Serengeti Day 2 (safari day 4)

(Sept. 8, 2023)

We were awoken by crunching outside the back of our tent. As we got up for breakfast we learned that it was the resident hippo who comes to the campground in the early hours of the morning looking for water (and maybe some left over food).

This day we were up by 6am and on the road 30 minutes later (after eating fruit and pancakes which were delicious). As we drove out of the camp and into the bush once again, we saw hot air balloons rising up into the sky to look out over the plains, to see the animals from above.

Some of the first animals we came across were our friends who had woken us up, hippos! They were all asleep in a river, enjoying the rising sun and also the cool water at the same time, sleeping close together and sometimes on top of each other for safety.

As we continued we followed the river and came across a herd of zebra having a drink, and even further down we came across a small crocodile, basking in the sun. I also spotted a small monkey running through the grass who was completely hidden by the grass and blended right in!

We then came across more hartebeest grazing, and then we suddenly stopped because another large pride of lions was laying in the road. As we came towards them, they came towards the car, searching for the shade that was being given by the multiple different 4x4s. At one point a lioness was laying just under the window where if I had stuck my hand out I could have petted her which was crazy!

Eventually to get the lions to move, the driver revved the engine, causing them to jump away from the loud sound. We then drove around from a different angle where we could see them going under another car, there the driver of that car told the people in the back to drop water on the lion’s head to make them move. They were very happily just laying under the cars, getting out of the sun for a few minutes.

After these lions we continued and found a giraffe hiding in the shade of a large bush tree and some warthogs scavenging around. Next we came across two male lions (who we assumed were brothers) who were napping in the road, and who then got up to get a drink from a nearby puddle, before walking off into the Serengeti. We then came across more cheetahs, this time closer to the car which was exciting!

By the afternoon we were making our way out of the park, and back up the crater edge but not before seeing some hyena, a flock of young ostriches and another giraffe having lunch.

We ended the day at our new campgrounds where we all separated out into three different camping areas. Scott and I were the furtherest out (about a 30 minute drive) where we drove through many Maasai villages and settlements, before arriving to where we spent the night which was in a forested camping area with birds and frogs singing all night.