Camping in the Serengeti: Animal Planet will Never be the Same

I just came back to Arusha from a five day camping safari in the Serengeti, Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater. I grew up obsessed with National Geographic, Planet Earth, everything on Animal Planet and of course the Lion King. These past few days put any film or documentary I’ve watched to shame. Seeing these animals, close up, in their environment…was like nothing I’ve experienced before.

This was a budget safari. Chanden got us down to a decent price per day which I was very happy about because originally I had decided that a safari in Tanzania is just too far out of my budget. I settled on Kilimanjaro instead and made the promise that I’d come back some day and fulfill my safari dreams, but like any good and unexpected experience I rushed in with full excitement and anticipation. I think it was this feeling of pure curiosity and openness to whatever crossed my eye’s path that allowed me to have some very rare experiences in the Savannah.

Budget safari meant that I was staying in a tent each night, no showers, the itinerary wasn’t very organized, my guide/driver spoke limited English and Chanden and I were placed with another group of four. Two very nice couples from Austria and Israel. I liked our group. I saw some safari trucks with only one person besides the driver inside and I thought that looked lonely, plus it seemed like a waste of fuel.

I did wake up to the sound of lions roaring one night. Luckily they’re not very interested in people.

Everyday we were in the safari truck for up to 12 HOURS. That’s a lot of time to look for animals, but it was this constant mission of our driver, Abraham, listening to his radio for other guides to tell him where to go to get a glimpse on the action (which was in Swahili and drove me nuts because I just wanted to know what they were saying). The parks we were in are h.u.g.e. Serengeti itself is the size of the Netherlands. There’s a lot going on but also a lot of space where there was nothing but wind and grass. The animals are always moving, they never stay in one place for too long.

Here are some of the most memorable moments from my safari:

• Elephants fighting

• Warthogs scratching their bums on rocks

• A cheetah getting her fresh catch stolen by vultures bigger than humans

• A mother and father ostrich and their funny looking babies

• A pregnant zebra (I could see her baby moving around inside)

• I made really intense and long eye contact with a giraffe????

• Hippos kissing

• A huge water buffalo right outside of the camp toilets

• A pride of lions, including 5 cubs, taking turns eating their prey. Then two giant males coming in to chase away the hungry hyenas lurking.

• Last, but far from least, the great wildebeest migration in the northern part of the Serengeti out running the crocodiles (more on this below)

My favorite episode in the show Serengeti is the migration episode centered around the wildebeest. Every year the zebras and the wildebeest need to cross the Mara river in northern Serengeti to get to Kenya where the grass is still green. They don’t cross until they need to, until the grass is all eaten or dried, and the Mara river can be quite wide in some places. Crossing the river is a matter of life or death for these creatures and it’s a dangerous act. Crocodiles lurk in the waters patiently waiting and lions circle the other side. Over 1.5 Million Wildebeest migrate across the Mara river, and we got to witness a thousand or so do it.

A huge group of wildebeest approached the edge where we were parked looking over the river. They stood there for minutes, then it was close to an hour, and suddenly one brave wildebeest jumped in and began the swim. The rest followed.

At one point the herd stopped crossing because a crocodile came close. It was clear that a baby had crossed and it’s mother was still on the other side. The baby was crying for its mom, in its wildebeest way, from across the river. Suddenly it went BACK IN the water and swam to the other side to be with its mom. This was a perfect opportunity for the crocodile to attack but for some reason it didn’t. The baby made it safely back to its mom, only to have to risk its life to cross again.

We moved further down the river and came across a sight that made my stomach drop. Earlier that day another herd of wildebeest attempted a cross and many didn’t make it. The vultures and crocodiles were having a hay day on the bodies left in the river. So many hooves and horns sticking out of the water. At least fifty, maybe a hundred. The reality of Mother Nature slapped us in the face and it was not an easy thing to see. I have more photos of this difficult scene but I’ll just share this one.

The safari ended in the Ngorongoro Crater, a massive indent in the earth that keeps the animals in all year around. It was once a volcano, bigger than Kilimanjaro, that erupted and caved in on itself. The volcanic soil and shallow lake in the center makes it a perfect home for so many animals, including the big five. But Ngorongoro is not a home to only animals, the Maasai people share it as well. The Maasai people are an ethnic group that live in Kenya and Tanzania. They are semi-nomadic and are known for their bright red robes, courageous demeanor and for retaining most of their traditions and lifestyle. Many Massai used to live in the Serengeti, but when the government made this a national park they pushed the Maasai out and into Ngorongoro. This was just the beginning. It is a current issue in Tanzania as the government is relocating the Maasai more and more, pushing them to areas they have never lived before. These people are dying from poverty and malaria. It’s a touchy subject. Tanzanian people are afraid to talk about it. The government has proven to be relentless in expanding its tourism industry, even at the costs of its own people. The Maasai have been around for so long that they play an active role in the natural environment. This land will not be the same without them. The villages I saw in Ngorongoro may be some of the last. 

The safari is finished and I am now back in Arusha. I felt so alive following these animals from afar and capturing their photos. I originally was a biology major when I entered college, with dreams of researching animals, their environment and photographing them. 18 year old me came to life on this safari.

Staying at a guest house in Arusha for a few days while I plan my next steps!