Serengeti Scenes (& small world stuff)

Trip Start Feb 01, 2005
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Trip End Dec 31, 2008


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Where I stayed
Senora Lodge
(Dar es Salaam hotels)

Flag of Tanzania  ,
Thursday, November 8, 2007

Day 2 saw us with a long day of travel to get to the Serengeti. Along the way we had lots of sightings of animals including a cheetah going for the kill and missing out and a pride of lions that included some gorgeous cubs. Our next 2 nights were spent at the Seronera Wildlife Lodge. this is quite isolated and built into the granite boulders which form part of the bar and reception.

The next 2 days were spent game viewing at all different hours of the day in the Serengeti and being fed fantastic meals at the lodge. It was also a time for some amazing "small world" meetings. First was Markum, a hot air balloon pilot to whom we got talking to at the bar. Markum couldn't believe we lived in Coral Bay - he comes from Carnarvon! We heard some Aussie voices at the lodge and found them to be a party of 10 plastic surgeons, theatre nurses and anesthetists who had volunteered 2 weeks work in Tanzania rebuilding the faces if Tanzanians born with cleft palates. When chatting to them we found that several of them knew the Brogans, our employers in Coral Bay and quite a few had been to stay at Bayview. Amazing who you meet up with in the Serengeti!

Our last nights accommodation of this safari was perched right on the top of the Ngorongoro Crater and we arrived here late afternoon to the stunning view of the crater below which we would be visiting the next day. Also to our immense pleasure this lodge had just included a Massage service, the young lady was very new out from training but was very apt, $31.50 US ea well spent.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the collapsed upper cone of an ancient volcano (A larger Wilpena Pound). Its high walls enclose a complete mini ecosystem of its own with lakes, forests and plains that support hundreds of species of wildlife. Garden of Eden comes to mind. The wildlife viewing was spectacular and to add to the colour and surprise, the Masai drive their cattle into the crater for water during the day so amongst the feast for the eyes of wildlife, the vividly purple and red clad warriors of the Masai are dotted over the plains. After too short a time we climbed the steep corkscrew 4 wheel drive track out of the crater and headed back to Arusha and the Hotel Flamingo, a little sad that our safari was over but ready for the next adventure of Zanzibar.
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