Up Close on Safari: Lion Cubs with Lionesses in Serengeti
Lion cubs at play in Serengeti National Park
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Serengeti National Park, famed for the annual migration of wildebeest, is one of the best known wildlife sanctuaries in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lying 335km (208mi) NW of Arusha.
The Maasai pastoralists of Tanzania lived in the plains of the Serengeti for hundreds of years until the government moved them out to make way for conservation and tourism. The name Serengeti comes from the Masai Siringitu or endless plains. Vast open plains stretch right across the Serengeti with kopjes, lakes and hills, and the iconic flat-topped acacia trees adding variation.
The Serengeti was formed millions of years ago when volcanic ash spread dense and highly fertile topsoil that was too corrosive and impenetrable for most tree roots. The few species that thrived were the well-known flat-topped acacia trees and hardy grasses. Grassland covers much of the plains, making it easy to view predators hunting. Short and long grass plains grow in the south and south-east, acacia savannah lies in the centre around Seronera Valley, the north is hilly and wooded, and woodland lies in the west.
Serengeti National Park is dense with wildlife, including the Big Five; lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos. Kopjes hide lion prides, rock hyraxes and agama lizards. Other predators are present including cheetahs, hyenas, jackals and vultures, and are at their peak from June to October. There are nearly 500 species of birds with concentrations highest from October to April. Primates, including baboons, vervet monkeys and black- and- white colobus monkeys gather around forested areas. Hippos and crocodiles dwell in the hippo pool and rivers. Warthogs and rarely seen serval cats are scattered throughout the park. There’s a large population of Masai giraffes. Observe them standing erect and statuesque in groups, or galloping gracefully across the plains. Burchell’s zebras, and many antelope including impalas, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, Patterson’s eland, klipspringers, Kirk’s dik dik and wildebeests feed and frolic on the plains.
The wildebeests traverse across Serengeti up to Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya every year in an almost continual cycle in search of fresh grasses when the savannahs of the Serengeti dry up during the dry season. Over one million wildebeests, 250,000 plains zebras and 300,000 gazelles make the long journey of over 800km. About 250,000 wildebeests die on this arduous journey each year. The best time to go to Serengeti to see the annual migration is from December to June. The wildebeests cross the Mara River in June, are in the north from August to October, in Masai Mara in November, and south of the park from late November to December. They remain in the south-east till May then go north via the western corridor from June to July. The birthing season is from December to February. Timing of the migration varies slightly from year to year.
Various activities are possible in Serengeti National Park, including game drives, balloon safaris, walking safaris and picnics. Accommodation is available in lodges, luxury tented camps and camping grounds in Seronera not far from the visitors hub in the centre of the park where you can buy basic supplies and souvenirs.
Serengeti National Park has a number of add-ons that can be included in your safari. Lake Manyara National Park, Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater are included in our tours of the northern circuit. Olduvai Gorge, Ol Doinyo Lengai and Lakes Natron and Eyasi are great add-ons for your safari to Serengeti. Cultural tours are also available in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Lake Eyasi.
Tanzania June 2003
Tanzania Expedition 2003
Dublin to London, London to Dubai, Dubai to Nairobi, Nairobi to Tanzania...... It took forever to get us and our gear here, but we made it!
After arriving in Dar es Salaam, we made the epic bus journey to Moshi, the most fun town in Tanzania! Standing at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, it turned out to be our home from home! Staying at the wonderful Kindoroko Hotel, where the steaks were delicious and the alcohol flowed. Hakuna Matata shots, i'll miss them the most!!!
Just outside Moshi was our first stop... the Mweka Primary School! Greeted by hundreds of smiling, laughing faces! We never felt so welcome! We were delighted to be able to help the local craftsmen plaster the school walls and paint the classrooms, teaching english to the kids when we could. Teaching us Swahili didn't fair as well to our untrained tongues, although we managed a few words!! We soon found out with the young guys that football was the universal language of Africa :D
Longido was our next stop, a small town north of Arusha, 2 hours away from Moshi on the Kenya-Tanzania border. This was our first glimpse of Maasai culture. What an extraordinary group of people they are! As they guided us up Mount Longido, a teaser for Mount Kilimanjaro, they never ceased to amaze us with their knowledge of plant and animal life. This leaf.... soothes burns, these flowers.... cures migraine, this twig..... a menthol toothbrush.... the list was endless! Bear Grylls had nothing on them! Their way of life was a shock to all of us, mud huts, no electrcity, running water if they were lucky. And calm as the warriors looked, as they patrolled the edges of their camp for lions, with spears in hand ready to pounce at a moments notice, they always made you feel very safe.
No sooner had we become accustomed to the Maasai way of life, we embarked on the most incredible Safari trip, to the Ngorongoro Crater. This fertile plateau seemed to stretch forever into the distance, and was flourishing with all kinds of animals, big and small. From the galloping herds of zebra, gazelle, and wildebeest, to the majestic walk of the elephants and giraffes, the crater was also home to the big five of rhinoceros, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo. And apart from the elusive leopard we got intimate views of all the wildlife!
And then the day arrived! Our first steps on the road to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free standing mountain in the world!! At first it was an easy hike, and everyone was full of energy, enjoying the company and unusual surroundings. And before we knew it, a few days into our climb, we were above the first layer of clouds! What a feeling to be looking down on what we'd only ever seen from a plane!!! It seemed as if you could just step out onto them and chase the sun as it set over the horizon. Another day of trekking, stories were flowing, jokes were told, and everyone was reminiscing shared childhood memories. It really brought our group closer together and was welcomed..... with what still lay ahead! More trekking, more climbing, aches and pains, wind burns and numbness, it all became common place until we reached Kibo Huts, the last stop before summit day. It was a hard climb, but the hardest was yet to come, and we knew it. After heading to our tents early, we awoke at midnight to the frigid temperature, but with the determination to reach Uhuru Peak by sunrise. We set off, not entirely sure of what to expect. This was definitely harder than the last four days combined, the temperature fell the more we ascended, and by Gilman's Point at 5681m it was -20'C. Suddenly two pairs of gloves and three pairs of socks didn't seem so silly anymore! The summit felt so close! Slowly and steadily we continued on, crunching the ice and snow under our boots, willing our muscles to go just that little bit further. The wind was against us, and sent constant shivers through our worn out bodies. And then, like a light at the end of a tunnel, the sign at the summit slowly came into view through the clearing snowfall. We had made it! The overall sense of relief was indescribable, for that moment we felt like we were on top of the world! And as we got closer and closer, the sun began to rise, silhouetting the ever welcoming sign of Uhuru Peak at 5,895m Emotions ran high, the adrenaline surging through every part of you, the feeling of success was overwhelming! Yeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaa!
So we travelled to Tanzania as a group of individuals, with our own experiences and memories, to leave with a common appreciation for the wonders of Africa and all it has to offer! Those new found memories will stay with us forever, and the people will always hold a special place in our lives........ by far, one of the greatest decisions ever made :)