All good things must come to an end
This is the third and final chapter of my African Safari on the Serengeti of Tanzania. If you haven't read the first two chapters in the series you can check them out here:
Or you can just continue reading below because they do not need to be read in order to be enjoyed.
Sunrise on the Serengeti
Nothing can prepare you for the amazing sunrises that you will see on the Serengeti. This is one place where you do not want to sleep in. The sky was breathtaking as it changed from the dark night sky, to to blue, then to a golden glow as the sun came up over the horizon.
We had gotten up in the dark and packed up the tents, grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed out to a clearing so that we could see the sunrise, after we left the area, we passed an area that our guide told us is a frequent elephant crossing and we came across this vehicle.
We aren't quite sure what happened to it, but it wasn't on a curve, so we don't think it flipped from going too fast while turning. Our guide suggested that they may have parked in the middle of the path of the herd of elephants. Whatever happened, I am sure that the people in the safari vehicle probably got some awesome pictures and I wish I could see them.
When the sun wakes up, so does the Savanna
Our driver had an idea where some big cats usually slept and was headed towards the area because he wanted to see if we could catch them sleeping. When we got there it was incredible.
They were just waking up and stretching. The backlight from the morning sun was so awesome on these two.
I wanted to get out of the vehicle and go pet them. They looked so soft and cuddly in this light. So much different than the group the day before that was in the middle of hunting the zebra.
I could probably get away with petting the one that was still yawning because she hasn't had her cup of coffee yet and was still sleepy, so she is probably slow to react.
Nope. Guess not. She spotted me and knew what I was thinking. She would probably eat me now. I guess I will just stay in the truck where it is safe and just take pictures from here.
Then they ran off to probably get some breakfast, so we moved on to look for the next big cat. It didn't take long to find the big male in the area.
This guy was huge. It is crazy how big their heads are compared to the rest of their bodies. When you are up close to a lion, you really get a sense of their power.
They are such magnificent animals.
It was a surreal feeling to be so close to such an awe inspiring animal.
Elephants on the way out
After we left the lion, we had to start heading out of the Serengeti to the next safari destination on the map. We came upon some more elephants and got up close and personal with them. I wondered if these were the same ones that knocked over the other safari vehicle.
I had my 150-600mm lens and I was zoomed all the way out on some of the shots.
Even after seeing the lions, elephants are still my favorite animals of the safari. Just the nonchalant walk that they have, not really caring about anything. Even if it is a safari truck in the way, they will knock it over with their trunk and keep walking.
African elephants aren't known for being nice, but I guess it comes with the territory. They have to adapt to their surroundings.
A rare sighting on the Savanna
As we were on one of the main roads to travel towards the exit of the Serengeti, our driver stopped at pointed out something in the grass.
This is an African Serval. They are an extremely rare sight to see while on safari because of their small numbers and they are usually alone. Exotic cat breeders use the Serval to breed Savanna cats and sell them as domesticated animals.
Vehicle down!
A short time after we stopped to check out the serval, one of the trucks in our group got a flat tire. That may not seem like a huge deal, but considering the location of where you are, changing a tire is a little risky.
Photo taken by me
So what did I do? I got out of the truck like the safari guides and took pictures while they changed the tire. If we were going to get eaten by an animal, I wanted to get some good pictures of it before it happened.
They worked fast to get the tire changed. I guess they were motivated by the fact that we were exposed and not really in an area that was used to having people out in the open like the camp grounds. The got the tire fixed quickly and then we were back in the trucks and headed out of the Serengeti and towards the Ngorongoro Crater.
The Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It is 100 square mile's of adventure inside the walls of a collapsed volcano.
This picture was taken at the top of the crater near the entrance. I tried doing a panorama shot with my cell phone to show the massive size of the crater. After you enter the park, you drive down a road taking you to the bottom where there are roads all over for you to explore.
The crater is overflowing with life
Inside of the crater, you can see pretty much all of the wildlife that Africa has to offer. Including "The Big 5". The Big 5 are:
- Lion
- Rhino
- African Buffalo
- Elephant
- Leopard
Most people spend two days on safari in the crater, but we did our best to see what we could in the half a day we had to spend there. Here are my favorite shots of the day.
I would not want to be on the receiving end of those tusks.
The wildebeest had some really weird looking heads. Their eyes seemed to be completely on the sides of their heads and I am convinced they can't see directly in front of them.
You gotta love baby zebras trying out their new legs. I am not sure how old this one is, but I am guessing it is a few months old.
Mom and baby just going for a stroll.
These gazelle were all over the place and boy did they have some hops.
If any of you have seen The Lion King, this looks like Pumbaa got married and had himself a baby.
Hyenas are pretty strange animals. I was hoping they were closer so I could get some better shots, but they were pretty camera shy.
Hyenas are actually really smart animals. Even though The Lion King made them look stupid. There have been studies done and they have been shown to be have a frontal cortex on par with primates and even be better at solving problems and social cooperation than chimpanzees. They can solve these problems in complete silence and only use non verbal cues to communicate with each other.
This could be why they are such feared hunters. Spotted hyenas eat baby lions and a pack of them can eat a whole zebra in 30 minutes, bones and all.
We parked alongside a group of African buffalo to check off number 4 on the list of the big 5.
The African Buffalo is actually an extremely dangerous animal.
The list for the Big 5 came from trophy hunters and what they considered to be the top "prizes" of Africa. Out of this list, the African Buffalo has killed more trophy hunters than any of the other animals. They have been known to circle back around after they have been wounded and ambush the hunter that tried to kill them.
The older males that tend to live away from the herd are the most dangerous. When the buffalo are with the herd, they have safety in numbers and are less likely to be provoked into an attack, but the ones that live in solitary will attack first to defend themselves.
Lunch with the hippos and birds
At some point during the day we stopped at the designated picnic area which was a pond that had a lot of wildlife in the area.
I was near the water taking pictures of the birds when I saw this big boy floating around.
After I saw the hippo about 20 feet or so from me, I decided it probably wasn't a good idea to be so close to the edge of the water. That didn't stop all the other people gathering around the edges of the pond to get pictures with their phones of this floating monster.
Every now and then the hippo would disappear under the water and then pop up in a totally different spot. I didn't trust that hippo as far I could throw it, and that isn't far at all.
Sleeping cats
Shortly after lunch we came across some sleeping beauties that were blocking the road.
The trucks were taking turns slowly pulling up next to them and letting the people inside take pictures of the sleeping cats.
When our turn was next, as we started to pull forward, one of the cats got startled and woke up. Luckily she was still tired and laid right back down.
When we got next to them, we were so close that I couldn't even zoom out any further than this with my lens. It was crazy to be this close to something that could rip my face off. I wanted to open the door and pet her on her head. She probably would have stayed asleep and just started purring.
Time check off number 5
We got a call on the radio that two rhinos had been spotted, so we started heading towards them. We got to the area where they were spotted and they were really far off in the distance.
That is the hard part about trying to find specific animals in 100 square miles. There was a lake between us and the rhinos and a few miles of ground to cover. It would probably take an hour or two to get to the spot they are at and they would most likely have moved on to a different area by that time.
But we were able to say that we had seen the Big 5 during the safari as we started to make our way out of the park.
Exiting the park
As we made our way towards the exit, there was still plenty of wildlife to see.
Photo taken by me
The Gold Crowned Crane is a magnificent looking bird with a fluffy ball of gold on the top of their head.
Photo taken by me
I believe this is a Black Kite, but I am not 100% sure. I am not a bird expert.
As you exit the crater you take a trail up the side of the crater though the lush vegetation and it is like you have entered a jungle.
Photo taken by me
In the distance was a group of elephants having fun in the dirt. Seeing the elephants as the last animals of the safari was a great finish.
Photo taken by me
The end of the journey
Africa is a treasure trove of beauty and adventure. I can not wait to go back and visit the friends that I have made and to take my family on safari and show them all that Africa has to offer.
Africa will always have a special place in my heart and I want to thank you for allowing me to share my experiences of this wonderful place with you. If you are interested in reading my African Stories series up to this point, you can catch up here:
-My bird hunting buddy in Africa - African stories entry #1
-The day I was welcomed as a Maasai Warrior - African Stories # 2
-Bubbles are the universal language for fun - African Stories entry #3
-Safari Time - African Stories entry #4
-The Safari Adventure Continues - African Stories entry #5
I hope that you all had a great time going on this safari journey with me. If you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments what your favorite part or favorite animal was. Once again, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, look at my pictures and read my stories. You are awesome!
