Safari Day 2 - Serengeti

This morning, we got up and had a tasty breakfast at our lodge with Chris before we set off for Serengeti National Park at around 9am.  After driving through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to which we will return tomorrow evening, we got to Serengeti at around 12pm.  We had lunch and hiked up to an overlook where we could get a sense of the size of the 14,000 sq km park.  Serengeti means “endless plain,” and it certainly lives up to the name!

Just after 1:45pm we began our safari through parts of the park.  We saw 12 different new species, including Thompson’s Gazelle, Grant’s Gazelle, Hyena, Cheetahs, Heartbeast, a Hippopotamus, a Jackal, Lions, a Black Rhino (from very far away), Topi, a Buffalo, Koribastards, and Vultures.  We also were able to see many more elephants, giraffes, zebra, baboons, impala, and wildebeest. 

The highlights were seeing a mother cheetah and her four cubs, a small pride of lions licking their lips to get us, Simon being able to distinguish between a big hippo and a large boulder, and a massive buffalo chewing on some tall grass. 

(Yes, that’s a rhino) 

As if that wasn’t enough, when we began our drive to our lodge, which is in the northern region of the park, we came upon a large pride of lions eating a zebra.  Apparently the lions had scared away some hyena, who were now patiently waiting their turn, and then vultures also kept tabs on the situation from a nearby tree.  It was not the easiest sight to see, but a remarkable chance to witness the food chain live, in living color! Toto, we’re not at the zoo anymore. We 

(Fairly graphic content below)

What a day! Tomorrow we continue exploring the Serengeti before heading back down to Ngorongoro.  We’re in search of leopards!