DAY 23: Ngorogoro Resort Campsite to Serengeti

 

Departure time

If we’d realised we’d pitched our tents next to Ngorogoro local crèche we possibly would have relocated before Izel noticed the sweet children on the other side of the fence.  The girls with bright elastic bands tied around the little knobs on their heads were very cute until their innocent calls for “chokalatie” became insistent foot-stomping demands.  Luckily we were back to the familiar swing of things, falling easily into the smooth pack-up-and-go routine to make our hasty get away from the screaming children.  We had our coffee and rusks while Elmien attempted to shoo the brood, eventually forcing Nico to throw lollipops at them.  We finally departed the suddenly quiet campsite, excited to visit the origins of the Lion King surrounds and the great migration, hoping to see a million wildebeest eaten by fat crocodiles.

 

Arrival time

We hadn’t exactly planned our return trip with as much detail as the journey to Kilimanjaro, therefore the refusal to re-enter Ngorogoro crater free of charge in order to get to the Serengeti should have been expected.  Slightly frustrated with the Tanzanian authorities, we repaid the Ngorogoro National Park fees per person and vehicle to skirt through without even entering the crater, continuing to Serengeti National Park.  Perhaps it was excitement that inspired Nico to speed through the bush as if Soek-soek had suddenly become a Ferrari, but we happened to get lost in the vast numbers of impala, zebras and wildebeest, not realising Jimbo had popped a wheel on the rough sandy terrain.  On our ace with our friends in the already travelled distance, we maintained our lead, hoping the others didn’t spot anything we had failed to.  Game viewing and predator spotting in the Serengeti is remarkable with the wide open plains stretching for kilometres, allowing us to notice when 30 game vehicles surround a rock, signalling sightings of Simba.  We sped further to see the golden predators nestled in the shade of large rocks, lazily swinging a tail to attract the attention of tourists and setting off the camera flashes anew.  We decided to wait for Jimbo and the Land Rover to catch up, however when the real African lions became boring and the vehicles still hadn’t gained ground, we continued, sighting more lions eyeing an innocent gazelle.  Eventually we arrived at the camp, followed by the others who had meanwhile gained speed, though after we had set up tents and already made our first cups of coffee, the manager or someone who thought he was very important ordered us to move as a result of our vehicles in the campsite.  I don’t how he expected our roof tent to fold open without the bakkie, or the Lovetts to sleep without their trailer-top tent, neither did he ponder how we would get food, drinks and supplies without the fridges plugged into all three vehicles, but after we eventually got those points across to him, he and his Bluetooth headset turned away.

 

Road  and campsite conditions

Considering the price for the experience of driving through the Serengeti, you would think the conditions would be similar or even better than Kruger, however the Tanzanian tourism department obviously believes dusty, untarred roads, muslim toilets and dirty long drops are the better option.  Maybe we’re just spoilt by having a famous National Park on our doorstep, expecting the Serengeti to be as tourist-friendly and well maintained as the KNP. 

 

Weather conditions

Hot

 

Personal

Since summiting Kilimanjaro, all Riegardt has been able to say is “Serengeti Baby!” Anyone who knows him will be accustomed to his random musical outbursts, singing Lion King songs with great gusto.  To live the Lion King adventure in real life has clearly been his dream since his youth.  Unfortunately we didn’t find Pride Rock.