The following are questions my wife and I wrestled with while planning our safari to Tanzania or that were asked upon our return. I will not be telling you to take your camera, binoculars, insect repellent and sunscreen. If you need that level…Read More

The following are questions my wife and I wrestled with while planning our safari to Tanzania or that were asked upon our return. I will not be telling you to take your camera, binoculars, insect repellent and sunscreen. If you need that level of advice, you may want to skip the safari.

1. How do I pick a tour operator? Should I take a group tour? This is your most important decision. Pick the wrong tour operator and you could end up bumping around in an old minibus, staying in poor hotels, and not seeing everything you should.

Go online to get an idea of what's available, but don’t make your decision based on which website is the nicest. Use a travel agent experienced in Tanzania, talk to someone who’s been there, read guide books, and look for personal reviews like this one.

Our choice came down to going through a New York City-based travel agent or using an operator based in Arusha that was recommended in a recent guide book and who responded to emails. We went through the travel agent and are confident we made the right choice. Our Toyota Landcruiser was clean and new and we always saw other vehicles from the same operator in all the parks we visited. We never saw any vehicle from my internet alternative. Of course, quantity of vehicles is not a guarantee of tour quality, but it’s probably a good indicator.

Our tour operator was Roy Safaris and this is the only company I can personally recommend. I’m sure there are other good operators. Two companies we encountered that seemed to have numerous and well-maintained vehicles were Leopard Tours and Tropical Trails.

A word about group versus individual tours. Our 3-member family was very comfortable in our 6-seat Landcruiser. But we saw other vehicles containing 6 or 8 people that looked crowded and uncomfortable. Plan your own individual safari if you can. In a group, you may meet some nice people from Buffalo, but is that why you’re going?

2. What about Hotels? If you pick a good tour operator, you can be confident they will recommend lodges with which you will be satisfied. But you can also read reviews and visit lodge websites to get an idea of what you might like. Not everyone wants to stay in the 4-star overgrown lodge where most of the tour groups go. Perhaps you’d like to try a tent. If you have preferences, communicate them to your travel agent or tour company and ask their advice.

3. Long or Short? I wondered about this one a lot. Should I take short or long-sleeve shirts and shorts or long pants? I concluded I should take both kinds of shirts and primarily long pants. You may like to live in shorts. This is fine; you will just look more like a tourist. Tanzanian men mostly wear long pants. My wife and daughter wore mainly slacks as well. The appropriateness of the short or long-sleeved shirt seemed to depend on the weather.

4. What about bugs? I’m sure this answer depends on the time of year and the places you visit. As for me, I saw only one mosquito on our whole trip. Once we had a fly in our room(!). In the Serengeti, small non-biting flies were bothersome around mid-day, but they did not stay with the safari vehicle once we got moving and put on some bug spray. There was one incident where we were buzzed by a gigantic (OK, maybe 1.5 inch) beetle in the bar area, but the bartender came along and scooped him up in his hand and took him outside. Talk about bravery in the face of a wild animal!

5. Can we eat the food and drink the water? You will undoubtedly come to Tanzania with thoughts like: "I can’t eat a salad" and "I can’t have any drink with ice cubes". Well, we soon decided to eat the salads and only one family member missed a half-day trip due to an upset stomach – something that could happen anywhere. Most cold drinks were just chilled. And bottled water was readily available at meals, in our rooms, and in the Landcruiser.

That being said, I’m sure it depends on the quality of the restaurant and lodge. And nowhere would I drink water from the faucet at a lodge or even wet my toothbrush with it. I speak from the experience of another trip to Tanzania many years ago.

6. Should we get our visa before the trip or upon arrival? With some trepidation, I listened to the travel agent and decided to get our visas upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport. It went smoothly. Yes, we had to get in line, but so did everyone else who had visas and still needed to have their passports inspected. Just be sure to have the necessary U.S. dollars to pay for your visa and have it in new $50 bills. (Apparently, other bills are more likely to be counterfeit, at least in Tanzanian eyes.)

7. What about money matters in general? U.S. dollars and Tanzanian shillings can be used interchangeably in most circumstances (although not at par). The major exception is getting that visa at the airport.

So arrive with a good supply of U.S. currency, including small bills and $50 bills for the visa. All bills should, if available, be the new style with colors and larger images. Many banks in Arusha and even in Karatu have ATMs at which Tanzanian shillings can be obtained. Currency exchange offices exist and most lodges accept credit cards.

But travelers’ checks are almost useless. After our first lodge refused to accept them and Barclay’s Bank would not cash them, we were lucky our second lodge was willing to cash some for us.

8. What about gifts and tips? Restaurant workers and luggage carriers never seemed to me to be angling for a tip, but they were always happy to receive one. One of the best pre-trip investments I made was to buy a large supply of Obama campaign buttons. Occasionally I’d slip one into a waiter’s hand and he would not look at it right away. Thirty seconds later he’d come back saying "OBAMA! OH, THANK YOU!" If your politics will not allow you to hand out Obama buttons, then money will do fine.

DO NOT hand out candy, pens, pencils or any other gifts to children along the road or on the street. Your safari company will most likely advise you against this practice. Most of the children we passed would wave to us, but almost always with palms facing us, not outstretched for a handout. This is a good thing. If you want to bring gifts, visit a school or orphanage and give them to the headmaster.

9. Do people speak English? Everyone you encounter at a lodge, park office, or souvenir shop will probably speak English. And you will soon pick up the few words every tourist knows: Jambo! (Hello), Habari? (How are you? Literally, how’s the news?), Nzuri (Good -- as an answer to Habari?), and Asante sana (Thank you very much). If you take the time, as I did, to try to learn more than the basics, you will be glad you did. They’ll appreciate your effort to learn the language of their country and you’ll find yourself in more conversations with them (even if in English)

10. Weren’t you afraid of the animals? Did you get robbed? What were the tribes like? Isn’t Tanzania a very poor country? Why did you choose Tanzania? Some of these questions came from highly educated individuals and others indicate that the knowledge of Africa possessed by many Americans comes from old Tarzan movies.

The answer to the first two questions is "no" (except maybe for the giant beetle). The other questions and similar ones we received generally reflect the fact that people just want to know what Tanzania is like.

For me, Tanzania is a special country. It tries to live in peace with its neighbors and its people live in harmony with each other. Just like Americans, they complain a bit about their government and taxes and they have elections – similar to those we have in Chicago or Florida. And they try to protect wildlife and the environment.

Yes, Tanzania is a very poor country, but not one characterized by great disparities between rich and poor. Since independence, Tanzania has sought to develop as one people, together. If Tanzania is the first third world country you visit, you will notice the poverty, poor roads and dilapidated houses and buildings. If you have visited other underdeveloped countries, you will notice that people generally seem happy, that they appear to be hard working, and that, at least around Arusha, large-scale slums containing the worst living conditions do not exist. And if you take the time to know the people, you will find they are among the warmest and friendliest people anywhere.
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On the morning of February 20th, we left Ngorongoro Crater and, after a visit to Oldupai Gorge, headed towards the Serengeti Plains. Halfway to our destination, a half-mile thundering line of galloping wildebeests crossed the road in front of us.We had chosen to stay…Read More

On the morning of February 20th, we left Ngorongoro Crater and, after a visit to Oldupai Gorge, headed towards the Serengeti Plains. Halfway to our destination, a half-mile thundering line of galloping wildebeests crossed the road in front of us.

We had chosen to stay in the area near the southeastern border of Serengeti National Park in the hopes of experiencing the Great Migration of some two million wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles. In fact, if you go to the website of the lodge at which we stayed you'll see its February newsletter talks of safari vehicles "surrounded as far as the eye can see with wildebeests". Perhaps the herds took a few days' vacation at the time of our stay.

Yes, we saw many wildebeests and zebras, but no vast herds. What was unexpected instead was the large number of cheetahs and the variety of other animals and birds that we saw. It was probably a good tradeoff. Wildebeests are definitely not the most attractive looking animals, but cheetahs might be.

How many cheetahs we saw is unknown. Each one supposedly has its own unique pattern of spots, but we were not expert enough to know how many times we saw a particular cat over the course of three days. What we did see were individual cheetahs, two or three males hunting together, feasting cheetahs, and a cheetah stalking a herd of gazelles. And then there was the amazing experience of watching a mother cheetah guide her three cubs on a hunting trip. The survival of the species depends on the mothering skills of female cheetahs. They get no male parenting help and must provide for their cubs for 18 months, all the while protecting them from lions and hyenas.

I'm sure, being in only one area of the Serengeti, that it is impossible to appreciate what a vast area it is. The plains stretch to the distant horizon and beyond. It seems somewhat dry with rather sparse vegetation. Yet it supports a remarkable diversity of animals and bird-life. Over the course of our 10-day safari, we recorded over 100 species of birds and many of those were observed in the Serengeti.

It was indeed a privilege to see cheetahs and the other animals of the Serengeti in their natural habitat. It's a unique experience to feel like you are the intruder in a world that man does not and should not control. Our Serengeti experience confirmed the decision I arrived at over the course of our safari -- I never want to visit another zoo. I just want to remember the twinkle in an elephant's eye and the uncorrupted presence of the cheetah.

One thing is certain: The Serengeti changes you.Close

The holy grail of game viewing at Ngorongoro has to be the black rhino.To say they are an endangered species is something of an understatement. There are only thirteen left in the crater and each one is guarded around the clock like a precious jewel.…Read More

The holy grail of game viewing at Ngorongoro has to be the black rhino.

To say they are an endangered species is something of an understatement. There are only thirteen left in the crater and each one is guarded around the clock like a precious jewel. Poaching is pretty much under control in the crater but their numbers have never really recovered and they are exceptionally hard to spot and people spend days in the crater and come away without a sighting. For me, it would be the last of the ‘Big Five’.

So it was with some excitement that our guide received word over the radio that a rhino had been seen and he sped off at high speed. About a mile away on grassland under the slopes of the crater walls was a mass of safari vehicles. We were not the only ones to get word on the rhino. In the foreground was a small herd of grazing zebras but in the distance was the distinctly squat shape of a black rhino.

We could not get any closer as off road driving isn’t allowed in Ngorongoro and they are best viewed through binoculars. Our rhino had a huge set of horns and an elongated body. It did look like a throwback to a more prehistoric age. Black rhinos are the more aggressive species then the whites and due to poor eyesight have been known to charge vehicles. This was as close as we could get and we had a packed lunch here in the vain idea that it might move closer. It didn’t.

We left the scrum of safari vans behind and continued into the park. On the river bank we encountered a herd of Cape buffalo. It was a small herd of young bulls and as we approached they lost their nerve and tried to hide in the bushes. It was quite funny to see big burly feared buffalo try to wriggle behind bushes in an attempt not to be seen. I’ve always had a soft spot for buffalo. But they are dangerous animals. When they turn to look at you you know they are wondering which part of you to trample first.

We were crossing the grasslands and we were brought up short by a hyena lying by the side of the track. She was a huge great brute stretched along the roadway and making no attempt to move. We got very close to her and she looked up at us with big pleading wet "dog" eyes which said "Poor me...I’m having a bad time" She had such an unhappy face. We saw why when another van came up behind us and spooked her. She limped away in pain. A lion fight? Another clan? A kick by a zebra? My heart went out to her as life is short for a damaged hyena on these plains.

Our final stop was a picnic area that could only be described as idyllic. It was a large pond that bordered on being called a lake. The far side was reeds and our side was rocky. There were hippos in the pool and they seem to tease the tourists by submerging just as they clicked their camera shutters. But it was the nearby birdlife that was a joy – guinea fowl scuttled everywhere, ibis’ strode the reeds and kites fluttered above waiting for a meal. A lovely place.

And it was with a heavy heart that we finally left the crater. It is a ‘once in a lifetime’ place and if you love animals you will love it here. To me it is one of the most wonderful places I have ever been – a true world treasure.
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On the third night camping in Kenya I had a nightmare..Fears had permeated my unconscious as I imagined that something was moving around my tent. The creature shuffled close to the ground and my blood froze as it started to put its nose against the…Read More

On the third night camping in Kenya I had a nightmare..

Fears had permeated my unconscious as I imagined that something was moving around my tent. The creature shuffled close to the ground and my blood froze as it started to put its nose against the canvas. I turned on my torch and there was an unmistakeable silhouette of a burly hyena – probably a female as they are the most muscular. And to my horror it had found a hole in my canvas and was nuzzling its way in.

I hit it with my plastic torch. In the flickering light I could see the creature back off. Then it tried again and I carried on whacking it until it had had enough and retreated into the darkness. I was sweating with fear.

Then I woke up.

And there were real life hyena yowls around me.

Wwwhhhhoooopppp...

They were probably miles away but the sound travelled and I felt sick with fear. I was already freaked out by the nightmare but to wake up and there are real hyenas out there in the darkness gave an extra measure of terror. I activated my real torch – shone it at the zippered entrance and reassured myself. Nothing that travels on four paws can really get in here.

But the nightmare was an example of how the sounds of the African bush can get inside you. Immediately as night falls the sounds start up. Our Maasai guide told us that hyenas are far more frightened of you then they are of them and lions have not attacked anyone in a camp since 1965. But to hear them out in the darkness evokes some primeval fear of man versus predator. There are animals out there who will regard you as prey. Your body is food for them.

Of course alot of this is down to imagination. If you have an overactive imagination such as I then the mind works against you and you can imagine all sorts going on out in the darkness. In the Masai Mara our campsite was not far from the park boundary with just a small stream separating us from the herds on the savannah. And the sound did travel – we heard at night the lowing of wildebeest and the whinnying of zebras. Not to mention the roaring of lions. That is a sound you don’t forget – it’s a deep throated bellow that goes on for minutes.

My first night in the Mara was the most traumatic. I’ll admit I scared myself – but that is not hard to do. When I was sitting around the campfire the first yowls of the hyenas reached me. For a city boy who only has to worry about well, nothing really – not even foxes – this chilled my marrow. Bedding down in a small flimsy tent is just as unnerving. After all you have a zipper and a piece of canvas separating from what is outside. Even the sound of the wind moving nearby branches or the creaking of your tent in wind takes on another dimension in the African night.

You can’t really leave your tent – what’s more you don’t want to leave your tent. But the call of nature forces you to do so, so you blunder around looking for your torch and then wriggle out of your tent. Then a nerve-racking walk to the toilet block praying that there are no snakes between you and it and that no animals has decided to visit the stalls/urinals in the night.

We did have a Maasai guard at the Mara camp that did alot to put my mind at ease. We also had serious visitors as well as an elephant munched the grass 50ft away. The Maasai watched him all night although what a Maasai could do with just a spear against an elephant creating a nuisance I don’t know.

While at the Serengeti I had the usual night sounds and heard the rasp of a leopard (that is a really creepy sound) I hit on the idea of using an empty mineral water bottle during the night instead of leaving the tent. Once that zip was down I wasn’t going to leave its confines.

This was borne out at Ngorongoro when a massive commotion woke us up in the middle of the night and grunting could be heard. At first I thought it was buffalo but then I heard crashing sounds and our guides voices raised in alarm. A troop of bush pigs had invaded the camp and were intent on ransacking our kitchen. They were making a tremendous racket and twanged the guy ropes of my tent making it wobble. They were huge brutes about four foot long and regularly raid the campsite at night. Only when our guide and cook chased them away did they finally leave us alone.

Camping in Africa is a challenge for a person with a nervous disposition and a furtive imagination. But where else do you feature such excitement? In a luxury lodge you are protected from the wild nature of the African night. And that’s really what you came to Africa to experience – to get thrills, experiences and not a little terror.
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We had quite a surprise upon returning to our campsite one earlier evening.Two African bull elephants quickly hurrying back into the bush after being discovered in the middle of our camp. My mouth dropped open in shock. These mammals must have been 15ft at the…Read More

We had quite a surprise upon returning to our campsite one earlier evening.

Two African bull elephants quickly hurrying back into the bush after being discovered in the middle of our camp.

My mouth dropped open in shock. These mammals must have been 15ft at the shoulder. They sported great curving tusks and were scampering back to the bush like naughty schoolboys. They didn’t stray far – about twenty feet into the scrub where they turned and watched us. They must have been investigating the rubbish heap, noticed there was no one in camp or our cook was occupied and thought they would make for our food truck. For about twenty minutes afterwards they stood watching the camp – probably looking for another opportunity.

As discussed in an earlier entry they did try another attempt to get to the food truck and our guides said at other times they had actually made it when their back was turned and they had to turn on the engine to frighten them away. But what struck me about the encounter is that you could almost see the mischief flicker across their eyes. These were tuskers, elephants of a certain age and seemed to use intelligence to get what they want – they showed "character".

And that’s what made me fall for the elephants of Ngorongoro – I seemed to connect with them. To me they seemed more real than any of the other animals. If I had to pick a set of animals that were my favourite of the entire trip then I would pick these. They were mainly males; the female led herds of Tarangire and Lake Manyara do not live here. This is mainly old bulls at the end of their life and they come here to die. That gives them, for me, a rather emotional edge.

We found them on the crater floor in the Miombo forest. This stretch of woodland can be seen from the rim and is a favourite with many animals. Our first animal was a lioness. About five hundred feet away she lay flat on the ground, head forward obviously watching something. She was a very good looking animal with a sleek yellow coat. After a while she got up and wandered over to a group of trees where a male and four other lionesses were sleeping. The scene wasn’t even broken by a group of Australian tourists driving up behind us and shouting " here pussy pussy..."

Next were a set of vervet monkeys with grey/green coats and black fringed eyes. But they soon scattered when three enormous tuskers (bull elephants) came into view. Our guide said not one of them was less then forty years old and their tusks had reached enormous lengths. The biggest must have been fifteen foot at the shoulder and each had leathery skin and a trunk that was helping itself to tasty green grass. The tusks impressed me and were great sweeping pieces of ivory nearly touching the floor. How heavy were they? Imagine carrying that load every day?

Most of the vans moved off but we stayed to watch a particular bull in waist high grass. The more we stayed and watched the closer he came. He was plucking up plants but you could tell he was watching us with those eyes. He came closer until he was only ten feet away. The sheer scale of this magnificent adult elephant was so impressive – the noble slope of his forehead, the wrinkles on his trunk, the great flapping ears. I will admit I was absolutely smitten – I could have stayed and watched him all day. Was he being friendly? He came within four feet of the van. Certainly his eyes were watching us while he ate. Was he enjoying our company as much as we were enjoying his?

But eventually even elephants get bored and he moved away. But for a couple of minutes I felt a connection with the animals. Later in the day we came back to miombo forest and the guide showed us a stretch of meadow. He says this is the ‘elephant’s graveyard’ and at the end of a long life this is where they come to die. This broke my heart a little bit. When their teeth wear out this is where they come. Close to starvation they are followed here by hyenas and vultures that wait for them to collapse. Our guide had seen it for himself.

The thought of one of these magnificent creatures coming to its end really got to me. But that is life and death in Africa and once dead it only takes a night to pick the corpse clean. But to me they were something special these old bulls. Nothing for me can replace the gravitas of the old bulls of Ngorongoro and their journey towards death.

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We only had one day on the crater floor of Ngorongoro so set off early to make the most of it.The track down to the floor was narrow and bumpy with rutted tire tracks. The views as we descended were superlative. The dry parched plains…Read More

We only had one day on the crater floor of Ngorongoro so set off early to make the most of it.

The track down to the floor was narrow and bumpy with rutted tire tracks. The views as we descended were superlative. The dry parched plains stretched out in every direction and were overlooked by the gigantic crater walls. The first animal we encountered was the warthog one of the more comical animals on the African plains. I have trouble taking them seriously as they peer at you over a snout covered in tusks and bristles in a quizzical manner. Their snouts were so big they cannot graze without getting down on their forelegs and when they run away they trot with their tails up high in the air.

We started our circuit of the crater floor and got a sense of the huge size of the thing. Its 19 miles in diameter and the walls were so far away they looked unreal. They were the backdrop to herds of zebra and wildebeest. First thing in the morning they were rather lethargic and slow. But there were hundreds of them in resident herds and they followed their leader nose to tail for an early morning drink. Zebras stick with wildebeest as the more stupid gnus dont have the zebras colour eyesight and generally get taken first.

A hyena put in an appearance. Head near the ground, mouth open and shoulders hunched she looked furtive even if she wasnt up to no good. The creature had a grotesque lope and may travel for miles – spreading out from the den in search for food. A family of warthogs were nearby cropping the grass and an ostrich strutted by with its black feathers and long legs.

Then the first of the ‘Big Five’ put in an appearance and through binoculars I could see a lion resting in the grass. He was a magnificent beast with a rich black mane. A lioness joined him and nuzzled her head with his. Our guide says due to the abundance of game the lions in Ngorongoro are lazy. He saw one pride of ten lions fail to bring down a lone buffalo a few weeks back.

The herds were in this vicintiy and trudged their way through the dust to the creek. This small river which leads to Lake Magadi which is a soda lake in the middle of the crater floor. Its been drying up for the last five years and there are some flamingoes left on this shore. The river still had flowing water and some wildebeest hung back from the herd to enjoy it. One found itself blocked form the herd by a wandering hyena. It ran back to the herd in a panic before the hyena spotted it. The hyena was making its way along the stream to the salt flats around the lake. In the distance, through binoculars, I could see a number of hyenas being sociable – tongues hanging out in the heat.

The herds also head for a nearby hippo pool and the surrounding marsh. One part of the pool had dried up making it sticky cloying mud. This did not seem to bother the hippos who were motionless unde water with just their backs showing. These pink/grey shapes were quiet until one hippo trod on anothers toe and let out a grunt.The others would grunt in unison to show they had been disturbed. There was a good population of birds including ibis, marabou storks and herons padding the long grasses of the marsh.

Our guide was here last year when a wildebeest was being chased by lions and jumped into the marsh to escape. It became trapped in the mud and died of exhaustion trying to free itself. He also witnessed a female hippo leaving the pool to give birth. She blundered into a pride of lions and didn't last long.

Hungry lion prides will take on anything. There is evidence in Botswana of them hunting elephants and Ngorongoro has lost at least one of its endangered black rhinos to the ‘King of the Beasts’.

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Late one afternoon at my travel companion was resting. He was sitting at the dining table reading a book when looked up for one second......straight into the eyes of an African bull elephant..One of the animals had crept into camp in complete silence. He was…Read More

Late one afternoon at my travel companion was resting. He was sitting at the dining table reading a book when looked up for one second...

...straight into the eyes of an African bull elephant..

One of the animals had crept into camp in complete silence. He was making his way around the tow-truck to rifle for vegetables when he was spotted. The elephant sniffed with his trunk for a second then retreated to the nearby long grass. My travel companion breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stop his heart pounding – the animal was twelve feet at the shoulder.

But thats Ngorongoro for you. Not only do you have the chance to view some of the most compelling animals on earth – but they visit you as well. I have to say Ngorongoro surpassed expectations its a part of the trip that I woud gladly rewind and do all over again. So many pleasurable sights and to my mind it is linked to bull elephants. There was a touch of pathos to the crater as this was where they came to die. The legendary ‘Elephants Graveyard’ exists here in northern Tanzania.

Ngorongoro is a conservation area rather then a national park and it covers 8000 square kilometres. This part of Tanzania is covered in long extinct volcanic craters. This one is meant to be the biggest unflooded natural caldera in the world and because of its steeps sides there is natural rainwater runoff into the crater creating small rivers and lakes which means there is pasture all the year around – and where there are grazers there are predators. The animal life here is extraordinary and it moves between here and the Serengeti Plains. Wildebeest on their massive migration often make a small detour here and there are year round herds of them as well as zebra, Impala and grumpy buffalo. Of course this is matched by as many predators and you are almost guaranteed sightings of lions and hyena. This is also one of the best places in Africa to witness a kill.

Ngorongoro can be done without a tour but for single vehicles it can be expensive and you must have four wheel drive. But most people come on a tour fixed up in Arusha . The advantage of this is that everything is taken care of for you. Ngorongoro caters for the luxury end of the market as well as the budget. One word about tourism in the crater. Some commentators have said it can resemble "a zoo". What I think they mean by this is that tourist vehicles often amass around the more popular animals such as rhino, lion or leopard and the topography of the crater means that the safari vans were always on the horizon. Personally, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the crater but I could see how it could for some people.

To get there head west from Arusha, past the town of Mto wa Mbo and up into the crater highlands. Karatu is the nearest town and is a red-earthed speed bump covered outpost which relies on the tourist trade. We were lucky enough to pass through on their monthly market day and the hordes of people were indescribable. Then west and the acacia scrub dies out and rainforest begins. The western side of the outer crater attracts rain and to reach the rim you drive through pristine Afrcan rainforest with giant trees, lianas, scrub bush and wide leafed plants.

From heroes point on the rim you can see across the 11km diameter crater. The sheer sided rim is 1,969ft at its highest point and it is possible to see animals on the crater floor from this height. But it is the sheer scale of the crater which captures your attention. The opposite walls looked so far away they looked blue in the distance. The walls had long slopes which rolled down to the crater floor and became yellow grasslands. Rivers sprea d like veins across this yellow vista with lakes and forests visible. Far down below a herd of wildebeest looked like ants against the yellow grass.

There is one track down to the floor of the crater and one track back up to the rim. You must be out of the crater by six o’clock. But if you arrive late and have to wait until morning before game viewing dont worry – if you are at one of the rim campsites one thing I can guarantee is that the animals will be visiting you.

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I have mixed feelings about the Maasai.On one hand they are emblematic of Africa with their red robes, spears and ochre smeared hair. A visit to their village/boma is fascinating cultural tourism and gives a visitor a thrill for being so daring. On the…Read More

I have mixed feelings about the Maasai.

On one hand they are emblematic of Africa with their red robes, spears and ochre smeared hair. A visit to their village/boma is fascinating cultural tourism and gives a visitor a thrill for being so daring. On the other hand they aren’t so much integrated into the regions tourism but got it in a headlock – grasping for money after a photo is taken and pushing flimsy made gew-gaws into your culture-shocked face.

After visiting Olduvai Gorge our guide suggested a visit to a Maasai Boma. To be frank, I wasn’t enthusiastic. My encounters with the Maasai in Kenya hadn’t endeared them to me. When we were entering the Talek gate at the Masai Mara National Park we were accosted by Maasai women. One of our passengers took a picture and the woman aggressively asked for money by banging on the window. Later on we were asked if we wanted to visit a "cultural village"? Our group were against it having experienced one on a previous tour where they found the experience unnerving and depressing.

So, I found myself in exactly the same position in Tanzania.

I had to ask myself why I was so intimidated by the Maasai? For some people they are the "real Africa". In a continent that has been westernised to an excessive degree they offer a glimpse of tribal Africa. An Africa where people live in conjunction with nature. They represent an age where we went confined to cities. The Maasai are pastoralists – they move themselves and the cattle around from one grazing spot to another. There is almost a nation of Maasai. There are regional Maasai capitals with Narok in Kenya and Mto wa Mbu in Tanzania. The Maasai range over a massive area even reaching the coast at Mombasa.

Then I remembered I had met a Maasai before.

At Riverside camp at the Masai Mara we had a Maasai guard called John. He was a delight. In appearance he was rather scary – six foot tall, fierce looking, perforated earlobes, and clutched a frightening spear. He would sit and talk with us in the evening over a camp fire. He would tell us about his two wives, his cattle and the fact that his children were just starting school. He was absolutely fascinated by tourists and the outside world. And I had never felt so safe at night with him sitting there guarding us in the firelight.

If I thought the area around Olduvai Gorge was bleak it was nothing compared with where the Maasai lived. It was just a landscape of white dust broken only by acacia trees. There were a few other tourists there, climbing out of vans with looks of trepidaton on their faces. The Maasai were around us very quickly. Not demanding but very polite and explaining that being shown around the boma will cost 25000 shillings (£40/$65). As my travel companion wanted to do this we paid and were shown into the boma by a young Maasai warrior.

The boma is a mud village surrounded by a thorn fence to keep lions away from cattle. Inside is a number of huts made from cow dung. To greet visitors the Maasai performed a dance in the middle of the cattle kraal to greet visitors. Jumping up and down and singng they encouraged visitors to join in. Then we were taken into one of the mud huts. Cramped and dark we sat awkwardly in about 3ft of space while the Maasai told us about his life. The most precious thing in the world for the Maasai is his cow. It provides food for him but not just with milk – he can drink its blood as well. Stoppering the wound so he could drink it later. The Maasai diet, he proudly told us – contains no vegetables.

Afterwards we got the soft sell and were allowed to travel around the village. There was a school hut at the back of the village with the cutest looking children imaginable. They were singing a song and tourists were clapping their hands in appreciation. The thought hit me that the kids were cute, almost deliberately so. I suppose the children were just a part of the tourist scene as the adults.

While we were approached by Maasai women selling necklaces and spears (we spotted a tag on a spear saying ‘Made in China’) I found to my reluctance that I was being won over by the Maasai.

I remarked to our guide that the boma was actually quite charming.

"Ah" he says "Tanzanian Maasai nicer then Kenyan Maasai? Yes?"

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One of the advantages of touring the Serengeti with a guide is the running commentary about the animals.As well as pointing out where that animal is any guide worth his salt with tell you about the animal in question in detail. And a good guide…Read More

One of the advantages of touring the Serengeti with a guide is the running commentary about the animals.

As well as pointing out where that animal is any guide worth his salt with tell you about the animal in question in detail. And a good guide can really bring the animal to life. Such was the case with Impala . These stunning little antelopes were everywhere on the Serengeti. The big herds of zebra, Thomson’s gazelle and wildebeest had headed north in the dry season but these gorgeous antelope stayed behind due to the abundant grazing in the middle of the vast park.

Impala truly are one of the best looking animals – especially the bucks. They are so elegant with the males having burnished coats and a magnificent set of antlers. One afternoon we had a herd of forty dance across the road. The stragglers in the herd literally sprang in front of our vehicle to reach the other side. The herds are generally female ruled over by a dominant male. This is his "harem" and he generally only keeps it for approximately sixteen days due to rushing about fighting off other interested males. At the end of the sixteen days he is generally too tired to defend himself from any usurper and dies of stress and exhaustion.

Male Impala live in bachelor herds, living their lives with other males until an opportunity presents itself to take over another "harem". They are not the only ones who do this in Africa – zebra, buffalo, elephant, Grants gazelles, rhinos and even lions live this way as well. There seemed to be abundant Cape buffalo in the Serengeti. Our guide was very wary of these and would tell us to "Sssshhh" as we approached. They were very skittish and the bachelor herds had a reputation for aggression. The last thing a safari guide wants is to go back to his boss with his vehicle staved in by an angry buffalo.

Then there were the Giraffes which were quite a sight as they hoved into view above the acacia trees. There were more than I thought there would be. They seemed to be in family groups often protecting their young. The young themselves were at least 12ft tall and were dwarfed by their 25ft tall fathers. A giraffe knows that you are no threat to him and will stand and observe you in your vehicle. His head soaring above yours, peering to get a good look at you. On our way to the Serengeti we saw two male giraffes fight, they did it by bashing their necks together. It was like two construction cranes taking blows at each other.

Finally, there were the hippopotami. I saw a pond of these in each of the game parks I visited. But the one in the Serengeti, the Seronera hippo pool, was quite a sight. First of all we visited in the pouring rain and to get there you had to leave the vehicle and descend a slippery track down to a wide rock encrusted pool. The pool was being tapped by incessant afternoon rain but the inhabitants didn’t seem to mind. By inhabitants I mean hippopotami – about fifty of them.

The pink/grey hippos were submerged under the water with just their ears and nostrils showing. They were crammed together letting out grunts and occasionally as you watched fights would break out – they’d try and intimidate each other with those enormous teeth. A movement caught my eye on the far bank and I got a glimpse of a Nile crocodile slide into the water.

Brrrrr....

Is it the rain that is making me shiver or sharing my space with a crocodile?
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The Serengeti was about big cats.If Ngorongoro was about elephants, Lake Manyara about birdlife, the Masai Mara about wildebeest – then the Serengeti plains has to be about lions.But they are not the only big cats found out on the plains. When the herds are…Read More

The Serengeti was about big cats.

If Ngorongoro was about elephants, Lake Manyara about birdlife, the Masai Mara about wildebeest – then the Serengeti plains has to be about lions.

But they are not the only big cats found out on the plains. When the herds are up in the Mara then all predators head for the wooded watered Seronera area where the game is all year around. Many big cats have carved out territories in this area and prides of thirty lions have been reported. But on our first morning in the Serengeti we encountered two of the other big cats that frequent the plains.

While my travelling companion did an early morning balloon flight over the Serengeti I got an extra game drive. My guide was eager to get going because a fellow guide had told him about a special predator at the start of the grasslands. We sped off and after about half an hour entered a part of Seronera that has waist high with tall grass. While scanning this tall grass with binoculars my eyeline met with the sight of two Cheetahs. The pair looked slender and elegant through a pair of binoculars. Unfortunately I could not get any photos as they were too far away and the Serengeti Parks service does not allow off-road driving.

But for a few minutes I sat and watched these gorgeous animals. They looked like two males - probably brothers. Life is quite hard in the Cheetah world because the sexes dont mix except to mate. The male cheetahs literally bully the females cheetahs until she comes into oestrus and she will bring the cubs up on her own. The males form bonds with their brothers and stay with them for life. They are also picked on by other predators. Their build is so slender they are no match for lions or hyenas who steal their kills. Our pair of cheetahs were out in the open but moving away into the open grassland. That is where they find their prey such as Thomsons gazelle, wildebeest and Impala. Anything bigger such as buffalo or zebra is impossible due to their slight build.

About mid-day we moved into an area blackened from recent fire. The ground was mainly sand, and the trees that had survived were withered and dead. Our guide said we were in the middle of big cat territory here and their population is so dense that when the fire occured last year a lion fleeing the blaze was attacked by another pride when fleeing to safety. But we had been tipped off about a big cat and when we got there we wern’t alone as it was was surrounded by six safari vehicles. We scanned the arid scrub and gnarled trees with binoculars. There, 50ft away, in the branches of a decrepit tree was a mass of feline limbs with one paw draped over the branch....a leopard.

The most feared predator in Africa was finally in view (although too far away for photos). I could just about see the lolling head, but with binoculars I could see the famous spots on the yellow coat – and the chest move up and down denoting sleep. The cat did not move during the heat of the day and was sleeping off a night of hunting. There is a reason these are so feared . For a start it is far more powerful then a cheetah – able to bring down a zebra. Its an ambush predator relying on stalking its prey and bringing it down at a rush. For its size and weight it is the most efficient killer in Africa and kills by biting the skull or the neck. But because it is so powerful it can drag prey up trees to hide it from prowling lions or hyenas.

They are the holy grail of game viewing and not everyone gets to see one. The leopard was the last of the ‘Big Five’ I wanted to see and we stayed in the vicinity for forty minutes in case it stirred into life while tucking into our packed lunches. I think our guide was hoping it would jump from the tree and stride over to where it was in full view. But, no, to a leopard who had been up all night – sleep was more important.
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