Safari!!!

One week has already passed since we left on our safari, but all the details are still fresh.

Friday, 8:30 AM anxiously awaiting the arrival of our already half an hour late vehicle we begin to wonder if we have crossed the threshold of African Standard Time. Urged to call our agent, Amit reluctantly agrees to drop 300 of his remaining 600 shillings in order to find out the ETA of our driver, Vincent, and cook, Bosco. Minutes later the souped up excursion sized, Landcruiser arrives: massive tires, three rows of paired captain seats, a built in fully powered mini-fridge, electrical outlets that don’t work, and best of all, the type of sunroof that would make a convertible jealous. Stocked with M&Ms, our saving grace, we’re off!

Crossing the gates into the western Serengeti, the landscape quickly changes from rows of Coca-Cola and Sprite faced buildings to endless straw shaded fields. We are all excited by our first sightings of zebras, wildebeests, and gazelles, but soon grow anxious to see the rarer animals. Priyanka’s wish list: 1. baby elephant, 2. male lion, 3. lots of giraffes. The landscapes are incredible. Herds of wildebeests are everywhere as the timing of our safari happens to coincide with their annual migration through the western Serengeti. Interestingly, just like humans trying to escape the heat, they often cluster in groups in the shade of some of the bigger trees that happen to spring from the occasional spot in the otherwise flat plains. Midday, they group directly under the trees, but as the sun looks sideways in the late afternoon, the groups slowly seep out from under the branches in pursuit of the slowly elongating shadows.

Only three hours past the western gate we happen across a water source, and with it a gathering of animals. In dry season, the dwindling number of rivers and streams funnel the herds in. Perfect bait for hungry lions. Just seeing the lions is a gift, but Vincent believes they may be preparing for an attack, so the engine is turned off and we become part of the scene. Female and cub arise from their slumber, ears point, shoulders tense, head lowers. Such a contrast, from our six bobble-heads, looking every which way trying to grasp what she senses. We click away knowing something is amiss, and then she shoots out from under the tree, through the brush and around towards the back of the car. Within seconds her jaws are clenched around the neck of a wildebeest and she is joined by the regal male, all of us had failed to even notice. The site is astounding. Just ten yards away from our vehicle. Male, female, and cub, with dead wildebeest are all that are left of the scattered herds.

We were more than spoiled on our first day, but nonetheless continued to be awed by the beauty of the landscapes. The grandeur of fifty plus elephants controlling their stomping ground and families of giraffes careening their necks to enjoy their balcony view over all the action were only a couple of the memorable sites. And interspersed throughout the weekend, lion spottings never failed to spike the adrenaline. On our last night we even enjoyed a special visit from the neighborhood elephant. Tired from a long day we had gathered at our campsite expecting only a mix of tents, tired safari goers, and a peaceful evening. Instead we found a crowd gathering near the fenced in cooked stations. Word was that one of the older wiser elephants had figured out how humans keep their water year round. Having departed from the toil of finding water in ever changing streams, he had made it a habit to just take a stroll in our campsite over Ngorongoro for a daily sip from the communal reservoir, haha!

By Priyanka and Amit