Best Kenya & Tanzania Day 15

Day 15 - Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - Serengeti National Park/Optional Dawn Balloon Ride/Game Viewing

The first sound we heard this morning was at 5:45 when the porter came to bring us hot water for our shower. With the wind blowing and temperatures at 58º and 68% humidity, it was invigorating taking a shower out in the open air!

We met our group for an early morning game drive at 6:30. Bariki stopped for us to take pictures of the beautiful sunrise over the Serengeti high grasslands.

On the horizon we could see Beth, Phil, and John in their hot air balloon. Three balloons went up, 16 people in each basket, at $500 for the 50 minute ride and a breakfast. The Balloon Safari Company did well this morning!

We saw gazelles, a hyena, giraffes, and a gorgeous leopard sleeping in a tree and all before 7:00! As the sun rose higher in the sky, we continued our drive to see lions, elephants, and hippos.

There are several year-round watering holes in this section of the park. The animals are very sleek and healthy because of the abundant food and water sources.

We could smell the raft of hippos long before we could see them. The open trucks lend themselves well to the full complement of sights, sounds, and smells of the Serengeti.

The watering holes are a picture of the ecosystem of the park. The grasses along the banks provide food and shelter for the Egyptian geese, the marabou storks, the ibis, and egrets.

The warthogs, gazelle, impala and the predators come to drink at the shore. The hippos take center stage in the middle of the lake.

We came upon a badly beaten male hippo taking shelter under a tree. Bariki told us he probably lost a battle for dominance of the raft and was kicked out. Unless he is able to get back into the water and out of the sun, he will die in a few days.

Several impala were racing along in the grass and chasing them was a beautiful cheetah. She was unsuccessful this time but after recovering from her sprint she will hunt again in a few minutes.

After driving along a little further, Bariki spotted a lone male cheetah resting in the shade along side of the road. He was so calm; not bothered by our cameras clicking away.

At 10:00 we drove by the drop-off place for the balloon ride and picked up Beth, Phil, and John. They told us they had a fantastic adventure and were very pleased with the ride.

We made our way back to the tent camp making a few more stops before arriving at 11:30. We were lucky enough to see another leopard in a tree and Bariki drove right under it so we had fabulous views.

Brunch was being served when we arrived back at the camp, so we put our things in our tent and washed our hands and faces.

After lunch we went back to the tent to look at our morning’s photos and to write this first portion of the journal. Gennie rested while I sorted a few of our thousands of photos.

We met the group again after the heat of the day had passed and the animals would be out again. At 3:30 we started out to explore another part of the huge park.

The tsetse flies were out in record numbers again this afternoon. Our camp seems to be in a nest of them. Many sites have blue and black flags that attract the insects and kill them; ours seem to be missing!

Our first new discovery was a herd of hartebeest, another large antelope that can run for hours. Most of the animals are in the shade this time of day. The temperature was 89º and the humidity was 27%.

The predominate animals on this game drive seemed to be the impala and the two different types of gazelle. We also saw lions, giraffe, elephants, and baboons.

We drove to Lake Masek and then to the Moru Kopjes, large outcroppings of huge round rocks. The wildebeest migration comes through this area in the rainy season.

Bariki told us there was a small breeding project for rhino here in this sacred valley. The exact location is kept secret to guard against poachers.

There was a large colony of banded mongoose – a new critter for our list. We also added the topi, another species of antelope.

The last discovery of the day was seeing a large herd of elephants just at sunset. We left our camp at sunrise this morning and then returned at sunset. Another beautiful day in the Serengeti!

We got back to our tent camp just in time for a quick shower. Around the campfire, Bariki told us about his work with cheetah research in the Ngorongoro Crater.

After dinner we went back to finish up the journal and then pack for a migration day tomorrow.

Accommodations: Oltepesi Serenora Tented Camp - - - Meal: B, L, D

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Awesome pictures. The sunrise is just spectacular. And getting this close to the wild animals must be very special.

Great pictures, especially of the leopard sleeping in the tree.

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