Safari...the big one!
Trip Start
May 31, 2006
1
44
68
Trip End
Oct 14, 2006
Arusha,
Tanzania
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
The following morning was much excitement as we headed for the Serengeti, and after a beautiful Butler Breakfast we departed and travelled most of the morning before we headed into the Ngorongoro conservation area...then the roads deteriorated and we came across a crater lookout...it was stunning...but then we kept on driving as the roads got worse and we bumped around until about 2.30 when we came across the edge of the Serengeti National Park...the view looking out was just grassland and some rocks...and so flat for miles around...so strange as we'd come through various stages of trees and savannah to get there. Once in the park we saw a lion within minutes but it was a speck in the distance...so we drove on and managed to see Hippos out of the water (something i'd been really keen to see), as well as Gazelle, hartebeast (new one on us), zebra, Giraffe, kori-bustard - it's a bird which i love the name of!, vervet monkeys, hyena - spotted and striped, and some others that i can't remember right now.
a close up on cutie!
We had split from the other group so when we got to the campsite and the others told us they had completed the big 5 sightings with their leopard sightings...we were all devastated that although we'd seen a much greater variety we hadn't seen that...so with good grub cooked for us and a warning not to go to the toilet in the night (i'd swear there was a lion prowling in the night)we went to bed to prepare for the next day with the promise we'd see a leopard that day.The 23rd begun early and we were heading out as the sun rose in the sky...beautifully...passing hyena as we went. Before long...we had the sighting...a leopard walking in the bushes...hard to spot but it was there...i'd made it my big 5 sightings completed...but no good shot...so we followed it along as it walked...and it ran up a tree and stood there for a few minutes before settling itself comfortably in the tree and proceeded to just sit there...gradually more trucks gathered round...till there was probably about 15 trucks of which our two were the first - Yea!...At certain moments the leopard made this ward calling sound...which we decided was most akin to that of a pig...not quite the noise i would associate with a leopard...after watching the leopard for probably about an hour we moved on and found a couple of lions sitting together...the lioness pissed the lion off and he roared...which was cool and then she prowled right by our truck obviously pissed off with him until she gave in and sauntered back to him...we saw lots of other things but i haven't got my diary with me so those are the ones i remember right now...so my time is about to run out so i'll try and complete this tomorrow with the rest of the trip and what we saw.
Back with my diary...we saw a hare, scare away a herd of tompsons gazelle, which was very entertaining...and a passed some reedbuck before heading back to camp to pack away our tents and to have a cooked lunch...a rare treat for us.
Cheetah...so close to a kill...yet so far!
Then he headed back out of the Serengeti and on our way passed a family of lions by the road...the were right by the road...male, female and apparently 5 cubs...i only saw one and nearly got a photo...but it ducked out of sight as i was taking the photo...shame really. We then left the Serengeti and headed back along the bumpy road, collecting fire wood on the way and got to our campsite for the evening, which overlooked the Ngorongoro crater...it was beautiful. We found there was an elephant just by the camps so we went to watch him for a bit, and then sat round the campfire waiting for our dinner, with popcorn and a group of over 50's travelling the opposite way through africa as far as Nairobi on an overland trip ( a little more comforts than ours generally...but loving the overland experience). We had a joint dinner, and then as it was cold most people went early to bed...and Sara and i were the last ones up talking to our drivers.The following morning saw another early start and our descent on the steep roads into the crater. We had barely hit the crater floor before we came across so many lions...on one side i had a lone male, on the other i had a lioness, with cubs...she walked off, and left a lone lioness, and then another lioness walked up with a cub (dead we think) in her mouth and 4 trailing after her. We falled a pride of lions for a while as they walked across the grasses, but then we went off and passed Zebra, flamingos (on the lake), crowned cranes, buffalo, wilderbeest, cheetahs (who we thought were going to make a kill, but then got scared off by Zebra and walked directly in front of our truck...cool! Hippos, Eland, hyena, jackal, elephant and lots more lions...after a good morning we headed back out of the crater and back to camp for lunch and to pack up tents before heading back to Snake Park campsite and our big green Truck. We enjoyed a good dinner and then spent the night in the bar to make sure we were with Tracey to see in her 30th Birthday.
Comments
hi clara
The adventure continues.
Sounds like the trip is well organised, giving you all time to experience the nature of Africa.
I guess camping provides the whole arrays of emotions from calm and collected during the day, as long as the vehicle doesn't brake down; as if :) to the the nightly wild sounds. - spooky.
try not to get eaten then.
i'm off windsurfing in greece for a week, standard 7 day break.
need it though.
laters
rich