Serengeti And Return To Arusha,
Overnight we both slept very deeply & missed the noises of the hyenas & baboons that were skulking around the perimeter of the campsite. I felt considerably better, despite the fact it was another 4.30am wake up. We were back in the jeep by 6am & driving around the Serengetti. It was a beautiful morning & a really nice sunrise. As the sky lightened we also started to see the shape of hot air balloons flying through the sky. It was an optional activity, but ridiculously over priced. We definitely preferred our early morning game drive.
Not long after we set off & only about 20 minutes after the sun came up we saw a cheetah quite close to the road that had made a kill. Unfortunately we didn't see the kill or the small amount of time she had afterwards to eat it. When we got there she was being harassed by a spotted hyena that was successful in intimidation & stealing. It was sad to see her chased off her meal. A few minutes after & on the other side of the road she made a second kill. Unfortunately again, we didn't see the chase or kill due to the jeeps blocking the road. We didn't get great pictures, but it was nice to see her with a meal.
Other animals that we saw:
Dik dik's
Jackel
Savannah Baboons
Marabou stalk
Elephants x 5 (2 babies)
Single bull elephant
Lioness with 3 Cubs
The lioness with the 3 Cubs was sitting in some tall grass facing away from us, the Cubs could only be seen at the right angle & with a zoom. The elephants were a favourite of ours. They were walking quite close to the road. 3 females & 2 babies walking between the adult females. They are so beautiful & incredibly quiet when they walk. In the distance we could see a bull elephant wandering around on his own.
At lunch time we stopped at the information centre where we saw hyrax running around in the carpark. They were incredibly brave & if you sat on the ground or had food they got quite close. We also saw some display skulls from a wart hog, lion, giraffe, hippo & elephant, which was very cool to compare the very different skeletal structures.
After lunch we started to make our way out of Serengeti, along that horrible dry, dusty road. The dust was so fine that even driving through the dust clouds whipped up by other cars with all the windows closed would still cause us to sneeze & gag.
Once we left the serengetti, we started to make our way to the top of the crater again. It was a very rapid change in temperature as we ascended. Thankfully this time the clouds & fog had already thinned & we could stop at the viewpoint for a photo. It's such a magical place.
The rest of the day went by sitting on our bums in the jeep & driving all the way back to Arusha. This did provide us with the opportunity to photograph the local streets & the people.
We arrived just after 5pm & had the unpleasant task of putting up our own tents, then extracting ourselves & our possessions from the Serengeti dust that had smuggled it's way back. The luke warm shower was a real treat!
-Alli
Overnight we both slept very deeply & missed the noises of the hyenas & baboons that were skulking around the perimeter of the campsite. I felt considerably better, despite the fact it was another 4.30am wake up. We were back in the jeep by 6am & driving around the Serengetti. It was a beautiful morning & a really nice sunrise. As the sky lightened we also started to see the shape of hot air balloons flying through the sky. It was an optional activity, but ridiculously over priced. We definitely preferred our early morning game drive.
Not long after we set off & only about 20 minutes after the sun came up we saw a cheetah quite close to the road that had made a kill. Unfortunately we didn't see the kill or the small amount of time she had afterwards to eat it. When we got there she was being harassed by a spotted hyena that was successful in intimidation & stealing. It was sad to see her chased off her meal. A few minutes after & on the other side of the road she made a second kill. Unfortunately again, we didn't see the chase or kill due to the jeeps blocking the road. We didn't get great pictures, but it was nice to see her with a meal.
Other animals that we saw:
Dik dik's
Jackel
Savannah Baboons
Marabou stalk
Elephants x 5 (2 babies)
Single bull elephant
Lioness with 3 Cubs
The lioness with the 3 Cubs was sitting in some tall grass facing away from us, the Cubs could only be seen at the right angle & with a zoom. The elephants were a favourite of ours. They were walking quite close to the road. 3 females & 2 babies walking between the adult females. They are so beautiful & incredibly quiet when they walk. In the distance we could see a bull elephant wandering around on his own.
At lunch time we stopped at the information centre where we saw hyrax running around in the carpark. They were incredibly brave & if you sat on the ground or had food they got quite close. We also saw some display skulls from a wart hog, lion, giraffe, hippo & elephant, which was very cool to compare the very different skeletal structures.
After lunch we started to make our way out of Serengeti, along that horrible dry, dusty road. The dust was so fine that even driving through the dust clouds whipped up by other cars with all the windows closed would still cause us to sneeze & gag.
Once we left the serengetti, we started to make our way to the top of the crater again. It was a very rapid change in temperature as we ascended. Thankfully this time the clouds & fog had already thinned & we could stop at the viewpoint for a photo. It's such a magical place.
The rest of the day went by sitting on our bums in the jeep & driving all the way back to Arusha. This did provide us with the opportunity to photograph the local streets & the people.
We arrived just after 5pm & had the unpleasant task of putting up our own tents, then extracting ourselves & our possessions from the Serengeti dust that had smuggled it's way back. The luke warm shower was a real treat!
-Alli
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