Safari Day 2 – Serengeti – And Here We Go…

This morning we left our beautiful accommodations at Kudu Lodge in Karatu to head to Serengeti National Park. In order to get to the Serengeti, we had to cross Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA.) The Serengeti originally included this area; however, the Maasai, the indigenous people of East Africa, lived in the Serengeti. In order to provide an area for them to maintain their way of life and conserve a space for wildlife, varied landscape, and the forested region, the NCA was designated as a separate area from the Serengeti. In addition, the NCA has an important anthropological area where remains have been found that support the evolution of msn. Therefore, the NCA is an important region to this vast area.

The first hour of our drive was on a narrow two lane dirt road with heavy fog. This area was heavy in vegetation and is part of the forest.

After going through the forested area, we had to stop to register our vehicle to be able to continue to the Serengeti. The stop was the gate which begins the Ngorongoro Crater area. We will be returning there in two days. While waiting for Idi to take care of the administrative duties, we took some photos by the vista point to the lake and crater area. It’s pretty spectacular.

It was still a little foggy but you can see the lake in the background.

Once the paperwork was complete, we continued our drive through the NCA. Just before getting to the border with the Serengeti, we had an opportunity to visit a Maasai village. There are approximately 100,000 Maasai people that live in various villages throughout the NCA. The one we visited has 126 inhabitants and is considered a medium-sized village. We were dressed like a Maasai in order to enter the village and were welcomed with a song and dance. After our welcome, we toured a Maasai home and there kindergarten school as well more about there collectivist culture. It was a wonderful experience for us both.

Jim and I in Maasai dress with part of the village behind us.

The littles practicing their numbers in English with a student leading the class using a call and repeat strategy commonly used in classes back home.

From the village, we continued to the entrance to the Serengeti where we stopped for a few pictures. Then it was the long drive through the park, including a stop for lunch in the picnic area. We again saw elephants, zebras, gazelles, and giraffes. However, we added a lioness, lion, hyenas and hippos to our sightings. We were happy as clams, although very tired by the time we got to our tent lodge. Here are a few animal pictures from today. Tomorrow, we will be exploring the Serengeti (endless plain) again.