Nowhere on earth can you find as much rich cultural history as the African continent, where the oldest human remains were found.
This land is full of wonders and history and possesses the animal kingdom’s magic.
This vast area comprises many countries and covers rainforests, deserts, and wilderness. This is where Disney’s Lion King comes to life.
There are many places where animals roam freely in national parks, but none can match the Serengeti. In a wilderness of 30,000 km2, where the savanna stretches out so far and is relatively flat, you can see the earth’s curvature around you.
We planned to spend four nights at Olmara Tent Camp, now part of the Entara group. As our guide, Emanuelle expertly navigated the Land Cruiser toward the Serengeti; we headed up through the Ngorongoro Conservation area.
The Ngorongoro is a caldera, a collapsed volcano. It was once a colossal mountain so big that millions of years ago when it collapsed, it formed the caldera we could overlook from a viewing point. This is like Jurassic Park. Whilst we were not heading into the crater, with binoculars, you could see the wildlife across the crater floor. It isn’t easy to put the crater into perspective regarding its size, but suffice it to say it is the size of Birmingham!
We moved through the arch, indicating we were entering the Serengeti.
I have watched many wildlife programmes over the years, mostly narrated by David Attenborough, but nothing could prepare me for what we would see.
The vastness of the plain. This was like another planet. There are no man-made structures to be seen in any direction. Animals are everywhere or nowhere!
We made our way to Olmara Camp, where a warm welcome from all the staff greeted us. Our bags were taken to our tents whilst we had a security briefing.
We were told the camp is open, and wild animals like lions can pass through. A radio was on hand for us to call for the Masai warrior to come and take us to the dining tent in the dark. A large torch had been provided.
The tents were spread out sufficiently to provide privacy, which was just as well. The front of the tent had netting, which we left uncovered.
In the mornings, hot chocolate, coffee, and homemade biscuits were brought to our tent with an early call.
The bed, pillows, and linen were so comfy. As the nights dropped in temperature, a hot water bottle for each of us was placed inside the crisp white sheets.
This was tranquillity that I had never experienced before.
Given where we are, the bathroom facilities are nothing short of incredible. There is running hot water for a shower and sink, and a flush toilet, which I assume goes to a septic tank or something.
Our tent had a lounge area, a writing desk, plug sockets and lamps.
The food in the dining tent was terrific, fresh, creative, and flavoursome. The staff were ever so attentive, with smiles, and there was nothing too much trouble.
Did I tell you that free laundry was included every day? After a safari day, our clothes were washed, pressed, and waiting for us.
After breakfast, Emanuel set off in a direction that only he knew.
There was no sat nav, maps, road signs or frankly anything that you could navigate by, apart from the sun and a few kopjes (pronounced copies – a stony outcrop).
The Land Cruiser handled the tracks well, and even when deviating across scrubland, it quickly demonstrated its four-wheel capability.
The radio was alive with Swahili from other unseen guides, but Emanuel would drive to areas he knew might be frequented by certain animals.
We saw lions, elephants, wildebeest, zebra, giraffes, birds, hyenas, cheetahs and even leopards, to name a few.
Lunch would be under an acacia tree on the vehicle’s bonnet, with a visual clearing around us.
Toilets were in the bush.. it was where we marked our spot!
You never knew what or where to expect the animals, but when they were there, you could climb on the seats and watch in awe at the natural wonders of wildlife through the open roof.
We saw a lion wandering away from its pride to eat what remained of a buffalo that had been killed the day before.
A cheetah had snatched a newborn wildebeest. We saw an exhausted mother hauling her dinner over to a shaded area for her four cubs to settle into a feed. This was raw wildlife and survival of the fittest at work.
Some vultures bickered over the scraps of a carcass already stripped of meat.
But there were beautiful sights too of lion cubs playing whilst their mothers were off hunting.
Elephants protected their young amongst a herd. And graceful giraffes looked for the greenest acacia trees to feed on.
Hippos lazed in water holes, occasionally riled or flicking water over their warm skins, and hyenas rested on mud that was once a water hole in an attempt to stay cool.
This is the Serengeti, where thousands of zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, and impala make their way to the next fertile area while protecting their young.
Exhausted and covered in dust at the end of the day, we would return to the camp for a well-earned shower, dinner, and then to bed.
One night, dinner was on the stargazing platform attached to our tent. Too numerous to count, the stars flickered over our heads while the sounds of the savannah permeated the air.
And so the following morning, another day of adventure, more photos and loss of time and distance we would travel.
When those four nights ended, we headed to a landing strip called Seronora. Our fourteen-seater aircraft, one of several, was loaded up. We flew over the Serengeti to Arusha and then, after a short break, returned to the plane for our onward flight to Zanzibar.
An unforgettable experience.
