№54 — Safari
I love watching animals at the zoo and I love watching animals on nature documentaries. And I love reading about animals. In short, I love knowing more about them. Therefore, it was obligatory to make the best of our time in Tanzania and go on the ultimate zoo experience — a safari in Serengeti, Ngorogoro and Lake Manyara.
When I thought of Serengeti before our trip, I thought about videos like this. Thousands of wildebeest and zebras trying to cross the untamed Mara River separating Kenya and Tanzania. It was as I was expecting it but in some ways even better.
After the safari, a lot of people came up to me and asked what animals I saw. I have to tell them I saw them all. Every animal that you would expect from your standard African documentary we saw. Elephants, zebras, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, leopards, and so on. On our fourth day we even managed to see a rhino. As one may guess, my expectations were more than met, thanks to our amazing guides who managed to spot animals from a mile away.
In addition to the abundance of animals, we saw quite a few of them in action. Right on the first day, we saw a group of hungry lions successfully hunt a rabbit. On another day, we watched three lion cubs trying to take bites out of a huge antelope their mothers killed the evening before. I say try as they struggled considerably with the huge animal, despite it being dead for hours.
Nothing, however, beats animals crossing the Mara River. We did not see the masses as you know them from the documentaries. And the animals we saw crossing the river were zebras not wildebeest. Still, a dozen zebras jumped into the water to reach the other shore. Only seconds after going in, the crocodiles attacked. Fighting against the water, the current, and the crocodiles, the zebras kept going. Eventually, they all made it to the other side and the crocodiles have to go hungry for another day.
But wait! One fearless zebra was not impressed by the close encounter with death. So what does it do? Correct, jump right back into the muddy water, past the crocodiles, away from the angry hippo and back up the other shore to meet its cubs which were too afraid to make the trip.
When we entered Ngorogoro on the fourth day, our standards were so high, no amount of wilderness could really excite us. Yes, there were lions right next to the car. Yes, there were buffaloes, wildebeest and zebras all over. Still, nothing that we haven’t seen in an even more spectacular setting. I have to give Ngorogoro credit for one thing, though. We saw the only missing animal from the “Big Five” — a rhino — from very far away. So far away, I wasn’t even able to take a picture.
We celebrated our sightings of the morning with a meal of champions: a fried chicken leg, an egg, some cookies and some juice. Just like we did every day before that and the day after.
Our last stop on our journey was Lake Manyara. While it is home to the only Tanzanite mine in the world — you only get Tanzanite in two places, Lake Manyara and Tiffany’s — there is only a limited number of animals. Or at least you can only see a limited number of animals given the dense forest. Still, two elephants almost walked into our car, so there is that.
Doing a safari in Tanzania is definitely a great idea, especially if you are the slightest bit interested in animals. If you are photographer, it’s even more interesting. We did our tour with Safari Multiways but it depends heavily on the guide. In the end, we paid roughly USD 1,330 for the Safari, tip to the guide and the night before and after in Arusha. Definitely worth the money but do shop around and do try to find a local company. It may be a bit more hassle but the price difference is just worth it.
Night 1 and 3 we stayed in Serengeti Heritage Luxury Tented Camp right in the center of Serengeti. While it says Tented Camp, you must not confuse it with your average camping tent. We had one to two double beds and an en-suite bathroom and toilet. In addition, the food there was absolutely great. Definitely something you should visit on your Safari — ask your tour operator to exchange it if it isn’t included.
Night 2 we stayed at Lobo Wildlife Lodge. While this is pretty much a regular hotel, there is little exiting to say about it apart from some little cute animals that roam around. It almost seemed like your typical Antalya holiday resort.
Night 4 we stayed at Twiga Lodge. Nothing special, nothing noteworthy, except that it is not inside of a national park, thus you do have some infrastructure around you.
Lastly, a big thank you to Christoph, who organized more or less the whole trip. Chris did a great job of selecting places to stay, negotiating deals with the tour operators, and just making sure we are having a great time. If he ever opens a tour company, I know where to book my travels.
