Scenes from the Serengeti

Finally, some lions and other wild creatures!

There has been a long gap in postings as I have been traveling - first to Toronto to visit with Kirsty, Ryan, Immy and of course new baby Evelyn. Then,  off on safari to the Serengeti and Ngorogoro with my  81 year old (today - happy birthday!) Mum and sister-in-law Rita. We dubbed ourselves the Ladies #1 Tanzania Touring Company, and what a time we had!

We flew to Arusha, where we were met by Naiman, reputedly one of the best guides in the business, and then drove straight off to Lake Manyara, where we caught sight of our first giraffes and hippos, basking in the setting sun. We slept that night in a tent (quite luxurious by the way) overlooking the Rift Valley.

The next day, we drove to Lake Ndutu lodge, 28 km along a dirt track away from the main  road through the Serengeti. The wildebeest migration had started, and the plains were full of them, many kinds of antelope, zebras and other less visible animals and birds. We had 3 days here, each one full of excitement!

Breakfasting with the lions - really! As we were setting up, Naiman announced he could see a lioness. We thought he was joking - fortunately, the lioness had already had her breakfast.

Sunrise at Ndutu                                                    One of 3 male cheetahs lazing under a tree

This shot of a leopard took 2 hours to get! We watched, riveted, while he stalked some reedbuks who were feasting on watercress by the Seronara river. We couldn't actually see the leopard at this point, but the drama was in the reedbuks' reaction - they sniffed the breeze, ran away, pranced back, irresistibly drawn by the watercress and then finally took off up the river. At this point the leopard gave up and went back to the tree, where he laid along a branch to get some sun.

After visiting a Masai village, where we supported the local economy by paying exorbitant amounts (relatively) for our souvenirs, and a stop at Oldupai Gorge, we continued on to Ngorogoro Crater, where we stayed in a lovely hotel perched on the rim.

This little kindergarten in the Masai village, with its blue desks donated from China, was taught by an unmarried girl (so therefore under 18) with maybe primary education. Educating girls is still not a priority, although that may be changing slowly.

Somehow gin and tonics taste better wearing dressing gowns and Masai necklaces. I have spared you the shots of Mum and I dancing with the Masai women...

Inside the crater was tremendous...we saw 14 black rhinos, beating Naiman's personal best of 13 in one day. Black rhinos are the same colour as white rhinos...the difference is in the shape of the snout. Rita and I also took a stroll around on top of the rim, accompanied by Lyimo and his AK47. I thought that was a bit of overkill (!) until he told us about having shot 3 charging African buffalo a few weeks before. Luckily we didn't meet any elephants, lions or buffalo on our walk, although the next day we saw buffalo right outside the gates of the hotel. We did climb down and meet 7 or 8 Masai women who had spent the whole day waiting for a small water hole to fill up with water. By the time we got there, they had filled only one of their buckets and it was late afternoon.

The whole trip was a completely different tourism experience from anything else we have encountered in Tanzania - 4 course English style meals, driver and a planned schedule of activities. It was beautifully planned and carried out from beginning to end - I highly recommend it for a once in a lifetime experience!