The Serengeti

The Serengeti Plains – one of the last true natural wonders on earth. Famed for the world´s greatest mammal migration but also home to the highest concentration of animals species anywhere in the world. The incredible diversity and abundance of wildlife here is breathtaking.

But beyond all that, its sheer scale is staggering. It is a vast, unspoilt ecosystem that stretches for 30,000sqkm from Kenya´s Maasai Mara game reserve to Tanzania´s Serengeti National Park.

And we were heading towards it with our hearts in our mouths and our cameras in our hands. Finally, after three years in Africa, we were here – the spectacular icing on our beloved cake.

Each of our posts in this blog contain roughly one hundred photos – sometimes a few more, sometimes a few less. It´s not deliberate, it just tends to work out that way. Even the interludes covering other national parks rarely have more than a hundred and twenty or so. This post contains over two hundred photos and even then it took me six days to cut down the number and so many beautiful images have still had to be left out. Between the animals and the landscapes there is just so much to show you.

The next five days of our lives were set to take in three of Tanzania´s premium national parks. We were starting in Tarangire – a national park that, if it were not for its proximity to the Serengeti, would be an icon in its own right but is actually completely overshadowed by its big sister. From there we were to pass through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the Serengeti itself. And once we had exhausted ourselves there, our trip was to end at the Ngorongoro Crater, often referred to as the Serengeti on speed – where an exceptional number of animals spend their days grazing, hunting and breeding inside a huge volcanic caldera.

We arrived at our first destination in our standard-issue safari vehicle with our professional safari guide and checked in at the park gates feeling like true tourists

To some extent we were disappointed to have to spend our first day in Tarangire when all we wanted to do was to get to the Serengeti. But our frustrations were misplaced in a big way. Whilst Tarangire may not have the vast, open plains, it amply makes up for it with its wildlife.

As we entered the park, our first siting was of baboons grazing on flowers by the roadside

They were lovely but you can see baboons all over the roadside pretty much everywhere in Africa. However, something about a tree ten minutes further into the park suggested that things were about to take a turn for the more exciting!

My heart leapt into my throat – some of those branches looked distinctly furry!

A few seconds later something else appeared that was definitely not a leaf…

This lioness was just hanging about, minding her own business

But the vehicles that started to surround her woke her up

She peered at us all intently

Then decided we were just a load of noisy tourists and went back to sleep

We had been watching her for at least ten minutes before realising that she was not alone…

Her cub was keeping watch under the tree, making sure none of us got out of line!

As we watched, an elephant wandered along

He walked right under the lioness´s tree, making her jump up with her fur on end, watching and shrinking into the branches – you can only just see her here in the top left-hand corner, she hid herself very well

But the elephant had no interest in picking a fight and just carried on walking

We are used to driving ourselves around national parks and keeping away from other visitors as best we can. Even when we can´t, we usually have to share the top sightings with no more than three or four other vehicles.

This first lion-spot confirmed everything we had heard about these iconic parks and we set our expectations for the next few days – untouched wilderness this may be, uninhabitated by humans it is not…

And this was ´just´ Tarangire, we hadn´t even made it into the Serengeti yet.

But the fact that these parks are popular was not going to spoil our enjoyment, we had known what we were in for before we came. And the views when away from the big cats were beautiful

We spent the rest of the morning enjoying watching creatures of all shapes and sizes going about their business. From a bird of prey drying its wings

To a loan buffalo giving a piggy-back ride to one of the myriad of birds that like to hitch a lift on their bigger friends

From a family of baboons eating breakfast

To a surprised warthog

It was all very serene and before we knew it, it was time for lunch.

The tour included food as well as wine with dinner but we hadn´t been sure exactly what to expect for the price we had paid. By the time the lunch spread was laid out on the table we were thrilled – was there to be no downside to this trip?

We spent the afternoon by the river watching giraffe, zebra and buffalo ambling along, taking a drink or simply enjoying the freshness of the cooler air

That night we stayed in a room at a lodge – no camping this time. The lodge was lovely and the menu unorthodox, even if the beef was a bit tough and the wine a bit sweet – by the time they bought pizza out for desert we could hardly fit it all in.

After a good night´s sleep we were ready for the main event. Today we were driving four hours into the Serengeti.

The roads were long and bumpy and it was exhausting. But when we passed through the gates of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area we knew we were tantalisingly close

The crater itself was not on the itinerary just yet but the high mountain road passed right by it and we stopped at the view point to look over in awe – it was there somewhere under all those clouds

We were still not in the national park but as we drove onwards the landscape started to change and we could see the Serengeti Plains stretching out before us

After another hour we arrived at a monument to the Olduvai Gorge – the cradle of humanity where the first ever humans lived

We stopped long enough to read the plaques and queue for the single toilet then piled back into the truck for the last stretch. Until finally…

We grinned at each other as we passed through the gates – here we go!

As the road stretched out in front of us, all we could see were grassy plains as far as the horizon in all directions. We knew we were unlikely to see the great migrations as they were too far north at this time of year but the Serengeti is far more that a few million wildebeest and zebra

The road in to the main park is long and rough with heavy corrugations that set your teeth on edge and rattle your bones. It is also a difficult road to drive if you are not experienced or try to go too fast. We saw the first casualty within half an hour – there were many more and for each crashed vehicle we knew there were human casualties

It was a sobering thought. But trusting our guide, Simba, to keep us safe we eventually arrived at the main entrance gate and settled in for lunch along with hundreds of other excited visitors

The rest of the day stretched out in front of us and we filled it with every animal you could possibly think of.

We found the huge kori bustard and its even bigger cousin the secretary bird

A herd of eland wandered past

Closely followed by the topi

Meercats basked on the rocks

And a small bird of prey listened intently in the trees

We passed by a river and were spell-bound by the variety of birds with their reflections shining back from the surface

The usual suspects were keeping a low profile

Further on two beautiful black-backed jackal were playing by the side of the road

Whilst a giraffe munched on his lunch, idly watching the passing vehicles and seeming to smile to himself

A rock dassi hid in the grass

Whilst a spotted hyena ambled passed and stopped for a scratch

All the animals seemed relaxed and peaceful, none showed any interest in us. The scale of the Serengeti allows any creature here to get as far away from humankind as they like.

What should have been the highlight of my day turned into a frustrating few minutes with two lions sleeping hidden between rocks. With so many vehicles cramming in to get a look and six people in our truck all trying to stand in the same place to see, I only managed a couple of quick shots before sitting down in my seat again disappointed

But it wasn´t long before we saw the clearest sign you get in a national park that something exciting was up ahead!

Dust clouds from dozens of other vehicles in front of us all dashing for the same spot. And when we arrived things got much more interesting…

These two brothers were doing what lions do best – having a long nap. But the noise of the visitors soon woke them

It took a few moments for the sleep to clear then one of the lions eyed us intently

Before getting up and stalking off somewhere quieter!

James´ phone camera captured the lion´s expression perfectly – he was not happy at the disturbance

Our next close encounter was even more thrilling. A mother and her baby were walking slowly across the plains, with the baby wanting some food enroute

Before long they were joined by the rest of the herd and they all greeted each other

You may wonder why I say this was thrilling – we see elephants regularly in national parks. Well, keep in mind that elephants are some of the most dangerous animals around, especially a breeding herd like this with young to protect. Their size and strength makes them easily capable of overturning a safari truck and stamping the occupants into the ground should you get too close.

The matriarch of this herd decided she wanted to go across the road to the other side and we were in no position to stop her…

They walked right in front of us, some so close we could have reached out and touched them – had we not wanted to keep our arms!

Everyone kept very quiet and still, no-one moving until they had passed by. But then we all grinned and laughed – what an amazing close-up!

By now it was getting late and the sun was starting to fade, beams casting a beautiful light through the clouds

In the half-light we almost missed a leopard with her kill high up in a tree

Even my biggest zoom struggled to get a good photo but we knew she was there

As the sun went down over our first day in this amazing place, we marvelled at the landscape

But there was one final treat in store – a spotted hyena basking in the fading glow of the sun, getting ready for a night of hunting

As we drove to our campsite for the night it was impossible not to take a hundred photos of the sun setting over the savannah, here are just a few of my favourites…

We reached the campsite late, well after darkness had set in and were treated to another fabulous camp meal

But this campsite was a little run down and when we got up early the next morning the ablutions block was swarming with ants making any thoughts of a shower impossible

But watching the sun rise over the horizon made it all worth while

We set off for our remaining morning in the Serengeti with dawn only just breaking

And watched the hot air ballons rise into the morning sky – an iconic image of the Serengeti

At one point we were surrounded by dozens of them, all carrying tourists taking advantage of one of the best views of the savannah

But the trip only lasts a few minutes before the ballons are back on the ground

We had another two hours here in the Serengeti before we were due to head to the Ngorongoro Crater. We made best use of our time.

Our first stop was to disturb a young giraffe having her breakfast

And we were excited to find another spotted hyena curling up outside his den

He looked very comfortable!

It was then time to head back to the river where we saw more hippo than we could count

It´s always most exciting to see one out of the water

But this one maybe got a little too close!

Although, like the rest of the occupants here, he didn´t seem too concerned by us

There were other dangerous creatures hanging around in the water, although this one was too sleepy to care about us

And the birds didn´t seem too concerned by him either

As we drifted away from the river and back towards the entrance gate, the animal fest continued.

We found a number of the tiny dik diks

More topi appeared

As well as the ubiquitous baboon, this one having his lunch

Even away from the river we saw various birds. The Von Der Decken Hornbill

A blue heron

And vultures nesting in the trees

At a distance we found another leopard snoozing high up in a tree

Far too far away for my camera to get a good shot. So two leopards so far but both too far away for any sort of good photo. Such is the way with leopards!

We had a similar problem with a lion resting in a tree, there was no way to get close enough for the type of shots I got in Tarangire the day before

But all was forgiven when two other lionesses suddenly strode out in front of us and wandered along the road

They marched along with intent, clearly on the hunt

And walked directly alongside us. In fact, if I had sat down and put my hand through the open window I could have stroked them. I relived this moment many times wishing I had but it was probably better that I hadn´t for both the lionesses sake and that of my fingers…

The Serengeti is home to a lot of big cats but we weren´t expecting what happened next. Out of nowhere a flash of brown and black stripes leapt up from the high grass and darted in front of our truck. We strained to see, hardly able to believe that a serval cat was hunting right in front of us

Standing only 60cm tall and weighing only 10-15kg, the shy, fast and nocturnal serval is almost never seen in the wild. We were thrilled to watch this one as she darted around, leaping high over the grass and disappearing before reappearing a few moments later. We watched for fifteen minutes or so before she finally disappeared for good.

This is not my photo, it was taken by one of the other guests in our vehicle – between six of us this was the only photo that captured her – she was that fast!

We slowly wound our way back to the gate, sad to be leaving the Serengeti but excited to be heading towards the Ngorongoro Crater.

The yellow grasses swayed gently in all directions

And the acacia trees stood proudly in every direction – the horizontal trees as I always call them, you can´t imagine a more iconic image of Africa

As the sign at the entrance gates says, ´the Serengeti shall never die´ – our visit may have been short but the Serengeti will be waiting for our return.

As we sped out of the park we saw yet more evidence that nature takes no prisoners – the predators are not the most dangerous thing for unsuspecting tourists around here

Finally back at the gate, we checked out as the starlings waited to see whether there were any crumbs left from lunch

Next stop, the crater…

We stopped off at the viewpoint again and this time the clouds were behaving themselves – the entire crater spread out in front of us

So vast we could hardly see the other side in any direction

And once down on the crater floor the edges rose up all around us, disappearing into the mist

The Serengeti National Park stretches over 15,000sqkm, the Ngorongoro Crater spans 260sqkm. But it seemed to us as though there were almost as many animals here as in the whole of the Serengeti.

Whilst we had seen huge numbers of fascintating creatures there, one thing that had been missing were the herds of plains game – most of them now being too far north on their circular migration path following the rains.

Here in the crater, there was no such problem

Zebra and wildebeest as far as the eye could see. Grazing, bellowing and watching

We sat amongst them for hours as they went about their day

There were many babies, sleeping or suckling

And a few herons joining in the fun

But mostly they were all just hanging around, enjoying being together

With the huge herds of game, come huge prides of cats…

This was the Munge pride, with over 20 individuals it is one of the biggest prides in Africa.

Sadly they were too far away and it was too hazy for good, close-up photos but we watched them for about an hour as they strode across the plains knowing they were the kings of the crater

We tore ourselves away and went in search of other sights, quickly coming across some rather surprised buffalo

They seemed very relaxed about giving the locals a ride home!

In the middle of the crater is a huge lake where we sat and watched a large number of flamingoes

All doing their flamingo-thing

There were also a lot of pelicans

As well as some very cute fluffy things!

As we watched the water birds, a different sort of bird appeared on the other side of our vehicle

This is the stunning great crested crane – the national bird of Uganda.

The female, as ever, is not as colourful as the male but would still stand out in a crowd

The male has such intricate colouring, just looking at them is enough to make you smile

We had seen these lovely birds in both Uganda and Kenya but never so close up

The other birds looked pale and uninteresting in comparison

But you can´t get much more imposing a bird than the ostrich – no matter where you see them

Renowned as the world´s most stupid bird they are all legs and neck

You never know which way they are going to run but you certainly wouldn´t want to get in their way!

This one, however, was just wondering where dinner had got to!

Or perhaps he was admiring the magnificient view over the lake

Our next stop was a lunch break where we could get out and stretch our legs. James and I figured we needed an ice cream to keep us going with all the excitement as we stood and stared at the scenery around us

There is something fascinating about the rolling mists over the crater edges that seem to make time stand still

We were coming to the end of our adventure and after our leg-stretch there was nothing left to do but to make our way slowly back out of the crater.

On our way there were yet more sights to be seen. A baby baboon piggy-backing on his mum

Then playing hide and seek with her

Wildebeest, buffalo, waterbuck and jackal

As I said at the beginning, the animals, the landscapes, the sunrises and sunsets were endless. I could have filled this blog post three or four times over.

But time was short, as time is always short in this world, and before we knew it we were crawling back up the crater edge, looking down on the majesty of the African wilderness

There was one final surprise hiding in the trees as we drove around the corner towards the gates

But then it was over and everything we had seen, everything we had experienced, everything we had anticipated for so long and soaked up over the last few days, it was all behind us as we sped onwards back to the world of civilisation…