ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
Wildebeest Migration
Update! Tanzania is now in the middle of the "Masika", the long rains, and things are slowing down. The intermittent rains of January and February failed this year and kept the big wildebeest herds of Serengeti in a state of perpetual pilgrimage in search of fresh pastures. One day to Maswa and the next to "Hidden Valley", one day to "Moru Kopjes" and the next day to the Seronera Valley, reaching the promised land of the southern plains when the first rains appeared at the end of March. At the moment the migration is on the move again toward the central plains. At Sinya Camp (near the Kenya / Tanzania border off the main Arusha / Nairobi road) the rains began in March when a powerful storm settled the dust. Several elephant families (mothers and calves) joined the huge and peaceful tuskers resident in the area. Excitement grew at dawn the one day when terrific roars broke the calm of the first hours of the new day. Two young male lions fought for the favors of a female in heat hardly few meters from the last tent in camp. Once the morning broke and Dieter the guide managed to locate them they were calmly resting, hardly opening an eye as if to say, "Do not disturb, please". In Tarangire the camp used on our Classic Tanzanian Tented Safari have moved back to the private area of Minjing, close to the old Baobab that dominates the dry riverbed. The camp’s return to this area was met with a pleasant surprise - just in the shadow of the mighty tree, not more than 70 meters from camp, two wild dogs had settled and produced a litter of four puppies. The couple, likely seceded from another pack of twelve- well known in the area. Their presence is a sign of hope for a species, which is having a difficult time on the whole African continent. In Ngorongoro an old male buffalo being attacked by six lions looked for shelter by the vehicle of Julius Laiser, one of the Classic Tanzanian Tented Safari’s excellent guides. The attackers, with neither pity nor respect for the asylum petition, finalized him just a few meters away. All this in front of the astonished eyes of clients. One unforgettable morning in Serengeti, not far from the camp at Ol Doinyo Rongai, a female leopard marched on the plain at quick pace and uttered a short, deep growl. Right and left the response was quick and two grown up cubs the same size as their mother approached, rushing to their mother’s call. The meeting produced moments of deep affection as the youngsters greeted their mother with swats of their paws while she licked them tenderly on the neck and nuzzles. Later they started playing, sharpened their claws on a dead trunk, jumped up and down the trees and exhibited all the grace and elegance that only cats are capable of. To make a long story short they failed to catch a young wildebeest that in the meantime had inadvertently come too close. Witness to all this action? Only the clients – no other tourists! This year open vehicles, nocturnal safaris and walks escorted by Maasai warriors in Sinya and Tarangire have been added! Back to The Wildebeest Migration Made Simple Links to other pages: ULTIMATE AFRICA
SAFARIS Send mail to info@ultimateafrica.com |
