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Our life on the savannah was immeasurably more comfortable as tourists, but still far removed from the everyday life of us Westerners.
The comfort zone, the unknown one
I personally experienced the discomfort of camping as a pleasure and one of the most beautiful aspects of this experience.
Those who can afford it I assume have more comfortable accommodations than a tent and perhaps a real guide in addition to the driver, but basically the animals and the majority of the discomforts are the same, starting with the hyper-dissolved roads and the kilograms of dust that we eat all day. I admit that in a couple of places I really gave up on the icy shower, it was inevitable that mix of dust and mosquito repellent would accompany us assiduously, but cheerfully, all the way to Zanzibar. I like camping even in the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines or in Senigallia but to be there, really in the middle of nature, under that sky and knowing that certain animals could be very close to us, thrilled me.
Life on the savannah and going to the bathroom at night
They had made terrorism of us by saying that once we entered the tent it was peremptorily forbidden to go out alone. There was a risk of being attacked. Someone in my group had not cared and had a face-to-face with a disinterested monkey.
I had decided to limit myself in drinking in the evening to obviate the assumption, but the day we were on the Ngorongoro crater and where it was quite cold my bladder inevitably filled up. I was equipped as usual with empty plastic bottles. My tent mate imitated me and, except for the animals and especially to avoid freezing by going out in the dark (the bathroom was obviously not very close), we took it as a goliardic joke. Calling ourselves pissers as well as snorers became a group catchphrase. There are also solutions that are called luxury; but does luxury make sense in the savannah?
In the zebra pasture
Encountering animals in the wild for me is exciting even at home, let alone in the bush, and in places I had always seen on TV. The extinct Ngorongoro volcano, being vast (265 square kilometers) and intact, is an ecosystem unto itself and is home to an impressive amount of animals, starting with the huge herds of zebra and wildebeest that were migrating to greener pastures at that time.
Hearing the talk of those days and observing them, I must say that the animal that amazed me the most was the zebra. They are very intelligent and stay in groups of 3 or 4 arranging themselves in such a way that each can observe a direction for possible predator spotting. Also, when they arrive thirsty in the rivers after long rides, they hold back and let the impatient wildebeest pass by, which end up inexorably in the already wide-open jaws of the waiting crocodiles.
The most amazing thrill of the trip was undoubtedly on the crown of Ngorongoro, when after dinner we were returning to the tents and under a starry sky like only in the desert I have seen, a group of zebras grazed placidly in the meadow. The white of their stripes reflected the light of the stars, pure magic that no photo can render anymore. (featured photo)
The kindergarten of lion cubs
After the Ngorongoro whose environment is really special and seems to be in a bubble, surrounded by the edges of the volcano well in view that act as a boundary; the visit to the Serengeti followed.
The landscape is very different, as it is an endless esplanade. In both environments it is possible to find streams or ponds, where it is easier to see animals.
For example,we saw many hippos, which I discovered is the absolute most dangerous animal to humans. And then lions in various situations; both cubs and adults; sleeping; yawning; eating; while bidet, we only missed them while they were trumpeting.
Although photos with my simple camera cannot render these situations, the highlight of our visit to the Serengeti was the cheetah sighting. First, we saw mother cheetah with 3 cubs. Soon after, one waiting (very long) before an assault, with possible prey on the lookout.
After visiting the Serengeti, other minor stops to understand life in the savanna
Immediately outside Ngorongoro we stopped at a Maasai Village, complete with a welcome dance, a tour of the huts, and an attempt to sell necklaces. To me these situations seem very forced and I don’t like them so much. On the other hand, I found the mini-museum where they talk about the fact that they found the first human remains nearby and some very ancient cave paintings (which our tour did not include) very interesting, if meager. That very area is said to be the cradle of civilization. It certainly deserved more attention to witness the discoveries of a very great scientist, Mary Leakey.
Last stop in mainland Tanzania was around Lake Natron; beautiful expanse of pink flamingos on the salt lake; fun ride with river bath; spectacular descent on lake with moonscape.
Home trip Photo safari in Tanzania, that is my first
Previous stop Animals in Tanzania, until the millionth gazelle….
Next stage What to do in Zanzibar. Eat carbonara every time
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Countries visited in my travel stories
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
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