Where the wild things are
I was enjoying a cup of after dinner tea under an acacia tree when my guide Lyimo says "It's better not to be going to the toilet over there at night. Sometimes the lions is coming around." I says "Pardon?". Lyimo then proceeds to tell me about a previous time staying in this campsite in the middle of the Serengeti. He was awakened in the middle of the night to the terrible sound hyenas make when being pursued by lions. Missing the hyenas, the lions ended up in the campsite, which is completely open to the rest of the park. It was raining, so the lions decided to take a nap under a nearby shelter. 2 meters from his tent. For the next 3 sleepless hours, he was serenaded by the grunts and growls of these unexpected bedfellows.
I knew he was serious when he said he was sleeping in the truck instead of his tent. But my tent is stronger, so I should be fine. Reassuring. I looked down at my cup full of water and diuretic and determined that was enough tea for one evening. I drifted off with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" hopefully playing in my head.
Luckily, if the lions or any other creature did join us that night, I was blissfully ignorant. However, I have had many incredible close encounters with wildlife from the relative safety of our truck. I've spent the last 5 days in the back of an open roofed Toyota Land Cruiser, bombing through the National Parks of northern Tanzania. Tarangire with it's abundance of animals and baobab trees. Lake Manyara, set dramatically below the western escarpment of the great rift valley. The vast oceans of grassland known as the Serengeti, synonymous with the natural wonders of Africa. And the astonishing microcosm of east Africa that is Ngorongoro crater.
I was lucky enough to see just about every animal I could imagine. The "big five" (lions, elephants, buffalo, rhino, and leopards). Plus hippos, crocodiles, ostritch, hyenas, baboons, monkeys, warthogs, impalla, waterbucks, gazelles, giraffe, cheetah, and more wildebeest and zebras than you could shake a stick at. In the Serengeti, I was fortunate to catch the first of the herds migrating back down from Kenya. Countless, spreading across the grass to the edge of sight.
One of the highlights of the Safari came when we found a leopard that had hauled a fresh kill up into his tree. From where we sat, I could hear the bones crunch and the tendons snap as it bolted down it's prey. Creepy but cool. Another hightlight was this morning in the crater when a lioness decided to walk up an have a rest right under our truck. That's about as close as I ever hope to be.
It's been a wild last couple of days and I'm overwhelmed with all I've been privileged to see. Places like the Serengeti and animals like giraffes and hippos are the stuff of childhood dreams. Things read about in books and seen in films. So, to see them right in front of you is pretty surreal. Kept having to pinch myself and hope I wouldn't wake up.
But alas, my time in Tanzania is through. The next stop will be where the real wild things are. Nairobi. Or "Nairobbery" as it's affectionately known. I hope to see you all on the other side with at least most of my personal belongings.
I knew he was serious when he said he was sleeping in the truck instead of his tent. But my tent is stronger, so I should be fine. Reassuring. I looked down at my cup full of water and diuretic and determined that was enough tea for one evening. I drifted off with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" hopefully playing in my head.
Luckily, if the lions or any other creature did join us that night, I was blissfully ignorant. However, I have had many incredible close encounters with wildlife from the relative safety of our truck. I've spent the last 5 days in the back of an open roofed Toyota Land Cruiser, bombing through the National Parks of northern Tanzania. Tarangire with it's abundance of animals and baobab trees. Lake Manyara, set dramatically below the western escarpment of the great rift valley. The vast oceans of grassland known as the Serengeti, synonymous with the natural wonders of Africa. And the astonishing microcosm of east Africa that is Ngorongoro crater.
I was lucky enough to see just about every animal I could imagine. The "big five" (lions, elephants, buffalo, rhino, and leopards). Plus hippos, crocodiles, ostritch, hyenas, baboons, monkeys, warthogs, impalla, waterbucks, gazelles, giraffe, cheetah, and more wildebeest and zebras than you could shake a stick at. In the Serengeti, I was fortunate to catch the first of the herds migrating back down from Kenya. Countless, spreading across the grass to the edge of sight.
One of the highlights of the Safari came when we found a leopard that had hauled a fresh kill up into his tree. From where we sat, I could hear the bones crunch and the tendons snap as it bolted down it's prey. Creepy but cool. Another hightlight was this morning in the crater when a lioness decided to walk up an have a rest right under our truck. That's about as close as I ever hope to be.
It's been a wild last couple of days and I'm overwhelmed with all I've been privileged to see. Places like the Serengeti and animals like giraffes and hippos are the stuff of childhood dreams. Things read about in books and seen in films. So, to see them right in front of you is pretty surreal. Kept having to pinch myself and hope I wouldn't wake up.
But alas, my time in Tanzania is through. The next stop will be where the real wild things are. Nairobi. Or "Nairobbery" as it's affectionately known. I hope to see you all on the other side with at least most of my personal belongings.
posted by Justin Callison at 8:05 AM
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