I don’t know why Mom and Dad got so excited about traveling to Africa. They say it’s because they can see exotic wild animals in their natural habitat. Whatever, but they get to see me in my natural habitat every day! So, I asked Mom to give me a better understanding of why they would fly 20+ hours just to see cute furry little animals just like me.  

So, Mom started rambling …

The word Serengeti is derived from the Maasai word meaning “endless plain”. The Serengeti is a sea of grassland and Acacia trees seemingly never-ending and serene. OK, I really like trees, so go on.  The grasses gently flow in the breeze reflecting the golden light of the sun. It is the perfect camouflage for lions as they move with grace surrounded by the tasty abundance of the great migration. I really like kitty cats, too.

The migration is two million wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelle moving together in a 1,000-kilometer circle in Tanzania and Kenya in search of new pasture. It is the largest remaining unaltered animal migration in the world. Unique to see while traveling to Africa, it is almost unbelievable – the sheer number of animals moving together and working together to avoid predators.

On our first drive we came upon a lioness with a fresh wildebeest kill. So fresh, the eyes of the animal were still aglow, alive. It is so amazing (and challenging) to witness this circle of life. Our next discovery was a cheetah tucked in the tall grass watching over its gazelle kill, while also watching over two cubs, still fluffy with fuzzy fur.

We saw giraffes and elephants in large groups, called towers and memories. Towers and memories, how fitting for both animals.

In Tanzania coffee is a culture. In certain parts of the country near the Ngorongoro Crater coffee plantations abound. We stayed amid a large coffee plantation at The Manor. The rich black soil gave the air an aroma of earthy dark coffee and the plants were covered with thousands of deep crimson beans. Traveling to Africa is punctuated by the rich taste of its coffee. Mom does love her coffee.

The Ngorongoro Crater is actually a caldera, named by the Maasai after the sound produced by the cowbell (ngoro ngoro). What makes it special is wildlife including pink flamingo and the fact that hominid species have occupied the area for 3 million years. So smarty Mom, what is the difference between a crater and caldera? According to our guide James, a caldera is a specific type of crater that’s formed by the collapse of a volcano.

Elephants only sleep a few hours of the day, the rest of the time they are roaming, foraging and frolicking. Our tent at the Serengeti Pioneer Camp was on the edge of the wilderness. We walked with zebras in the afternoon and that night there was a memory of elephants at the front door of our tent. To be perfectly honest, tent is not a fair description as we had zippered windows all around, a front porch, a hot shower, a flushing toilet, running water, a desk to journal like Hemingway, raised ceilings and about 600 sq ft of space. Lux! We watched the elephants in the moonlight, until they decided to move on. 

Next stop was Hippo haven along the Grumeti River. Hippos spend their days in and under water, in the evening they roam on land. In the evenings we could hear them “honking” and moving through the vegetation just outside our chalet. 

Wait, wait, honking hippos in the middle of the night is OK, but my occasional snoring is not welcome. I’m calling double-standard Mom!

Botswana

Now imagine being on a small boat, winding through the waterways in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Great care is taken around every curve in that you might encounter an elephant crossing the narrow channel. More dangerous are bubbles on the surface of the water. Bubbles indicate Hippos underwater that could easily upend our small watercraft. 

Moving through the narrow channels of the Delta, the papyrus forms a gentle and graceful canopy. With a keen eye we spot many birds – lark, ibis, king fisher, copper, and bee catchers. And on the shores hidden in the mud, crocodiles. 

That day, we were headed to an island for a walking safari. Once we arrived and anchored the boat, our guide, Taps, loaded his impressive rifle and we started our trek. What a day. Elephants, lions, warthogs, baboons with their babies, kudu, bushbuck, and lechwe.

A rest in the afternoon and back on the water in a mokoro – a canoe for a quiet serene voyage on the small corridors of water lined with papyrus and African water daisies.

Sunsets on the Okavango Delta were magical. And as we stopped the boat for a view we enjoyed a Gin and Tonic prepared by our guide. A “Sundowner” experience.

The next day we headed to another island, very different with tall grasses and marsh teaming with life. On the way, traveling through the water we came upon two bull elephants. It seemed unreal. The island felt like a movie set, the landscape and wildlife were amazing. We also tracked two recent kills by watching the vultures circling overhead. On the previous night a lion had taken down a kudu for dinner and further on, a bushbuck had been hoisted high into a tree. Most likely by a leopard.

The next early morning we set off in search of several lion brothers who were tracked into, but not out of, some brush the prior afternoon. Working together our guides found them, as well as their meal for days to come, a Cape Buffalo. We watched the lions sleeping with full bellies, again our vehicle seemed invisible to the lions from close distance. One lion decided he needed breakfast, got up and sauntered by us for another helping of Buffalo. Once finished he left for the water hole. We followed shortly after. As the lion was drinking, a wildebeest, a journey of giraffe, and herd of impala were all cautiously watching from across the small pond.

We followed this with a game drive to Savuti Marsh which has been dry for several years. Not due to drought, but shifts in tectonic plates. It is a beautiful expanse of grasslands where all sorts of animals graze. Our guide was excited to spot a herd of eland – rare to see in the area. Look left to a tower of giraffe, at the water hole two bull elephants stop for a drink and a splash of mud. Herds of zebra, wildebeest and impala abound. And at sunset we capture the wildebeest in motion.

The Africa Tree of Life

Africa is so rich in wildlife and natural beauty it is magical. Each day, each location brings a new experience beyond comparison. 

Zanzibar

Traveling to Africa must include a side trip to the island of Zanzibar for a lot of pampering. The Kilinde resort was just the ticket. R&R and a sunset cruise on a wooden dhow boat – an Arab sailing vessel with slanting triangular sails.

Oh, and what’s this – time at the beach in Zanzibar?  Now I’m a little bit hurt, they know how much I like the beach.  Zoomies in the sand, all the fishy smells. . .Wonder what’s cooking for dinner, maybe I’ll get a bit of salmon. . . my parents are the best! I guess it’s OK they went traveling to Africa.

Enough of the wild animals, here I am in my natural habitat.