Serengeti Safari

The Maasai call Siringitu “the place where the land moves on forever.” In Swahili, safari literally means "journey.” So, to say we have just returned from a journey through a place where the land moves forever is not too much of a stretch.

We left early Friday morning. “We” was Greg’s brother, David, his wife and daughter, Dorothy and Cheryl, brother, John , and Greg and me. Hired a driver with 10 passenger safari vehicle to drive/guide the distance. Goal first day: Arusha; distance: about 450 miles; time: about 10 hours. Long day. Bad news—my camera died, kaput, wouldn’t turn on. Good news—John is a professional photographer who probably would have laughed at my tiny camera anyhow.

Saturday, another early start. Drove through Ngorongoro Conservation Area to get to Serengeti. There is a fee for every day you are in the park so we split our 2 days over 3—afternoon/night (day 1), full day (day 2), morning (day 3)...with the two nights at Sopa Lodge.

Going on a safari is not like a game park or zoo. You drive very slowly over dirt roads and constantly scan the horizon and landscape for movement. Sometimes you are overwhelmed (as with the tens of thousands of animals congregating in preparation of annual migration.) Sometimes you are surprised to find yourself ten feet from a napping lion. Sometimes you become distracted by the cool-looking vegetation (yellow-barked fever trees, endless grassy plains, umbrella acacia trees.) But you are always looking. And my, were we rewarded—just look at the pictures!

We got to stop at another Maasai village on the way home. The men danced and the women sang for us. Way, way cool. It is fall/the rainy season but we have been blessed with GREAT weather. A few good downpours that broke the heat but nothing constant. On the drive up Kilimanjaro was socked in. On the way back no one but Dorothy even looked. She said, "and right over here is where Kilimanjaro is." And, as if on cue, the clouds parted for 5 minutes. We jumped out of the car and took pictures, and then the clouds returned. Wow.

Headed to the airport for 2 days of travel. 10 hour stopover in Amsterdam. Plan is to ride a bus out to see the bulb fields. It is peak season; how great is that?