Hujambo, fellow travelers! If you’re reading this, we're sure you're ready to dive into one of Africa’s most breathtaking destinations: Serengeti. On day three of our adventure in Africa, we left the serene comfort of Mara Maisha Camp and set our sights on the legendary Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
Our day started early with a 7:30 am departure from Mara Maisha Camp. After a few hours on the road, we reached the border between Kenya and Tanzania, where we went through customs and immigration. Quick tip: Depending on where you’re traveling in Africa, be sure to check whether you need to carry proof of yellow fever vaccination. Once cleared, we bid farewell to our Kenyan guide, Patrick, and met Marco, our Tanzanian guide, who would be with us for the rest of our journey.
From the border, it was a solid five-hour drive to our next camp: Acacia Central Camp in the Serengeti. Caution: The drive is rugged, very rugged. If you can, we highly recommend flying from the Mara airstrip to Serengeti airstrip to avoid this long, bumpy stretch.
We finally arrived at Acacia Central Camp around 5 pm. This would be our home for the next few nights, nestled deep inside the Serengeti National Reserve. Little did we know, this wild place was about to give us an experience we’d never forget.
As night fell, the Serengeti came alive. From the comfort of our tents, we could hear the haunting sounds of lions, elephants, hyenas, and more, grunting and howling in the distance - sometimes eerily close. While this made for a few sleepless moments, it was also a reminder of how the Maasai people coexist with this incredible wildlife in harmony. Their deep-rooted connection to the land and animals is something truly special.
The next two days were spent immersed in the Serengeti’s wild beauty. We embarked on full-day game drives across the reserve, spotting the usual suspects: gazelles, impalas, wildebeests, giraffes, topis, warthogs, hippos, crocodiles, and of course, the ever-present hyenas. But it wasn’t just the typical wildlife that made this experience unforgettable. We were lucky enough to witness some rare sightings that made our hearts race with excitement:
- A pride of lions – 2 male lions, 5 lionesses, and 4 playful cubs.
- A massive herd of elephants – over 100 of them (a rare and incredible sight).
- A migration of thousands of zebras – an overwhelming display of nature's raw power.
- Leopard and cheetah sightings – both on the prowl after their latest meal.
- And perhaps the most surreal moment of all – spotting a Serval (an extremely rare wild cat) roaming the grasslands.
The sheer size of Serengeti is also something to behold. At 30,000 square kilometers (about 12,000 square miles), it's vastly larger than the Maasai Mara (just 1,510 square kilometers). While the two parks are part of the same ecosystem, the scale of Serengeti is humbling. You could spend days driving through its open plains and still feel like you’ve barely scratched the surface.
On our third morning in Serengeti, it was time to bid farewell to this untamed paradise. As we packed our lunch boxes and prepared to head towards Ngorongoro, we couldn’t help but think about the words “Serengeti shall never die.” It’s a fitting tribute to this incredible ecosystem, which plays a central role in the Great Migration - a phenomenon where millions of wildebeest, zebras, and other species move across the plains in search of food and water. This world heritage site is an irreplaceable gem, and every moment spent here reaffirms its importance.
Serengeti is truly a place where life, in all its beauty and brutality, unfolds before your eyes. And, as we set off towards our next destination, Ngorongoro Crater, we knew that this journey was far from over. But for now, we could leave knowing that the Serengeti will remain exactly as it should be: wild, free, and untamed.
0 Comments