Best Kenya & Tanzania Day 14
Best Kenya & Tanzania
Day 14 - Monday, September 28, 2009 - Ngorongoro Crater/ Overland to Serengeti National Park/Oldupai Gorge Visit
Today was a travel day; we drove into the Serengeti after leaving Ngorongoro crater. After breakfast the guys packed the trucks and we left the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge at 8:00.
Right outside the gate of the Lodge, we saw a huge bull elephant and then two Cape buffalo. The rim of the caldera is very rich with lush green vegetation and wildlife.
Bariki stopped to show us a sample of a whistling thorn acacia tree. I took a weather reading; the temperature was 67º and the humidity was 44%. There were wind gusts up to 17 mph.
When we arrived at the outside of the crater and down into the neighboring valley, we could see the plains of the Serengeti off in the distance.
About 9:30 we stopped at Oldupai Gorge (properly known as the "Olduvai" Gorge). It was here that Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the fossil remains of Homo Habilis.
Our museum guide explained their findings and the excavations that are being done in June, July, and August by students from Rutgers University and from the University of Madrid.
We visited the small museum which explains the methods and findings of the Leakeys. This is a popular stop and one that many believe is the cradle of civilization of ancient man.
We continued north and west to the Serengeti National Park. Serengeti means endless place. Our first new sighting was a golden jackal who patiently posed for us for at least 5 minutes before going to hunt again.
The park is the size of Connecticut. It stretches over 5,700 square miles of flat, flat plains, low bush, and acacia woodlands.
We had our lunch at Naabi Hill, a large granite outcropping with spectacular overlooks of the plains. The guides filled out the necessary paper work and we were off for our next adventure.
A few minutes on the road a pair of young male cheetahs was sleeping under a tree and Leonard’s truck had pulled up to take photos. Unfortunately, a large green double-decker vehicle had broken down while stopped for the photo shoot.
The truck was blocking our view and there was no way we could get around it. Finally it was jump started and moved. Immediately, another safari truck tried to push their way ahead of us.
Bariki managed to signal that we had been waiting and were next in line. Competition for good viewing spots is very intense!
Our next discovery was a herd of Grant’s gazelle and another pair of lion. There are very few shade trees in this section of the park so most animals take advantage of any small tree or bush to avoid the direct sun.
The Seronera River is important to Central Serengeti because it has water all year around. There were hippos in the water along with many birds. The temperature in this part of the park was 94º but the humidity was down to 23%.
The next exciting discovery was a large leopard sleeping in a tree straddling a large branch. We could see the cat with our eyes and through the binoculars.
It was difficult for the cameras to pick it out in the camouflage of the leaves of the tree, the light and shade, and the spots of the leopard.
Before we went to the camp, we had to go by the airport for Beth, Phil, and John to register for their balloon ride in the morning. We made one more lion stop and then found the OAT Mobile Tented Campsite, our home for the next two nights.
We went to the mess tent where we will have dinner and the rest of our meals. The porters gave us a cold fruit juice drink and a wash cloth to wipe the dirt off of our faces.
The tents are about 15 feet by 30 feet with enclosed bathrooms at the end pf the tent. There are electric lights but you cannot plug anything in to charge batteries or use small appliances.
When we found our tent, the porters brought hot water to fill the small tank for our shower in the back of the tent. We had been told to take a Navy shower; get wet, turn off the water, then soap, turn on the water, and then rinse!
The shower felt great and helped to cool us down so we could unpack and get to work on the journal and the photos. The electrician brought us a battery back-up which helped immensely!
The tsetse flies were really a nuisance when we came in to camp, but the porters sprayed our tents while we were away for dinner. When the sun went down, we could feel the cool evening air. Thankfully, there were no more bugs!
Our dinner was at 7:00 in the mess tent. We ate by candle light and had an excellent meal of salad, beef stroganoff, rice, green beans, and a cauliflower and broccoli casserole. For dessert we had a piece of marble cake with whipped cream.
When we had finished our dinner a porter walked us back to the tent. We were not allowed to come out until the sun comes up because we are right in the middle of the Central Serengeti and the animals are roaming freely.
We will have an early morning game drive so as soon as Gennie finished the journal and I era-marked the photos for our day, we went to sleep.
Accommodations: Oltepesi Serenora Tented Camp - - - Meal: B, L, D
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Comments
Post a Comment!Wow again!!! Amazing pictures. I didn't know there was a Thomson Gazelle! : ) Be safe out there with the lions!
Cheetah in the Shade, Serengeti National Park (1:06)
Oldupai Gorge - Leakey
Golden Jackal
Serengeti National Park
Cheetah
Leopard
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