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The
Serengeti & Ngorogoro Crater
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Taking our leave of Dar es Salaam, we
headed north towards Mount Kilimanjaro; unfortunately for three days
the mountain was "lost" in the clouds and so we were not
able to see it. Of course, just as we left the area, the sun
took over and the clouds disappeared! So, our list of "To
Do Next Time" is growing!!
The road then took us past the second
highest peak in Tanzania, Mount Meru before we reached Arusha - the
official halfway mark between the Cape and Cairo!
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Arusha is also the gateway to the Serengeti and the Ngorogoro
Crater. After calculating the costs of taking the Mog into the
Park or going with a tour company, we realised that the tour company
option was far more favourable; Alan would get a break from driving
and be able to take photos, while I would get an expert bird guide
and get off cooking duties for a few nights!
We booked a four day tour with Tropical Tours, whose offices are in
Masai Camspite in Arusha. We soon realised that we would be
the only two passengers in the Land Cruiser, with Wilson as our
driver/guide and Cassim as our cook.
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After a long drive
through diverse countryside, past Masai villages, and over the Great
Rift Valley we arrived at the gates of the Ngorogoro Crater. A
drive around the rim of this extinct volcano with views of the huge
crater floor dotted with buffalo and wildebeest was followed by more
Masai villages and vast grass plains - we had arrived in the
Serengeti!
With the sun beginning to set, we set up camp and Cassim set about
preparing dinner. Tired, well-fed and very content we climbed
into bed while lions roared and hyaena whooped.
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The next
morning, after breakfast, we had our first game drive; not too long
into the drive we found a young male lion climbing a large tree -
apparently it is not unusual for lions to climb trees in Tanzania;
it is believed that it gets them above the "fly" zone and
is cooler than on the ground.-
Wilson soon spotted a
large male leopard in the top of the same tree! He suggested that perhaps the young lion was trying to get hold of a
carcass that the leopard may have had in the tree.
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The lion
gave up and leapt to the ground, walking away empty-handed. As
the lion disappeared into the grass, a young female leopard, who had
been hidden, appeared from the highest branches of the tree to join
the male leopard!! They then proceeded to lick and nuzzle each
other before laying their heads on a branch and falling asleep. We
were awestruck; it was amazing!!
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We saw so much in the Serengeti; some of
the animals were the same, or similar to animals we are familiar
with in Southern Africa, while some species were new to us.
The wildebeest migration is over by August, but we did resident
wildebeest and zebra. Our bird sightings were amazing! The
birds of East Africa are bright and colourful and plentiful, even in
winter.
Left: A Superb Starling - a
common sight in the Serengeti
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For the remainder of our time in the Serengeti we went of
game drives, enjoyed Cassim's great food and learnt much about the
Masai people from Wilson, who is Masai himself. Of course time
caught up with us very quickly and we had to turn our backs on the
cheetah that dominate the Serengeti plains and make our way back to
the Ngorogoro Crater. We booked a night in a hotel as a change
from the camping; what we didn't know was that the Ngorogoro Sopo
Hotel is a very luxurious lodge! We arrived in dusty, crumpled
clothes and ended up wearing socks with our sandals as the
temperature plummeted at night. It was soon apparent that
everyone was in the same situation, so there was no need to feel embarrassed.
An amazing meal, a l-o-n-g luxurious bath and a wonderful nights
sleep prepared us well for an early morning start and a drive into
the crater itself.
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Our first sighting was
of a large male lion who walked towards us and passed our vehicle
within two metres of Alan! We had an incredible morning, which
included being caught up in a vast herd of wildebeest (numbering in
the tens of thousands!) These animals are permanent residents
of the crater and are not part of the migration.
There were also hippos,
buffalo, gazelles, zebra, cheetah and more! Flamingoes fed in
a salt pan surrounded by teals, ducks and other water birds.
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Our time ran out and we were on the road
back to traffic-filled Arusha. There was time to reflect on
the amazing things we had seen; Africa never ceases to amaze and
impress us.
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A Masai warrior with his cattle in the Ngorogoro Crater
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An aged Buffalo bull in the
Ngorogoro Crater
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Highlights:
Best meal: Cassim's pizza was brilliant, as was the
dinner at the Ngorogoro Sopo Lodge.
Best moment: When we sat and watched two leopards and
a young male lion all in the same tree at the same time!
Worst moment: When it came time to leave the
animal-filled Ngorogoro Crater and return to traffic-filled town of
Arusha.
Rotary meetings: We visited the Rotary Club of Arusha who
meet on Wednesdays at lunchtime. Interesting people
we've met:
- Martin Solms & Debbie McMahon are on their own overland
journey through Africa. They have much of the West Coast of
Africa are now on their way back to the UK. Martin is also the
owner of the website: www.africa-overland.net; a site dedicated to
overland adventures in Africa. Their current adventure can be
followed at: www.bigsky-adventures.com
- Wilson and Cassim; our driver and cook from Tropical Tours.
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