Truly the land of endless plains
A few Hours in The Serengeti
How does any amazing journey start?? With one split decision, “We have to go to the Serengeti”. Serengeti roughly translates to “the place where the land runs on forever or endless plains”, in the Maasai language. Serengeti is acknowledged by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, it is safe to assume that it got this status due to the magnificent landscapes and animals it holds. The Serengeti National Park is about 200 miles from Arusha and Kilimanjaro. Some people prefer to drive from Arusha and enjoy the scenic en-route drive through Ngorongoro Conservation Area, but others prefer flying to Serengeti National Park trying to start their safari as early as possible..
2 lionesses and 1 cub
The excitement fills into our hearts as to what the day would have in store for us, and we weren’t wrong to have not seen what we saw coming. Our first day in the Serengeti was mesmerizing, to be able to still have enthusiasm to see and spot animals was astounding. In just a few hours into the Serengeti, we were fortunate enough to see 2 lionesses and 1 cub feasting on a Caracas, the Caracas looked to be at least 2 days old, but in the Serengeti food is food and what can be eaten will be eaten. We snapped a few pictures of these lions, unfortunately they were quite far but nonetheless, they were LIONS! After leaving the lions behind us, in less than 5 minutes we were at the Naabi Gate, we were having mixed feelings about whether or not we wanted to leave the car seeing the lions just 5 minutes prior, but our driver assured us it was safe.
Serengeti – endless savannah plains
After finishing the formalities at the Naabi Gate, we began our actual journey into the Serengeti, and one thing we could definitely point out is that the Maasai’s were not wrong..! “The place where the land runs on forever”, was the perfect description of what was in front of our eyes. No hills, no mountains, no clouds, just golden sun kissed grass in the savannah plains with mysterious secrets and the blue sky. It was like as if we could see where the sky and land met.
The golden sun kissed grass in the savannah plains hold more mysteries than one can imagine, this gives a sense of thrill because you don’t know what might come up at any point. The thrill is what these safaris hold, to be able to see animals in their natural habitat; in the wild was truly a blessing. Another thrill that safaris bring is the thrill of constantly engaging with the driver to find possible animals around, constantly looking for something different or something that’s moving in these plains. In a nutshell, it’s like playing Where’s Waldo, except the animals don’t wear red and white stripped clothes and are rather hard to spot due to their natural camouflage. It is a test to one’s ability to spot animals, we failed terribly but our driver was gifted. He could spot animals even from 400m away, which was extraordinary, and you think to yourself “How is that even humanly possible?”
Big Cats are camouflage
I mean if you think about it, Serengeti is varied with flat-topped acacias, rolling plains and open grasslands that are bordered by hills and rocky formations but it is home to millions of animals, how hard can it be to spot animals?? My answer to that is; the bigger animals who also happen to be herbivores such as elephants, giraffes, buffalos, wildebeests are not as hard to spot as the carnivores i.e; Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards, Serval Cats, Jackels, Hyenas and many more. It takes a lot more effort to look for the Big Cats as they camouflage into the golden open grasslands. Sometimes a cat might be less than 20 m away from you, but you might fail to spot it because of how well it blends in with the environment it is in. This is a big helping hand for the cats when it comes to hunting.
Serengeti is home to animals such as the big cats, lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, vultures, hippos, giraffes, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, buffalos, warthogs, impalas, gazelles, topis, elands, and many more spectacular types of bird life. If you love animals, Serengeti should be on your bucket list and a destination that should definitely be ticked on your list. A MUST VISIT.
