oct. 23-25, 2012 - serengti, tanzania

Oct. 23-25, 2012

We just spent 3 days on a side trip to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.  We left Arusha, Tanzania and drove straight the crater rim.  We stopped for a little photo opportunity and then continued on to the Serengeti for afternoon/evening game drive. On this drive we finally got to see a leopard, two of them! We also saw a serval cat along with all the abundant antelopes, zebra, and elephant.  We got to camp after dark and set up the tent quickly and waited for dinner.  This side trip included all meals prepared by amazing cooks.  Dinner started with soup and moved on to spaghetti with meat and veggie sauce.  The campsite is located in the middle of the serengeti with no fences or barriers.  They told us that hyenas would most likely end up in camp and would be running around.  Sure enough I woke up to hyena sounds and footsteps.  It was already my plan to NOT get out of the tent for any reason, so I just listened and hoped they wouldnt think I smelled like a tasty meal.

The next day was a full day in the Serengeti on game drive.  Pretty much the only thing we did not see was a rhino.  We even got to see a Cheetah with three cubs.  Lots of photos were taken.   That even we drove back to the crater rim to set up camp.  This site was on a beautiful hill over looking the crater AND it had hot showers AWESOME. The cooks made popcorn for the 12 of us ad set it up on a table just near our tents.  When darkness fell word got around that an elephant was wandering around close to camp.  I guess the popcorn was just too good to pass up because shortly after that he wandered over to the table.  It was a bit scary and I got up fast to put a good distance between us.  It was hilarious to watch him enjoy our popcorn though.  He finished it al off, knocked over the table to be sure all the good stuff was gone and then continued on his way back into the bush.  I cant say how amazing it was to be that close to a huge wild animal and just watch it walk through camp.   That night while we were sleeping zebras walked through camp as well!!

The next morning we all loaded up and drove down into the crater.  Our guide told us there were over 20,000 animals in the crater. Again, we saw soooo many animals.  And we saw a pride of lions planning for a kill.  Unfortunately, none of the zebras were willing to be dinner.

The day ended with a long drive back to camp.

Today we drove all day from Arusha to a half way point to Dar es salaam, the ferry point for Zanzibar.  I am excited to not have to up the tent and to sit on the beach for a while and of course...SCUBA diving.

What I have learned:

Of all the places I have visited Africa has some of the poorest living conditions.  But they seem rich on happiness because they always have a great smile and a warm greeting.