Up Close and Personal.

Day three in the Serengeti.

It is our mission today to see a leopard, the only remaining animal on our list.

Our efforts are rewarded, not once but twice.

It is difficult to spot a leopard. They tend to camoflouge themselves by perching high in the branches of the trees. This is partly so they can spot potential prey, but also to be safe from the lions.

A group of jeeps is clustered up ahead. That indicates they have spotted something. We join them. There, high in the cleft of a tree is a leopard with its kill. It has dragged its kill, an antelope, up the tree where it is secured in the branches. The leopard is watchful and see a male lion in the distance.

It is a magnificent animal, powerful, alert, beautiful. Shooting with a long lens we capture shot after shot, hopeful they are sharp enough to crop in close.

 

As the day continues we encounter a group of giraffes very near the road, allowing us better, closer images than before, allowing us to see clearly their head and eyes.

We come upon a pride of lions – females and their cubs – in the shade of large acacia tree just on the edge of the road. We stop, with our windows down and cameras ready we are so close the lions can look right in the window. I look out, right into the eyes of the lioness.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up. Slowly I raise my camera. The lion does not move, but it is unsettling. Our driver assures us they do not see us as humans or individuals. To them we are a large dark shape. It is only quick movement of noise that will alert them.

We have spotted another leopard. It is moving through the long grass between trees. We watch as it climbs the tree, too distant for a decent photo. So, we carefully manouever our convoy around to the other side, attempting to get nearer. Here we can get close, beneath the tree, hoping it does not decide to leap down.

We are ecstatic. We have seen not one but two leopards. The pride of lions was a bonus.

We head back to camp. We have seen every animal on our list now. Tomorrow we must leave this unbelievable place.

But as we head to the airport the next morning we have a couple of more treats in store.

As we make our way across the plains to the Serengeti airstrip, we encounter a group of elephants. They are moving and we anticipate they will cross our path ahead. We approach the line they will cross and wait. The elephants are right around our jeeps. One turns, facing one of our jeeps. Its ears flare and it moves directly toward the jeep. For an instant we think it may charge the vehicle. It approaches, then veers off and moves on.

We continue, and come upon a large pride of lions. They lie on both sides of the road. Some slowly amble across the road, weaving between the jeeps, so close and unbothered by our presence. We shoot through windows and the roof. Our jeeps are still and the lions see them as shade from the heat. One walks slowly right alongside our jeep and lies down in the shade right below my window. I could reach out and touch it. (not a good idea). A second one follows and plops itself down beside the first.

We are speechless and thrilled. The perfect ending to our photo safari.

We make our way to the airstrip and board or charter back to Arusha for our connecting flight to Zanzibar. We say goodbye to our amazing guide and drivers and to our new friends.

Victor, our guide, on our flight out of the Serengeti to Arusha, where we will connect to Zanzibar.

We board our next  plane to Zanzibar for the final chapter. Come With Me….

Serengeti Game Drives.

Serengeti Game Drives.

Our tent camp is quite new and quite isolated. It is in the middle of the plains with small bushes around. It is a series of large tents equipped with two beds, draped in mosquito netting. There is a couch and two chairs around a solid wood table. Through a flap is the bathroom – a double sink, a toilet and a shower.

The tent is screened with solid flaps that are zipped down at night.

There is lantern-lit path that leads to a central dining tent and a lounge tent. Once dark, you can not leave your tent without a guard to escort you. You can blow a whistle and they will come, or flash you flashlight outside the door. 

At night the sounds of animals can be heard around the campsite. Monkeys or baboons shrieking. Footsteps around the tents- maybe hyena, perhaps even lions. They do not bother the tents, they are just at home in the nature around.

What is more disturbing at night is the wind that whips the flaps of the tent. It is noisy and wakes me. Finally, I remember the ear plugs I have in my bag and I fall back to sleep.

Each morning we awaken early and head out as the sun rises. The animals will be out, heading to the watering holes and hunting before the heat of midday. We stop for picnic lunches along the way and spend our day exploring different areas in search of the wildlife. Top of our list is the rhino and the leopard. Both are elusive and there are no guarantees.

In the distance our guide spots a rhino. We move as close as we can but are limited to the roadways. Off roading is not allowed. Tanzania has very strict rules which restrict vehicles from following the animals off road.

Here and there rock formations jut out from the flatness of the plains. We are told they are ancient volcanic remains which have eventually surfaced as the ground erodes. The structures are beautiful and provide a lookout for animals. From here the predators can watch for prey and gain cover needed to stalk their prey.

We stop at one such spot for a picnic breakfast. The rhino is visible in the distance.

As we follow the roadway we are able to get somewhat nearer to the rhino and capture a few images, stretching the long lenses to their max. Certainly no award winners here, but we do have a couple of photos.

Rhinos are very protected in Tanzania. They have been over-hunted for their horns and are now carefully monitored. They have a chip and each rhino has a warden and jeep assigned. They are always watched to make sure that no one hurts them or bothers them. Over-zealous tourists and guides can not approach them or intrude on them.

The remainder of the day we travel amidst lions – two large males sleep in the tall grass with more watchful females around them. We watch one bored female go up to the male, attempting to wake him and engage him in some play. He shoos her away and she nips at him.

We watch a female washing her herself with her pink tongue and capture the sought-after yawn, mouth wide and teeth bared.

We see many elephants in familial groups and lots of giraffes nibbling the tops off of thorny trees.

Tick. The rhino is off the list. That leaves only the leopard. There is another day.  We head back to camp.

 As evening approaches we capture this lone elephant high on a rock, silhouetted against he setting sun.

We have one more day.......  Come With Me...

Into the Serengeti.

Central Serengeti. Nov. 9.

We have enjoyed our time in Ngorongoro and the Sopa Lodge, but it is time to move on to the last part of our safari. Today we head into the Central Serengeti, part of the massive Serengeti plains that cover much of Tanzania and into Kenya. We will experience only one section, within Tanzania.

We are told we have two options.

#1 – we can take the shorter road which is extremely rough and will likely take 4 to 6 hours.

Or, #2- The longer way, but a better road and we will travel through the plains where we will see animals. The journey to the crater was so rough we felt like the filling was being rattled from our teeth. With this still fresh in our minds, we opt for Option Two – longer but better road.

It is not too long before we start to wonder just how bad the first road was. Our route is just a rutted dirt trail through the long grasses of the plains. It is a vast expanse of tall golden grasses dotted with the occasional acacia tree or stunted shrub. The jeeps slowly wind their way, jostling and bumping over the uneven ground.

It is impossible to differentiate one mile of road from another. We can not help but wonder how the drivers have any idea where in this vast expanse they are and how they can know where they are going. There are no markers anywhere.

We stop for a few minutes to visit with a local chief and a few of his people alongside the road. Apparently, Victor, our guide knows him and they greet us warmly.

Giraffes, elephants, zebras are all around. We come upon a pride of lions lazily napping alongside the trail.

Our guides are ever alert, watching for signs of animals. We are hoping to spot cheetah, leopards and rhinos.  Our radio crackles… someone has spotted something ahead and we all head toward an dry lake bed with a small knoll overlooking it. It is a cheetah we are told. We are excited, it is an animal that it seems all of our grandchildren have expressed their desire to see.

And there they are, two beautiful, stealthy, spotted cats. They are stunning. We come in close and they wonder right around our jeeps, offering us amazing opportunities to photograph them. Their magnificent spotted coats look so soft we want to reach out and touch them…. Not a good idea!

There have been a few rain showers in the area. Here, the least amount of rain makes the dirt paths slippery and mucky. The surface soil is very thin, covering rock plates below. There is no place for the water to seep so it sits in dips and low spots and lies in the ruts.

 We are nearing our camp and it is getting late in the afternoon. But the trail is getting softer from the rain. The further we go the worse the road. We slip and slide. There are four jeeps in a convey. Three are larger, heavier jeeps and one (ours) is smaller and lighter. However, it is equipped with a more powerful motor and a winch.

We ford gullies with several inches of water over the road. We slip and slide in the ruts, getting deeper with the passage of each jeep. The jeeps hang in the ruts, sliding sideways at times. We approach narrow bridges over dry riverbeds, no side rails. We close our eyes as our skillful young driver slides onto the bridge, rights the vehicle and manages to manaoever us safely across.

The potholes are getting deeper. At one point, as it gets darker, we hit a particularly deep hole, obstructed until we are upon it. I fly in the air, banging my head against the roof – thank goodness it is padded.

Adam, our savior and our guide, receives a call on the radio. One of the lead jeeps is stuck ahead. We have the winch on our vehicle and must go rescue them. The first jeep is stuck solidly, the second jeep has attempted to push it through and is also mired in the mud. It is amazing how so little water can create this gumbo.

For an hour Adam works to free the two vehicles. Slowly pulling, the winch stretching taut.

Gradually the first second jeep moves, inching backward until it is free.

Adam and his team of drivers, along with Victor, the guide and leader, hook the winch again to the first vehicle. Slowly we strain backwards. But the vehicle is mired so solidly it resists our efforts. The winch strains and finally snaps.

Again they try. Rehooking the winch, we inch further and the jeep resists. We spin, splattering mud in all directions. Finally, it begins to slowly gain traction and we are able to free it.

We continue on. It is dark when we finally arrive at NaonuMuru, our tent camp in the middle of the Serengeti.

Life Inside an ancient crater.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. Nov. 7th.

Ngorongoro is a large, protected area of Tanzania. It includes Ngorongoro Crater, the caldera of an ancient volcano some 2 thousand years ago. The crater is now a prolific plain that is home to many varieties of African wildlife.

We enter the conservation area on a scorching hot afternoon and stop at the entry gates where our drivers and guides have to stop and arrange the necessary permits. As we drive in baboons roam alongside the road. Our driver parks our jeep and we discuss getting out to get some pictures of the baboons. "Close the windows", warns our driver, Adam. Baboons will try to get into the car."

We roll up the windows and hurry out of the car, heading toward the road where the baboons are gathering. We snap pictures madly, as usual. As we are distracted with our photo madness one female baboon with a baby clinging to its back senses the opportunity and makes a beeline straight to our jeep. Quick as a winks he scurries up the side of the jeep and into our jeep. Apparently, in our haste, we had neglected to roll up one window. We race back to the jeep, yelling at the little bandit. She quickly scoops up a box of cookies and a bag of chips and as we reach the car she jumps back out the window, screeching, and up the nearest tree.

Once up the tree another baboon approaches her, looking to share her booty. She holds on to her precious goodies, baring her teeth and screeching at the other animal. She is not letting go and she is not sharing.

Like a siren to the other baboons, soon dozens of them come pouring in from all directions. They scamper about the parking lot, alert for other vehicles who may have left windows open. One man walks across the parking lot with an ice cream bar. The baboons circle and jump, trying to steal it away. A bus comes in loaded high on top with parcels and luggage. The baboons jump on top, searching for something worth stealing.

One baboon is sentry. He sits high in the branches of a tree where he can watch the vehicles, especially our. If he sees an opening he calls to his accomplices and they rush the vehicle. It is like Planet of the Apes!

Finally the drivers return with our permits and we quickly load in to our vehicles and get out of Dodge.

We arrive at our Lodge at the crater, Sopa Lodge. It is a beautiful lodge that sits perched on the rim of the crater, with the entire crater floor far below. We settle in, eager for our early morning start the following day.

It is 6:00 am. when we descend into the crater. The crater floor is a mixture of long, dry grasses and dried up , salty lake bottoms. Here and there are dark green patches where marshes or ponds provide water holes for the animals.

As we descend we see Cape Buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, warthogs, hyena.

Baby zebras start out with brown stripes which darken as they get older.

Hyenas are scavengers, usually feeding on animals that are weak or dead.

It is evident these animals live together in  harmony. Animals are one of two types, we are told. There are predators and there are prey. Among prey there is no internal competition. They can live together and co-exist.  However, that is not the same for predators, They do compete for the same food source and there is definitely a hierarchy. The lion is the largest and most dominant. They will kill other predators like leopards and cheetahs because that will reduce the competition for food.

We follow the marshy area in search of animals. We are hopeful we will see lions, cheetahs, leopards, hippos.  The crater is large, 20 kms in diameter. Clusters of zebras graze in the long golden grasses.  We head toward a watering hole and stumble upon a family of lions lazing in the shade beside the road. They are ambivalent to our presence. Our guide tells us, lions can only see in black and white. They can not see us in the vehicle. To them, it is just a large shape they can use for shade.

As it nears noon, we head to a beautiful, green pond area for a picnic lunch. We spread blankets on the grass and relax alongside the pond where a group of hippos lazily doze in the water under a giant acacia tree. It is serene.  As we finish our lunch we head to the pool, trying to get close enough for some decent shots. We notice a couple of hippos moving off behind the reeds. A few minutes later we see them emerge from the water on the far end of the pool. We hurry over, watching as they lumber out and walk along a path near the water. Snap, snap, snap! I even got the picture of the big hippo with its mouth wide open in a yawn.

Perfect spot for a picnic

Group members photographing the hippos.

We load up and head out again. We pass a herd of wildebeest,. it may be the start f the their migration out of the crater. The large herd makes it way, grazing as the go.

Finally, we arrive at the Hippo Pool. Here dozens of hippos, some with babies, laze, submerged up to their eyeballs. Every now and them the move, trying to shake off the birds that perch on them. They look like giant logs in the water. Alongside and several Cape Buffalo, there giant horns making them impressive. Surrounding the pool is a grassy knoll where zebras and wildebeest graze. Warthogs are dotted throughout and hyenas skirt the group. It is like Noah's ark, the animals living and existing together. We remain, still, snapping pictures. It is an amazing sight and a beautiful vista. A truly special place.

Come With Me as I continue to the Serengeti....