The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater

From Scott: This past week we went to Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area with Angela’s parents. It was great.

Things started out well for the girls the first night because we stayed at the Ngorongoro Farm House. Pampered luxury worthy of a Ralph Lauren advertisement. Greeted with juice, warm washcloths, and roasted cashews. Cabins looked like Pottery Barn meets Africa with blue tiled bathrooms/showers complete with a vessel sink. They were in heaven after being subjected to the roach motel (House of Angela - as they say here) back in Arusha.

We awoke the next day to an eight-hour drive on a dusty, washboard road. But the wildlife was spectacular. Wildebeest and zebra herds were migrating north towards Kenya. We were traveling to the northwest corner of the park to catch them as they crossed the Grumeti River. Along the road we saw herds of thousands of gazelle and impala.

Lunch at the entrance gate was a multinational experience with Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Norwegians, Brits, Africans, and a few Americans eating their park lunches. Charlie found a great bunch of agamas, lizards and chameleons competing for leftovers with mice and any number of birds.

After lunch, we saw a leopard relaxing in a tree.

That evening we arrived at our tented camp (10 tents) and were greeted by a very nervous-looking and tentative staff. Once we heard the loud, nearby mating lions we realized why. It was a little bit worrisome, since we had the last tent on the end closest to the lions. The staff escorted everyone as a group to and from their tents. On the way to dinner, they shined a flashlight beyond our tent and we could see the lions pacing and watching us about 25 yards away. The lions were so active earlier in the season that all the guests slept in one tent. Whoa. Of course on the way back from dinner we had to dodge a hippo wandering through camp. His munching and heavy footsteps outside our screen kept Angela up all night.

After the next morning’s breakfast, we went out for a more relaxed game drive. We saw huge herds of migrating wildebeest and zebras walking in long thin lines north.

When they reach the Grumeti River (filled with crocodiles and lions in the adjacent woods) the wildebeest all bunch up waiting for the leaders to decide if it safe to cross.
Sometimes they get spooked and change their mind mid-crossing. Some get injured. It is wild to watch.

In the afternoon after crossing through a tetse fly area (tough biters!), we returned to the hippo and crocodile filled river, watching herds come down to drink in safe areas. There was, of course, a suspended walking bridge over the river that Angela, Carol, and Charlie crossed, while 15-foot long crocodiles lounged below them. I wouldn’t go near the thing. We observed a lion pride from a distance while they awoke from their afternoon naps.

We left the Serengeti the next morning and headed to Ngorongoro Crater. On the way we saw the ostrich mating dance, spotted hyenas, jackals, a bustard (large ground bird), and the secretary bird (very large ground falcon).


The next morning we drove through a misty tropical forested canopy while the road descended steeply into the Ngorongoro crater. Even though it is filled with visitors, being in the large collapsed volcano filled with wildlife was worth it. The highlight of the trip was watching two cheetahs stalking a resting gazelle. Incredible patience; and when the gazelle caught on and stood up, they dropped and pretended like they didn’t care.

We of course ran into Bill Clinton in the Crater. As we passed his entourage of vehicles, Annie gave him a big “woo pig sooie” (the Arkansas Razorback’s call) - a big hit.

During lunch, everyone stayed on top of their trucks because a troop of black-faced vervet monkeys was stealing unattended lunches. Three climbed on top of our truck’s roof and almost got Charlie’s, snatched a cracker, but Charlie and Angela fought them back. Hilarious.