Week 6

Serengeti Safari

Well it’s been quite a while since we put one of these up! But boy do we have some stories to share! This is the first of three posts, as we felt we really had to cover the Serengeti and our climb up Mt Kilimanjaro in separate posts.

So, let’s start with the safari! A truly unforgettable experience. Just a heads up, there’s gonna be lot of love expressed in this post and the next one for our tour company, Gladys Adventures. Based in Moshi, they were the organisers of both our safari and our climb up Kili and we can’t recommend these guys enough!

We arrived in Moshi after yet another long bus ride out of Nairobi (a quick lunch stop in Arusha is what held us up, when our van disappeared – with everybody’s bags – for a touch longer than the 30 minutes they announced; no explanation given). Arrived in Moshi a bit over two hours late, only to find that the saintly driver from our tour company had been waiting all the while for us – a kindness made more remarkable when we realised the office was barely a five-minute walk away! Perhaps what really set this experience apart was the fact his van had air conditioning (a dream we’d given up on after so many closely packed matatus).

At the office, we met with the wonderful Gladys herself, who makes sure to meet all clients before and after each of their experiences. We quickly dashed out to raid a whole bank of ATM’s (Tanzania’s largest note, 10,000 shillings, is just over $6 AUD) and collect some local sim cards with Airtel (more on this experience in the next post; spoilers – not great).

Raced back to our accommodation for the night in Moshi, the Secret Garden Hotel and our guide, Faustine, from Gladys collected us nice and early the next morning in a very roomy Land Rover – it was just the two of us on this trip. We set out for the Serengeti, about an eight-hour drive. We collected our chef, Morris, along the way too. Arriving at the edge of the park around lunch time. Faustine, with just over two years of experience, was an excellent guide – energetic, passionate and very funny.

After skirting around the base of Mt Kilimanjaro, we started our approach to the Ngorongoro Conservation area – the landscape quickly changing back to that of the Masai Mara region. Our ascent up the side of the Ngorongoro crater is steep and the air cools quickly. The vantage point looking out over the crater is unbelievably breathtaking. Light dapples across the surface of the lake and grassy plains as fast moving clouds roll overheard. An entire ecosystem of waterways, forests and grasslands stretches across it. We move on, around the crater’s rim, then descending into the grasslands beyond the crater, towards the Serengeti.

Very soon we start to spot Zebras, Antelope and Wildebeest madly crossing the roads as an endless convoy of Mzungus drive into the park. A quick stop at the border of the park for a photo and then we continue deeper into find a spot at one of the public campsites.

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Our tent pitched and darkness descending, we get our first sampling of Morris’s cooking which is a huge feast, delivered with theatricality by our wonderfully eccentric chef. All of Morris’s meals across our four days are multi-course extravaganzas! We start to dub them ‘Magic Morris Miracles’ as he manages to whip up delights like freshly cooked brioche and cakes on a camp fire. We tell Morris he has to stop feeding us so much or he can come and roll us up Kilimanjaro. He isn’t having any of that, telling Tim “in Africa men eat a lot – so don’t let me down” (whilst wagging his finger).

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The next morning, we are up early and heading out into the park to see if we can close the deal on spotting the remaining two of the ‘Big Five’ (Elephants, African Buffaloes, Lions, Leopards, Rhinos).

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On our full day game drive in the Serengeti we managed to tick off the illusive leopard, came across a pride of lions atop a pride rock (just like Lion King!!) and had a very special encounter with a family of elephants (slightly terrifying when it became apparent we were in their way and they looked like they were debating whether to charge at us…)

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The next day we headed back out of Serengeti to the rim of the Ngorongoro crater, where we spent the night at another public campsite. Some other campers, informed us that a herd of buffalo and a few elephants wandered through in the night – despite our close proximity to the toilet block, we’re a touch relieved neither of us had to go in the night! We wake up before the sun in order to set off very early into the crater. The early start quickly proves worthwhile, as we catch a glorious sunrise overlooking the crater.

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Down in the crater itself, we drive slowly along the road, some distance from the crater itself. In the morning light we can spot the thousands upon thousands of flamingos that stand in the lake’s shallow edges. We get up close to a roaming band of lions – like very close, possibly too close, as they lap up water in the tracks behind our stationery vehicle.

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A little further along, through some forests and on the other side of the lake, we finally sight the last of the Big Five – a Black Rhino. Seen at quite a distance as they are wary of humans (so very few remain in existence; only some 60 Rhinos inhabit the crater), we are lucky enough to spot 6 of them as we continue around the lake. Past a smaller lake that is brimming with Hippos, we head back up out of the crater and start heading back to Moshi. A few heartfelt farewells to Morris and Faustine and we arrive at our next accommodation in Moshi. The Salinero Hotel, booked for us by Gladys, is a very comfortable stay indeed. With a large bedroom, sitting room and ensuite (separate bath and shower!) there is plenty of space to hang all our laundry.

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Can’t forget to mention the wonderfully serendipitous run in we had with our fellow Canberra Bilbys Triathlon Club member, Erika, at the Serengeti National Park offices. It was a terrific coincidence after we had missed each other in Moshi a few days earlier.