Driving through the Ngorongoro towards the Serengeti lies the Olduvai Gorge which is filled with human ancestry – fossils, relics, tools – so much to still be discovered and interpreted. It is here that the Leakys set up camp for their archeological dig in the 50’s and it is still used today by grad students and archeologists from all over the world. This landscape is unique in that the wild animals and the Maasai & their livestock share the land harmoniously.

Proof of this was evidenced everywhere as you would see a Maasai man with his herd of cows or goats walking beside or even through a herd of zebras and wildebeests. There are not a lot of predators around here because they are scared of the humans – they have learned that they can be hunted and killed here so will only come in if desperate. It makes for a very relaxed atmosphere.

Gazelles, zebras and wildebeests were the main sightings, by far. They were making their annual migration north to Kenya. We couldn’t get over the absolute quantity of these animals. Not hundreds, but thousands. Thousands and thousands at every kilometer. Honestly, there is no excuse for predators to go hungry! If they were brave enough to come to this side of the land.

At the actual crossing into the Serengeti, we come across our last opportunity to meet some Maasai and buy something from them, or to take their picture because this is as far as they are allowed to roam freely with their livestock.

So now that we are officially in the Serengeti Park, and there are no humans walking along to scare away the predators so I wondered why there were still thousands and thousands of animals, seemingly undisturbed with no predators in sight. It seems like a buffet is just walking to Kenya and that there would/should be a ton of lions following them, ready to fill their plates when the mood strikes.

We learned that lions, and the other large cats, do not have the stamina to keep up with the migration herds. Zebras and wildebeests can run, and run fast, for 8-10 hours at a time. They do not stop to sleep; they are in continuous motion. They may pause for small rest breaks, but they do not stop for any significant amount of time. The cats simply cannot keep up. Instead, they are left to the mercy of when the herd happens to pass in front of them. Then they must take advantage and hunt. Mother Nature with her checks and balances is absolutely amazing.

A fun fact about wildebeests: they are known as the ‘spare parts’ animal. LOL. It has the tail of a horse, the horn of a juvenile buffalo, the sloped back of a hyena, the stripes of a zebra, the rump of the Massai donkey, the beard of a billy goat, the face of a grasshopper and the brain of a rock. HAHAHA!

In amongst the herds, we could see (but way far off in the distance) hartebeests, hyenas – waiting for something to get sick and die, I suppose – and warthogs. A jackal walked right in front of us and a falcon flew overhead! A Kori Bustard – the largest and heaviest flying animal in the world was joining in the fun and then we saw the Marabou Stork. Guinea fowl, Rock Hyrax and Vultures made an appearance. More warthogs ran through the bush, but they are quite shy so it was hard to get a great shot of them! But wow. The variety of sightings made our day.

For a few kilometers, we were right in the middle of these migrating animals. We had to get them off of our path so we could keep driving. Seeing them all so close to us – we could have reached out and touched them (but we didn’t because I like to think we have more sense than that!) – was fascinating. Zebras huddling together, seemingly hugging as they create an optical illusion to protect themselves, wildebeests munching on the brush,  gazelles flitting in and out of the fields. Wow.

We came upon a watering hole and saw a dozen or so zebras playing in it. We made Paul stop so we could take it all in. They were having a great time. We watched for a good 10 minutes and then reluctantly continued on.

Not 2 minutes later, we came upon an enormous watering hole with hundreds of zebras in it. Hahahahahaha! Who knew? So, of course we stayed and watched these ones play and frolic and cool off! They, like us, were also getting ready to continue their migration and it was only a few minutes until they all started to leave the water and make tracks. We were so lucky we caught them in the water!

Off in the distance, when we were past the large herds, we saw an elephant walking alone. He was huge and seemed to not have a care in the world as he meandered along. Paul informed us that he had likely been left behind by his parade. As elephants get older, the younger ones take over and push the older ones out to pasture. They will then die alone unless they happen to run across another male who has been ousted and then they will pair up. I like to think of it as the men who gather each morning at A&W for coffee. Not far from him, we did see two other older elephants so we’re hopeful that they met up and will be together until the end.

We are nearing the end of our very long day when Paul hears something on the radio and speeds up. Lions! Resting on top of a few large rocks we come face to face with two large male lions sunning themselves. We look across to the other rock and we are now witnessing 3 lionesses caring for their 5 cubs!! OMG. This is amazing. The cubs are as energetic as you might think, bugging their mothers and not napping like they should be. The moms were very patient, until pushed too far, then they’d let out a ROAR. The dads on the other rock were oblivious. It was really cool to spot these creatures and have the privilege to just watch them. Before long, it was time to go, really go. It’s been a very long day!

As we were heading for our hotel, which was about 1.5 hours into the Serengeti, we saw two Land Cruisers way off road staring at a tree. Paul knew there was a leopard in it and was able to point it out, so Jason and I pretended we could see it from the road too. We couldn’t. 

But, we were okay with that and we were so pleased that our driver was responsible enough to respect the land and the boundaries of the paths. Paul knew that maintaining the integrity of the landscape is what is going to help the habitat of these animals we all want to see so badly survive. As vehicles go off road, they destroy bushes, destroy natural habitats, and make the landscape dustier and more inhabitable overall. It is too bad that not all guides are as responsible and forward thinking.

Anyway, after 12 hours in the Land Cruiser, we have arrived at our Tented Lodge in the middle of the Serengeti. So entrenched in the Serengeti, in fact, that we must have a guide with us anytime we want to leave our room at night. Which means an escort to and from dinner. Understood. There are big animals and small animals out there that can cause you a world of hurt.

In spite of that, we are in love with our accommodations and are excited about all the amenities it has, even out here in the bush. Electricity? Check. Running water? Check. Hot running water? Check. We are happy. Hot, stinky, dusty, exhausted, sore and desperately needing a shower and some food. But happy. So very, very happy.