Before I start this exciting journey, I would like to apologize for my delayed posts. Internet access in Tanzania is very slow so it is difficult to upload posts and pictures in some cases, but I am always trying my best to share my experiences!
So, with that said, let’s start one of my favorite trip so far this semester!
Day 1: Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park
We got up very early that morning to get the most out of our day at the protected areas! As we made our way through the Ngorongoro Crater, it was very misty because we were DRIVING THROUGH CLOUDS! It was an amazing time for us but it might have been less exciting for the drivers that could hardly see the road. The crater was a different ecosystem and had a forestry scenery as we drove through the Ngorongoro conservation area. But, it was very difficult to see any wildlife due to the intense cloudiness. Nevertheless, it was a nice time to get to know everyone in our safari car during those long hours of driving. We had to drive through the crater to get to Serengeti National Park, which was the fastest way possible!
After finally arriving to Serengeti, we were able to see wildlife VERY up-close to our safari cars which was AMAZING! We were also able to enjoy the bright sun and beautiful sunsets every day of this expedition with great friends! Driving through while the sunsets was a highlight as the drivers were racing time to get to the camp site before dark since wildlife can be dangerous at night.
Hannah and I enjoying theses sights of the Ngorongoro Crater
Using the cars as shade from the sun, as the car moved, the lions followed it!
Found some simbas chilling on the road
Hippo pool!
A cute shot of a Hyena taking a break from its nap to look at us
Day 2: Serengeti National Park and Tourism Visitor Center: Bird and Carnivore Viewing
Our first night at camp was amazing. It might have been hard to sleep at our camp site since we were living among wildlife! We had the opportunity to hear lions and hyenas outside our tents, see some cape’s buffalo, and wake up to beautifully colored birds every morning. This might be scary but we all felt very safe around these wildlife as there were a couple of trained askaris (guards) escorting us to and from the bathroom and guarding the campsite throughout the entire night, assuring our safety.
That exciting night was followed by another great morning in Serengeti. After breakfast, we were given a lecture by our wildlife management professor, educating us about the protected areas and their histories, considering the borders of the park, the wildebeest migration, and various diseases and issues within the park that have affected the people and wildlife over time. After finishing that lecture, we were able to stop by a tourism cite at the park that focused on the wildebeest migration in east Africa. We then had the rest of that day to explore the park and look for wildlife. While we were excited to see the big carnivores in Serengeti, we had an assignment to keep track of the number of tourist/safari cars surrounding the animal during viewing, and sometimes it reached up to 20 cars around one animal, CRAZY! We were also able to practice identifying birds in the park before our bird count began the next day.
Day 3: Serengeti National Park: Bird Point Count, Hippo Pools, and Serena Lodge
This day was a highlight for sure! We started the day off with identifying and counting birds in the park. It was exciting to learn about birds in general, let alone have the opportunity to identify them. This was definitely a challenging task since a lot of the birds here are not familiar to us, thus, we would have to use our bird book and work as a team to identify these birds to the species level. After counting birds for an entire morning, we got to drive to the Hippo pools! We were able to get out of our safari cars and see them up close (from a safe distance). We had the opportunity to observe and hear multiple behaviors, some were resting, other fighting and being territorial in their confined space. We even got to see BABY HIPPOS, cuter than it sounds!
Some fun facts about hippos is that they have glands that basically secrete sunscreen since their skin is super thin and delicate. They also maintain mud throughout the day that acts as sunscreen!
After visiting the hippo pools, we took a break from all the excitement and went to Serena Lodge for a couple of hours. It was a fancy place for tourists but we had permission to visit, relax, enjoy the view, and the infinity pool! After enjoying those views, we got to go on a game drive around the park, see some more AMAZING animals, and drive in the park as the sun was setting in the back. It was definitely a dream come true, compressed into one expedition!
Day 4: Serengeti National Park and Oldupai Gorge Museum
Today, we left camp for our last game drive to see some animals, then we made our way to the Oldupai Gorge Museum. We had a lecture on the history of this place and the theories of human evolution since Lucy, the oldest evidence of mankind evolution was found in this place! It was amazing to read about and look at all the fossils in this museum.
With that museum, came the end of an amazing trip and journey to where I had real life Lion King moments every time I saw a lion closeup!
After this trip, we have finals, then our semester break in Arusha, I’ll keep you posted!
Baadaye!