Serengeti safari

We stayed at 4 different camps during our 15 days on safari. Our first one was in the central Serengeti, and we were blown away by the wildlife - quantity and variety. Just on our drive from the airstrip to our camp, we saw ostriches, giraffes, lions, elephant, hippos, jackals, wildebeest, zebras, impalas and even a leopard with her cub!

Interestingly, we had a private flight from Kilimanjaro airport to the Serengeti airstrip (luckily, didn’t have to pay for private!). Our initial landing had to be aborted, and we pulled up and flew around again for another approach, due to a warthog on the runway! The pilots say wildlife on these isolated airstrips is a common occurrence.

Black-backed Jackal

We were thrilled to discover that the Wildebeest migration had arrived in central Serengeti 2 days before we did.

It was interesting to watch their behavior. It wasn’t rutting season, but there were always a couple of fellas sparring…

…and they’d get down on their knees to do it.

The following video helps share the immense expanse of the Serengeti, as well as the enormous numbers of animals involved (estimates peg it at over 1 million - wildebeest alone). Our guide called the grunting of the wildebeest “bush music”. (please forgive my jerkiness as a videographer, as well as my trying to avoid the supports of the elevated roof of our vehicle)

I marveled at the patterns created by a mass of horns -

…and smiled at the baby ones.

As you’ve probably already noticed, there were quite a few zebras mixed in amongst the wildebeest. At midday, they commonly rested their heads on each others’ back, facing in opposite directions to keep a watchful eye.

Their stripes are mesmerizing.

It’s particularly cool how they continue up into the mane:

Then I became obsessed with butts -

If I come across some others, as I continue to peruse the hundreds of pictures I have, I’ll be sure and share!