Amazing Africa

Of all the places we were visiting on our around-the-world trip, we were most excited about doing another safari in Africa.  We got our first taste of the safari experience last year in Botswana and were immediately hooked.  There's nothing like being out in the bush surrounded by wild animals.  While you may be on the lookout for the "Big 5" (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and rhino), every detail of the wildlife is fascinating - the way each animal is specifically adapted for their survival, the interaction between mothers and their young, their feeding habits, etc.  There's a harmony to nature that is awe-inspiring and beautiful.  The areas in the world where one can still view these things are in short supply.  For this trip, we wanted to experience something different from Botswana, which is a large inland delta.  We chose to visit two locations in Tanzania: (1) the northern Serengeti where we hoped to see the Great Wildebeest Migration, and (2) and the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the world's natural wonders.  

Sayari Camp - Northern Serengeti National Park

Lindsay and I spent our first 3 nights in Tanzania at Sayari Camp in the northern Serengeti, very close to the border with Kenya.  Up until a few years ago (when Sayari was constructed), this area had no permanent camps and was subject to heavy poaching.  With three permanent camps now in the area, the poaching has been eliminated.  The area around the camp has a fantastic variety of landscapes, including forest, plains, rocky hills and the Mara River.  This creates an abundance of wildlife that rivaled anything we saw in Botswana, with the added benefit of seeing the wildebeest migration crossing the Mara River.  The only downside to the area are the flies, some of which are biting tse tse flies, which you should be prepared to deal with (it's actually not as bad as it sounds).

The Wildebeest Migration is one of the most extraordinary natural phenomenons on Earth.  Every year, millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles travel through Kenya and Tanzania in search of fresh grass and better water sources.  The wildebeest spend the early part of the year (January through March) in the southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area to feed and give birth to their young.  In the spring, they move north towards the western corridor of the Serengeti National Park.  During the summer, they tend to bunch up just south of the Grumeti river, before continuing their move northwards towards the northern Serengeti and the Maasai Mara in Kenya.  They spend the months of August through October crossing the Mara River first to go north then to move back down south.  You may have seen this crossing on the Discovery Channel - thousands of wildebeest cross the river per day, frantically avoiding the waiting jaws of the crocodiles in the water.  By November, the wildebeest begin moving back towards the south on the eastern side of the central Serengeti.  They continue that move southwards until they reach their breeding grounds and start the process all over again.

The options to see the migration are to (1) stay in a permanent lodge along the path of the migration during the right time of the year for their passing, or (2) stay in one of the many mobile camps that move with the migration.  If you miss the migration at one of the permanent lodges, there is little food for predators so there isn't much to see.  We decided to take the risk of coming to the northern Serengeti in early November, hoping that we could catch the end of the migration passing through.  By that point all of the mobile camps had moved to the central Serengeti.  While the timing was risky, we were constrained by the marathon in Italy (at the end of Oct), and there was the potential to see the migration with very few people around (since the mobile camps were gone).  The cost was also more affordable as it was no longer peak season.

When we arrived, we were told that most of the wildebeest had already moved to the central Serengeti due to early rains down there.  Just a few days before we arrived there were hardly any wildebeest left in the area.  However, we got lucky because recent rains up north had caused the wildebeest to turn around and come back.  One of the managers of the camp had just returned on a flight from Arusha and excitedly told us that hundreds of thousands of wildebeest were moving back up north towards the camp.  We were awoken every morning to the thundering footsteps of wildebeest herds moving past our front door.  It was incredible.

Arriving at the Kogatende airstrip in the Northern Serengeti - the airstrip is about 15 minutes from Sayari

The main tent at Sayari Camp

Lounge area inside the main tent at Sayari Camp

Our tent

Lounge area outside of our tent

The view from our tent.  The Masai Mara in Kenya is just beyond those flat-top mountains.

Bedroom in our tent

Our tent had all the modern conveniences you could want including his/hers sinks, bathtub and hot water

Sayari is the best camp in the area, run by Asilia Safaris.  It has great facilities and a really caring staff, who helped to make our stay really special.  In particular, we enjoyed our time with the waiter/bartender Zulli, the camp managers Katherine and Ross, the cook Simba, and the security guards who kept watch over the camp and cheerfully walked us to and from our tents after dark.

Our favorite employee at Sayari - Zulli - who had a bit of a crush on Lindsay

Private honeymoon dinner under the stars on our last night at the camp

Zulli and the chef Simba serenading us at dinner

Most people think of the Mara River as being in Kenya, but a good portion of the river flows through the northern Serengeti in Tanzania.  The river was just a few minutes away from our camp, which made it an excellent place to see wildebeest crossings when the migration is passing through.

Mara River

Our safari guide was named Kivuyo.  The managers Ross and Katharine were really sweet and arranged for him to be our private driver for our entire stay, which is normally something you'd have to pay for.  We had two game drives each day - one in the morning and one at night.  We had a choice on the timing of departure for the morning drive.  We could either leave at 6am and take a packed breakfast or at 7:30am after eating breakfast in camp.  We tended to choose the earlier option as we love being out on game drives as much as possible.  The morning drive ended around 11am-12 noon, then we would eat lunch and relax until afternoon tea at 3:30pm and another game drive at 4pm.  The park requires that all jeeps are back at camp by dark, so we'd usually return by 6:30-7pm in time for dinner.

Kivuyo was our safari guide for our three days at the camp

We were thrilled when we found out that the wildebeest were returning to camp.  The sight of thousands of wildebeest dotting the landscape was amazing, and with each passing day more arrived.  On our third day in camp, the wildebeest began crossing the Mara River back to the north in search of the fresh grass there - something that is very unusual as they don't typically re-cross the river once they've gone south.  We watched in awe as a few thousand made the crossing.  Unfortunately, many of the crocodiles were already hibernating in anticipation of the coming months without any food.  The closest crocodile was still down river several meters when the wildebeest completed their crossing.

Thousands of wildebeest surrounded our camp, with more coming each day

A large heard congregated on the riverside before they eventually decided to take the plunge

At times, the crossing was 10-12 animals wide, meaning that hundreds were crossing every minute

Our guide estimated that 3,000 wildebeest crossed while we watched.

Crocodile along the Mara River bank.  Where were you during the crossing?!

Sun setting over the wildebeest herds

Here's a video that gives you a sense of what it was like to be on the jeep.  It includes a morning sunrise, a snippet from one of our game drives, and some clips from the wildebeest crossing.  Towards the end of the video, you'll see the wildebeest getting very close to a hippo during their crossing.  He responds by opening his enormous jaws, which sends the frightened wildebeest running back to shore.

The variety of wildlife was fantastic in the area.  In addition to the thousands of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles that were passing through with the migration, we saw lion, cheetah, leopard, rhino, hyena, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, lizard, and several species of antelopes and birds.  I'll take you through the more significant sightings so you can get a sense of what we were seeing day-to-day.

Day 1

Weaver

Waterbuck

An old hippo 

A rare sighting of a black rhino in the open plains

Pride of lions watching the sunset

Enjoying my sunset cocktail while watching the lions

Day 2

We wanted to get an early start on Day 2, so we had our breakfast in the bush

Mwanza flat-headed rock agama.  The male is colorful to attract the females but it also exposes them to predators. 

Safari party!  Mother and baby giraffes pass a group of grazing zebras

Baby giraffes posing with zebras behind them

The highlight of Day 2 was watching a female cheetah successfully hunt and capture a gazelle.

A female cheetah stalks the gazelles in the distance

After watching the gazelles for a couple hours, she finally stands up ...

... and begins walking forward slowly.  Within a few seconds, she takes off at full speed towards the gazelles.  She moved too quickly for me to get a good shot of the chase.

When we found the cheetah a few hundred yards in front of us, we saw that she had caught a baby gazelle

Looks delicious!

The zebras looked on with curiosity but kept a safe distance

Two oribi watch us from the rocks

A hyena taking a mid-afternoon nap on the road.  We had to drive around him.

Our day ended with a female leopard and her two cubs.  This is one of the cubs checking us out from his resting spot at the top of a rock.  

Momma sits on the rock nearby, looking majestic at dusk

Day 3

Our third day started with an incredible sighting - a male and female leopard on their "honeymoon."  When leopards mate, they have sex every 15 minutes for up to 5 days!  Each encounter lasts only a few seconds and ends with a vicious roar from both parties.

The male leopard relaxing on the top of a rock

The female leopard approaches ...

... and gives him a little nudge to let him know she's ready

The male leopard mounts the female

The encounter ends a few seconds later with a roar

The male leopard looking like he's ready for a cigarette

Ostrich

Waterbuck

Baby and mother rhino

 Baby and mother rhino

Large pride of lions taking their afternoon nap

A lioness wakes briefly from her nap to check us out

One of the cubs

Lilac-breasted roller

Topi

We stumbled upon a pack of about 25 hyenas

They're kind of cute, but also kind of mangy

Grey crowned cranes dancing on the open plains as wildebeest graze in the distance

Kivuyo drove out to the northern edge of the Serengeti - that's the Maasai Mara in Kenya behind us

Ending our day at the northern edge of the Serengeti

Day 4

We caught this amazing sunrise on our final morning just outside of the camp

Zebras illuminated by the first light of the day

Lindsay spotted this solitary male lion through the bushes

We followed the lion for a bit until he reached a clearing, where he posed for us.  You can see that he was wounded.

Klipspringer watching the sunrise

Buffalo

After a short game drive in the morning on Day 4, we returned to camp to grab breakfast and head to the airport for our flight to Manyara Airport.

Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park

We arrived around lunchtime at Manyara airport.  The safari company that we used, Asilia, assigned us a private safari guide/driver for our remaining two days.  Our guide was a really sweet guy from Arusha named Ammi.  He was a pleasure to be around, and was very knowledgeable/passionate about the wildlife in Tanzania.

With our guide Ammi

Lake Manyara National Park is a 20 minute drive from Manyara airport on the way to Ngorongoro Crater.  The park is small but full of wildlife (including big game) and offers beautiful views of Lake Manyara.  We decided to visit the park for an early afternoon game drive and a picnic lunch before continuing on to the Crater.  While in the park, we saw baboons, monkeys, lions, zebra, wildebeest, elephants, buffalo, and a wide variety of birds.  The highlight of our visit was seeing a pair of lions taking a nap up in a tree.  Ammi explained to us that all lions can climb trees, but it's rare to see them do it outside of a few parks in Tanzania and Uganda.  The exact reasons for this are unknown, but he hypothesized that the trees in the park, with their large trunks, may provide easier climbing opportunities.  In any case, if you visit the park, you are very likely to spot lions in the trees.

Kingfisher

Mother baboon feeding her young

Mother baboon giving her baby a ride

Weaver

We grabbed lunch at these picnic tables overlooking Lake Manyara in the distance

Look closely and you'll see two lions taking a nap high up in the tree

Here's a closer look at the lions

One lion woke up to say hello

The other couldn't be bothered

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is not only one of the most spectacular physical formations in the world, it is also a wildlife sanctuary that is home to about 30,000 animals.  Although it's called a crater, it is actually one of the world's largest unbroken calderas, with a width of 12 miles and a depth of 2000 feet.  Calderas occur when a volcano collapses on itself, forming a large-cauldron like feature.  In the case of Ngorongoro Crater, the caldera was formed about 3 million years ago from a massive volcano that was about the size of Kiliminjaro.  The sight of the Crater is breathtaking, and it deserves to be on everyone's bucket list.

Our first view of the Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater

In the mornings, the crater is typically blanketed with fog

While visiting the Crater, we spent a couple nights at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, which we both agreed was one of the favorite hotels in the world, and probably the most romantic hotel we've ever stayed in.  The hotel has a seemless blend of modern comforts, old world elegance and cultural artifacts from Tanzania's past.  The resort is perched on the side of the crater rim, offering some of the most spectacular views you'll find anywhere.  And the service is excellent, with the staff doing anything they can to make our stay a memorable one.  It's a really special place and worth the splurge.

Arriving at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge

The main building at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge housing the lounge and restaurant

The lounge in the main building - beautifully decorated

All guests get a private bungalow at the Lodge

The bedroom in our bungalow

View from our bedroom towards the terrace and bathroom

Our bathroom

Our private terrace

View of the crater from our terrace

The Lodge is within the Conservation Area, so we frequently had guests

The hotel staff really go above and beyond, anticipating our needs without being smothering.  Many of them have been there for years and have a real sense of ownership in the place, which makes you feel like you are part of the family.  We particularly enjoyed our time with the co-manager Aldin, who proudly discussed his history with the resort - he first worked as a contractor in helping to build the lodge, then later was hired and worked his way up through the ranks to reach co-manager.  We were also really impressed with George, our personal butler, who took great care of us during our stay.  He even prepared a rose petal bath for us to enjoy after our game drive!

George prepared a special honeymoon table for us on our first night at the lodge

A rose petal bath with champagne awaiting us after our game drive

The entire staff sang traditional Tanzanian songs for us during our dinner on the second night

While at the Lodge, Ammi took us for a game drive on the crater floor and a visit to a traditional Maasai village.  We spent the morning touring the different habitats within the crater and seeing the large variety of wildlife.  We found a great spot on the Crater floor to grab lunch while admiring the view of the neighboring lake and mountains.

Early morning sun peeking through to the crater floor

Caracol - a small cat that is very rarely seen during the daylight hours.  Our guide said that he had only seen 4 of them in 20 years.

A pair of grey crowned cranes - the national bird of Uganda

Wildlife is abundant on the crater floor

There are a variety of different habitats on the crater floor, including forest

A watering hole full of sacred ibis

Kori bustard - the largest flying bird in the world.  These birds can weigh over 40 pounds.

Mother warthog and her baby grazing together

Saying hello to one of the many wildebeest in the crater.  The wildebeest population within the Crater has no need to migrate since they have abundant grass all year round.

Stopping for our picnic

The view from our picnic

After lunch, we stopped a local Maasai village.  The Maasai is a tribe of people that live across Tanzania and Kenya with a very unique culture.  They are the only humans that are allowed to have settlements within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  The Maasai hold their cattle sacred and live off their meat, milk and blood.  They graze their cattle in the Ngorongoro Crater alongside the wild animals, making the Crater the only place in the world where humans, livestock and wild animals coexist peacefully in the same place.  The Maasai villages are built around the family structure, where one patriarch takes multiple wives.  Each of these wives and their children live within a hut that is located around the perimeter of a circular enclosure where they hold their cattle.  The small huts are made from cow dung and can house as many as 8 people.  Though these seem like primitive conditions, the local Maasai have embraced some elements of modern society including cell phones and an elementary school, which we visited.  Our guide for the visit also spoke fluent English and was talking about attending university soon (he was 22), though he insisted the he would return to the village after getting his degree.

Our guide for the visit

The Maasai greeted us with a traditional dance

Lindsay joined the females

I learned some good moves from the tribesmen

The cow dung huts that the Maasai live in

The interior of one of the huts, which houses 6 people

Enclosure at the center of the village where they hold their cattle

The local elementary school

If any of you get the chance to do a safari in Africa, we highly recommend it.  It's pricey, but it really will be one of the best vacations of your life.  For both of our trips, we used a company in Seattle called Ultimate Africa Safaris, who travel frequently to Africa to stay in all of the properties they recommend.  They are super knowledgeable about the region and did a fantastic job organizing our trips.  You can find them online if you're interested.

Next stop for us is Nepal, where we'll be braving the elements on a trek to Everest Base Camp.