Tanzania 2017 (part V): Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania:

Cheetah on the plains of the Serengeti

From the Ngorongoro Crater, my journey continued into the Serengeti National Park where I would spend a total of three nights.

The first stop after leaving the Ngorongoro Crater was the Olduvai Gorge which is one of the most important palaeoanthropological sites in the world. The exposed sediments yielded many priceless fossils helping to understand human evolution. The attached museum is quite beautiful, but it is nonetheless heavily overpriced. The road continued northwest across the seemingly endless plains of the Serengeti where I saw the first vast herds of wildebeests participating in the Great Migration – a really unforgettable sight! After registering at the Naabi Hill Gate, we slowly drove northwards into the central Serengeti where we saw a fantastic array of wildlife, including lions at a kill and my first cheetah!

Giraffes

entrance to Olduvai Gorge

museum at Olduvai Gorge

cast of the Laetoli footprints

fossil skull from Olduvai Gorge

Olduvai Gorge

male Purple Grenadier

Maasai on the plains of the Serengeti

traveling through the Serengeti plains

the Great Migration

entrance to the Serengeti National Park

Mwanza Flat-headed Rock Agama

at the Naabi Hill Gate

view from Naabi Hill

Flap-necked Chameleon

traveling through the Serengeti plains

Greater Kestrel

Grant Zebra

Grant Zebras

Cattle Egret

Spotted Hyena

Grant Zebras

Red-billed Teals and Knob-billed Ducks

Red-billed Teals

Red-billed Teals and Knob-billed Ducks

Grant Zebras

Blue Wildebeests

Spotted Hyena

Kori Bustard

traveling through the Serengeti plains

Common Elands

the Great Migration

Secretary Bird

Kongoni (Hartebeest) and Grant’s Gazelle

Kongonis (Hartebeests)

young lion

Lappet-faced Vulture

Grey Heron

Bohor Reedbuck

Hooded Vulture

lazy lion pride

mom with the kids

little rascal

safari in the Serengeti National Park

drinking milk

gnawing on a reedbuck

lions chilling in a tree

Fischer’s Lovebird

Yellow-billed Oxpecker

African Elephants

Three-banded Plover

Wood Sandpiper

Black Crake

Cheetah

Southern Ground-Hornbill catching a snake

Southern Ground-Hornbill catching a frog

Southern Ground-Hornbill

Olive Baboon

African Elephants

White-headed Buffalo-Weaver

Topi

lions at a fresh kill

lion at a fresh kill

lion

Serengeti National Park

safari in the Serengeti National Park

the Great Migration

female Hartlaub’s Bustard?

Serengeti National Park

Topi

Topis

After a night at the Nyani Public Campsite, we started early on a safari in the central Serengeti. Again we saw many lions, several cheetahs, and an almost hidden leopard in addition to the abundant antelopes and birds. Unfortunately, our afternoon safari was cut short by a heavy rain shower lasting more than an hour and turning the roads into slippery rivers.

sunrise near Seronera

Blacksmith Lapwing

Hippopotamus

Kirk’s Dik-Dik

Black-backed Jackal

Black-backed Jackals

Black-backed Jackal

Crested Francolin

Beautiful Sunbird

Martial Eagle

Cheetahs

Marabou Stork

Kirk’s Dik-Dik

Rüppell’s Long-tailed Starling

juvenile Rüppell’s Long-tailed Starling?

Tawny Eagle

Giraffe

lions chilling in a tree

young lion

lioness

lion

Giraffe

Martial Eagle

Hippopotamus

Wattled Starling

Leopard sleeping in a tree

African Green Pigeons

a kopje

young lions

young lion

wildebeests and zebras

White-bellied Bustard

Lilac-breasted Roller

Dark Chanting-Goshawk

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Nyani Public Campsite

male Von der Decken’s Hornbill

Black-backed Jackal

Kongonis (Hartebeests)

Grant Zebras

rains in the Serengeti

Crowned Lapwing

heavy rain shower in the Serengeti

African Pied Wagtail

African Pied Wagtails

African Pied Wagtail

You can check out the intensity of the rains in the following clip:

Following another night at the Nyani Public Campsite, we again went on an early morning safari through the central Serengeti. The highlights included two majestic lions at a wildebeest kill, a cheetah with cub, and another cheetah (unsuccessfully) hunting a reedbuck in front of our eyes. However, not everyone was having a great time – we saw one car which had toppled over because the roads were still so slippery from the rain on the day before (luckily noone was injured).

sunrise near Seronera

Yellow-billed Oxpecker

Spur-winged Lapwing

Spur-winged Lapwing with young

Spotted Hyena

African White-backed Vulture

Lion

Cheetah

young Cheetah

Cheetah

Cheetah with young

female White-bellied Bustard

Spotted Hyena

Hooded Vulture

Black-backed Jackal

Lion

Spotted Hyena

hot-air balloon above the Serengeti

female Common Kestrel

Tawny Eagle

Nile Crocodile

accident

Central Serengeti

Serengeti National Park

kopjes in the Serengeti National Park

Cheetah

Central Serengeti

Cheetah

Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax

Usambiro Barbet

Central Serengeti

After lunch at the Nyani Public Campsite, we packed our belongings and drove into the more hilly, northern Serengeti. Although the large herds of wildebeests had already left this region, we saw a lot of wildlife. We reached Lobo Rest Camp in the late afternoon and I had time to enjoy the fantastic view across the valley where giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, and other antelopes roamed. I was the only tourist staying at the camp site and had a rather turbulent night, because two buffaloes decided to stay next to my tent for most of the night, while lions were roaring in the distance.

Olive Baboon

Olive Baboons

Impalas

on the road to the northern Serengeti

African Buffaloes

African Buffalo

female Von der Decken’s Hornbill

on the road to the northern Serengeti

Topis

Grant’s Gazelle

Grant’s Gazelle and zebras

on the road to the northern Serengeti

Common Eland

African Elephant

landscape in the northern Serengeti

Klipspringer

Klipspringers

Martial Eagle

Lobo Rest Camp

view from Lobo Rest Camp

Lobo Rest Camp

view from Lobo Rest Camp

Augur Buzzard

Red-faced Crombec

Little Bee-eater

Topi near Lobo Rest Camp

view from the tent

hyraxes

hyrax

hyraxes

hyrax

Speckled Pigeon

male Cliff Chat

Cliff Chats

female Cliff Chat

Little Bee-eater

Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture

African White-backed Vulture

Lesser Striped Swallow

Lioness

baby lions

female and male African Grey Hornbill

female African Grey Hornbill

landscape in the northern Serengeti

Lilac-breasted Roller

African Elephants

White-headed Vulture

Grey-backed Fiscal Shrike

Kleins Gate

hippo skull

On the next morning, we left Lobo Rest Camp and drove eastwards. Just a few hundred metres from the camp we came across a lioness with three cubs. After about 1.5 hours we reached Kleins Gate, where I had to say goodbye to the Serengeti National Park and from where we continued our journey to Lake Natron.

6 responses to “Tanzania 2017 (part V): Serengeti National Park”

Güde April 15, 2018 at 9:02 pm · · Reply →

Wow, such species diversity. The Agama is one of my favourites 🙂 Thank you for showing these marvelous photos of your yourney!
- wildlifeweeks April 16, 2018 at 6:23 am · · Reply →
  
  thank you! I am happy that you like it!! 😊
de Wets Wild April 16, 2018 at 1:33 am · · Reply →

The variety of wildlife is astonishing! And don’t you just love the rains in Africa!?
- wildlifeweeks April 16, 2018 at 6:24 am · · Reply →
  
  yes, it’s a fantastic wildlife destination… and I enjoyed the rain shower on the one hand, but I was also a bit sad, because we had to return back to camp and cancel the afternoon safari…
  - de Wets Wild April 16, 2018 at 4:07 pm · ·
    
    Pity that you missed out on another game drive!
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