The Serengeti

After breakfast at Lake Manyara we set off for the Serengeti.  Entering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area we drove along the top edge of the creator.  It was very foggy and the road was very muddy making for an adventuresome ride. At one point we came upon a local bus which had fish tailed across the narrow road and all the locals had to get out and climb up on the bank.  We were concerned about how we would get around this obstacle but our experienced driver simply took our safari vehicle up the bank and around the bus missing the back end by mere inches.  The Masai people live in harmony in this conservation area with the animals due to the fact that because of their beliefs they do not hunt wild animals.  We passed by some picturesque Masai villages on our trip.  Along the way we also passed several young Masai boys dressed in black with their faces painted white, some with feathers.  These boys aged 13 to 15 had just been circumsized without any pain medication and we're hoping tourists would take their picture and give them money.  The feather symbolized that they had not shed any tears during the procedure.

On the way to our lodge we passed herds of migrating zebras, elephants, and giraffes and we had not even started our first Serengeti game drive.  I can not find the words to describe the beauty of this magical place.  Endless planes covered with golden grasses swaying in the breezes are dotted with acacia trees, many with yellow bark that glow in he sunlight.  In some areas there are gentle rolling hills covered with an assortment of low trees that give the animals some protection from the sun.  Snaking through the dry grasses is a narrow waterway crowded with hippos which also serves as a watering hole for other animals.  Some parts of the Serengeti are decorated with spectacular kopje which are beautiful rock formations which appear to have been placed there by some prehistoric artist but make wonderful homes for prides of lions.  In the distance low mountains rise up to frame this masterpiece.  The landscape is breathtaking but it is the wild life that make this a truly special place.  Winding bumpy roads took us from one encounter to another.  We viewed herds of elephants with very young playing among themselves while the adults ate from the trees before crossing within feet of our vehicle.  We witnessed the migration of the wildebeest and zebra with groups numbering in the hundreds time and time again.  We spent time watching giraffe eat from the trees and travel gracefully across the planes.  Gazelles and Impala play along the roadside, and baboons play in the trees.  The variety of birds is outstanding and they seem to pose for photos.

Lions really do climb trees and we were thrilled to find six in one tree passing he day away.  Leopards definitely live in trees and we have been lucky to find two so far.  What beautiful creatures.  A definite highlight was watching a mother lion stalk and take down a wildebeest.  Once she checked the area for any other predators she left and returned with her three young cubs and preceded to teach them how to feed from a kill.  This took place over four hours and showed the patience of the lion to get food for her young.

This truly is a magical place, the bumpy ride for hours every day is like a constant massage which I don't think would sell well at the spa but the hours fly by as one is constantly scanning the landscape to see what animal may be lurking nearby.  We cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Masai village

Elephant crossing with very young

Giraffe 

Love the face

Lion in the tree

Leopard taking a nap

Giraffe going for a ride

Mama lion and her kill

Her hungry Cubs

Baboon in the tree

Wild ostrich

Reaching high up for dinner

Hippo not in the bath tub

Tree full of lions