Our next stop was a bucket list item for both of us – Serengeti National Park. The park is internationally renowned for its game viewing and of course the wildebeest migration. The drive from Arusha was long (6 hours) but as soon as we crossed into the Serengeti we were rewarded with fantastic game sightings. Most exciting to us (and to most people on a safari) were the big cats.
Within about 5 miles of the park entrance we stopped for a family of cheetah that were right on the side of the road. Shortly after this stop we found a pride of lions with their meal – poor zebra.
Camping in the park is an experience in itself. The campsite has no walls or fences to keep the campers in or more importantly the big animals out. So needless to say, when we got up to go to the restroom at 2:00 AM and shined the light around, we were greeted with the glowing eyes of a hyena. We realized we really didn’t need to walk to the restroom after all. Okay, I know what you’re thinking – are you just not drinking any water? Yes we are. But, life is about choices – restroom 50 meters, tree 2 meters – our decision was not that hard.
On the first morning we arose to 30+ elephants roaming though the campsite. It was truly a lifetime meaningful moment. Our second and third days of game drives brought more fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities including the elusive leopard and many more lions, gazelles, hyenas, impalas, thousands of migrating wildebeest and much more. The Serengeti is truly an amazing place.
After the Serengeti we spent a cold night on top (approximately at 7900 feet above sea level) of the Ngorongoro Crater in preparation for our crater game drive the next day. The crater was formed when a large volcano exploded and then collapsed on itself 2 to 3 million years ago. The crater is 610 meters deep and it’s floor covers 260 square kilometers (about 100square miles). The natural enclosure of the crater walls allow for fantastic game viewing all year round, and our day was no exception.
Although these two fantastic game parks were our main reason for picking this itinerary for this overland tour, we still have some great stops left. Next we are “On the road to Zanzibar”.
Amazing photos!