Serengeti to Ngorongoro
It is another early morning start as, leaving before the sun rises, we hope to catch up with more of the big cats while they are still in hunting mode.
Not far from camp, this guy has managed to take down a buffalo right next to the road during the night and is now keeping a watchful eye on his prize as hordes of tourists poke their heads out of the top of their jeeps to take pictures. I have a few pictures of the buffalo as well but won’t post them here. Safe to say it is pretty messed up.
Continuing our search, we tick off another item from our “must see” list, hippos. They are not a glamourous bunch, soaking themselves in the same water they poop in, but I guess there isn’t really anyone out here to impress.
The big find of the day is leopards. We spotted a few yesterday way up in the rocks, but even with binoculars they were hard to make out and didn’t seem to move at all. If some enterprising tour company just put a stuffed one up there to make sure their clients were happy we’d be none the wiser. These two are much more active though, patrolling their territory a bit before climbing up in a tree to wait for an unsuspecting meal to wander by. Unfortunately, it all happens a bit too far off for our basic iPhone cameras, but we gave our email addresses to our Italian friends who said they would share their photos once they are back home. If so, I will add a few here as an update.
After a quick bite back at camp, we set a course back through the park towards Ngorongoro. It is another four hours in a jeep we have already been sitting in for six, but the good news is that the roads are so bumpy my phone is giving me credit for more than 15,000 steps!
Not far from the park entrance we pull over to take a look at this fellow and his friend right behind him. They are casually posted up under a tree right next to the road, close enough that if I had a five iron I could give them a few gentle pokes. Yes, the same kind of wild animal that ripped the back end off a buffalo. Right outside my freakin’ window.
The rest of the drive is uneventful and close to dinner time we pull into our campsite up on the rim of the crater. Tents are quickly set up and our cook gets busy whipping up another three course meal while we take advantage of the hot showers and bathrooms with toilet paper instead of just a bum gun (basically the spray nozzle from a kitchen sink).
As is quickly becoming our M.O., by 9 o’clock we’re in bed and fading off to sleep. Tomorrow is the last day of our safari so soon all of this sitting will be over and the real work will begin.