Blogs from Serengeti National Park, North, Tanzania, Africa
Made it out of the tent camp.
Published: February 28th 2012Africa » Tanzania » North » Serengeti National Park
February 28th 2012
Spent last 2 nights in the tents in Ngorongoro conservation area. Elephant broke into the food tent last night. Cape buffaloes right near the tents. Lions, cheetahs with cubs when out and about in the Ngorongoro conservation area. Wildebeest migration, leopard, more lions and elephants in the Serengeti today.... read more
February 12th 2012
Day 1 We crossed the border yesterday, a painful process in the sweltering heat which took about an hour and a half of completing paperwork and waiting in long lines on both the Kenyan and Tanzanian side in order for us to get our visas. Eventually we crossed and made our way into the new country that we're going to explore over the next week, and a couple of things became clear to me very quickly as we started out. One, Tanzania is a much richer country than Kenya in terms of the landscape. Kenya was very brown and arid, and whilst Tanzania does have its dry spots, for the most part it is covered with lush green grass and trees heavy with fruits and flowers. There are fields full of vegetables, and large herds of ... read more
January 16th 2012
After N'dutu we headed into the Serengeti, still hopeful of getting to see our big cats hunting. You can't really blame us for trying, our guides seemed to be pulling through on anything we could ever hope to see, why not a tragic wildebeests end? Our goal for the Serengeti was to find some leopards. We spent a lot more time driving than in the crater or Tangire Park, as there were fewer animals here and the migration hadn't arrived to this park yet. When the migration rolls through, lions are often spotted watching their prey from the peaks of the rock outcroppings (the artists from Disney must have done the same tour because the Lion King totally pegged Pride Rock). Even though we didn't get to witness it for ourselves it wasn't tough to imagine. ... read more
December 24th 2011
Ok, so I am unapologetically in Africa to see the animals, terrain and scenery and of course the geological features which will make my peops proud - I don’t mind saying that my first view of the Ngorongorgo Crater brought tears to my eyes. So it was no small matter when we saw our first (and hopefully not last) leopard. For those of you who really know me and my 'fashion sense', this was a huge highlight so early in our trip. And I suppose I should have taken it as a good omen when I saw our tour company truck - from 'Leopard Tours.' Last Thursday, we took a day long game drive from our rustic lodge at Masek and Ndutu Lakes into the Central Serengeti Park. We ambled past massive herds of Wildebeest, Zebras, ... read more
Individual Animals and Animal Events
Published: December 24th 2011Africa » Tanzania » North » Serengeti National Park
December 24th 2011
We've been in northern Tanzania less than a week, and seen so many animals we thought were only "maybes", or that we might not see until later in our trip: many elephants, lions, a leopard, and my favourite, the striking giraffes and zebras by the hundreds. But it's the "animal events" that have truly impressed me. Wildebeest can be thought of as a bit boring in the Pantheon of African wildlife. They look a bit dopey with their beards and skinny legs. And each time one runs to get out of the way of the safari jeep, you wonder whether it will trip over its own shadow. But when you look out over the southern Serengeti plain, along the "road" from Ndutu to the Naabi Hill, and can see thousands of them dotting the landscape as ... read more
Tanzania, Serengeti, 29 Maj-1 Jun 2011
Published: October 3rd 2011Africa » Tanzania » North » Serengeti National Park
October 3rd 2011
Serengeti je bio prva stanica na nasem tronedeljnom stranstvovanju po Tanzaniji. Putovali smo „light“, sa torbom od po 9 kila svako, da ih ne bi izgubili pri silnim presedanjima. Posle 28 sati puta, Beograd-Rim-Adis Abeba-Dar Es Salam-Arusha, obreli smo se, preumorni, u udobnom smestaju u Outpost Lodge odakle je program pocinjao narednog jutra u 5h ujutru. Preko agencije Lasi Tours & Safaris organizovali smo karte za lokalne letove (Dar-Arusha i Arusha-Stone Town), prenociste u Arushi u dolasku i odlasku i 7-dnevni kamping safari (Serengeti-Ngorongoro-Lake Manyara-Mto wa Mbu-Tarangire). Ne volimo agencije ali je to u ovom slucaju bila nuznost. Usluga je bila korektna prema standardima u ovom delu sveta (za koje smo saznali tek kasnije, ali koje nikada nismo shvatili ni prihvatili), ako zanemarimo preplacene pilule protiv malarije i cinjenice da su dzip i kamp oprema bili ... read more
Rivers Of Blood - The Serengeti
Published: October 16th 2011Africa » Tanzania » North » Serengeti National Park
September 16th 2011
You wake up in the early hours as an animal brushes against your tent. You lie still, trying not to breath, reaching for your flick knife and torch. As the moonlight casts a distinct shadow across the canvas, a Lion calls out, vibrating the ground on which you sleep. Your breathing stops, you begin to shake, preying, hoping, remaining motionless, ready to scream, ready to run! Hitch-hiking a lift in a private 4x4 on a self drive safari is about as lucky as one can get. Only paying entrance fee and camping in the Serengeti is a cost saving miracle. Becoming the envy of every other independent traveler, a self gratifying bonus. Being lucky enough to travel the entire length of the Serengeti becomes the highlight of any independent traveler’s tales, but venturing off road into ... read more
A Magnificent Crossing!
Published: September 9th 2011Africa » Tanzania » North » Serengeti National Park
August 30th 2011
Accommodation: Sayari Mara Camp Game Viewing: Wildebeest Migration & a Crossing (words cannot describe this) Game Viewing: Wildebeest, Lions, Elephants, Hippos, Buffalo, Cheetah, Black Rhino, Hyenas, Zebra (very few) & Birds Game Drives: 6:30/7:30am to dark with a packed lunch. One not dare risk going back to the lodge early in case a crossing occurred. Some learnt a hard lesson while we were there! Guide: Julius – very good From the Crater via the Manyara Airstrip we fly to the Kogatende Airstrip, a few minutes drive from the Sayari Mara Camp. As mentioned before the flights on the Cessnas were amazing and provided from some spectacular game viewing from the air. The Sayari Mara Camp was quite different from the Crater Lodge as it was no where near as luxurious as the Crater Lodge but it ... read more
July 3rd 2011
Here is one to chew on: An hour of WiFi is $5.00 Pokea suggested that we return this morning to where we saw the leopard sleeping in the tree. I agreed since she had cubs and may not have travelled too far over night. It was an hour and 40 minute drive back to the tree. Just as we arrived mom and the cubs were on the ground moving back towards the tree. We watched for about 30 minutes. More and more vehicles arrived. Pokea said "let's go look for cheetahs and lions" I said "where there are less people?" He just smiled. So off we went into the center of the park. Between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. when we returned to the main track we encountered just three vehicles. During this time we found ... read more
July 2nd 2011
Today was moving day to the center of Serengeti NP. Have left the tented camp and moved to Serengeti Serena. It is still an open lodge, animals come and go, but you are in an actual building. The CS here also carry weapons. Sleeping rooms are a round hut design. Each one has two rooms. I'm on the second floor. Should get a good night's sleep. Last night was a little better because I knew what to expect. Both Mr. B and Lyons made a return visit. The lyons were closer last night than the night before. Before I left this morning CS took me down the slope aways to find Mr. B and get his photo. Today, hippos were added to the list. Much easier to find since they only spend the day in water. ... read more
