With my granddaughter--to the Mara area of the Northern Serengeti

Large crocodile on the bank of the Mara River

The central Serengeti, called the Seronera, is home to so many animals, year round.  Each of the 3 days we were there, we saw lions, cheetahs and leopards.  Elephants, giraffes, hippos, zebras, baboons and many kinds of antelope are abundant.

giraffes at sunset

We drove north from the Seronera to the Mara River area, on the border with Kenya.  In between, parts of the migration had filled the grasslands and hillsides with animals.  While we saw few zebra and wildebeest as we drove into our camp, the Mara Mara Tented Lodge, by the next morning they had come into the area along with elephants, hartebeest, Thompson’s gazelles, eland, waterbuck and giraffes, so the area began to fill up quickly.

baby hyena with mother

We drove for miles along the Mara River, hoping to see wildebeest crossing, but none of the large herds were interested in moving that day.  “The migration” is a year-round, constant movement as the animals search for greener grass.  “The crossing” is when the wildebeest decide to cross the Mara River one way or the other because they think the grazing is better on the other side.  They can go across once, or several times a day, or a couple of times a season—there is no set habit or time except that it all happens in search of green grass and better grazing.  So, climate change is causing variations in the animals’ timing because the rains may come earlier or later or not at all or last longer or shorter than usual.  This year, in Kenya, they were lasting well into the dry season.

Eland, the largest antelope

The Mara River this year was fast moving because of upstream rains.  It was about 50 to 100 yards wide, generally not too deep, but deep enough that the zebra—good swimmers—had to swim across while the wildebeest—not so good at it—had to struggle to get across.  There are crossing areas that are very rocky where the rapidly moving herd can cause some of the animals to break bones and be carried downstream to waiting crocodiles or low, sandy islands where their bodies get stuck.  Other areas are sandy, some shallow, some not.

the rarely seen, beautiful bushbuck

When a “crossing” is about to occur, a large herd gathers on one bank of the river.  Tourists gather nearby to watch.  Leaders may come down to the water over and over for hours, only to turn back for whatever reason occurs to them.  They may drift off back into the grass to graze for another day or two or a week, or one may finally decide to take the plunge and leap into the river.  At that point, the entire herd swarms into the river as well, many drowning in the melee.  You have to wonder why this same herd might decide to undertake this difficult venture again the same day or several days later. 

Meanwhile, there were a number of lions eating antelope they’d killed earlier in the day.  The stuffed male had eaten first and was asleep with his overflowing belly warming in the sun.  We watched the females ripping apart the rest of the carcass.  Whenever there is a “kill”, vultures, storks, jackals and hyenas are not far away, waiting for their turn at the remains.  A hyena will even drive off a leopard or cheetah to take over their kills before the hunters have had their fair share.

also rarely seen, beautiful reedbuck

The Mara Mara Tented Lodge has a gorgeous view over the hills nearby and valley below.  Park rangers burn the dry grass to allow new shoots to come up in the sunlight, so we watched the fires at night and did not enjoy the smoke during the day.  I think this is an archaic process that certainly contributes to global warming, but they are convinced burning adds nutrients to the soil. 

our tent at the Mara Mara Tented Lodge

In this year-old camp, the tents are quite large and luxurious.  Good food and wonderful staff, but it’s a little too polished for my taste and needs a bit more organization on logistics and training for all the staff.  There are many new camps scattered throughout the Serengeti, so there is some level of bush or luxury for all tastes.  Universally, the staffs are kind, thoughtful and very helpful.