August 24 and 25
We are getting used to short flights on small aircraft, and
learning to appreciate the skills of bush pilots. Following another nice evening at Gibbs Farm, we woke early
and boarded a plane from Mayanara to the northern Tanzania area of the
Serengeti National Park.
At the airport, we were met by our hosts – Nomad Tanzania, a
company that specializes in high end safaris. And high end this was – wonderfully comfortable and
functional land cruisers to tour the park (with battery charges for cameras
among the many built-in amenities); semi-permanent sleeping tents with
comfortable double beds, drop toilets, and showers; great hearty breakfasts
with coffee brought to your tent with your wake-up call; healthy box lunches
for the safari; excellent dinners; and a nice level of camaraderie each night
around a warm campfire which the hosts told us was “Serengeti’s only TV
channel.”
The staff could not have been better – helpful, thoughtful,
knowledgeable, anticipating every need – particularly Halifah (our guide) and
Godwin (the Clay’s guide), who spent two and a half days guiding us through the
park with care and knowledge and a warm sense of humor.
Among the amazing sights on the Serengeti were: vast herds of wildebeest, dotting much
of the landscape and crossing the river in huge numbers four or five times; a
pair of lions mating, twice in less than an hour; herds of elephants; countless
impala and elands and oribi; a cheetah killing a wildebeest for her two
children, a trio we came upon later in the day feasting on a young oribi; a
pride of seven lions, most of them young, resting safely on some boulders high
above everyone else.
We also witnessed a very difficult kill, with a group of
five or six baboons taking alive a very young reedbuck, the reedbuck screaming
plaintively for five or ten minutes until it died. Not something you want to see, but an event that drives home
a truth of the Serengeti – none of these animals can survive without some being
killed every day.
We spent two full days touring the Serengeti. Again, words don’t do this justice, and
neither do these photos – though they give you an idea of the incredible
experience of the Serengeti. (Click on any photo for a larger image.)
Serengeti landscape
Wildebeest
Cheetah killing wildebeest
Lions resting
Lions mating
Eland
Halifah, Nancy, and Marcia at Tanzania/Kenya border
Mary Ann and Hawk
Elephant and wildebeest
Male lion
View from our tent
August 26
One of the best things about the Serengeti is the incredibly
clear fresh air. We awoke early
this morning for our last tour of Serengeti, for about two hours, during which
we are able to see some interesting birds and a pride of seven lions, six of
them cubs, basking on top of a rock formation. It was very difficult to leave.
Lioness and cubs
We took our last small plane flights through Arusha to Dar Es Salaam, where Marcia and Jason were to meet up with the WWF team preparing for their meetings. Taking off, we had marvelous panoramic views of the Serengeti, including this shot of hundreds of wildebeest.
Aerial view of Serengeti wildebeest
