Safari girls! Overlooking the Ngorogoro Crater.
One of THE BIG FIVE ticked off....Nyati: buffalo
Pundamilia .... Zebra crossing!
"Quick Evie get a pic...
....You don't usually see kiboko with their mouths open or their heads high above water...."
but we were lucky to see many of them and a herd of them grazing by one of the hippopotamus water holes!
but we were lucky to see many of them and a herd of them grazing by one of the hippopotamus water holes!
Setting up camp in the middle of the Serengeti. We both got up together to go to the toilet during the night and were treated (I don't think Evie would have used this word!)to meeting a hyaena roaming the camp ground. I wasn't too worried as they are quite timid and known as predators who prey on the catch of other predators. They are relatively slow sprinters and this one was more scared of us than we were of it...(although I'm not too sure Evie would agree with this!)
Another beautiful sunrise out in the savanna of the Serengeti.
Loving it!!!
Cheetah: Duma: Cheetahs are distinguished from leopards by the distinct black 'tearmarks' running from the inner corners of their eyes to the edges of their mouths. we watched this one as she laid low, tensed then finally sprinted towards her prey....an unsuccessful attempt but exciting to watch!
5 star dining at Simba camp on the Ngorogoro Crater rim. This was the night we were treated to Lawrence's sensational chipsie mayai...together with a multitude of gourmet dishes!
Sporting the warm gear early morning in the Crater.
The vastness of the Crater
Getting a good view through my binoculars as Richard and Lawrence prepare our truck for the Crater safari.
Grey Crowned Cranes...found in abundance in NC
Another one of THE BIG FIVE...
Chui: Leopard nonchalantly making his way towards our truck!
How lucky were we?!!
The Leopard has a prominent necklace of spots and its tip is pure white. Something we didn't know but were certainly shown as wondered passed and stopped to peer in at our truck!
We saw an abundance of beautifully colored and interesting birds throughout the whole safari. This one is named the Secretary Bird as it's white shirt and black pants were the uniform of early secretaries so Richard told us!
Thompsons Gazelle....Evie's favourites which reminded her of the little lambs back home on the farm because of the way they frisked and jumped around furiously wagging their tails.
Having left camp early to witness a beautiful sunrise and discover the joy of sighting many of the big game, we stopped for chai out in the open savannah.
Back for to camp for lunch as Evie sheltered from the unrelenting sun and rang her family in Aus.
We were treated to watching these three chui prepare for a chase... fail....then retire, exhausted, to the limb of this sausage tree.
Simba: lions trying to keep cool in the mud. The center lion is wearing a tracking collar attached by conservationists trying to understand their movements to assist in ensuring their longevity in Serengeti.
Evie, me and Lawrence, our Gourmet Chef arriving at Simba Camp on the Crater rim!
A very different scene from when I visited in April. The waterhole is very small but the flamingos were still there. The zebras were a noticeable absence from this water hole this visit.
Happily looking taller than Evie!
Chai in the truck so we didn't end up losing it to the local wildlife!
The only green oasis in the Crater....and a family of Hippos.
This was one of my favourite scenes as the contrast in colors and textures was stunning and the ambience was serene.
Photos seldom do these intangibles justice!
THE BIG FIVE AFRICAN GAME
The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The members of the Big Five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and the degree of danger involved, rather than their size.
Lion: simba = TICK 1...African Elephant: tembo = TICK 2....Cape Buffalo: Nyati =TICK 3....
Leopard: chui = TICK 4......Rhinoceros: faru = TICK 5!!!!
HONGERA ...
We were so happy to be able to tick off #5! We didn't think we were going to see the Black Rhino but Richard had a good feeling so persisted and continued searching until word got out that they had been sighted....Off we sped, together with the 50 or more other trucks in NC to be treated with a viewing of TWO of the almost extinct Black Rhinos remaining in the Crater!
Many, many tourists and trucks...and us!!!... reveling in the fun and excitement of sighting the Black Rhinos.
So often Evie and I reminisced about places back home in Australia or at "Y-Worry", our childhood farm, brought to mind because of the similarities to the areas we travelled through on our safari. The colors and lanscape often reminded us of Albert Namatjira's Australian paintings.
There were so many scenes resembling outback Aus and our beautiful country in her long hot summers or drought seasons. It made me rather homesick!
Oh but so nice to be homesick whilst sharing such a wonderful adventure with my sister, Evie!!!
Oh but so nice to be homesick whilst sharing such a wonderful adventure with my sister, Evie!!!
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