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Ngorogoro
Serengeti, Tanzania Safari Day 2
Tuesday 25 January 2011
"Donald", we said, "we have
seen some of the Big Five animals, but not all of them. At Lake Manyara, we saw
elephants, wildebeests and African Buffalo, but we haven’t seen the cats. Can
you guarantee we will see lions and cheetas?" He assured us he would do his
best, and he did! We saw the first of several lions that day.
Our jeep group had a new
addition to start the morning. Swetlana Garthoff from Eberbach, near Heidelberg
Germany had just finished a Kilimanjaro climb on Saturday. After a day of rest
she arrived from Arusha about 8 AM to join us for the rest of our trip.
It was
a three to four hour drive from our Lake Manyara Campsite to the border of the
Serengeti. Just as we had the day before, we passed Maasai villages and herds of
cattle, goats and sheep tended by boys and men, some dressed in western clothes
but most in red or orange cloth.
Another half hour drive took us
to the Ngorongoro gates where Donald paid the daily fee and signed us in. We
were only driving through the park area today on the way to the Serengeti but we
required a pass for both parks. That was the end of the paved road. From then on
it was hard packed dirt roads. Every time we passed another jeep we ate dust. We
stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the Crater. It was quite a view. The crater
is 20 km across and 600 M deep, surrounded by the collapsed cone of the volcano,
now covered with vegetation. We spied large herds of wildebeest and some
elephants on the floor of the crater. Several Jeeps criss-crossed the crater
floor on dirt tracks getting closer to the animals. We would be camping on the
far side of the crater the last night of our safari and will explore the crater
floor our last day. Tonight and the next night would be at a campground in the
Serengeti.
The Ngorongoro is the home of many Maasai villages.
They are permitted to live in the Ngorongoro, which is a conservation area, but
not the Serengeti, because it is a National Park. Maasai women and families were
going about their business as usual sometimes waving to us. One group of young
boys were all dressed in black with a white faced mask painted on their faces.
They danced and gestured to us. Gianni, our Italian jeep mate was disappointed
we did not stop for photos. Donald told us the boys were following their
traditional circumcision ceremony as part of an entrance to adulthood. They are
required to dress in black, paint their faces and stay away from their village
for about one month, although many are now permitted to return to their homes to
sleep. We passed another group where Gianni managed to take a photo through the
window. One boy threw a stone at the jeep and didn’t look pleased. Donald
chastised Gianni for taking the photo without permission and payment. Many of
the jeeps suffered dents and chipped windows as a result of photo
transgressions, but damage to our vehicle was negligible.
We drove quite a long time
without seeing any animals and then we passed herds of zebras, Thompson gazelles
and vast quantities of wildebeest all gathering for the annual mass migration in
anticipation of the rainy season. We stopped occasionally for photos of animals
that were close to the road but we had a long distance to cover before we
reached the gates marking the border between the Ngorongoro and the Serengeti
and our lunch stop shortly after.
We don’t seem to be able to take
a trip without at least one flat tire. Donald stopped the car and announced we
certainly had suffered that fate. We all got out and waited in the shade of an
Acacia tree while Donald and Abdul changed the very flat front tire for one of
the two spares attached to the back of the jeep. When we started to wander a bit
far Donald called us back saying that the animals were still around even if we
couldn’t see them, so beware.
Half an hour later we crossed
into the Serengeti, a vast area of 14,763 sq km. The majority of the area is
covered in savannah of grasses with sections dotted with acacia trees.
Occasional outcrops of smooth rounded granite boulders, called Kopjes
(pronounced copy), Afrikaans for small head, complete the scene. Our lunch spot
was close by. The majority of the safaris stop at this spot to eat their box
lunch use the washrooms and enjoy the view from the top of a small rock pile
hill.
About 3 PM, when the noon heat
had passed, we were on our way through the park. We saw lots of antelopes and
could see more wildebeest spread out across the plains. Donald spied a lion
walking calmly past a small herd of Zebras. The zebras were wary but the lion
wasn’t paying attention to them. We saw more elephants and giraffes as we
explored the area. Several jeeps were parked next to a lone tree. That is always
a sign that there is something of interest at that spot. Sure enough there were
five female lions lying in the shade of the tree. We were able to park right
next to them and snap copious photos. That wasn’t all; there were five more
lions, one a young male, in the grasses just a meter or two the other side of
the jeep. We were surrounded but the lions just rested unconcerned. Donald said
there might be a male close by but he remained hidden. Further on there were
hippos in a mud pond and everywhere birds to identify.
Finally we headed for our
campsite, arriving about 6:30 PM. It had been a full day. We weren’t the first
people to arrive; more than 30 tents were already in place. This is one of the
main overnight campsites for camping safaris. There is a large kitchen area for
the cooks to prepare our meals, a covered dining area, very simple toilets and
showers and designated tent sites. We found our site and helped put up our
tents, had a quick shower and took our places at our portable table set up on
the grass under the stars. The temperature had cooled to the extent that a light
fleece was necessary but that was all. Our dinner, like our other meals, was
plentiful and very good. Feeling well fed and tired we were content to go right
to sleep.
Serengeti, Tanzania Safari Day 3
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Breakfast was at 7:30 this
morning. Ray said he heard lions during the night but I slept through any noise
they were making. Donald told us that everyone in the camp was disturbed
overnight some time ago. He pointed out a large set of African Buffalo horns
decorating the entrance to the camp site. The bellowing of a buffalo and snarls
of lions alerted everyone that a kill was taking place. In the morning the
pathway to the washrooms was off limits. About 20 lions were gathered feasting
on fresh buffalo. The guides had to get into a jeep, gingerly lasso the buffalo
carcass and drag it to a safer spot away from the safari campsite. A souvenir of
the incident was the set of horns; all that remained after the lions left, their
stomachs full.
A small nuisance when driving in
the jeep is the tsetse fly. They sting if they manage to land on you and take a
chunk out of your skin. They also are carriers of sleeping sickness, although we
never heard of documented cases amongst safari clients. When the jeep slows down
the tsetse flies enter the jeep through the open windows and pounce on any
available flesh, ours. I got quite proficient at killing them with my sandal as
soon as they landed on a window or side of the jeep. To keep them away from the
campsite the rangers hand blue cloth flags from the lower branches of trees a
short distance away from the camp. The tsetse flies, attracted by the colour
blue, congregate at the flag instead of on us. The rangers sometimes use
insecticide at the blue flag site to cut down their numbers.
As we were assembling to start
our morning safari, Donald pointed out a family of banded mongoose enjoying the
overflow water next to the outdoor dish washing station. On the road outside the
camping area two jackals crossed in front of us. Colourful birds obligingly
posed on bushes and dead tree branches for us. A little later we stopped to
watch a hyena walking through the grasses near the road. Further on we were
halted in the road by a herd of over a thousand African Buffalo cross the road.
Several jeeps had stopped causing the herd to split in two so that we were cut
off in front and in back by the stream of animals. We stayed watching until the
last of the herd had passed and it was safe to continue.
We saw hippos in a pool, some
wart hogs, more antelope, elephants and giraffes but the piece de resistance
that morning was a leopard and her cub. All the jeeps know which tree the
leopards prefer and that is where they head in the morning. We parked beside
several other vehicles and trained our binoculars on a large acacia. We saw
nothing and were almost ready to give up when a leopard calmly climbed out of
the grasses and stalked across a large limb to lie down and rest. Soon a small
cub joined Mom on the same limb. Cameras snapped continually, all trying to
capture the perfect pose. The cub disappeared into the branches of the tree
while Mom sprawled over the limb. As we watched she moved to a crook in the tree
a bit higher up and started gnawing on a bone from her latest kill. Ray noticed
that there was a hyena at the base of the tree, waiting patiently for some
scraps to fall his way. There was enough action to entertain us for more than ½
hour before we moved on to the next attraction. More hippos, a few submerged
crocodiles and a small herd of elephants rolling in a mud pond ended our
morning.
We were all hungry and ready for our lunch, which was
prepared by Abdul back at the campsite. After lunch was rest and relax time
before starting a late afternoon game drive about 4 PM. I amused myself taking
photos of the cute yellow weaver birds flutter around their nests in the acacia
tree next to the cook tent. More weavers and Superb Starlings, much more
colourful cousins of the nuisance starlings in Canada, turned the outdoor dish
washing station into a bird bath when the cooks departed.
The afternoon drive involved a
long drive through the grass savannah, stopping to watch marabou storks choose
their nesting spots at the top of acacias and small Dik Dik antelope grazing by
the side of the road. We reached the hippo pool, where we joined several other
jeep loads of tourists watching the late afternoon entertainment from the safety
of a wooden railing a short distance from the river bank. Dozens of large grey
mammals lay clustered together, semi-submerged in a small river, making honking
noises to each other. One large hippo decided he had enough of the rabble and
got up to walk slowly upstream to a more spacious bathing spot. The problem was
that a large crocodile had claimed that territory for himself. The hippo didn’t
like to share the space and took after the crocodile. The hippo won. The
crocodile took off upriver, where we were all standing wondering how far he
would get. Just as I was in position to get a good photo the crocodile submerged
and swam away, not to be seen again.
On the way back to camp we
stopped to watch a small herd of young male Impalas chasing each other and
butting their heads and horns together. They were practising for the time they
would be competing for their own harem of female Impala. A short distance away
was a huge harem of females with one lone male standing guard. He must have been
quite a champion fighter.
After waiting for the sun to set below the hills we
returned to camp to shower and eat supper.
Serengeti, Tanzania Safari Day 4
Thursday 27 Jan 2011
There was no sleeping in
today. We were up, packed and at breakfast at 6 AM, before the sun had risen. We
were going early to catch the animals as they emerged from their sleep and would
be moving to a campsite on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater in the afternoon.
An early morning balloon ride
is a favoured activity for those who can afford the $450 cost. Three balloons
were up, floating peacefully over the Serengeti, enjoying the sunrise and
looking for roaming animals. We watched the sun rise over the trees from our
jeep vantage point.
Hippos do not have sweat glands and cannot stand the
heat of the day. They spend the day bathing in the muddy waters to keep cool and
leave the river when the sun goes down to graze on the savannah grasses all
night. We drove to one of the small rivers favoured by the hippos. One by one
they ambled along the riverbank and climbed down to their favourite bathing
spot.
Most of the rest of the morning
was spent searching for the big animals we had missed previously. They weren’t
around, although we did see Vervet monkeys, a Hartebeest and an Eland, some of
the biggest antelopes in the park. There were still lots to interest us. As we
drove slowly past, we spotted many colourful birds, including green Fitch’s
lovebirds and a lilac roller. A small herd of elephants ambled across the
savannah. Two young bull elephants stopped to practise their fighting skills,
preparing for the time when they will have to prove their superiority as a
breeding male.
A gathering of jeeps by a tree always means there is
something special to see. We drove over and were told that the leopard and the
cub had been sighted earlier in the morning. We waited patiently hoping she
would leave her hiding place in the bushes but our stomachs won out. We had only
tea and a biscuit before we started out and a promised brunch was waiting back
at the camp.
We returned to a feast, packed the jeep and set off
for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We spotted several jeeps parked by the
side of the road in a grassy area. There were lions nearby. One was ambling
slowly towards us down a path leading to a culvert under the road. There were
several others sleeping nearby and we were told, a big male in the culvert,
unfortunately hiding from our view.
Just before we left the Serengeti
we spied a congregation of jeeps stopped beside a large number of vultures,
furiously vying for their share of a Thompson Gazelle, killed earlier by a
passing vehicle. Three big White Headed vultures stood to the side spreading
their Dracula wings and sedately observing the action. A lone eagle stood behind
the vultures waiting for any leftovers. Finally the White Headed vultures
decided the smaller gryphon and white backed vultures had had enough. They
hopped into the fray, scattering the smaller ones. It was their turn to break
the skull and open the stomach. What delicious treats they had!
There was a Maribou stork in
residence at the border between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Donald said the
white on the stork’s legs was excrement deposited like stockings to protect it
from the sun and the cold.
We stopped just long enough to
bid goodbye to the Serengeti, sign out and pay the fees to enter Ngorongoro. We
had another hour or so to go to our campsite on the rim of the crater. We had
travelled many kilometres in the Serengeti, seen many animals and birds, and
marvelled at the scenery. It had been a rewarding visit.
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