Tanzania - Part Two - Serengeti

 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th - SERENGHETI

 

Pick up at 8:00 from the hotel after a buffet breakfast (complete with omelet bar, which is enough to make me happy any day).  We headed towards Ngorogoro Crater, known as Cowbell Mecca because in the Maasai language “Ngorogoro” is the sound that the cowbell makes as the cattle are grazing.  We’re just passing through on our way to the Serengheti and then will descend down into the crater later in the trip.  Ngorongoro Conservation Area (more than just the crater) is roughly 8,500 square kilometers and is home to both wildlife and the nomadic Maasai tribes who migrate twice a year within the area.

 

Our first stop was a scenic overlook at the top of the crater, which was breathtaking - however, as I was jumping down from the jeep, I didn’t realize the ground was sloped downwards and I slid in the dirt and fell HARD - resulting in what I later discovered was a stress fracture to my ulna (forearm). I’m not trying to sound brave AT ALL - but I didn’t mention my suspicions about it being broken because it would have resulted in the end of our safari (or at least a major interruption) and after spending so much money I was fiercely determined to get every incredible moment out of it. 

 

The roads in the conservation area were ROUGH - we passed by zebra, striped horn gazelles, ostrich, giraffe, and warthogs - it’s becoming common now, although the wonder hasn’t left me.  Our next stop was an actual Maasai village - we were met by the chief, Toby, who brought us inside the gated community.  (By gated, it’s surrounded by walls made of sticks designed to protect their cattle and community from wildlife at night when the gates are closed.)

 

We were treated to a welcome song and dance by the tribe, then shown the Maasai “Wife winning competition.”  In the old days, Maasai men would have to prove that they’d killed a lion before being allowed (or deemed “worthy”) to marry - now they have what is basically a jumping competition.  After demonstrating, the men from the various tours were invited to participate and Damian ended up winning three wives!

 

Toby then took us inside a Maasai hut, which is a tiny round hut with an opening to allow smoke from the firepit to exit - it was maybe about six to eight feet across total and included the cooking area/fire pit and beds.  The Maasai are a polygamous tribe, but each wife is entitled to their own house.  Women do not get to choose their own husbands, it is decided by the chieftain, who will marry them off to another tribe.  Also, while the men will gather the materials, it is the Maasai women who are expected to build the houses.

 

Next we toured the one room schoolhouse where the kids were learning - they were ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE and recited the ABCs in English for us before asking for a donation for school supplies.  (This wasn’t unexpected, and we did give a modest one)

 

On our way back to the car - we bought some souvenirs - we didn’t really need anything but Toby was incredibly pushy.  “Don’t think of it as shopping….think of it as supporting the Maasai women.”  “What do you mean you don’t want to buy anything?”  To put it in perspective - the same bracelet I bought yesterday from a Maasai lady at the gas station for 2,000 shillings - Toby wanted 35,000 shillings (roughly $17) a piece - and they probably cost pennies to make.  I did end up buying a mask to hang on the wall, and Damian got a tribal ceremony stick - both of us paying WAY too much for them - but we really did want to be supportive as much as we could.

 

The funny thing is - I think the Maasai share profits from all the tables around the village (we were taken to a specific family table - the one that owned the house we visited), but when Damian agreed to buy the ceremonial stick - Toby and his friend took it directly to the Jeep and asked Amani to “Hide this.  Hide the stick!”  Immediately after, one of the other tribal leaders came over and asked Amani where the stick went and he played dumb.  So there was definitely some shenanigans afoot.

We continued on until we reached the border to the Serengeti National Park – the road went from “bumpy” to “dusty & bumpy” to “dusty, bumpy, and one lane” despite two way traffic. Serengeti actually means “endless flat place” which is accurate and caught me completely off guard.  It was barren flatland for miles and miles.  The park is about 14,700 square kilometers and is called the “Home of the Great Migration.”

After lunch, we headed out on our first Serengeti Game Drive and Amani found us the MOST ADORABLE THING I’VE EVER SEEN – twelve lion cubs under a tree.  He explained that they had three different mothers and they’d been left alone beneath some spiky bushes while the mom(s) were likely nearby hunting for food. They’re so cute it’s easy to forget that they’re wild animals.

Nearby we found a few family groups of lions sleeping on a rocky outcrop and under some trees – Amani told us yesterday that we’d be tired of seeing lions after Serengeti – I don’t think that’s true, but there are definitely A LOT of them.

Next we headed out in a hurry as the guides spotted a cheetah – but about halfway to where we were heading, Amani stopped abruptly and turned around – followed VERY closely by all the other safari jeeps racing quickly away from the Cheetah.  It turns out that the park rangers listen in on the CB radio – the cheetah was in an area of the park that we hadn’t paid to be in (and apparently neither had the other jeeps) and the rangers were out trying to catch the guides to fine them.  (It costs $20 per person per day to be in the park, and double that if you want access to both sides – which we obviously hadn’t paid).  It was quite exciting running from the law!

Less than an hour later, we did find a Cheetah with cubs on the “legal” side of the park – she was surrounded by jeeps and it took awhile before we managed to squeeze in to get a look.  That’s the down side to the radio – everyone gets the information on where animals have been spotted so EVERYONE shows up and scuffles for a good view.  Let’s just say some guides are more considerate than others and more than once we’ve seen Amani (and others) yelling at other drivers.

After several more lions and some adorable lion cubs playing in a mud pit, we drove to the Nyota camp and arrived after 6:00 pm.  Damian and I were both exhausted and my arm/wrist/neck hurt like the dickens from the fall – but there’s no way I’m cutting this safari short for ANYTHING.

Nyota Luxury camp is owned by Lion King Adventures and is absolutely gorgeous – swimming pool / eternity pool, free standing “tents” with king size beds, showers and toilets – it lives up to its name.  Like before, we were told not to leave our tents after dark without an escort and warned against drinking anything but bottled water.  I always think they’re being overly protective, but spotted the elephant poop RIGHT outside our tent and decided following the rules was the wise move.

Damian was hoping to do some star gazing, but the skies were overcast and turned into one of the craziest thunderstorms I’ve ever been in. From afar it was absolutely magical – but once It got closer – around 2 am – the lightning/thunder was so close it shook the entire building and caused all the hairs on my body to stand on end. 

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th

This morning my arm is swollen, my wrist is sore, and my neck is hurting from the brutal roads - but otherwise all good.  Thanks to the rainstorm, the roads are somewhat wet and FAR less dusty today than they were yesterday.

On our morning game drive we spotted a water buck and a lion right outside the camp. From there we saw a herd of TOPI, which is a type of antelope.  There are over 75 different species of antelope in Tanzania and XXXX worldwide.  We also saw some Dik Dik – which are the smallest breed of antelope.  They’re the size of small dogs and absolutely adorable.  Dik Diks are called “True Christians” because they mate for life and if one of a pair dies, they never recouple.

Next we saw a hippo from afar, which I thought was cool until Amani drove us to one of several Hippo Pools where you can literally see hundreds of them. We also saw crocodiles along the banks sunning themselves.  Hippos and crocs live harmoniously in the waters.

Other animals we spotted on our morning drive – fish eagles, elephants, giraffes, monitor lizard, more elephants, and hundreds of hippos.  We also saw “sausage trees” (what’s a sausage tree?)

After driving around for awhile, we came across about a dozen other jeeps and discovered there was a lioness stalking some prey – Amani gave us the choice of staying to watch that, or to head out and see where a leopard has been spotted dragging his kill into a tree.  NO BRAINER – GO FOR THE LEOPARD!  You can tell Amani was excited because he drove like a bat out of hell on those rough roads trying to get there in time. 

The leopard was a distance, but had pulled a small gazelle into the tree and was eating it – it was a magnificent view with the binoculars, and Amani tried to get a photo on my iPhone through the binoculars which was also quite entertaining. We sat and watched for a good while until the leopard jumped down and out of the tree.

As we started to drive away, we quite accidentally came across a very large male lion walking in the road – Amani turned off the jeep and it walked straight towards us, stopping just in front of us to drink from a puddle of water.  For several minutes there were NO other jeeps around – it was just us and this enormous lion about six feet away.  Seriously – it was another surreal moment that just doesn’t seem real but there he is – RIGHT THERE. We stayed there for probably about 20-30 minutes until the lion walked away into the grass. 

At that point, I think we realized that we were running quite late for lunch – it was 1:30 and they only serve lunch until 2:00 – so we raced towards the camp.  I’m not sure if it was the race to see the leopard or the race to get back for lunch, but regardless – we ended up with a flat tire about half way back.  Damian and I stayed in the jeep to watch our surroundings while Amani changed the flat – several other drivers stopped to help (you can tell they look out for each other) but once the tire was fixed we discovered the engine wouldn’t start.  You kind of half to laugh at this point, as we’ve definitely missed the lunch deadline.

After fiddling with the engine, we did finally get the jeep going and made it back for lunch – thankfully, they still agreed to feed us.  We took a two hour break to eat and relax before heading out on our afternoon / evening game drive.

First, we went to the official “Hippo Pool” which is the only time we were invited to actually get out of the car.  The hippos are all in the water and there’s a little overlook to park and watch them – so we did.  Then we headed around the Sabo 6 loop – it was fairly quiet, and I loved the lack of crazy traffic.  We saw families of elephants, a herd of giraffe, lots of dik diks, cape buffalo, and hawks.  We made it back to Nyota just in time to watch the sunset, then grabbed a bite to eat and slept like the dead.