Safari Drives in the Serengeti

Last summer I participated in a 27-day group camping tour with G Adventures. After spending a few days on the island paradise of Zanzibar, it was time for us to make our way to the Serengeti for one final adventure.

A Long Lando Drive

In order to get to the Serengeti, we had one more long drive in our trusty overlanding vehicle. We were experts at traveling in our Lando by this point, so the day passed by quickly. At one point we were able to see the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro which was incredible! The clouds parted for about five seconds, just enough for us to get a glimpse of the mountain. It was quickly re-hidden behind the clouds before I could even think of taking a picture. Before long we made it to the Snake Park campsite near Arusha, where we were welcomed by “Ma.” She cooked us an amazing shepherd’s pie for dinner and let us stay in the bar for quite awhile until she decided to go to bed. Not a bad final travel day!

Serengeti National Park

The next morning we were picked up at our campsite by our safari drivers, who we would spend the next three days with. We drove for a few hours and arrived at the Ngorongoro area of the park around lunchtime. We stopped at a scenic viewpoint for lunch and then went on a “safari” drive that was mostly just driving to the campsite. The roads were really bumpy and we had to change a tire at one point — a regular occurrence for the drivers!

Arriving in Serengeti National Park!

As we neared the campsite in the middle of the park, we saw ten lion cubs and three female lions together. It was amazing and the cubs were absolutely adorable! We watched them until sunset; I could’ve stayed there for hours. The cubs kept trying to climb a tree, and they also chased each other and climbed all over their moms’ backs (to the annoyance of their mothers).

Lion cubs playing – so adorable!

Mom and baby lion

Eventually we had to continue our drive, although we stopped again when we saw a hyena eating a tortoise. The sound of the bones crunching was not pleasant, but it was impressive to see in the wild. Some extra-large tents had already been set up for us when we arrived at the campsite, so we could enjoy the evening as soon as we arrived. The site was hours from civilization, but I was still surprised when I was woken up by hyenas near our camp in the middle of the night. It was cool but creepy!

A Full Day of Safari Drives

We started our long safari drive around 8 AM, but first we got to admire lots of hot air balloons from our campsite (this was an optional excursion on our tour, but it was $600 USD so I did not partake). On our drive we saw topi (a type of antelope), zebras, giraffes, a leopard in a tree, baboons, and a huge lagoon of hippos. The hippos were passing gas, rolling over, talking, and overall just enjoying themselves in the mud. At one point we had a debate about whether zebras are black with white stripes or white with black stripes; our guide confirmed that they are indeed black with white stripes.

A lagoon full of happy hippos

We covered a lot of distance during the first half of the day, and the time flew by. The only bad thing was that the windows were hard to open because of all the dust; we even saw a dust devil at one point! Around lunchtime we saw a male lion sunning himself on a rock. We then drove a short distance to see some cheetahs that were hiding in a bush. On our way to lunch, the male lion from earlier climbed down from his rock, stood right next to our car, peed, and then headed somewhere else. It was amazing how large and majestic he was. I also thought that he looked like the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz in the face. Our guide told us that sometimes cheetahs will climb on the safari vehicles; thankfully not the case with the lions!

An encounter with a male lion

We stopped in the middle of the Serengeti for a really nice cooked lunch, and then we had more safari-ing in the afternoon. We saw lots more lions, including a standoff between two prides at a watering hole. Eventually we made it to our campground in the Ngorongoro area, where we had a few more wildlife encounters. We saw elephants right by our camp, and one of them even trumpeted at someone who got too close! I also saw a big group of zebras right by the dining hall as I was going to bed. We got to sleep in the big tents again, and thankfully they gave us an extra blanket because it was freezing that night!

A pride of lions at a watering hole

A popcorn snack with elephants in the distance!

The Incredible Ngorongoro Crater

We got up early the next morning to go for one final safari drive down in the Ngorongoro Crater. It was extremely foggy when we started the drive, but the sky cleared up once we got to the bottom of the crater. Our guide told us that Ngorongoro used to be a huge volcano before it erupted and collapsed on itself. Its elevation is 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) at the top and 1,400 meters (4,500 feet) in the crater itself.

Overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater

During the drive we saw lots of cape buffalo (the most dangerous of the Big 5 safari animals), more lions, baboons, waterbucks, elephants, flamingos, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, and a hyena. I loved all the scenery, and the area was extremely peaceful. I felt like I had been transported to the Elysian Fields; even the yellow bark on the trees was beautiful. The fields of zebras and wildebeest seemed to stretch on forever, and it was incredible seeing all the animals in harmony in their natural habitats.

A dangerous cape buffalo (don’t let this face fool you!)

An elephant in Ngorongoro

Zebras and wildebeest for miles

Right before lunch we “saw” a rare black rhino lying down in a field from super far away. You could just make it out with binoculars, but I was still excited to see it. Lunch was at the same picnic area as two days before, and afterwards we headed back to the Snake Park campsite. I went to see the snake exhibits this time and even held one. I also went to the Masai museum and learned a lot about the culture. They have a lot of disturbing cultural practices (including female genital mutilation, polygamy, and drinking cow blood), but it was interesting to learn about their culture. I was also surprised to learn that Cairo and Khartoum (Sudan’s capital) are Masai words.

We all had one final dinner together as a group (soup, Thai curry, and an amazing dessert called malva pudding). All of us signed a t-shirt to hang at Snake Park to memorialize our trip together, and Ma kept the bar open later than the first night. Most of the group stayed up late for once which was a nice surprise! I was sad that I would soon be saying goodbye to my new friends, and I even got emotional saying goodbye to Ma. Our last night together was one to remember!

One final group dinner

Saying Our Goodbyes in Nairobi

We set out early on the final morning of the tour to head to Nairobi, Kenya. Along the way our guide told us about the Chinese bridges and railroads that have been built and how China is loaning money to several developing countries. Crossing the border from Tanzania to Kenya was simple, although we had to show our yellow fever vaccination certificates. There were also lots of signs warning about Ebola at the border.

As we approached Nairobi, we learned that one million of the 6.5 million residents live in the Kibera slum which was mind-blowing. There is also tons of security everywhere because a Somalian militia group has been terrorizing Kenya (Kenya has been helping to bring law and order to Somalia). Indeed, we had to go through metal detectors when we stopped at a mall for lunch. It was interesting to learn these facts from a native Kenyan.

We arrived at our hotel around 2 and I was sad that the Lando ride was so short. I said goodbye to the group members who would be leaving in the afternoon and then had some much-needed rest in an actual bed. A group of us went to a Brazilian steakhouse called Carnivore for dinner, and there was security before you could even enter the parking lot. The food was all really good other than the ox testicles which were disgusting. The ostrich meatballs and crocodile were the other “exotic” foods on the menu, but they actually tasted really good. The steak and other normal foods were amazing as well!

I stayed at the hotel until the next day, where I had to say even more goodbyes. It was a depressing day as people left one by one. Finally it was just me and one other group member left; we headed to the airport together in the evening. Thankfully we weren’t alone because the security was insane! Our guide had warned us about the security beforehand, but it was still a weird experience. First, we had to get out of our Uber on a road near the highway (leaving our luggage in the trunk) to go through a metal detector. Then there was a second checkpoint as soon as we got to the terminal. There was normal airport security next, and then I had a fourth and final security check at the gate. Before long, it was time for me to board my flight to London and say goodbye to Africa. It was truly the experience of a lifetime!