Safari

Safari, the one activity that everybody who comes to Africa must do. A couple of months ago we decided to splash out and go on safari in Tanzania. Tanzania is the home of Ngorongoro Crater and the fabled Serengeti, so what better place to go see picture postcard Africa. We teamed up with Tim and Andrea from Hawaii, who have just sold their house and are spending 10 months touring around Africa. We headed out from Arusha to begin our 5-day action packed animal viewing extravaganza. First stop was Ngorongoro Crater, formed when the peak of an extinct volcano collapsed. The Crater is now home to the highest density of large animals on the continent. You descend out of the mist that seemingly always obscures the crater rim down onto a lush savannah landscape. Animals are dotted everywhere. There are many dirt tracks crisscrossing the plain making it simple to visit all the varying landscapes contained within the crater. If you only have a day to try and see animals, Ngorognoro Crater is the place to come. We managed to see all the animals you could dream of in the space of 3 hours. Although the Crater feels slightly like a zoo, except you're in the cage, it is amazing that so many large mammals can exist in such a small area.
The highlight of any safari in Tanzania must be the Serengeti. In Maasai language it means 'endless plains' and they definitely are. The tall whispy grass goes on forever, periodically broken up by flat topped Acacia trees. We visited just at the start of the dry season and managed to see a portion of the great migration. Unknown to me beforehand, it is not only the wilderbeest that follow the rains in a continuous circle up into Kenya and back again. The zebra also make the long march in search of water. We managed to see huge heards of zebra moving through the plains and even got to see them in a panic while drinking at a pond, constantly on the look out for crocodiles and lions. Of all we saw in our 3 days in the Serengeti the ultimate was the huge male elephant we came upon on our way back to camp. He had just pulled a tree down and was tucking into his dinner when we drove up. Naturally protective of his food, he was not pleased as we edged closer. After 20 minutes of incredible viewing we went to drive around him and continue down the road. As we approached he moved off the road, but suddenly swung around an went to charge us. Luckily he pulled back and instead trumpeted at us in both defiance and warning. All four of us passengers where petrified, but Bryson our driver and guide was unperturbed.
Our safari in Tanzania was wonderful. We were lucky enough to see all the animals we could wish to see and managed to have some close up contact. I don't think I will ever visit a zoo again after seeing the immense space the animals are free to roam in.