Awe-inspiring safari through central and western Serengeti
Serengeti, a Masai word meaning “infinite horizon”, a word that so aptly describes the breathtakingly beautiful 360° view seen from the top of the granite rock at the entrance to the national park. Straw coloured, with hints of gold where the sunlight caught the tips, the grasses swayed gently in the breeze and stretched as far as the eye could see. The view only broken by the occasional granite mound like the one we were standing on. I hadn’t expected such a visceral wave to pass over me at the sight of this electrifying landscape.
It was no wonder that this surreal landscape had inspired the Lion King musical, still playing to audiences around the world 23 years later. The Serengeti was to be one of the many highlights of our trip to Tanzania and like our other visits across Africa we chose to organize the trip from within the country. We were keen to support local enterprise which meant generally that tourist money stayed in the country.
This June the weather was perfect with cool mornings and mid-day heat. We chose to do a camping safari to limit the excessive costs of staying in lodges, to be closer to the wildlife and to sleep under the stars, hearing the howls of the hyenas and the hope of a lion walking through the camp.
Safari to Serengeti’s Naabi Hill gate
We met our guide David early in the morning on day one. He was from the western side of the Serengeti close to Lake Victoria and had grown up around many of the animals. “I speak their language”, he told us proudly and called himself ‘the bushmaster’. He was a lively character full of mannerisms, although he did not seem that enamored by the Lion King musical! We spent the first night at Heaven Nature tented camp near Lake Manyara, 4-hours from Moshi. We had travelled this section of the road before when we visited Tarangire NP. The Masai roam these areas with their herds of cattle or walk purposefully across the vast plains bisected by the road.
Traversing the Ngorongoro Crater Area to reach the Serengeti
The next morning we traversed the plains slicing deeper towards the protected areas of the north. There was palpable excitement in our land cruiser as we observed a world so very different from our somewhat dystopian city life. We reached the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) an hour or so later where we had some formalities to complete to enter the protected area.
From the NCA headquarters we headed on dusty rutted roads of the Ngorongoro wilderness passing small Masai bomas or villages, hundreds of zebras, giraffes, Thompson gazelles, hares, jackals and birds too numerous to describe.
The Masai were strikingly dressed in bright red or deep blue clothes, the latter describing a married Masai. Their impact on the surrounding area was minimal at best.
Solitary Masai could be seen striding straight-backed with stick in hand across the dusty plains. Where they were going was always a mystery as often there appeared to be no destination visible to our eyes, certainly not in distances we understood. The word safari is another Masai word meaning “to journey”, and that was exactly what they appeared to be doing.
The land cruiser was driven fast over the rutted road apparently for our comfort. The journey was noisy, stones clanging against the metal body of the car, and behind us a massive dust ball blew in the wind.
As we slowed near a small bridge over a completely dry river bed, the dust ball overtaking us, a young Masai boy could be seen with his herd of goats, he turned quickly away from us but not fast enough before we saw his face painted in a white design, a sign according to the bushmaster that the boy had passed a ritual into manhood.
Crossing the Serengeti plains to reach Seronera
We reached the Naabi Hill gate, the eastern entrance to the park about two hours later.
We had a chance to stretch our legs while David undertook the formalities. We still had a way to go to our campsite located in the centre of the Serengeti at Seronera. As no driving was allowed in the park after 6pm we chose to do an evening game drive before we reached the camp.
The greatest wildlife spectacle on earth
Our first sighting was of a cheetah in the long grass, sleepy but nevertheless alert. As the evening drew in and the sun began setting the sightings of large herds of elephants, small groups of wildebeest, buffalo and gazelles increased.
Driving into the setting sun we very nearly missed a lion sitting in the fork of a tree a few metres off the ground. These were the famous tree climbing lions for which this region is well known but the bushmaster hadn’t seen any all month. Generally lions do not climb trees as their greater weight does not allow them to do so. It is noticeable that this lion was resting in a fork only a couple of metres off the ground.
From behind the tree another two lions emerged, sauntering languidly towards a small area of raised ground from which we observed at least another 5-6 lions camouflaged by the straw coloured grasses. As the sun began to set we were forced to move to camp to beat the 6pm driving curfew.
That night was wildly romantic as we literally slept under the stars. The milky way was clearly visible through our tent netting and yes we did hear the hyenas howling very close by but unfortunately did not witness any lions wandering through camp.
Over the next few days in the central Serengeti we came across a pride of lions lying nonchalantly on a rocky outcrop,
while a large leopard languished high up in a tree, entwining its tail on a branch and sleeping in full sight of the lions that had taken up position opposite on their granite vantage point. Over the time we spent game viewing we saw a number of lone leopards in this area around the Seronera river in central Serengeti.
As we drove away from the forested area around the river to the vast grassy plain David spotted the outline of a cheetah sitting on its hind legs, alone in the vastness of the Serengeti grassland.
We stopped to observe it and he looked back at us completely unconcerned by our presence. We decided to leave him to his solitude.
But the cheetah sightings just got better. An hour or so later we stumbled on a family grouping of a mother and three large cubs, seeking shelter from the midday sun under a twisted and stunted tree in the emptiness of the landscape.
In the evening light elephants appeared as if by magic looking often from a distance like a granite rocky outcrop. Only their movement alerted you to their presence. Where they had been in the heat of the day was unknown. We had a chance to witness David’s bushmaster skills as he approached a lone male elephant that he believed had poor eyesight. Well this elephant certainly sniffed out our land cruiser, gently moving his trunk along the vehicle as he we sat half mesmerised and half scared before he moved on.
The Seronera and the plains south-east of here are well known for their big cats, and they did not disappoint. The enticing stillness, raw drama and exotic inhabitants of this most magical of ecosystems must be one of the natural wonders of this planet.
Western Serengeti and the Wildebeest migration
The Western Serengeti was a completely different but nevertheless equally awe-inspiring experience. As we drove west from Seronera heading towards Mwanza and Lake Victoria, the landscape became hillier and more forested. In the distance we could see a thickly forested area in a small dip in the landscape. This was the Grumeti river that provided much of the water for the huge numbers of wildebeest that congregate in the western part of the Serengeti in June. It wasn’t long after we left Seronera that we noticed the increasing presence of wildebeest.
They could often be seen in long columns following each other with ‘prefect’ wildebeest nudging and cajoling, but sometimes aggressively charging to keep the line moving. There were few if any zebra in the area. Normally these animals are seen together as they are thought to support each other as they migrate north following the rains, in search of better grazing lands and where they can give birth to their young. It was therefore surprising to have such low numbers of zebra in the area.
The wildebeest numbers were increasing dramatically as we reached Kirawira camp some four hours later. This was about an hour and half from Lake Victoria and very much the area where David had grown up. The wildebeest would be in this area for a while as many of them appeared to already have given birth. Eventually though the dry season will set in and the need to find water means they will have to push north towards the Mara river and Kenya.
The section of the Grumeti river which we visited shortly after lunch was little more than a dried up river bed. On one side the merest trickle of water flowed through. This too would continue to dry up as the season progressed which begged the question as to how the crocodiles on the river bank would survive.
It was a dream just to be in such a tremendous wilderness area. The Masai, the true guardians of the Serengeti are no longer allowed to take their cattle into the Serengeti as it is designated as a national park. They live just outside the park in harmony with nature and their philosophy of protection and respect towards these animals is truly something from which we can all learn.
Having spent just a few short days in the Serengeti I would now have to agree with the bushmaster that brilliant as the Lion King musical is, it simply does not and cannot depict the Serengeti in its raw fullness. Come and see, feel and become part of the reality here and fight to protect it.
Facts about our trip
We travelled in June 2017 to Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Lake Manyara
The Serengeti section of the trip was arranged through African Scenic Safaris info.africanscenicsafaris.com
Vehicle must be 4WD and ensure that the roof pops up over the entire vehicle. Tourists must be allowed to stand on the seats to ensure easy viewing through the raised roof. Ideally luggage should be in a separate vehicle and not on the roof which hampers viewing.
Seronera campsite is a public campsite in Central Serengeti and costs USD30pppn. The campsite consists of a kitchen area and simple toilet facilities.
Balloon safari was arranged through Serengeti balloon safari company
