Serengeti....

After an incredibly early departure, we took the 2 hour land rover drive back to the airport - we hopped on yet another small prop plane - made a landing on a dirt airstrip to pick up some more people - and landed in the Serengeti on a red dirt airstrip - that they needed to chase wildebeest off of in order for us to land. 

We started a game drive right from the airport.  This is truly a beautiful spot - rolling landscape, thousands upon thousands of wildebeest and zebra.  As far as the eye can see - they look like ants in the distance.  Parts of this area though are inundated by the infamous tse tse fly.  They provide you with fly swatters - decorated with colored beads.... and we were all waking away at the dreaded tse tse flies and they descended upon our newly arrived flesh.
We spotted a hypo out of the water - waddling along - he turned and fake charged us.  
A large herd of elephants (24 or so), a few warthogs with babies in tow.  Impala, Clipspringer, Oribi, a giraffe from the distance  - I'm still waiting for a close up though.  The highlight was a spotting a lioness and her 3 cubs atop a rock.  They just lay there - staring at us - but completely unconcerned.  
We headed back to the camp -- & Beyond Serengeti Under Canvas.  A mobile tented camp.  They move the camp every 3 or 4 months so that it can be in the best position to see the great migration. 

 Although a luxury camp, definitely what I consider roughing it.... No electricity - they light lanterns - and in your room you have a few lights that work at night on a generator.  A real bed and flush toilet inside the tent.  

And your shower is outdoors - with a canvas bucket for water.  They heat the water, fill the canvas bucket, hoist it up - it attaches to the shower head which has a lever that you turn in order to take your shower.  You need to open the lever - wet yourself - close it - soap yourself - open it - rinse yourself.  No time to dawdle.  


They serve us dinner by the fire - and my butler escorts me back to my tent, puts me inside, and zips me in - as per my request, closes the flaps of my tent so that I don't get too freaked out by all the noises and animals wandering by.....