*some images may be graphic*
SERENGETI!!! Today we spent almost 15 hours in Serengeti National Park. Some areas lived up to the “endless plains“ name, with no trees within sight. Other places in the park had scattered trees or standing rock piles (think “Pride Rock” from the Lion King movie).
We saw a large group of hippos in a pond, and several yawned at us, showing off their tusks. Earlier in the day, we had seen the mating and courtship displays of two ostrich. Gazelles and zebra roamed everywhere.
The biggest excitement of the day was lions feeding on a buffalo carcass in the middle of the road. The lions took turns eating while the entire pride lounged under shady trees nearby. They did not seem to care about the half dozen safari vehicles and tourists surrounding them just feet away.
Over the course of the day, our caravan of safari vehicles got three flat tires. The first one was right after we encountered the lion pride, so I‘m glad we didn‘t have to replace it near them. One of the tires was so worn from the drive that its tread came off. Luckily all safari vehicles have two spare tires. There are a couple repair stations within the national park because this issue is so common.
While we waited during one of the rounds of repairs, we stopped at a picnic area that had several food stands and gift shop tents. One was advertising a tour of a tanzanite mine, so I went in and asked some questions. Tanzanite, my favorite gemstone, is periwinkle-colored and only found here in Tanzania. I was very curious about it and also wanted to look at some of the jewels they had on display. While talking to the workers, I learned that there is only one tanzanite mine in the world and we actually drove by it when we went through Arusha! Contrary to what some jewelers in the US might say, the mine is still active, but finds can be rare.
As for my taxonomic group, we spotted a single eland at dusk while exiting the park. Since we had spent the entire day there, it was getting dark as we returned to Olduvai. This meant we got to see a few nocturnal animals. An African wild cat, which is closely related to domestic cats, ran across the road, as well as several black backed jackals.
While spending all day in the safari vehicles, Kacey and I have been practicing Swahili phrases. At the gate to the national park, I spent some shillings on a map of the surrounding area and a tamarind juice drink (yum)!
Napenda twiga,
Carina
