The Explorer
March 2004
News from the Bush!
Greetings from the very green and exuberant Serengeti plains!
As I write, the sounds of thundering hooves on sodden grasslands surrounds me in what can only be described as a magnificent portrait of life as the migration of Wildebeest moves away from the Ndutu woodlands and out towards Oldupai Gorge.
Part of the Great Migration remained for us on the short grass plains south of The Ngaroi, however, the rains which poured onto the shorter meadows between Ndutu and Oldupai proved irresistible to over a million hoofed animals in search of grassed perfection!
Drawn along en-masse were the usual variety of predators, including Cheetah and Lion, which, even when one isn’t particularly interested in ticking off numbers, has to be impressed with 19 Cheetah and around 40 or so Lion!
Behaviour is what a true safari is all about out on the Serengeti plains, and this safari didn’t disappoint. Patience plays a huge part with experiencing the quintessential safari.
Sitting for hours sometimes waiting for a few seconds of action may seem mundane however when the explosion finally comes it really is worth the wait.
Two male Cheetahs were spotted across the valley that hides the migration at times creating a stir in my cruiser as we headed slowly towards the two small heads in the distance.
Cheetah fall into many behavioural categories from the very nervous, with little experience of vehicles, to the individuals that almost seem more content having us around.
The two that we approached were very relaxed with our presence and it quickly became obvious that a diet of Wildebeest was the breakfast of choice for these two individuals.
Lighting was subdued but bright enough for good photographic conditions as the excitement unfolded.
Long lines of Wildebeest and calves were strewn across the plains attracting the attention of our two brothers, who were patient enough to bide their time for what seemed the perfect opportunity to dispatch a calve.
We witnessed three separate attempts to separate a young wildebeest from its Mother, with, at one point, almost top speed pursuit from one of the Cheetahs. If this morning was to be unlucky for the Cheetah brothers it was extremely lucky for the various calves that escaped their clutch.
Horse Back adventures in The Ngaroi
It’s been a long time in coming, but, finally, on March the 4th I realised a dream, to outfit Horse Back Game
Viewing in our Private Concession - The Ngaroi.
The wide open plains, river valleys and acacia woodland of The Ngaroi have given us many years of exciting game viewing on foot accompanied by either Philip Ashby or Dave Armon our resident Walking Guides. However, until now we have had to be content with either foot or open vehicles to explore The Ngaroi, which in itself is an exclusive arrangement!
Using one of our large groups(13) as a great excuse to finally get a stable of horses out to The Ngaroi, we spent 4 glorious days on Horse Back exploring the far corners of The Ngaroi at dawn and at dusk.
My good friend (and Sister in Law!) Janice Beatty brought along her fine stable of thoroughbred horses to outfit the
riders with a choice of Western or English tack to choose from. Janice’s horsemanship is legendary in this part
of the world, so not only was it a great privilege to spend so much time riding with Janice, it was also an important
experience for us both to see what, if any, were the operational wrinkles for future safaris.
During the four days in The Ngaroi, we rotated the group through the different activities at camp with Game Walks, Game Drives - Day and Night, and Game Rides which is an exclusive for Northern Tanzania, and certainly not to be found through any other outfitter.
Everyone participated with enthusiasm on the rides. I especially would like to salute Susie Nelson who, despite being
confined to a wheelchair, made two of the rides! Susie lost the use of her legs in an automobile accident some years
ago. I have to say that there are many other people out there whose zest for life and willingness to enter into new experiences
pales in comparison to Susie’s ability to lead an exciting life.
Special thanks to Bettie and Hill who made all the rides!
As the sun rose, we left camp each morning to walk and canter across the plains and woodlands, mingling with the plains game resident on The Ngaroi at this time of year. With the exception of flighty birds, our steed’s shied at nothing and proved to be extremely capable as game viewing platforms.
Zebra, Giraffe, Reedbuck, Steinbock and Hyaena were seen along with a multitude of Wildebeest and calves, Warthogs and Impala, as well as the usual birdlife.
Orchestrating the activities turned out to be more simple than we had imagined so at around 11.30 each morning the
walkers, game-drivers and riders all met under the shade of an acacia tree for coffee, cocktails and snacks to share
the days stories!
During the course of the 4 days, we rode through different country, back tracking very little, which was a particular pleasure for one such as I who hates seeing the same piece of scenery repeated on a journey!
As the sun sank on the last acacia tree, we all gathered atop a kopje for champagne, cocktails, and a fine final evening retelling the experience of the first horse back adventure with Wildlife Explorer at The Ngaroi!
Horse Back Safaris at The Ngaroi are a Wildlife Explorer exclusive that can be combined with any itinerary-please contact us for more details.
A story unfolds……..
As a finale to a wonderful safari, we finished up in our mobile tented camp on the edge of the Serengeti short grass plains enjoying what had to be the Serengeti’s wettest two days in recent months!
Rather than dampen our spirits, we all toyed with getting ‘predators in rain’ shots, with rain streaking across frame dramatising the behaviour of a small pride of five Lions with subdued lighting and a healthy dose of humour as the likelihood of anything spectacular happening seemed remote.
After almost two hours sitting patiently with the pride - and here’s why life as a guide is a magical thing - the Alpha female unexpectedly started to stalk a small group of Zebra at the edge of the woodland.
Many of our guests ask me how my enthusiasm remains intact after 24 years leading and guiding groups in Africa? The
answer is that Africa and Safari never present the same experience twice; every single encounter is unique, as is every
group of guests we outfit for, which when combined proves to be an ever changing and exciting way to live in the bush!
Unlike the Cheetahs, this Lion pride knew exactly what they were about and over the next few minutes we witnessed raw killing energy as the lead female stalked to within 30 metres finally exploding into the chase along with the Beta female, inevitably bringing down a yearling Zebra.
Watching and witnessing an entire hunt and kill sequence in close proximity is always a double edged sword experience - the intensity of the hunt shadowed by the actual brutality, in human terms, of hearing the distress calls as the prey is dispatched and devoured, is not for everyone. Yet in the symphony of life out on the Serengeti this is all about the food chain and who is at the top and the bottom in a world as natural and untouched by man as any environment on earth.
The final moments of daylight dissolved with images of one of the three maned Lions exerting his authority over the kill proving once more who really is King of the Jungle!
News from Olerai
Absent from the family for the first two weeks of March it should be Jo writing this rather than myself!
Hannah has her first IGCSE exam today with French Oral, the start of an intense few weeks, so our thoughts are with her for the moment as we all try to step gingerly around her revision schedule!
Jamie and Hunter remain at war for the most part giving us all a lot to laugh about especially at the end of the day when good night kisses are needed from little Brother which in spite of the warfare he is unable to hide his love for his smallest big sister!
Jo and I flew off to the Serengeti for the marriage of our good friend Kathy Smith to Brian Perkes. A charming wedding in the western corridor on top of a hill with a fabulous sunset, short ceremony and way too much champagne! Congratulations and love to them both.
We hope this finds you all well.
With warm wishes,
Gary & Jo .
