Arusha District

We had a rare leisurely morning on the campsite with a later breakfast of cereal and cinnamon fried bread at 9am. I packed my tent and possessions for the three day safari in the Serengeti. One vehicle took our tents on ahead which they would pitch at the camp ground for our arrival. After breakfast, we sauntered up to a big display of live rescued snakes and were shown man eating sized pythons and other extremely poisonous snakes like the puff adder and the lethal Black Mambo. It left us all not wanting to stray too far into the long grass on our forthcoming safaris! It was wonderful to see the beauty of these remarkable creatures up close though. We then moved on to see the rescued birds including two eagle owls, a vulture and a stunning looking goshawk. We also saw monitor lizards, several crocodiles, tortoises and turtles. Our final wildlife encounter was to be able to hold one of the harmless snakes and feel its soft, cool, muscular skin and body move through our hands. It was wonderful to see and handle these creatures up so close and the guide was very knowledgable and answered all our questions. Then we were handed over to a Maasai guide who took us through a museum of Maasai culture which was equally informative and fascinating. He showed us a traditional wood and mud daubed Maasai house, the clothing and implements worn and used by the Maasai, how the Maasai pierce the jugular veins of their cattle to draw blood into vessels to drink without harming the cattle in the longterm, and also the initiation rights such as male and female circumcision (female circumcision is no longer widely practiced because it is outlawed) which is traditionally followed by a big celebration. We saw the famous Maasai spears and how they use acacia thorn enclosures to protect their livestock and themselves from predators. We then moved on to a wonderful double row of traditional mud and wooden roundhouses full of colourful jewellery and crafts made by local Maasai women who looked beautifully tall and elegant in their Maasai traditional clothing, with a deep soulfulness that is hard to describe in words as it is a presence only witnessed in the meeting of them. I asked one particular woman, with a deep, dignified presence, if I could take her photo and she kindly assented. We returned to the campsite, had a pasta lunch, loaded the 4x4 safari vehicles and set off for the Serengeti across low tree filled plains dotted with many Maasai herders with their flocks of goats and herds of cattle. We stopped briefly at a Maasai market which was a blazing riot of colour with vivid oranges, yellows and blues of the Maasai clothing combining with the bright colours of the fruit and vegetables. We passed some very large termite mounds by thre roadside. We continued through lush green countryside towards the enormous escarpment at one edge of the rift valley with very high sheer cliffs which we climbed in the safari vehicle for quite some time, looking back over huge forested plains leading to lake shores on the horizon of shimmering turquoise, greys and pinks. We passed enormous baobab trees that must have been hundreds of years old. As we crossed over the other side of the escarpment, we arrived at our next campsite, Flamingo Safari Lodge, where our tents were erected in neat, regimented rows. We settled in to the nice campground where dinner was prepared for us by a chef. There we rested until dinner was served. The three course meal was delicious, with soup followed by fish, vegetables and roast potatoes with fruit slices for dessert. I had a cold shower and retired to be ahead of a 4.30am rise for our morning safari the following day.Read more