Monday, August 29

Up with the sun and off in search of game – it’s our first full day in Serengeti National Park and after yesterdays introduction, we’re eager for more.  Our campsite is near the center of the park and today we will check out this general area, since animals are expected to be reasonably close to water holes.

It was a great morning.  We saw a pair of young male cheetahs, a leopard in a tree, and several lions, including a lioness stalking a gazelle.  Throw in a few hippos and crocodiles – and, we saw our first (and only) kill – a ferocious little lilac-breasted roller pounced on a grasshopper and put him down in one big swallow.  

 We took a mid-morning break at the park headquarters.  Here there was a nice mile-long nature walk with great exhibits along the way, also lots of rock hyrax and some nice views of candelabra euphorbia and the savannah beyond.

Animals: Black-backed jackal, spotted hyena, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, olive baboon, lion, elephant, Bohor reedbuck, hippopotamus, Nile crocodile, leopard, warthog, rock hyrax, topi, impala, dik dik, Thomson’s gazelle and wildebeest.

Birds: Ostrich, crested plover, helmeted guinea fowl, sacred ibis, marabou stork, Egyptian geese, and lilac-breasted roller (with grasshopper).

Morning highlights:

 Black-backed jackal

Cheetahs – fastest of all land animals – these two males resting on termite mound are probably brothers.             

Helmeted guinea fowl – large round body with a small unfeathered head decorated with a bony knob and red and blue patches of skin.

Lilac-breasted roller with grasshopper – now you see it, now you don’t.  The only "kill" we witnessed on this trip!

Lion on riverbank - just watching ...

Elephants near water hole - suddenly everthing is green.

Three young male lions at rest; side view shows mane starting to sprout. 

Elephant coming to have a look at us 

Bohor reedbuck, trying to hide from us.

Leopard resting in tree - the most elusive of Africa’s large predators; often carries prey into tree to keep it from lions and hyenas. 

Warthogs - wild pig with long legs and upward curving tusks; often bends its front feet backwards while feeding.

Rock hyrax – also known as the rock rabbit 

Impala family – male, female and baby (which was nursing until we startled her) 

Hippopotamus – resident of rivers and lakes; usually seen in groups in spite of major issues about territory. 

Nile crocodile – Africa’s bulkiest and long-lived predator, typically reaching a length of 16 feet and weighing up to one ton.

Lioness hunting – she’s wearing a tracking collar, which helps the park service learn more about the movement of prides within the park.  She walked within a few feet of our truck as she kept her eye on the gazelles grazing nearby.  The gazelles were watching her, too – they were safe for another day.  

Thomson’s gazelle – every predator’s favorite prey - a small antelope identified by its bold black horizontal stripe. 

We were on such a roll seeing animals; we almost could have skipped lunch.  Bouncing around in the truck is hard work and by midday, it’s getting pretty warm out in the sunshine.  Back at camp, the dining tent is set and waiting for us; the menu today is pizza, vegetables and salad.  

After a little siesta, we’re on the road again, wondering how our guides can match the morning’s adventure.  We didn’t have to wonder for long.  We watched a hyena stalking gazelles, we saw a lion family reunion, and we watched a cheetah polish off her kill before the scavengers moved in.  Amazing afternoon.

Animals: Cheetah, topi, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, zebra, Coke’s hartebeest, spotted hyena, lion, elephant, hippopotamus, black-backed jackal, and warthog.

Birds: Ostrich, tawny eagle, Rueppell’s griffon, white-backed vulture, lappet-faced vulture, and black-bellied bustard.

Afternoon highlights:

Zebras - resting while keeping watch in opposite directions; these were among very few zebras that stood still for photos. 

Spotted hyena – Africa’s second-largest predator; good hunter, even better scavenger.  Here stalking Thomson’s gazelles – he didn’t really get close. 

Lion family reunion – first we spotted two females walking through the grass – and then there were five and then there were ten – it seems that the pride had been scattered and we had the delightful opportunity to watch them come back together – with lots of licking, rubbing, purring and obvious joy as they greeted each other and then settled down for a nice nap.  Incredible experience. 

 

Four elephants – said hello and goodbye. 

Cheetah and friends – we came upon a female cheetah that had killed and was eating a Thomson’s gazelle. 

Unfortunately, the vultures had also noticed and were gathering (there were three different types of vultures here: Rueppell’s griffon, white-backed vulture, and lappet-faced vulture). 

And then a hyena noticed the vultures and started stalking around trying to find whatever they had found. 

Poor cheetahs – they’re fast, but not strong enough to protect their kill from these scavengers; usually hyenas and vultures will scare them away.  Today, the cheetah resisted and ate as much as possible as fast as possible. 

When she finally walked away from the carcass, there was no doubt that her belly was full.  The vultures moved in immediately, and the poor hyena was out of luck. 

By the time this drive ended, there was no denying that we had to shed some dust.  Time to learn about the five-gallon shower.  It’s pretty simple; there are two buckets at the back of each tent – one is for the shower and one is for the toilet.

When you’re ready to take a shower, the camp staff get a bucket of water from the hot water tank, pour it into your shower bucket and raise it back to the top of the tent.  Then it’s up to you to do what you need to do before the water runs out – we were a bit worried, but it really wasn’t a problem – you just can’t fool around in there!