Central Serengeti Game Drive

Leaving the camp, we are immediately in the classic Serengeti plains landscape with short grasses ideal for the large numbers of the pretty little Thomson's gazelle. Manyama pointed out it was also the ideal terrain for cheetahs and sure enough we soon saw a pair stalking the gazelles but the they seemed to get active jumping on an animal too small to see in the grasses. They seemed to enjoy this appetizer judging by the blood around their mouths. They then got interested in the main course again, but the gazelles were having none of it and kept away, so we moved on. This sighting was quite a distance and was better appreciated through the monocular than the camera, sorry.

We soon saw the first of several lion spottings for the day -- a male in the grass, then a female surveying the plains from a rock quite near to the road. There was also a family of six we saw resting under a tree, but to get closer would require going off-road against the rules, which Manyama would not do, although several other drivers did. The company called Leopard Tours was one, and we had noted they were very aggressive and indeed were involved in a scandal the previous week, blocking the animal's route to the Mara River.

Bit more driving around, and we saw a leopard in a tree with a fresh Thompson's gazelle kill.

Lots more to see of elephants, giraffes, various antelopes, and of course, zebras. Not large numbers per group, perhaps, as seen in Tarangire, but easy to find and see.. This part of Tanzania (in the Seronera area) is a spectacular game park for sure.

We had lunch under a tree behind the drew quarters of a balloon outfit while the mount for the shock absorber was welded and headed up to the north, driving out of the park through some busy market towns and back into a smoky area where they are conducting controlled burns -- a constant activity in Tanzania to mitigate risk of larger fires, but also provide optimal grazing conditions, and especially shorter grass to improve viewing for safaris.

We got to the Sero Tented Camp in Northern Serengeti, not too far from the Kogatende airstrip for a three night stay. This camp is a mobile camp, and it was still good, but a bit more basic. The staff, however, were fantastic.Read more