- Serengeti Safari – Experience Wildlife of Africa
- Visit Serengeti – The Cheetahs of Serengeti
- Visit Serengeti – The Lions of Serengeti
- Wildlife in Ngorongoro Crater
Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.Gustave Flaubert
No trip to Tanzania can be deemed complete without visiting the bush. The plains of Serengeti are one of the best places on planet Earth for game safaris and spotting the Big Five. We had done the hard bit of our Tanzania Journey i.e.. Hiking Kilimanjaro (Click here) and it was now time to explore the wilderness – get close to nature – something I was eagerly waiting for. Join us on this Serengeti Safari and Experience Wildlife of Africa including Big 5.
On Day 1 we left from Arusha with our Kili Guide Eligius and a driver. The drive provided us an unique insight into the heartland of Tanzania. All might know Africa for its poverty and being the Dark Continent but the people here have the brightest hearts and the broadest smile. We sped our way North towards Serengeti, not before stopping at one of Tanzanian Traditional art shop – run by a Gujarati family from India. It was a very scenic drive seeing the heartland of Tanzania.
Finally after a long drive we reached the gates of Serengeti – Watch out for the monkeys here – They did try stealing my Camera! After a quick check in at the gates we entered Serengeti – our eyes keen to spot the first glimpse of wildlife. But it was just barren land – where did they disappear! We passed some Masai tribes on the way – again smiling and waving through adversity. The road was quite bumpy and dusty. The grasslands then started to appear. A slight bend on the road around a small hill and there it was – our first sight of the Majestic wildlife of The Serengeti.
I still remember the scene from the movie Jurassic Park 1 where they catch the first glimpse of the Dino while strolling around in a hybrid and the Jurassic park theme music playing in the background and the majestic long necked Herbivorous Dinosaur – Brachiosaurus appearing out of nowhere. This was the exact same feeling when I saw 3 long necked Giraffe! Simply overwhelming – that’s a good omen to what’s to come.
Read more of our experience while we came face to face with the elusive Cheetah – Click here.
After this, there was no stopping to the beauty of the landscape and we knew exactly why Serengeti is one of the best to spot the wilderness. It was the migration season so herds of wildebeests, Zebra grazing the grasslands. And better omen lay ahead for us, basking in the sun right next to the road were a Pride of Lion family. This was a great welcome. Amoli seemed a little scared to start with to see this magnificent beast up front, I was simply overjoyed. Read more about our experience with Lions (Read more).
A quick break and we were back on our way through the grassland getting more into the heart of north Serengeti. Absolutely Golden grasslands to the horizon – really hard to spot anything except for an Elephant! And so be it – next we see a Herd of Elephants at a distance, so we take a small detour for an up close visit. A beautiful family with their little ones – but dint have a prominent Bull – I was keen to see the Bull.
The sun was slowly setting on the horizon but not before seeing another Lion on a Rock cliff – Simba! We did also spot a leopard from a distance – could spot it using our binocolurs and camera lens but it wasn’t that clear. Also, a Lion on a tree — Yes, Lions do climb trees in Serengeti!
It was quite a tiring day but a great start to our Serengeti Journey. We knew we would have a great time here. As the sun set we made our way back to the forest camp we had booked for the night. This was an experience which I was eagerly looking for – staying in the bush midst of all the wildlife. These are tented lodges within the grasslands with bare minimum facilities but one of the best travel stay experiences of my life.
We were on our way to the camp when I just happened to spot something ahead of us on the road and I screamed to stop! It was a Spotted Hyena resting on the cold sand of the road tracks. I later learned from the camp caretakers that its a friendly Hyena which visits the camp every night seeking food. And it did visit the same night as well as we had our dinner with 2 gleaming green eyes crossing our tents. 
More of our Day 1 experiences —
Read more of our Safari experience here (Read more)
Read more of our Tanzania Journey here (Read more)
If you have any questions/feedback, please leave a comment with your email id and I’ll get back to you at the earliest.
This is Aldrin and my partner Amoli. We bring you "Earths Pilgrim" - a unique insight into our travel escapades while leaving life in a cubicle. If you are looking for some inspiration to break the shackles of a regular life, then you are the right place. Read more about us- Click here.
Wow, I loved your post. We also went on safari while in Tanzania, but we went to Ruaha state park instead of the Serengeti. Your story and photos brought back many memories.
Thnx a lot Cecelia