Tanzania continued.

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
Day 2DSC_0407.JpgDSC_0427.JpgDSC_0441.JpgDSC_0457.JpgDSC_0470.Jpg

After a morning game drive in Tarangire, we started for the Serengeti. End of pavement for the next week as we headed over the Ngorongoro area (more on that later when we went into the crater on the last day.) Arrived just before dark at our camp for the next 5 nights in the area around the Seronera air strip.

A lot to see a long the way.
 

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
Each day we then explored different directions from camp- the variety of scenery was interesting. From nearly treeless grasslands, to wooded hills.
The main constant was absurd numbers of wildebeest. The 'Great Migration' is ongoing year round, and targeting it on its annual rotation was one of our goals. I think it is very safe to say I have now seen more wildebeest than any other large wildlife in my life.

Day 3 (more or less).

The morning started out with coming upon a reasonably fresh lion killed wildebeest, but by that point the hyenas had shown up. We got there in time to watch the 30 or so hyena drive off the lions and take control of the kill. Unfortunately messed up my early morning camera settings and didn't get any good photos.

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Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
Around this time things got a little more interesting in camp. We were in tents in a very basic campsite (my preferred style, not just for cost reasons.)

We had several nights when lions where commonly heard throughout the night- an interesting sound to be woken up to in your tent! Mornings and evenings we had several sightings of a pair hanging out within 200-300 yards of camp (closest was about 100 yards.) Our guide's response? 'that is why we recommend flashlights.'

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Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
We averaged seeing 12-15 lions and 1-2 leopards a day, along with tens of thousands of wildebeest and hundreds to thousands of zebra. Not as many elephant, giraffe, etc.
During the time in the Serengeti we only had two cheetah sightings, but with one managed to watch a kill- amazingly fast and even harder than the lion to photograph.

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rholbrook

Well-Known Member
Location
Kaysville, Ut
Thank you for sharing. You have got to be in heaven as a Veterinarian seeing such a variety of amazing animals that most of us will really ever see on tv or the zoo.
 

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
You went all that way and didn't even pet any of them. Should have gone to Yellowstone instead, I hear its encouraged. lol.

Awesome pics. I have a co-worker who has gone to Africa several times to hunt recently. I think I'd prefer your pictures over his. Thanks for sharing.
 
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