7-hour drive through the Serengeti

I do not think I would classify myself a bird watcher, at least not by the most common definition. I was told when we booked a trip to the Serengeti that if I love birds, this place would be fantastic. I don’t hate birds, it’s not like they are children. But I never thought birds would captivate me to the point of asking for a pitstop while I take photos. Last year in South Africa we were introduced to a spectacular bird called the lilac breasted roller. Never heard of them before last summer, and I don’t think they migrate anywhere near Fair Hill. My goal last summer immediately became to photo one of these amazing looking birds in flight. They are gorgeous when they are sitting still, but when they take flight, the lilac breasted roller looks like a rainbow in flight. I hoped I would get that chance again this year, and I did. I did not capture any breathtaking photos of the bird in flight, but I did at least get some action shots. Maybe another time for the memorable shot.

Today was our 7-hour, 150-mile drive from Klein’s Camp in the north Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater. I believe we drove through the entire Serengeti, north to south. We saw lots of animals along our drive including some imported camels. There was a cluster of Maasai that had several camels in tow. I tried to figure out a way to say cameltoe, looks like I failed. The camels looked out of place, we knew they did not belong in this area. We asked Rabine, and sure enough the camels were imported from Egypt. The Maasai that possessed these camels walked all the way from Tanzania to Egypt, and back. This trek is thousands of miles, each way, on foot, in African heat…sounds exhausting.

We are so glad that we did not do safari in the south Serengeti, and that we spent the extra money to travel with a reputable outfit, and stay in the privately owned game reserves. Driving through the southern Serengeti the areas we saw vehicles looked like an assembly line. Vehicles were lined up all to see the same group of animals. There is not much to see without being able to go off-roading, and drive wherever the ranger desires. There were too many vehicles, and no scenery except for the few and far between animal sightings. I guess it might be great if we did not have our memorable personal experiences to compare.

We found 3 geocaches along the way. Rabine got super excited after the first one we found. There was a hide at the Serengeti Park checkpoint. Rabine had to stop and do some paperwork. Wifey and I did a short walk to a beautiful, elevated, scenic vista point. We would not have found it if not for Wifey’s amazing geo-senses, and her ability to read the sign that said “Scenic Trail this way”. I was ready to give up and declare that we could not get there from here. We found the cache and walked back down to wait for Rabine to finish his paperwork. We explained geocaching to Rabine during the drive, so naturally he asked if we found our hidden treasure. We told him that we did and asked if he wanted to see. He said yes, so he and I walked back up to the top of the trail. I showed him the compass and explained that he was within a few meters and start looking for something that did not belong. He found the container, his eyes got big, he saw the log sheet with hundreds of names signed, and his eyes got bigger. He could not believe there was something like this at a place he has been hundreds of times. He almost immediately asked if there were anymore. I told him about another one that might be on our driving route. He said, “no matter, we go there next.” He was in control of my obsession now. It was funny and cool to see his immediate enthusiasm and excitement for something he knew nothing about. It blew his mind that I knew of something hidden in a place he goes all the time.

The drive itself was somehow the greatest and worst idea ever. 7 hours of nonstop bouncing. Not a flat spot on the roads, they could hardly be called roads. It was well worth the driving trip for the experience and adventure.

We arrived at the Crater Lodge. This place is beyond decadent. The view is amazing, our lodge was situated just on the edge of the rim around the Ngorongoro Crater. The lodge was so dangerously positioned on the rim edge, it feels like you could push the entire place down the slope. Our personal room was also ridiculously lavish for being in the middle of nowhere Africa. The only other things in the area, other than the Ngorongoro Crater, are villages of the Maasai tribe. They live all around the rim of the crater. They raise their cattle and spend entire lifetimes herding cattle around from one water source to the next. The Maasai have fake villages set up in several areas for the tourists. They come to the fake villages during the day and hang out waiting for tourists and then go home to their real village and mud huts at night. Rabine explained to us that these Maasai do not want outsiders coming near their “real” homes, families, and cattle. It seems silly to build two working mud hut villages. Just live in the fake one. Stop being such a nomad already.

Most recently processed pictures.

16 picture panorama. Quite the view!