Globus Kenya & Tanzania: The Safari Experience- The Long Bounce to the Serengeti
Wow, yesterday was cold. Not so much down in the crater during the day, but morning and night were in the 50s, and a damp cold, chilling you completely. This morning was no different. We had breakfast and hit the road just after 7:30. The drive to the Serengeti was only 102 miles, but Google Maps said it was a four-hour drive. Strange, right? That's because there isn't a lick of pavement between the two hotels. Our drive actually took us 6.5 hours, including stops, and was, in a word, punishing. You'll see as we go.
It was strange how quickly the landscape changed. As we left the east side of the crater, where the rains fall, the land changed from lush and almost tropical to arid and dusty almost immediately.
We drove for about 45 minutes to our first stop at Olduvai Gorge.
It's known as the Cradle of Mankind because some of the earliest known human skulls were discovered here
Not these :-)
The Visitor Center
After our short stop, we were on our way again, kicking up dust like crazy.
It doesn't look like much
But as soon as they drive by, it's like fog
Nothing as far as you could see
They thanked us for visiting Ngorongoro
Our next stop was at the entrance to Serengeti National Park
After a short stop for photos, we were on the way into the Serengeti
To understand the Serengeti, you need to grasp how big it is. Serengeti National Park covers approximately 5,700 square miles. The broader Serengeti Ecosystem—the full continuous geographic region defined by the annual movement of the Great Migration—spans roughly 12,000 square miles across northern Tanzania and southwestern Kenya. This entire ecosystem consists of an interconnected network of national parks, reserves, and conservation areas: Serengeti National Park (Tanzania), Maasai Mara National Reserve (Kenya), Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania), Maswa Game Reserve (Tanzania), Grumeti & Ikorongo Game Reserves (Tanzania), and Loliondo Game Control Area (Tanzania). In comparison, Yellowstone National Park covers 3,472 square miles. The Serengeti is massive by all standards.
Arlona caught this Amethyst Sunbird drinking nectar
She also saw this Mwanza flat-headed agama
And this Red-cheeked cordon-bleu
African rock pigeons
Tour Director, Elia, identified the pile in the lower left near the bricks as lion poop - a foreshadowing, perhaps?
Back on the road again, we bounded through the Serengeti, having our internal organs and spine rearranged - ahhh, the African massage.
Lots and lots of nothing
We made an unusual turn, arriving at a gathering of a couple of Land Rovers. Why? Lions!
It was a group of nine lions - females and some young
They were mostly snoozing - lions sleep up to 16 hours each day
But then we looked just a few yards away - a male! And he was awake!
Wait - there were two!
Check out the chompers
Big yawn
Stages of a yawn - Stage 1 - starting
Stage 2 - getting bigger
Stage 3 - full yawn, tongue pulled back
Stage 4 - coming down
Stage 5 - wrapping up
Stage 6 - ahhhhhh
Our guides said that these are brothers, and they work cooperatively to hunt and protect the others
One decided to go for a walk
Approaching our other vehicle
We quickly repositioned to keep watching him.
He crossed the road, so we drove across so we could watch.
Ah-ha - someone was thirsty
A taste from the other pool
Well, that was tiring
Our other vehicle was getting a great view
After 30 minutes enjoying the lions, we needed to press on.
The landscape was changing with rock outcroppings popping up
A gorgeous euphorbia tree
The constant battering from the road really shakes your bladder, so we made another comfort stop.
These looked like some type of mouse and were flitting all about
Kenya sparrow
Back on the road, we saw another truck stopped, so we checked it out.
More snoozing lions
A little farther on, this beauty was surveying her world. You could almost hear the Lion King music playing.
Maasai Giraffe
Topi
African white-backed vultures
Around 2:00, we arrived at our hotel, the Mbuze Mawe Serena Camp
It's right by those rocks
Rock Hyraxes were running all over the place
We had a nice family-style lunch and then found our tent.
We were in #7 - the absolute farthest from the lodge
Two beds and a tile floor - it was dirty, but everything is here
A desk
A sitting area
The shower
The main bath area
The toilet room
There is zero cell coverage here, but the hotel does have Wi-Fi, and it seems to work.
After a short time getting settled, we were back at it for a game drive.
Klipspringer
Their hooves let them stand on rocks without slipping
More African Elephants
Including a tiny baby
More Maasai Giraffe
Tanwny Eagle
We found more lions - the mom and cubs had just finished dining on a zebra
You can still see the red on this one's face
This is pure relaxation
IF YOU ARE SQUEMISH, SCROLL PAST THE NEXT THREE PHOTOS!
The zebra was pushed up against a tree a short distance from where they were sleeping
There was a large opening in the carcass
It was amazing how efficiently they had cleaned out the carcass - there wasn't much of anything left inside
IT IS NOW SAFE TO CONTINUE READING
A vulture was standing by, ready to clean up the mess
The vulture and a tawny eagle were checking it all out
Another hooded vulture was on the ground, waiting
Storms were rolling in
With that, we returned to camp.
A herd of Cape Buffalo was walking near our tent
You can see the Cape Buffalo in the background as Arlona unzips the tent
This camp is smack-dab in the middle of the Serengeti. There are no fences or walls. Everything is free to come and go. Therefore, if we want to walk at night, we need an escort. As soon as we got into the tent, the sky opened up, and it poured for nearly three hours. We decided that we weren't hungry and skipped dinner tonight. That gave me time to put this entry together and get some sleep. Tomorrow starts early for a long game drive. Tomorrow is our last day before we begin traveling home, so we plan to make the most of it.
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