Awesome African Adventure. Day 25- May 3, 2025

‘Retreat at Ngorongoro’ to Central Serengeti.

Sadly, we left probably our fanciest lodge ‘Retreat at Ngorongoro.’

JB shared that the Bushman tribe – Hadzabe – hunters were moved out of the Ngorongoro Park. They are very good with bows and arrows. They are the tribe who find the Coke bottle in the movie ‘The Gods must be crazy.’ Marijuana is illegal in Tanzania, but for some reason the Hadzabe are able to purchase it and use it.

Very quickly we entered the Ngorongoro Conservation Park and paperwork was required. Lots of info in the information area. I took pics now finding time to read it all is the challenge.

Top of the crater is a climb from the gate to 2400 then a 600 metre drop into the crater itself at 1800m above sea level.

Serengeti is the word for endless plains and was created by an eruption of Ngorongoro Volcano.
Olduvai Gorge was created by the Volcanic activity and is believed to be the cradle of humankind, fossils have been found under ash and lava.

A rainy start to the day and clouds are low and we are up in them, unfortunately impeding the view over the crater from the rim. It’s also cooler today – time for a long sleeved T shirt.

The wildlife are often on the roads and eating the roadsides. There are lots of places where the elephants have been digging into the banks with their tusks to get the minerals in the clay. Really undercutting in places and possibly causing landslides.

The sun broke through and we started to get glimpses of the crater.

Some great viewpoints and then the actual crater was stunning.

A new Euphobia Bossei cactus. Sort of scalloped edges and red and yellow flowers or berries – can’t get a good look or shot.

A bit of excitement coming down the one way track into crater. Electrical smoke emanating from the dash. The inverter had been pulsating and our phones wouldn’t charge so we think that was the cause. We bailed out and grabbed our small bags with money and passport etc. took some foliage photos while Phil and JB tried to sort it out. Another vehicle and guide stopped to assist. Disconnected the battery and ended up disconnecting the inverter by breaking the wires – no more in vehicle charging of devices for us. The fridge still works and we were on the road again. Later discovered no wipers and some instruments not working.
Soon the wildlife began to show up in earnest. Here begins the list for today.
Helmeted Guinea fowl or African Road Runners.
Northern Anteater Chat. (Boring LBB)
Olive Baboons up the hill.
Little bee eater (Suzie needs a shot)
Buffalo, Grants (larger) to the left and Thompson antelope to the right, zebras, Grants Gazelle, Wildebeests and Blacksmith Plover.
Secretary Birds.
Auger buzzard (Mary shot)
Thomson Gazelle
Eland Antelope – with clicking knees. 900kg – a really big solid antelope which can clear 2 metres and more from a standing start.
Greater Flamingoes in the lake
Black Rhinos in distance. (The name is not about colour – it came from mispronunciation of wide mouth. These black rhinos have a hooked mouth and are browsers and more solitary, while the wide mouth ones were named White Rhinoceros)
Then a lioness on a dead wildebeest. There were vultures and Maribou Storks landing on the entrails while Lisa the Lioness dragged the remains along and across the road and up to hide the carcass and herself amongst the bushes. Amazing to see. Amazing doesn’t cut it really. We were so close and had great views of the whole thing. She seemed oblivious to us humans and our vehicles.
Lappet Vultures among the African white backed vultures and Maribou Storks.
Rufous Naped Lark singing beside us.
Rhino by the lake – distant
Thompson (small) and Grant (big) Gazelle.
Pair of Crown Crested Crane
Kori Bustard – 17 – 20 kgs. M/f
Wildebeest- JB explained they were made out of leftovers – the stripes of zebra, tail of horse, mane of a lion, face of grasshopper or hartebeest. Even their call is not quite a moo or a neigh but some sort of combination.
Black headed Heron
Elephants in the distance
More enigmatic zebras resting on each others back and a baby in the family too.
It’s quite dusty with heaps of vehicles milling about.
Some more bustards and another Lion with a few females on a wildebeest kill. Hyenas prowling around too. There were elephants in the background too.
Over to the lake for a range of birds
Great White Pelicans
Greater and Lesser (pinker and black beaked) Flamingos
Egyptian Geese
Yellow Billed Stork
Red knobbed coot
Black winged stilts
The crater is called the elephant graveyard. These guys are around 60. Each elephant has 10 sets of teeth in their lifetime. Each set lasts approximately 10 years so by 60 they have to start taking care of their teeth and they come to the crater for the soft swampy type grasses. They look older and more wrinkled too.
Hyena
Reflection flamingoes
Old grey elephants eating really soft swampy stuff for their teeth
Black headed heron with snake
Long toed lapwing
Crown crested crane
Fan tailed widow bird.
Wildebeest in the yellow aspelia flower
Another rhino in the distance.
Reflecting zebra
Eland antelope herd
Cape Buffalo and Egyptian geese and flamingos
Common black backed jackal.
Hildebradt’s Starling – red eye (Mary)
Spekes Weaver
Common Fiscal
Maasai Village
Giraffes with site of Museum of Humankind in background.
We drove down onto the plain and stopped at the “Oldvai” information centre. This area was the site of Mary Leakey’s archeological exploration and the discovery of human fossil fragments. I can vaguely recall Mary Leakey from year 7 or 8 history classes, so amazing to think that 47 years later I can still recall that.

Olduvai Gorge is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world and often called the “Cradle of Mankind.”
It was here that Mary and Louis Leakey, over the course of more than 30 years of painstaking work, unearthed the first well-dated fossils and artifacts of some of our earliest human ancestors including a skull fragment determined to be 1.75 million years old. Informally known as the “Nutcracker Man” for its huge molars and skull fragments of Homo habilis (“handy” or “able” man)
Numerous tools were also found in association with Homo habilis remains suggesting that this species was likely the earliest of human ancestors to become adept at tool crafting.

Crossed the border between Ngorongoro and Serengeti. A quick stop for photos.
The animals numbers have begun increasing. More of everything again. Zebra, antelope, patches, bustards, plovers, hundreds of wildebeests continuing their migration.

We came to an area with heaps of Wildebeest and 2 Hyena. The hyenas were wallowing in the mud to cool off. One walked out looking like a ‘choc dipped hyena)

Then to the Serengeti NP Naabi gate where JB had to do the paperwork again. The costs for park entry are pretty steep. $75 per person per day per Park, plus $50 per day per guide and $50 per day for the vehicle. We were in Ngorongoro for 1 day, Serengeti will be 3, and Tarangire was 2 as well. Not cheap.

Since our earlier lunch stop at 1.00 till about 1:45 we have been heading towards our next lodge in the Serengeti NP. Once we climbed up out of the crater again we still have a couple of hours of travel at least. This is the biggest park at 30 000 Sq km. JB is keen to keep going.

OMG – four safari vehicles stopped ahead with a Cheetah on its Thomson Antelope kill. We popped the top and watched for quite a while. Stunning. He was just gorging on the poor Antelope. There was a hyena out on the plain and our cheetah was aware. He was so fat. Poor antelope. We put the roof down and moved on at speed.

We passed by many rocky outcrops called Kopje’s. One even with a rainbow behind rain
Skiffs have been all around us today.

After we left the Cheetah, not much further along a Serval cat crossed the road in front of us. Not sure anyone got a shot off.

On we went, we have passed a few broken down vehicles as the road is corrugated and rough.

Then we came upon a huge herd of Wildebeest and Zebra migrating (the great migration happens around this area all year) stunning to see. Hard to capture.

Roof up and down again and on we go. It’s now 5:20 and we have to get to the Ranger before we can get to the lodge. I’m not sure how far away we are.

Then we get yet another Serval cat. This one walking along the road towards us. Out the windows before it disappears. He wasn’t as eager to leave so up went the roof and we all got some shots off. Today has been MASSIVE.

Another Serval Cat sighting. So cool. Even Suzie hasn’t seen these before and now we’ve seen four this trip and three today.

The next stop was a huge heard of Cape Buffalo with Egrets, Grey Headed Herons. It’s just full on.

Just around the next bend was a school of hippos in a river bed. Quick photo stop and off we go.

We had a burst of rain which required lowering of the roof. And since our little electrical
Issue this morning he now has no wipers. Rain stopped, windscreen wiper and off we go again.

The road got a bit slimy and it’s not JB’s favourite road.

We came upon a new antelope to us – the Topi- which they were beautifully coloured- rich brown, rust and black. Also known as the Blue Jean antelope.

Trying our hardest to get to our accommodation then JB spotted a tail hanging from a tree climbing lion up an acacia. Just so warm on the golden hour light. JB has named her Jennifer. She was looking at us.

What a magical day. Despite a late arrival into the lodge, we got a bonus sunset and golden hour. But we got more than we bargained for. A few kilometres down the track the vehicle started to fail (6:20pm). Something wrong with the fuel pump we think. (6:30pm) It gave up the ghost and Phil and JB tried to pump the fuel pump. At one point JB had service and phoned someone as we sputtered along. Once it had stopped and couldn’t restart (starved of fuel) we saw sunsetting from the vehicle while Phil and JB continued to problem solve under the bonnet. As the darkness fell I saw a shape moving about 15m away on Mary’s side we both thought Hyena shape so let the boys know.
JB walked up the hill a little to try and get phone service again as no vehicle had arrived as he expected. Phil got back in the car.
A vehicle turned up at 7:25 and we transferred to that and then towed JB and the vehicle “just around the corner” possibly 3kms to the accommodation.
JB got us and luggage out and Alphonse and the team here at Serenity Camp looked after us.
We have very nicely appointed wooden floored tents and are happy with it.
Over to dinner tent for a terrific meal – pumpkin soup, roast spuds, broccoli, mixed vegetables and delicious beef with gravy – we were able to serve ourselves so not a HUGE plate full finished off with a delicious chocolate mousse type dish with a little custard and broken biscuit and a cup of tea.
Alphonce went to check with JB what the plans for tomorrow are. JB came back to say the car was good to go, they have bypassed a solenoid between the two tanks. So we have an 8 o’clock breaky and 9 departure.
We were all knackered after a long and exciting eventful day and it is cooler here, so looking forward to showers and bed.
As always there is charging to be done and too many photos to be backed up – so bed was later than hoped – almost midnight.
Also our security escort Francis was serious tonight. He carried a double ended spear to scare the animals and he was really scanning out into the bush with his torch.
Our bedtime accompaniment is an actual cacophony of wild animals, there was def hippos, hyenas, and another sound we can’t recognise – must check in with JB tomorrow.