DAY 96
We used the road system quite a lot in Tanzania to go to Mwanza, Kigoma and back and we were far from impressed. Now we understand where all the road money goes... it's between Arusha and the nearby parks! It's so great to cruise on a beautiful asphalt road. We enjoy it while it lasts ;) It's very clear we're on the tourist track because every stop, street vendors rush to the car to sell us stuff. We've got quite a bit of driving today on our way to Serengeti and we have to pass by Ngorongoro crater. Even though we won't stop they charge us a passage fee of $50. If we were to actually visit then Ngorongoro conservation area we would instead pay $50...Yes it's the same price, not a typo. It's called milking the tourist, the Tanzanian government is really good at it. Since it's there we stop at the crater rim to have a look at it. It feels like looking at a scale model. The view is breathtaking, the animals down there look like tiny ants. I can't see any dinosaurs... yet ;)
There's no time to linger though and we get back on the road. It's not a park because the Masai live there and you get to see the strange sight of cattle and zebras grazing side by side. It's quite dry in the area and the immensity is only disturbed by the occasional village. The giraffes, ostriches and impalas look a bit out of place in this pastoral landscape; the first camels we see look like tourists! It has been some time since we last saw this; kids dancing by the road for tips. Memories of Ethiopia! The gate separating Ngorongoro and Serengeti is in the middle of nowhere. All of a sudden, the cattle is replaced by the cute little Thomson gazelle. Serengeti is a well chosen name indeed, it's really an “endless plain”. We finally pull up at the Serengeti administration office. All the tours are there, it's the lunch break for everyone before starting the afternoon game drive. The blue birds got the memo and are present in drove. We're not supposed to feed them but they help themselves on the table directly. A funky looking lizard wants a piece of it and joins them :D
Our first encounter with the wildlife in Serengeti is with the king. We even have two for the price of one. These two male lions are napping in the shade of a big rock. It's such a beautiful creature. The sight is spoiled by the very selfish behavior of some of the 4*4. It's clear it'll be a free for all in here, with everyone jockeying for position to be in front of everyone else...it's not like the lions are going anywhere so we could all wait in line and get a good look at them.
Back on the trail, we stop secretary birds (an very ugly bird), weird looking topi antelopes, hartebeest antelopes, 4 lioness sleeping on the road (one of them looking pregnant) and eventually a leopard eating a gazelle in a tree with 15 cars looking at him. Probably tired of the attention, it carries its prey higher up and hide in the foliage.
Some time later we stumble upon another leopard. This one is not eating and there are gazelle dangerously close to the tree so we stay a while, hoping for some hunting. Hyenas are close by however so it's unlikely the leopard will risk hunting to have its prey stolen by the hyenas. It's the end of the day already but we can't complain, we saw so much! The strange thing is, without the humans, most of the world would look like this and there's so little left... The camp inside the park is nowhere near the sophistication we had the previous night. At night though, out of nowhere, comes a little truck to sell beer and other alcohols. Not sure how official this is but it's a clever idea with so many idle tourists ;)
DAY 97
We heard a big ruckus during the night and learn this morning that it was a group of elephants nearby... yikes! We were supposed to take off at 6:15 this morning but the guide show up one hour later. Everyone is pissed as he even blames it on someone else. Animals are more active at dawn and we'll be even more pissed when we'll see a cheetah coming back from a hunt carrying a gazelle. It's of course a question of luck to see a hunt but leaving late reduce our chances. It seems we may have that chance sometime later as two lioness start moving towards a group of gazelle but they don't seem to be trying too hard despite our (silent) cheers.
After a long stretch in a very green but surprisingly empty land we come upon a group of 5-6 giraffe then another one super close to the road. They really are gorgeous creatures and so tall! It's one thing to know it and another to have them towering above the car.
We keep going and visit 3 cheetah chilling in the shade of a tree, a mom and 2 teenagers. Then a lion lying on its back, warming it's belly. They really are cats if we still had any doubts. Then some hippos pretending to be stones in the water while birds clean them, a sleepy crocodiles and black face velvet monkeys having breakfast. We'll see sometime later a hippo out of the water. It's unusual during the day since their skin is too sensitive. And eventually some more leopards. They're still really far but we can see 3 of them hanging out in their tree. One of them is still working on the last kill while the other 2 are sleeping. And later in the morning we'll stop in front of tree and the guide will make us look for the leopard (we can only see the tail) and its two kills. Up to you to find the antelopes in the picture below. Leopards are scary creatures... it's kind of psycho to live in a tree with remnants hanging everywhere!
Just before we stop the game drive, we come upon a pride of 7 lions (females and juveniles) hanging out under a tree. It's already too hot for these cats to do anything else but nap and an 8th one is joining them as we leave. On the way out of the park, we see that it's not only too hot for the lions but for everyone else. Whether you're prey or predator you need some shade! The only activity strangely comes from two giraffe, who are running who knows where. It's weird to see them run, it looks like they're running in slow motion. Game drive can be frustrating. You look for animals and you don't find them and when you have to go, they show up out of nowhere, like these 3 elephants literally at the door of the area where we had lunch yesterday. The road back to Ngorongoro is very different from yesterday too. For whatever reason, it's now riddled with giraffes. We don't really complain though and just enjoy seeing them.
Tonight we sleep on the rim of the crater and go down inside tomorrow. After lunch we go brush our teeth and come face to face with a group of zebras grazing next to the bathroom... who needs a game drive to see the wildlife after all ? It's really surreal to brush your teeth with a bunch of zebras ignoring you a few meters away:D
DAY 98
I was hoping for a nice sunset over the crater but the clouds filled the crater during the night and they mask everything. After breakfast it starts clearing quickly though. It's a steep way down to the bottom of the crater and from there we can't even see the other side of it. Strange feeling. The first animal we see surprises us all. It's a rabbit, it's nothing special but it looks completely out of place with the rest of the wildlife. What we really hope to see in the crater are rhinos. And after a break to watch the lovely crown cranes, we see one in the distance. It's trying to pose as a buffalo but with the binoculars you can tell it's not one of them ;) It's really far and our hopes to see it from up close are dashed when it decides to lie down for a nap.
We keep wandering in the crater, hoping to see another rhino but they don't cooperate today. The rest of the wildlife does though. A lion pride camouflaged in the high grass, some hippos doing nothing (as usual) in the water, a male lion napping, a sea of wildebeest, zebras and buffaloes. We almost have to honk to go through the herd and they barely move out of the way. And finally, since we asked for more hippos, our guides brings us to the hippo pond. It's not that big but it's crowded with 40ish of them. With so many of them, there's some activity in that pond.
Still looking for rhinos, we try our luck in the forest at the edge of the crater. No rhino but a gore scene. A dead buffalo is being thoroughly cleaned by hyenas and jackals. A big crowd of vulture is waiting in line to make sure nothing is wasted. A few hours from now, the only thing that will remain will be the bones ! It's time to go and take the long road back to Moshi, the rhinos chose not to show themselves... we'll have to try again;)