Tanzania - The Safari to go on Safari

October 12-14

Hello everyone!

One of the great African experiences is going on safari. This week Hannah and I are travelling to the birthplace of that word, and one of the best-known animal watching locations on the planet: the Serengeti.

Lion cubs eating scraps of a zebra

A pensive cheetah scours the terrain before drinking water

Safari itself means to travel or journey in the KiSwahili language spoken in Tanzania. Getting to the Serengeti National Park is a ‘safari’ in itself from Lilongwe. A flight to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, an overnight stay and an early morning flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport, before an hour drive to the city of Arusha to meet our safari group, then...

Two flights and a long car journey

Arusha is quite a big city but its airport doesn't seem ready for many flights

Well, let’s pause for a second. What was supposed to be an early morning flight on Air Tanzania, arriving at 6:50am, was inexplicably delayed by four hours on the day we left Malawi. This was a problem as our safari was leaving Arusha at 8:30am. After a bit of web searching and frantic attempts at buying tickets before the prices shot up (one flight went from £68 to £216 during the process), we managed to secure a flight with a different airline. We’re lucky that we can afford fixes to problems like that. You’ll see in later blogs that this wasn’t the only time Air Tanzania changed a flight time...

We ended up flying Precision Air to get to Kilimanjaro

So back to the safari at hand. An hour drive to Arusha, then a long drive to the west in a large jeep, firstly passing through the Ngorongoro Crater Reserve (more on that next time) and finally across miles and miles of flat savannah, ending in Seronera: the heart of the Serengeti. Our alarm went off in Dar es Salaam at 3:10am. We arrived in Seronera after 6pm. Very. Long. Day.

At one point we were driving through a dense fog due to the elevation

At some point during this day I ate or drank something which my body wasn’t overly pleased with. Luckily the effects of this didn’t start until arriving at the campsite. Unfortunately they proceeded for quite a long time after that, resulting in me spending most of the sunless hours dashing back and forth to the toilets or vomiting in the bush. Thankfully, the lion which apparently was wandering around the following night didn’t notice.

My most frequently visited site for the first 24 hours in the Serengeti

I’ll spare you further details, instead saying that I missed our first game drive the following morning. A combination of sleep (which I hadn’t had much of for the last five days), toast, bananas, water and imodium accelerated my recovery, and I was able to ride in the afternoon to see the splendour of the Serengeti.

The endless plains make for amazing pictures

The land itself is quite different to other safari places I’ve been. It is so...flat. Individual acacia trees sprout fairly regularly out of the fairly long grass but you can see incredibly far. The dark clouds also generated quite a moody air about the place. It also has a heavy, historic feel to it.

A giraffe standing tall in front of the Serengeti plains

The first partial game reserve of 800 acres (3.2 sq km) was established in 1921

The Serengeti is famous for hosting the ‘Great Migration’, when over a million wildebeest move as one to find water. It has been selected as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa and anyone who has watched animal documentaries will know how incredible it is. I’m not entirely sure when this happens - I’ve read many different and conflicting pieces about it - but this was not the time of year for the parts of the park we visited. However, we still saw plenty of amazing animals.

The large cyclical journey attracts predators, such as this jackal

A hyrax in its natural habitat of rocks

On our initial drive to the campsite, we came across a pride of lions on the road. The lionesses seemed to be tracking a herd of hartebeest, leaving the rest of the gang to pose for the cameras.

We were within two metres of the lions 

Sitting, waiting, wishing...

Lions were a common, and always wonderful, sight in the Serengeti. A highlight for me was seeing another pride devouring a zebra, with two little cubs scrapping over one piece of meat. It’s amazing to think that something so cute can become so dangerous in a matter of months.

We were told there are almost 50 different prides in the Serengeti

Our guide estimated that the cubs were about one month old

The endless plains are often punctuated by granite rocks called kopjes (pronounced like copies), upon which many animals like to rest due to the warm feel of the stone, as well as being a great vantage point. Think Pride Rock in The Lion King. We saw our own Queen resting beautifully atop a kopje.

Nala?

Lions use the rocks for cooling down, safety and scouting for food

It’s not just lions which rest up here. Plenty of other cats use the high rocks as a way to stay in seclusion, including leopards.

This leopard was in the same place on the morning drive which I missed...

...lazy! Wouldn't say it to her face, though...

Obviously some animals are less likely to be able to climb up a kopje…

Giraffes were a common and beautiful sight

I didn't see many elephants in the Serengeti - this is a
picture Hannah took from their morning drive

The size of the park can lull you into a state where you feel you are the only people around. Then you find a popular animal, like a leopard or a cheetah, and are reminded that the Serengeti is one of the most visited parks in Africa.

Can you see the lion?

More than 90,000 people from abroad visit the park
every year. With a $50 daily fee, it's quite profitable.

The number of animals, though reduced significantly due to poaching over recent decades, and the flat, open nature of the park mean that you are going to see lots of wildlife. There are probably many more animals - I found it interesting that we didn’t do any night drives, but perhaps they’re not allowed.

The park also boasts about 500 bird species, such as this starling

Part of the park borders Lake Victoria

I can only imagine how incredible the sight of the Great Migration would be and a greedier person than me would have wanted to see more action amongst the animals. However, I always remind myself that I am very lucky to be in a position to witness these majestic lions, hilarious warthogs, graceful giraffes and so many more with my own eyes. 

A marabou stalk, also called the 'German Flag' stalk due to its beak

The number and proximity of the cheetahs was one of my highlights

Visiting the Serengeti was simultaneously a frustrating and exhilarating experience. From the cute cubs to the Queen of the Rock, this was a safari which was worth the long safari to get to.

A leopard lazing in a tree

Our camp grounds - can you see the giraffe behind me?

A stunning Serengeti sunset

Love you all,

Matt