An African Safari – By John de Silva
‘May you study hard and far enough so that one day you may pay your way and have a look at these creatures in the flesh.’
These are the words that my father wrote in a book on African wildlife that he gave me as a gift over 70 years ago. I am sure that he was smiling when he ‘saw’ me realise his wishes these many years later.
Our safari to Lake Manyara National Park, the famous Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania was the realisation of a long-held dream. The great animal migration in the Serengeti, the concentration of wildlife in the Crater and the romance of going on safari was all a fanciful dream that did come true!
One gets to the Serengeti NP in the World Heritage listed Ngorongoro Conservation Area, riding the rim of the famous Crater for a short while. From a certain point on the way you get a stupendous view down into a part of the crater. No mist or clouds obstructed our view except for the ever-present haze and far far down below we saw a mass of dots that turned out to be a large herd of buffalo; field glasses confirming the Guide’s suspicion. This was the first glimpse we had of the spectacular sights that would be presented to us.
When you visit the Serengeti you should not go with the expectation that you will see plenty of animals around every corner. This holds true for the crater as well. Many kilometres have to be traversed in search of the ‘big five’ – to start with – and the other animals of the area. Luck does play a part in the pursuit.
Friends who visited the Serengeti just a month before we did saw their only leopard in a tree quite some distance away. On our very first day, right beside the road, we came upon the first of the 5 leopard we would eventually see. He was so close to us that the telephoto lens I had on the camera was too powerful to capture the whole body of the animal! We were very fortunate that the leopard walked around in the vicinity of the vehicles for close on five to six minutes. We were all agog madly taking photographs and recording what we could on video.
The lone bull elephant that blocked our progress stood there on the road for quite a while. He even
gave us a mock charge just for good measure! There was also the herd of some 30 to 35 elephants making their way to the distant river for a drink. They ranged from the old matriarchs to the tiniest of tackers. There were many ‘tuskers’ in the herd. They gave us a great stalking opportunity which we thoroughly enjoyed. The matriarch always stopped the herd when she felt that we were in their way. She gently ushered the herd well away from us so that they could cross the road.
We just could not get away from the migrating herds. There was close on 1½ million wildebeest spread out across the vast plains. There was no great concentration of animals into one area as there was plenty of grass to eat on the hills and plains. In amongst the throng were the herds of zebra and gazelles. At times, in a never-ending line, they would be crossing the road. It was courtesy that you should give way, an unwritten ‘rule’ sadly not followed by some of the tourists because the stop could take over 10 minutes at times. It was comical to watch one animal get scared and whipping round head back taking with it those coming behind! They would then stop and start the trek all over again.
There were the graceful giraffe some with their babies. Hippo honking in the smelly pools showing off their massive ‘tusks’ when they yawned. Black rhino were scarce. They are rare in these parts and in the Crater there is a conservation area set aside for them. No tourists are permitted to visit, all roads being barred. However, the rhino are not prevented from straying out of their area presenting a rare sighting. We were fortunate to see two of them at close quarters. Herds of buffalo kept to themselves, ever alert and belligerent at times. The warthog with their ugly faces; the spotted hyena prowling about with that distinctive gait; the black backed jackal attempting to ‘rob’ food from kills that were hogged by either vultures, lion or hyena; the water buck that were skittish; the topi with their distinctive colouration, and, the squashed faced hartebeest that made you look twice at them. Then there were the other big cats
There were quite a few cheetah and lion, apart from leopard. We were fortunate to see and photograph a Serval cat. This is a beautifully marked cat that is elusive as it shuns the open areas. Cheetah posed for us and gave us displays of its stalking abilities. We were fortunate to see a pair stalk and effect a kill. The speed at which they moved was phenomenal. The lions were in the open and also took cover in the many rocky outcrops called Kopje. Heard of lions climbing trees? They sure do, and I have photographs as proof! There were cubs with their mothers; lionesses lazing in the sun; there was also a bit of ‘birds and bees’ stuff where a pair were at it in the tall grass not far from us. After the effort, that lasted all of a few seconds, the lion rose, turned to us and gave us a wink!! I have the photograph as proof!! They were all majestic well-fed lions.
To keep our interest going there were the Thompson’s gazelles, Impala, Kudu, Water buck, Baboons, Vivid monkeys with their iridescent blue bottoms, huge Crocodiles, Dik-diks and other smaller animals. The birds were represented by the Ostrich, Vultures, Storks, Heron, Eagle, Bee Eater, Horn Bills, Owl, Starling – of which the Magnificent one was an iridescent blue, Hamerkop, Crowned Crane, Kori Bustard, Go-away bird, Pelican, gorgeous Flamingo, Egyptian Geese and several others.
The Ngorongoro Crater was a sight to behold. The crater is massive and vehicles looked like little dinky cars dashing about! If you wish to see most of the African animals, and you are limited for time, visit the crater. Having said that I must warn visitors that gone are the days when the crater teemed with wildlife as depicted in the book on African wildlife my father gave me. The leopard is elusive but the cheetah and lion are well represented. We saw two magnificent brothers with a huge mass of dark mane strutting their stuff. Cheetah kept us all in suspense as they often gave the impression that they were on the lookout for a kill. The two Black Rhino were a pleasant surprise. The elephants though kept more toward the fringes of the crater where the vegetation was lush and gave them good cover. Buffalo herds were reserved as usual. All the other animals were represented and easier to locate when compared with the Serengeti. The Serengeti’s major attraction is the giant migration. Just to see that spectacle alone is worth a well-timed visit.
We were very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to visit these magnificent World Heritage listed Reserves. Long may they exist for the conservation of its animals and the viewing pleasure of generations to come.
Johnny de Silva
