In the last post we had ascended out of the Eden of Ngorongoro Crater to begin the trek to our next destination: the Serengeti.

Before embarking on this grand safari I had of course looked at everything on the map, and charted driving times to try to get a sense of what our days would be like. But like everything experiencing it was something else. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park are right next to each other; the signs reading “leaving Ngorongoro” and “welcome to Serengeti” nearly abut, or at least I remember it that way. The two ecosystems though seem like they could not be more different. As we climbed out of the crater we were surrounded by lush green. The road curves along the edge of a valley, and in the middle is nestled a small Maasai compound with their cows grazing next to zebra. But then you crest the hill and begin the long descent and the environment changes suddenly, the road twisting through a dry and dusty expanse of whistling acacia. Even in our enclosed and (nominally) air-conditioned safari vehicle, it was hot and bright and tiring to travel through. Still, life continues; at one point we passed a giraffe among the trees and across the road a Maasai woman selling wares to passersby.

Another surprise this trip was a brief stop at the fork to Olduvai Gorge. Until we were at the little rest stop and bathroom break I hadn’t realized it was so close. We didn’t have time to explore the cradle of humanity but it was still nice to have a miniature homecoming.

Eventually the Serengeti proper began and it was mesmerizing. Even without animals the landscape itself would be a fantastic draw. At the gate pictured at the top Obedi told us that “Serengeti” means “endless plain” (Wikipedia tells me this etymology is disputed) and endless it definitely seems to be. From the gate we drove straight for miles and miles through dry-looking grass broken up in parts by zebras and wildebeest and gazelle. Later on I watched a dust devil spin by. One of the things that most amazed me about the Serengeti though is that within the endlessness the landscape could change. The first major landmark of the Serengeti was the large kopje where Obedi had to do the paperwork for our trip, which marked a change from the grasslands. After arrival in this section we could hop from kopje to kopje which spotted the horizon. But even these we could drive past into a greener veldt. Then again later on you could find higher hills blanketed with more acacia forests. Both endless and ever-changing, it is really a wonder.

But the Serengeti did have animals, so we were not confined to landscape spotting. Prior to the safari my super amazing wife and I had both picked our dream animal to spot; mine was easy as giraffes are my favorite but her deepest hope was to spot a cheetah. And bam, almost as soon as we hit the Serengeti, Big Cats Safaris pulled through and showed us Big Cats. As we approached the rocks I had spotted feline heads which I had assumed at first would be lions, but lo! there was not one but three cheetahs, brothers by the look of them, all snoozing away happily on their rock. At the base of the rock was the remains of a gazelle, so the cheetahs were sleeping off a hearty lunch. This being a highlight of the whole trip for my super amazing wife, we lingered for a long while by the cheetahs before scooting off to give another safari vehicle a chance to admire them.

And so on we drove through the changing landscape. What also stunned me is how much the animal landscape could change as well. During this time of year the wildebeest great migration was in the area so at times we would pass these massive herds of wildebeest, usually accompanied by zebra, or else herds of gazelles or buffalo, so much that even in the endless plains it didn’t seem like there could be room for them all. But then on we would drive into a new patch of infinity where it was just us and the grass and the sky and I wondered where they all went.

Eventually though the sun began to make its way towards the horizon, rays playing across the land, and we made the definitive turn towards camp. Despite being just at the tail end of the rainy season, we didn’t get rained on at all during our safari, though towards the evening we had been chasing a rain cloud. Behind that rain the sun finally set, with astonishing reds painting the clouds. Our final stop before camp was a gas station, quite the sight in the Serengeti; the most exciting part however was watching a baboon snatch a Fanta someone had left on a curb. Truly nature is wonderful. A few more paths in the dark and we arrived at the camp.