In the Serengeti - Day 1

The Serengeti is truly a mystical place!

At the entrance gate to the national park, we climb the rocky Naabi Hill and let our gaze wander over the flat, dry grasslands.

The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai language and means “endless plain,” and indeed: This savanna landscape is immense. The national park alone is one of the largest in the world, covering an area of around 15,000 km² and extending into the Maasai Mara on the border with Kenya.

The Serengeti offers an incredible biodiversity; here 300 to 400 lions find optimal conditions! Additionally, the Great Migration can be observed: a giant animal migration of about 2 million wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles.

We set off along dusty tracks into the Serengeti and are greeted by a giraffe at the roadside 😊

Shortly after starting our drive, we encounter three cheetahs in the savanna grass. They are probably brothers forming a coalition to hunt together. They lie comfortably in the midday sun.

Cheetahs often hunt their prey during the day. They sprint short distances and can reach speeds of up to 110 km/h! Their black tear stripes help them see better in bright light.

As we continue driving, we come across two lionesses. They are fully grown and truly enormous up close! They walk casually past the safari vehicles present and ignore us.

One of the lionesses stretches lazily and soon settles down in the shade.

We are very lucky, and our driver-guide Rafika knows his stuff: After a short drive, we find a larger pride of lions lying in the shade under a big tree during their siesta. There’s hardly any movement here…

There are two lionesses with their cubs. By the way, lions are the only cats that form a pride together (up to 15 animals).

A male lion is not far away! A cub stirs and wanders directly over to him. But he merely lifts his head briefly, uninterested in playing😁

As we continue through the Serengeti, the special atmosphere becomes palpable! A light breeze sweeps across the dry grass; everything is incredibly quiet...

Next to a herd of zebras, we see a group of cow antelopes! With their reddish-brown fur and slender heads, they are very beautiful to look at... In case of danger, they can run up to 70 km/h!

After spotting some buffalos, we've truly seen so much for the first day!

We drive to the tent camp in the middle of the Serengeti... A marabou stork is already waiting to grab any leftovers from dinner 😆

We are perfectly sent off into the night by a stunning sunset! A gazelle even scurries by in the foreground 🤩

For the next, second day, we will start early with a game drive.