The Serengeti—a seemingly endless expanse of wildlife-rich grassland encompassing large parts of Tanzania and neighboring Kenya—has fascinated me since childhood. Starring in countless nature documentaries, the region is famed for “The Great Migration,” the world’s largest migration of animals journeying through the sprawling national park in search of fresh grass. Of course, along with the herds come fearsome predators, including lions, leopards, cheetah, and hyenas vying for their next meal. So it was with great excitement that we dusted off our cameras, practiced our best David Attenborough impressions, and set off to explore this natural wonder for ourselves.
We began our safari at the charming Kudu Safari Lodge in the small town of Karatu, the “gateway to the Serengeti,” where we boarded 4x4 jeeps vehicles to take us into Ngorongoro National Park. Adjacent to the Serengeti, this stunning park is dominated by the vast Ngorongoro Crater — the world’s largest intact caldera — which was formed when a giant volcano erupted and then collapsed about 2 million years ago. After descending the steep slope to the crater floor, we marveled at the variety of wildlife thriving in this unique ecosystem, including Cape buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, ostrich, hippos, and Thompson gazelle.
As we continued our drive, we skirted around a shallow soda lake filled with hundreds of flamingos — the only birds who thrive in this salty brine — to reach an area of marshy wetlands. Here we found wallowing hippos, white pelicans, and grey-crowned cranes, so named for the elaborate tuft of yellow-gold feathers atop their heads. We also spotted a pride of lions prowling in the distance. This wasn’t a surprise, considering the crater hosts one of the densest populations of lions of Africa, but we were shocked by how close they got to our vehicles. We watched in astonishment as a couple of lionesses approached our parked jeeps and promptly settled down in a shady spot just inches away from the back tire. We were so close that a number of people in our group were able to take a selfie.
Exhilarated by our close encounter, we reluctantly left the crater to begin our journey into the Serengeti. Along the way, we passed Masai villages and herdsmen tending to their flocks of cattle and goats. As the traditional inhabitants of the area, the Masai have been granted farming rights inside the Ngorongoro conservation area. However, recent discoveries of the world’s oldest human remains — including the those of our earliest pre-human ancestors — suggest the Masai are only the latest in a long line of human occupants to call this area home. Now scientists believe this part of Africa has been continuously inhabited for millions of years.
After entering the Serengeti park gates, we headed to our campsite located deep inside the national park. Without fences, the campsite remained open to passing wildlife, and as darkness fell, we heard the distinctive barks of hyena and the (thankfully distant) roar of lions. Following a nervous night, we set off the next morning in search of the vast herds this region is famed for. We were quickly surrounded on all sides by countless wildebeest and zebra.
After leaving the herd to graze, we received a tip that a leopard had been spotted nearby. Sure enough, we soon spotted a distinctive feline shape moving through the tall grass. Our driver was able to position the vehicle so that we got a clear view as the magnificent animal strode calmly past us before climbing a nearby acacia tree, where it settled on a branch to survey the surrounding wilderness.
After a second day of spotting more wildlife than we could count, we exited the park and drove north into Kenya. After a brief stop in Nairobi, we continued on to Lake Victoria before swinging back into the Serengeti via the park’s northern entrance. We found this region to be much greener — a result of recent heavy rains — and able to sustain large herds of elephants, Masai giraffe, more wildebeest and zebra, and topi, a large antelope.
After spending another night under the stars, we encountered a lioness stalking a herd of topi the following morning. We watched — hearts in mouths — as the lion pursued the nervous herd, wondering if we were about to see a kill. However, it soon became clear that this lone female was more interested in rejoining her pride, which we later found basking on one of the islands of giant boulders (known as koppies) dotting the area. A product of region’s volcanic history, these koppies were the inspiration for the Lion King’s Pride Rock — and it’s easy to see why. We counted more than 14 lions surveying their domain from this one outcropping!
The Serengeti is dominated by grasslands, but it’s also home to a varied ecosystem that supports an incredible diversity of animals. Following a shallow river, we came across a waterhole choked with hippo. There were so tightly pressed together, it was hard to tell how many there were. Hippo typically spend the day wallowing in mud to protect themselves from the sun before emerging after dark to eat grass. Although exclusively vegetarian, they’re also notoriously bad tempered, accounting for more human fatalities then any other mammal in Africa!
Leaving the hippo in peace, we began our journey back to the Ngorongoro conservation area. For the past few days, we had used our overland truck as a Safari vehicle, which provided an elevated viewpoint over all the other vehicles but also subjected us to a very bumpy ride! After rattling along the dirt track connecting the two parks, it was a huge relief to finally arrive at our camp on crater’s ridge that evening. The next day, we mercifully switched into the smoother 4x4 Jeeps and headed back down into the crater, where the highlight was observing a pack of spotted hyena.
It’s safe to say that our time in the Serengeti more than lived up to our expectations! In addition to witnessing the Great Migration up close, we spotted tons of giraffe, hippo, elephants, gazelles, and countless birds and smaller mammals that call this unique area home. As we left the park behind, the only question left was what to do with the thousands of photos we had taken!
By Tom Mountford