THERE ARE LIONS LYING UNDER OUR TRUCK

Hi everyone! We're back in the land of running water and real beds after five days spent camping in the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. Our time on safari was INCREDIBLE, spanning amazing natural scenery, unparalleled wildlife viewing, and the best tour group I think either of us has ever been with. There's way too much to give a true play-by-play, so here are some of the highlights:

*We spent a day touring the village of Mto Wa Mbu ("Mosquito River Town"), meeting the local inhabitants and learning about their way of life. There are more than 120 native tribes living in Tanzania, and nearly all are represented in this village. We found the tour enlightening, learning about their agricultural practices, carving and weaving, homesteading, and enjoyed a delicious local lunch. We then journeyed to the Maasai village on the outskirts, to see how G Adventures is helping the local community through their respiratory health-focused Clean Cookstove project. The Maasai continue to live a nomadic existence, herding livestock and building huts for accommodation. Some of their practices range from uncomfortable to ghastly for westerners (mostly FGM, along others), but we found it valuable to learn about these folks who are the original inhabitants of the wildlife areas

*Our time in the Serengeti was simply awe-inspiring. We camped under the stars, with the sounds of wildlife ever-present outside our tents. During the day we drove in a modified Land Cruiser with an open roof, following the game across the vast, endless plains. We saw lions, leopards, elephants, cape buffalo, cheetahs, giraffes, hyenas, jackals, zebras, wildebeast, hartebeast, Thompsons gazelle, impala, warthogs, vultures, ostrich, hippos, dik dik (miniature antelope), crocodile, vervet monkeys, a serval, mongoose, topi, baboons, marabou stork, a monitor lizard, secretary birds, ibis, crowned crane, pelicans, heron, and vast numbers of other small birds. It was incredible

*After two full days game-driving in the Serengeti, we spent a half-day driving around deep in the Ngorongoro Crater. This area is known for its saltwater lakes, vast quantities of ungulates, rhinos (which unfortunately we did not see), and hundreds (if not thousands) of migrating flamingos. The true highlight of this experience was when a pair of lions (one male, one female) wandered over and quite literally took a nap underneath the rear of our truck! (Hence the title, pictures below)

There are just a few photos below; keep an eye out on Facebook for a full album Rachel will post this week. We loved it! (Edit: we can't find the camera connector so it will be awhile.)

Shoutouts to all of our amazing new friends from the tour: Meg, Donna, Alex, Joe, Angus, Adon, Colin, Kenneth, Emily, Amy, Stan, and Annette!Read more