6/29 To the Serengeti…

6/29 To the Serengeti…

In the morning we say goodbye to Gibbs Farm and embark on the long bumpy road into the Serengeti.  First we climb the southern flank of Ngorongoro, then head west around the crater rim.  At the “Windy Gap” we pause for our last amazing views of the crater floor, and then it’s off to Oldupai Gorge.

Oldupai Gorge is a lynchpin for the study of human evolution, as many hominids (pre-human) and early human fossils were buried in the gorge.  Most text books spell it “Olduvai”, which is the white man’s version, but the Massai named the place after the Oldupai plant that grows in the area.  The excavation was begun by Louis and Mary Leakey in 1931.  Ken shows us the “Castle”, a plateau-like rock rising out of the gorge, pictures of which are found in every geology book.  The Castle shows the sedimentary rocks layers going back several million years and are divided into 5 strata.  Digging continues in the gorge today. 

We load up and head to Naabi Hill, the gateway to the Serengeti in the southeast corner of the park.  Naabi Hill rises like a sentinel out of the grasslands that stretch beyond the horizon.   Very few animals are seen here during the summer, but when the November rains return, the plains will be transformed green, and over 1 million wildebeest will migrate south and undertake mass birth of their young. 

 

Now in the park we head north; with such a long drive we have very little time to view game, but we do come across about 7 young male lions sleeping the heat of the day away under some acacia.  It is extremely rare to see this many males together, and we hypothesize that they must make a formidable hunting team.  Ken thinks soon they’ll be a force to be reckoned with as they go for pride dominance. 

Finally we make it into Robanda Camp after almost 9 hours of driving, and we’re in for a treat.   Thomson has erected an amazing permanent main tent built on a massive stone tile base for eating and lounging.  Of course, for us that means sitting out with cold Safari lagers to watch the sun set over the Serengeti grasslands.  Dinner was highlighted by the camp crew rocking “Jambo”, the celebratory song in Tanzania, to honor Zac’s birthday.  Too bad the cake said “Barthday”!  You could do worse!