23rd August

 

The Serengeti is the climax of the safari, these are extracts of the official web site.

It was 1913 when Stewart Edward White, an American hunter found the Serengeti. The Maasai, had grazed their cattle on the vast grassy plains for millennia. To them it was Siringitu - "the place where the land moves on forever."

The Serengeti region encompasses the Serengeti National Park itself, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa Game Reserve, the Loliondo, Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Over 90,000 tourists visit the Park each year.

Two World Heritage Sites and two Biosphere Reserves have been established within the 30,000 km² region.

The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves.

Uplifted at the very proper time of 9 o’clock by 4x4 safari land cruiser covered not open but the roof lifts up so you can stand up and see the animals we travelled from Karatu via Arusha very much appreciated in the hot African sun.

 

The road to the park was sealed with Maasai herding goats alongside of the road.

 

Vendors line the highway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The road became real four wheel drive stuff.

 

Time to check out the Serengeti Plain below.

 

 

 

Maasi are everywhere in their traditional dress.

 

 

 

The national park entrance where fees have to be paid and details taken of who’s going in and out.

 

 

 

Workers travel in trucks

 

A Maasai village with thicket fence on the slopes of the surrounding hills.

 

 

Miles from anywhere a Maasai woman and child walking.

 

 

A secretary bird is a African raptor but in its own family.

 

 

 

A Jackal

 

 

This bird was cheeky and beautifully coloured.

 

Waiting for the paper war.

 

 

African skies, dramatic.

 

Zebra’s are not threatened by us in the Land-cruiser.

 

 

It’s a dusty dirt road and you have to be alert as vehicles are travelling quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

Time for a break, our group has three Land-cruisers. We can only get out at approved places to prevent us being lion tucker.

 

 

The Maasai can farm here as this is traditional Maasai land.

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t take long for these Maasai boys who are Sheppard’s to leave their goats and present themselves for their pictures to be taken for a dollar. These are incredible people, we could learn much from them.  

 

This group of boys are have undergone the circumcision process and are warriors.

 

Tradition has it that they must kill a lion but by law they are not permitted to do this however there is little consequence when a kill is made. The Government will now compensate them when a lion kills their domestic animals. It’s hard to understand how they can kill a lion with their traditional weapons.

 

 

This little gecko changes colour as the heat from the sun warms the body.

 

 

These two can make you smile.

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas and Laura a couple of bikers from Holland whose company we really enjoyed.

 

 

  

 

 

Look who’s popped out of the grass.

 

 

And looks who’s following wow!

 

 

 

 

Now where’s that cub of mine.

 

 

Time to find a bed.

 

 

There are two females with two cubs and it was time to settle down for the night in a bed of grass.

 

 

 

 

 

Hey I brave too!

 

The bigger cubs check out the surroundings.

 

 

 

Time to move on.

 

 

 

The sun is setting on our first night in the Serengeti. Now where’s our tent.