We saw another male lion perched on top of one of the Kopjes rocks, it was just like out of the Lion King.

The last day we left the Serengeti and headed for Ngorongoro Crater National Park. It is really a site. A huge volcanic mountain, the size of Kilanmanjaro completely blew and the whole thing caved in. Now there is a huge rim left around it and the crater at the bottom. It has created the perfect environment for animals to live on the crater floor. You get to drive down from the rim and in and around the crater.

We saw a lot of worthogs and their baby piglets. They are so cute. The worthog is called the ground patrol. They are busy scurrying around, when they feel threatened they run with their tail straight up, stiff like a poker. Quite funny to watch.

The crater had a few elephants, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo(they don't look anything like ours) lots of osterich, (we saw a pair mating, all you can see is the males wings going back and forth like a dance) many kinds of birds, jackels, hyenas(they lay caked in wet mud) The best part about the crater is the hippo pond, tons of them lying in there with birds all over their backs. They only come out of the water at night. It is the most dangerous animal for people to get near. The number one tourist killer in Africa, strange, you think it would be the lion or something. The worst thing you can do is get inbetween them and the water if they are out of it. Or near them if they have babies.



We were starting to make our way across the crater to head to our lodge when the truck suddenly wouldn't go forward anymore. It was making a horrible clunking sound. Our driver took a look underneath to find we had lost 3 of the 4 bolts holding the drive shaft propeller together. You couldn't help feeling a bit panicked about the possibility of being stuck in a huge desert like crater in extreme heat. He managed to make due with a couple of makeshift bolts found in the tool kit.

There are 7 black rhinos in the crater. One of the most endangered animals in Africa. Poachers kill them for the horn. The park rangers patrol all thru the night in the crater to protect them. Shortly after we got out of the vehicle they came speeding along the crater floor towards us. We were relieved thinking they were coming to help. Our driver informed us this was not the case. They would have spotted us from up above and were wondering why we were out of the car. They take the wildlife protection very seriously.

We had the lucky opportunity to spot one of the rhinos on the way out, what a massive animal. Kind of boring to watch though, just stands there.

We made our way to the top of the ridge on the opposite side from where we entered. Our accomodation was the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. As hard as it was, this one beat the Serengeti Lodge. The view was over the entire crater floor, and to the sides of it were lush green trees as far as you could see. Our room was on a second level and had the same incredible view. This lodge was much more formal. The dining room was huge with a ceiling that went up to a massive peak and a cirular fireplace in the center, all overlooking the crater as well. We could have stayed for sometime at this place, it was so beautiful and relaxing. The best part, no mosquitos. It is at an altitude above where the mosquitos get to, 7500 feet. We definatley felt some effects from it. Our breathing was laboured when we walked up hills or steps. We also had some slight tingling in our lips, hands and feet. Unfortunaltely we had to end our safari and the stay at the beautiful lodge. Our driver took us back for the long drive to Arusha.



We will stay one more night in Arusha. We will make our way to a small layed back town called Moshi. It is at the base of Mt. Kilmanjaro. We don't feel fit enough to make our way to the peak. It is over 19,000 feet at the top. It is one of the largest free standing mountains, and the highest elevation in all of Africa. Also one of the only mountains of its size requiring no special equipment to climb. The elevation is the killer, many people don't make it to the top, they get altitude sickness and have to descend. We are going to look into doing a partial climb. Apparently going up even to the 1st or 2nd camp area offers some spectacular views.

Extra Tidbits
We must keep reminding ourselves we are in a 3rd world country. Plumbing, hot water availability, and electricity are not to be taken for granted. The phone system, well that's a whole story in it's own. It kind of doesn't exist, lol! We were very surprised to see even the poorest of people here have cell phones. They have to, it's the only way to communicate. The land lines are very unrealiable. We were told in West Africa the phone lines that did exsist were all dug up to use the copper during wars. So they don't have a phone system at all.

Everything is backwards here. In business establishments the doors push or pull the opposite way you would expect. The people here say your welcome to you, then you say thank you after, lol!

The semi precious gemstone Tanzanite is only found here in Tanzania, it's very beautiful, a deep aqua blue colour.

It only varies about 10 degrees in temperature all year round in this part of Africa. The rains are the only thing that change the climate. We are here during what is called the short rains. We haven't seen any to speak of. The long rains are during March to May and change the landscapes to lush green.

The other day I looked at my watch and in disbelief informed Jack it was December 2nd. We laughed. We didn't know how we would feel missing Christmas with our familes for the first time. I will have to say it will be a lot harder for them. We can hardly fathom that it is December, let alone approaching Christmas time. It is quite hot here, I will have to find out the temperature. Yes, Audrey is already sunburnt, lol!

Hope you have enjoyed reading, see you all soon.
Audrey and Jack
P.S. still trying to get pictures posted. Technology is not very good here, lucky enough to get internet access at all.