This morning we set off to the Serengeti via the Western Side of the Ngorongoro Crater. When we stopped at the gates for Charles and Naftal to complete the required paperwork, I nipped into the shop to buy a few postcards. Then I went to the toilet, and on exiting I realised that I no longer had my purse. Oh no! I rushed back in but there was no sign of it in either the toilets or the shop. The toilet attendant told me that he had seen it in the toilet and had gone to get latex gloves to retrieve it, but when he came back someone had flushed it away. We all agreed that this was a doubtful story; the purse was a bright blue so the chances are that the next person to go into the cubicle would have seen it straight away. Without meaning to cast aspersions, I think that I dropped it and it was found and stashed somewhere by someone. I was so annoyed with myself, but all the others were very understanding and I cancelled both of the cards that had been in the purse immediately, and established that the cards had not been used before cancellation. We continued into the Ngorongoro Conservation area; the western side has more open grassland and trees, which means giraffes. And sure enough it wasn’t long before we saw our first giraffe, and quite a few more during the day. It was so exciting, they are so elegant. Charles told us that when they stand still their group name is a tower of giraffes, but when they are walking along they are called a journey of giraffes. And we saw lots and lots of zebras; James and I had thought that we would maybe see a few, but there were so many, and so very beautiful.
Charles showed us a tree called a theorisation? which is like a thick acacia.
At David’s request we added in a stop at Olduvai Gorge more info. We had a delightfully cool lunch sitting in the courtyard overlooking the valley.
We entered Serengeti National Park and queued to go through the gates after Charles and Naftal did the paperwork. Serengeti means endless plain.
Charles warned us that we were about to have an “African massage” which was a very bumpy five hour game drive on very dusty and uneven roads. Som if the potholes cause by flooding during the wet season were so huge that I thought that they would tip the landcruiser over!
Here goes with another list:
Speckled fronted weavers, lapis faced vulture, Hildebrand starling, Southern ground hornbill. Alasdair is extremely interested in the birds that we are seeing and is learning to recognise them very well.
We also saw a cheetah, a jackal, a cervo cat, a jackal, a topi, a Holder? (heart shaped horns), a hyena, and a couple of extremely cute dikdiks.
More impala, elephants and finally a leopard emerging from a bush.
At about 6.30 p.m. we arrived at Lahia Tented Lodge. This accommodation was incredible. We all had our separate double rooms but this time they have tent walls under high wooden ceilings, and the curtains move gently in the breeze! The main room of the lodge has a magnificent vaulted ceiling over a huge lounge and dining space. Outside is a swimming pool overlooking ——
On the tops of hills around us controlled fires glowed in the darkness, and the warm night was filled with the sound of crickets. We had a convivial dinner until it was time for us to be escorted back to our rooms, to protect us from wild animals. After seeing the cheetah and leopard today I was very happy to be escorted!
Charles showed us a tree called a theorisation? which is like a thick acacia.
At David’s request we added in a stop at Olduvai Gorge more info. We had a delightfully cool lunch sitting in the courtyard overlooking the valley.
We entered Serengeti National Park and queued to go through the gates after Charles and Naftal did the paperwork. Serengeti means endless plain.
Charles warned us that we were about to have an “African massage” which was a very bumpy five hour game drive on very dusty and uneven roads. Som if the potholes cause by flooding during the wet season were so huge that I thought that they would tip the landcruiser over!
Here goes with another list:
Speckled fronted weavers, lapis faced vulture, Hildebrand starling, Southern ground hornbill. Alasdair is extremely interested in the birds that we are seeing and is learning to recognise them very well.
We also saw a cheetah, a jackal, a cervo cat, a jackal, a topi, a Holder? (heart shaped horns), a hyena, and a couple of extremely cute dikdiks.
More impala, elephants and finally a leopard emerging from a bush.
At about 6.30 p.m. we arrived at Lahia Tented Lodge. This accommodation was incredible. We all had our separate double rooms but this time they have tent walls under high wooden ceilings, and the curtains move gently in the breeze! The main room of the lodge has a magnificent vaulted ceiling over a huge lounge and dining space. Outside is a swimming pool overlooking ——
On the tops of hills around us controlled fires glowed in the darkness, and the warm night was filled with the sound of crickets. We had a convivial dinner until it was time for us to be escorted back to our rooms, to protect us from wild animals. After seeing the cheetah and leopard today I was very happy to be escorted!
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