A first time on safari...

MEMORABLOG: 22-24.11.1998

Lets go to safari. The car came for us in time. Driver was only like 10 minutes late and that was excellent in »african« time... Jeep was quite big, made for 4 tourists including the driver, cook and a guide... Well... there were 6 of us, so, we had to squeeze a bit. Other 4 tourists consisted a couple from UK (he did some voluntary work for a few months in a village near Moshi) and two girls from Denmark (quite annoying, but they had an interesting gadget, a digital camera!!!).

Some kilometers from Arusha roads suddenly became gravel, and soon it was time to turn towards the national parks (if we continued on that road we would come to the western part of Tanzania, quite many hours later). On »safari« highway we passed many small villages, Lake Manyara, and some of the most unbelievable »moon« scenery...

Serengeti...
Sometime in early afternoon we finally came to the big plains of Serengeti... On a way towards our camp we saw many zebras, giraffes, and plenty of other animals that i really don't know name of... We even saw a few lions and a cheetah family resting in a shade... Nice...

»Serengeti highway« was incredible... in bad condition, but still, some really speed through it... And our jeep was flying and madly bouncing, and we were just holding for our life inside... Almost all cars are 4WD vehicles, with empasis on jeeps... so, seeing a Mercedes limousine was a surprise... What was not surprising was the fact that it broke down 

Safari trips include several »game drives«. The point is, that you see big 5.

That means, you sit in the car and try to see as many animals as possible, with a special emphasis. A lot depends on your guide, cause those guys have an incredible vision!!! Usually the best drives, and the game is the most active, early in the morning and late in the afternoon... During the heat of the day, all animals try to hide in the shade, and there is little possibility to see any hunting... Actually, did I mention heat before? It was really hot, though different, more dry, heat from Dar.

We went on a budget safari and that meant camping... setting your own tent, while all food and drinks is included in the package (ok, you have to bring your own water, and there was no possibility to buy either beer, water or anything else - the last possible place to buy water was at the Serengeti National Park entry gate). We were taken to a camp somewhere in the middle of Serengeti, I have completely no idea where we were... far away from civilization for sure, as the night was really full of shiny stars (and there was no light pollution anywhere close). The camp itself didn't have any fence, so, this was not the most reassuring thing. But, it should have guards awake (and i stress AWAKE) during the night... Tent was funny... well... a bit on a small side, for two tall guys... but ok, we at least won't be cold during the night... The night? Well... interesting one... actually, excitement started only then... First of all, all the tents were around a small campfire, where cooks were preparing the food (there were in total some 10-12 tents around). And then we went to sleep... a few minutes later our »guards« went asleep as well... Then the fun started... First came baboons, then hyenas... And they were all trying to get remains of our dinner, which were thrown on the fire (!!!??!). So, the animals started fighting, and were making the most impossible sounds... When they were not fighting you could hear bones crushing sounds... And hyenas... they are just like huge dogs... and as there was no fence, they were passing a few centimeters away from our tents... all that meant an unforgettable show that kept us scared and awake whole night... I shouldn't forget our guards, guides, drivers, cooks... they were all sweetly sleeping, probably that was like a lullaby for them...