With my granddaughter--Masai Mara to the Serengeti

zebras and elephant at sunset

As my granddaughter and I drove to the air strip near Karen Blixen Camp in Kenya's Masai Mara Reserve, we saw literally thousands of zebra, more than I have ever seen before.  Babies were abundant, so, if the next rainy season is good, there will be many thousands more.  I think we saw at least 10,000 zebra during our 3 days in Masai Mara, stretching as far as the eye could see in massive herds.  The wildebeest with them also number in the many thousands, probably at least as many of them as zebra.  

herd of wildebeest

Instead of flying back to Nairobi, we took a bush plane to a town in Western Kenya where a bus met us to drive to the border between Kenya and Tanzania.  The driver shepherded us through customs and immigration on both sides of the border, a process that took about an hour.  From the border, we drove another 10 minutes to the Tarime airstrip in Tanzania where our bush plane to the Serengeti’s Seronera airstrip awaited us.  This is a much better route than flying or driving back to Nairobi, then flying to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania where clearing customs can mean long lines, before flying on to one of the Serengeti airstrips.  

our plane to the Seronera

It’s very easy to fly around East Africa.  The airlines are set up to manage multiple landings at the many airstrips all over Kenya and Tanzania.  The flight departures and arrivals depend on how many people are going where and how many airstrips each flight must visit.  It’s quite a logistical marvel.  The airlines notify each passenger’s travel agency and camp the night before a departure to let them (and you) know what time to be at the airstrip.  Since there is no customs or security, the plane merely lands, loads you and your luggage—small bags only—and takes off.  The pilots are excellent since they take off and land on dirt or grass runways many times a day.  They can find a tiny airstrip in the midst of the large savannah or forest, distinguish it from dozens of others that look just like it, and deposit you where you need to go.

Since the majority of the zebra and wildebeest had already moved north by late July, the remaining animals in the central Serengeti (Seronera area) had a little more space and grass. 

Thompson's gazelle

I have never seen as many of the beautiful, small Thompson’s gazelles as we did our first afternoon.  We watched a lioness eat a Thompson’s gazelle deep inside a bush, perhaps hiding it from the rest of her pride, and a large male lion snoozing under an acacia tree.  We finally found our leopard, beautifully camouflaged beneath an aloe vera cactus high up on a rock, sleeping off her recent meal.

View from Asanja Moru tented camp

Our first camp in Tanzania was Asanja Africa Moru Tented Camp, far out in the bush in the central Serengeti.  This is much more rustic than Karen Blixen, but still quite luxurious, given its location.  They have to haul their water from Seronera, so work hard to conserve water.  Their electricity is all solar.  The large tents face the golden hillside covered with acacias and wide open to any animal that wanders by.  At night, as in most camps, you need an escort to go to and from dinner in the main lodge, which is also open to the savannah and the stars.  There are no noises except the sounds of the animals and the wind blowing the canvas flaps of the tents.  As with most tented camps (which I much refer to the lodges and hotels), there are no windows, just large screened openings with flaps that can be lowered at night, via zippers, if it’s cold.  The entrance also zips and has canvas flaps.  A curtain separates the bathroom from the sleeping area which has large, comfortable beds and soft fleece robes.  

can you find the leopard sleeping behind the aloe vera?

I have always seen leopards in the Seronera area of the Serengeti and this time was no different.  More on these beautiful cats in my next blog.