Lowes Travels

Our African safari – part 2

Aug 14-16 2023

After the excitement of our previous day’s game drives, it was time to buckle up for a day-long drive to our next destination – Serengeti National Park. In case you missed our previous safari posts they are here and here. It took about 4 hours to drive from our last camp in Kenya to the border with Tanzania, where we went through customs to exit Kenya and then again to enter Tanzania.

At the border we were welcomed by our new safari guide/driver/wildlife expert, Goodluck. Yes, that is his actual name. We jumped into another rugged Land Cruiser and off we went for another 4-hour brutal “African back massage” ride to Serengeti National Park, where our camp awaited.

Let me show you some scenes along the way. As in Kenya, the quintessential presence of herds of goats, cattle and sheep crossing the roads and grazing along them is frequent. But what really caught my attention was the women garbed in beautiful colors and carrying balanced heavy loads on their heads. They have perfect posture!

This region of Tanzania is predominantly characterized by vast stretches of fertile agricultural lands, and the fruits of their labor are proudly displayed for sale in abundance:

We were chugging right along when one of our group’s Land Cruisers (our group used three of them) got a flat tire. While they were fixing it we noticed a group of zebras (called a dazzle) stopped in the middle of the road to check us out:

Serengeti National Park

We thought we’s seen it all in Kenya, but we learned there’s always something new to discover in Tanzania’s wildlife reserves. With Goodluck at the wheel, we were ready for new thrills and excitement.

Our lodging for two nights was within the park, and while not as luxurious as the previous ones, being within the territories of resident wildlife made it exciting. The tented camp is unfenced, so we were not allowed to walk unescorted around the complex after sunset. We had to call via walkie-talkie for an escort if we wanted to go to the restaurant or bar after dark.

The park is so huge that we had to pack our lunches for the all-day marathons of searching, gawking and watching in awe some of the same animals we’d seen in Kenya, plus many new animals and birds unique to this area.

It was here that we saw lion after lion after lion, and I’m not joking! We saw so many lions that we eventually stopped taking photos of them. They are social animals and they spend 20-21 hours resting. Flip through the slideshow below of the resident predators with their prides as they hunted, prowled, or just relaxed. Hopefully they’ll bring a smile to your face 🙂

We had previously seen four of Africa’s “Big Five” – elephant, lion, cape buffalo and rhinoceros in Kenya. We were hoping to sight the elusive leopard here, but they’re nocturnal and sleep in trees during the day – very rare to spot one. We told Goodluck that his name did not bring us any luck at all, and he said he would talk to his mother about that.

Our consolation was that we did see all of the “Ugly Five” animals of Africa: vulture, warthog, wildebeest, hyena and a marabou stork (there are many of the storks in Nairobi). They probably don’t like being called ugly, but just look at them!

This was indeed one of those places that lived up to every imagination we had of it. The wealth of animals and the great expanse of savannah and sky we’d dreamed about became a reality.

What new animals or birds did we see here? So many but here are a few:

Ngorongoro Crater

And then there was Ngorongoro Crater, a place we’d never heard of before reading about it as one of our safari stops. Another rough ride, but what a place!

The Ngorongoro Crater is located within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a protected region in Tanzania. Although called a crater, It’s actually a caldera, as it was formed when a mountain sunk below the surrounding area. It’s approximately 10 to 12 miles in diameter, and has an area of 102 square miles. The height of its walls ranges between 1,312 and 2,000 feet. It is unique because it’s the largest with fully intact (unbroken) walls and hasn’t filled with water. Due to its enclosed nature, the Ngorongoro Crater has effectively formed its own ecosystem. That huge lake is high in alkali and not drinkable by the animals, but there is plenty of fresh water in other areas around it.

When we reached the bottom we were wowed by the myriad of fantastic wildlife roaming everywhere:

We spent about six hours here and played hide and seek with the animals in the wide open space. Only the giraffe is missing in the caldera. Goodluck said it is the lack of open woodlands and certain tree species desired by them that is believed to be the reason for their absence.

Here are a few short video clips, pardon the shakiness. We were so excited with everything to see, it was really overload!

Afterward we drove up and over the opposite rim, stopping at a viewpoint for a final look:

Our accommodation at Ngorongoro Mountain Lodge was by far the most luxurious of our trip. This was a true luxury property with large separate cottages.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that we didn’t enjoy “roughing” it in the wilderness for a while, but we were ready to get back to something more comfy, too. Unfortunately we got to spend only one night at this lodge, our final night in Tanzania.

We left early the next morning to cross back into Kenya, making two stops along the way. First we visited the African Gallery/Tanzanite Tour where we learned about Tanzanite, a very rare gemstone found only in Tanzania. My honeybunch surprised me by buying me a beautiful pair of Tanzanite earrings, which will always remind me of our time here.

We also watched artists carving intricate pieces out of Ebony wood, the most expensive wood in Africa. We couldn’t resist and ended up buying a small piece. It was a fun and interesting stop that lightened our wallet a bit.

Next we visited the Shanga Center, a place where people with disabilities create beautiful jewelry, glassware, and homewares from recycled materials. These items are then sold in the Shanga Shop. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to see everything they had to offer, but we did get to watch them blowing glass in their furnace which was fascinating.

Before lunch, we just had to get a group photo of all the happy safari-goers. What a great bunch of interesting and adventurous people. We all had a blast!

Our time in Tanzania was full of thrilling game drives offering an unforgettable experience, and the long and dusty drive was so worth it. We learned a lot about the animals and their peculiar and sometimes unexpected behaviors.

And we aren’t done yet, back to Kenya we go!

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Next Up: Back to Kenya!