Animals of the Serengeti no one really talks about

Often ignored but really pretty are all the different gazelles here. Just whilst writing this blog I realised, that even I don’t have a lot of fotos of these guys, mostly because our guide only stopped for lions an elephants or upon our request…

Impalas
Female impapa
Male impala
Topi
Young Topi
Thomson Gazelle
Grant Gazelle
Heartbeast
DikDik
Waterbuck

😁

Buffalo
Rock hyrax, the say it’s related to elefants – hard to believe…
Mongoose

Somehow one wouldn’t expect a lake like the Salty lake Magadi in the Savanna. However, it’s there and full of life.

Not a friendly one…

The number of offerent birds here is just amazing.

Lilac breasted roller
Hornbill
Ground hornbill
Male ostrich
Kori bastard
Secretary
Vulture
Guineafowl

Sometimes it’s just the breathtaking landscape…

Sausage tree
Termite mound
Off to Zanzibar
Flying over NgoroNgoro Crater
Approaching Zanzibar

The kings of the Serengeti

OK, ok, ok, when it comes to lions I’m not a bit better as anyone else, I just love watching these lazy cats. And we’ve seen many of them, some lying in the shade, even under cars…

… others drinking…

… Feeding…

… Stunningly climbing. Yeah, these are not leopards but lions. I’m still amazed, I’ve certainly heard of lions climbing trees, but so far never saw it. Here we go…

And then the all time favorite, lion cubs. Playing around, gnawing on sticks, cuddling, rolling down the little hill, teasing their mum and being all in all just to cute. But no, they are still all there, I’ve restrained from taking one with me…

Dots after stripes – Cheetahs in the Serengeti

Even being for severak days on safari we haven’t seen to many dotted cats. No leopard at all and only 3 Cheetahs. Well, with our guide trying to cut all game drives short we were a bit unlucky anyway. I already assumed we got not the best guide in the Serengeti, when he suggested 8 as a starting time for the first morning instead of the usual sunrise time. I just looked slightly shocked at him and insisted on leaving at the first daylight…

However, our first cheetah appeared in the hottest time of the day, sulking in the shade of a tree and not showing much of movements.

Paparazzi Markus

The second sighting was far more interesting. Two Cheetahs under a tree in the later afternoon.

Luckily we insisted not being Chineese tourists who want to stay at an animal for the time of one picture only but rather take our time to watch. Furthermore, there was a lonely Thomson gazelle just across the road. And amazingly they started their hung, seeking camouflage behind our vehicle, neaking closer and without any chase or attempt to run off they caught their prey. Crual, but nature and rather exciting to watch.

Geting up
Get on the move
Looking determinded
Towards our vehicle
Use our car as camouflage
Start to approach the prey
Start to run and Thomson still sitting clueless, only horns visible
Last meter
Cahght it
Death bite
Digging in
None else around?
Moving the prey
After the Cheetahs have finished, it’s time for the hyanas and vultures

All about stripes in the Serengeti

I damit I just adore this funny striped animals. The zebras with their to short legs, their to round bottom and accurate stripes are just to funny. They appear in big groups and as soon as a vehicle comes closer they always start running, stopp short after and turn aound ti stare at me. Unfortunately inly as long until I focus with my camera, this leads to a hundert of such fotos…

Teasing to the right
Teasing to the left
No foto please
Is there at least one looking?

Now and then I get lucky 🙂

Hi

But a really great sighting was seeing them going for a drink at the waterwhole.

Since they are really vulnerable whilst drinking it’s a skittish thing, they keep lifting and lowering their heads and even run of and return.

Running away
Carefully coming back

However, no idea how they can stand the smell of the Hippo poop in the pool. I personally wouldn’t enter this water for a million and even less drink it.

The ugly fellows in the Serengeti

There are some animals every tourist wants to see and the famous expression „the big five“ doesn’t really help. Originally meant for the 5 most difficult to hunt and kill the animals nowadays everyone seems to aim to see them on a safari, and not only the tourists but also the guests, lots of pressure for everyone. But, let’s talk about other interesting things like the hyanas. At the latest since „Lion King“ everyone thinks the are ugly and mean. But they are kind of the cleaners of the Savanna, imagine the stink if hyanas and vultures wouldn’t finish of the prey of the cute furry hunters like lions, Cheetahs and leopards.

Yea, not the most elegant frame…
Getting rid of this bone
Cooling mud bath
But still kind of cute

And see them with their puppies…

Still hiding
Mother love
Carrying around a baby

Well, after the hyanas it’s usually the task of the vultures to finish off, amazing birds when it comes to size.

Not a vulture but a Marabu Stork

No idea why the wharthogs belong to the ugly five. I personally find them cute, especially the young ones.

You don’t want to mess with this one
Foto bomb
After the mud bath

OK, I admit the Gnu isn’t the most elegant animal in the Serengeti. However, Noone can deny that the mass of these fellows during migration is just impressive. Even I was stunned and these herds currently in Central Serengeti is only the beginning of the yearly wandering of over 1.3 million of gnus over more than 1000 km south to the plains where they head for besser meadows and for calving in February.

On the run

NgoroNgoro to Asanja Camp Serengeti

The drive along the crater rim and on to the Serengeti entrance gate is long and tiring, but beautiful.

The viewpoint at the entrance gate provides a magnificent view over the Serengeti plains. The Maasai word Siringit means endless land, this view makes clear why.

Along he main road into the Serengeti we already see our first lions.

The second pride of lions shows at a rather unusual compilation, seeking shade in the shadow of a safari vehicle.

Although I’m not a big fan of such unnatural behavior, it’s fun to watch them and even funnier as two days later it happened to us as well.

Walking towards us
Taking a rest in the shade of the vehicle
Staring at me

I just love the reception at our camp Asanja, which means ‚lovers‘ .

Then getting the Enkiama tent had Markus shocked more than a bit. The Maasai word Enkiama stands for one of the Maasai ceremonies, the wedding ceremonie🤭.

Tent in a safari camp

I admit the nights in the Serengeti are romantic, all this stars and then a bonfire at night.

Dinner table
Ole tending the fire

OK, the romantic kind of ended with a very entertaining night with Gnus snorting and running around, lions roaring and hyanas lauthing. In the morning we’ve found a lion kill just about 50 meters in front of our tent. This was probably the first time no the second I’ve ever felt slightly scared walking around in Africa’s Savanna bit with 4 lions, 13 hyanas, a dead gnu and one Massai right in front of our tent, we got slightly nervous…

Guarding the prey
Marabou stork ready to finish of any remaings
Inspecting the prey
Typical lunch in the Serengeti, unfortunately not in the wild anymore but in designated picknick areas for safety reasons
Red billed hornbill
Feeding his mate

Tanzania – NgoroNgoro Crater

Well, finally facing two weeks of vacation instead of having ony a short one week break feels like heaven. Having the opportunity to spend it in some of the most beautiful places I know is even better and finally being arrived in Tanzania without any troubles at the Immigration is the best. Honestly, we weren’t so sure, because Markus visum wasn’t approved at all, mine on the other hand has been issued, but wrong. However, everything worked out as things always seems to work in Africa and we could immigrate with a friendly smile and no problems at all. Our pickup worked and after a long and tiring drive we arrived just at sunset time at NgoroNgoro Crater.

Crater view
Welcome dance at Lions Paw Camp
Askari at the camp fire

Yes I know, I’ve said years ago that NgoroNgoro is to crowded for me and I wouldn’t go again. Well, today proved me wrong, there are still a lot of cars in the crater, but imagine 50 vehicles on about 300km of roads to drive… It was a great experience and the landscap is very special.

Crowds at lunch break
Coffee station – still can’t believe it
First surprise in the morning… A rare sighting this cerval cat
The king
Watching out…
Gnus
Foto bomb…
Being hungry
Being thirsty
Who said hyanas are not cute?
OK, one can argue…
Thomson Gazelle
Eland
Warthog
Buffalos
Baboon
Hitching a ride

Sometime one could forget that Africa also means lakes and nautic birds.

OK, not really a bird…
Secretary
Lilac breasted roller
Crown Kranich
Kori Bastard
Male Austrich

Stone Town Zanzibar

Zanzibar – Gewürzinsel, Nelkeninsel, die etwas mystische, sagenumwobene ehemalige Sklavenhandelsinsel und der Geburtsort von Freddy Mercury liegt direkt vor der Ostküste Afrikas. Bekannt ist die Insel für Gewürze, sagenhafte Tauchspots, weisse Traumstrände und kürzlich berüchtigt für sogenannte Corona Partys; ist mir alles egal. Nur schon die Ankunft war spektakulär, die Passagiere des ersten Edelweissflugs direkt nach Kilimanjaro und Zanzibar werden traditionellerweise mit Wasserwerfern und Maasaitänzen empfangen, herrlich.

Für reine Strandferien ist die Insel definitiv zu schade, zu spannend ist die alte UNESCO geschützte Stone Town. Aufwändig geschnitzte Türen erinnern an die persische Herrschaft.

Die Stadt ist zudem ein Shopping Eldorado, alles ist farbig, die Sinne werden heillos überfordert. Aufs heftigsten überfordert wird manchmal auch meine Geduld, die Händler sind sehr sehr aufdringlich und anstrengend… Trotzdem, etwas Unterstützund für die lokale Bevölkerung muss sein…

Mein persönliches Highlight sind wie immer der lokale Markt und Essensstände am Strassenrand. Hygiene, kein Problem, alles wirkt sauber, zumindest auf mich.

Toll sind auch die diversen Rootoop Restaurants oder Cafés mit Blick über die Altstadt.

Und ja, zwischendurch ein Päuschen am Beach, gerne auch mit Blick auf den Sonnenuntergang ist auch nicht zu verachten.