Gorilla trekking, Serengeti Migration during the birthing season - This has got to be one of my favourite safaris.”
I’ve just returned from an incredible Gorillas to the Serengeti Safari, arriving home just in time to hunker down with my family for Cyclone Alfred (which, thankfully, never really affected us).
Now, I’m enjoying sifting through thousands of photos and videos from this unforgettable journey. But, one of the big take-aways the group had, was that neither photos nor stories (nor this blog post) can convey the experience.
And, that is what we had. Lots of. Experiences.
From Uganda, we had magical moments with the gorillas of Bwindi, met the Batwa pygmies, hiked through villages with incredibly friendly and smiling children, visited a chimpanzee sanctuary, officially crossed the equator, spotted the elusive shoebill stork on its nest and had champagne sundowners “on top of the world”.
From our exclusive luxury camp in the Serengeti, we took drives out onto the plains. One afternoon, we watched a cheetah carry a hare she’d caught over a considerable distance to her cubs, then enjoyed seeing them play and feed right beside our vehicle. Two days later the same cheetah caught a dik-dik antelope right in the camp!!
We had lions: on kills; climbing rocks next to the vehicles; stalking, sleeping and drinking.
Two breathtaking leopard sightings—one of which was a first-ever leopard for one of the guests who has been to Africa multiple times! The young leopard had a kill in a tree, which she moved to a different branch to try and get it away from potential scavenging by the vultures
As usual – there were hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra with their new-borns. Hyaena, jackal and even a brief sighting of a honey-badger.
A side visit took us to the Oldupai Gorge and Museum, with a special opportunity to visit the very spot in the gorge where Mary Leakey famously discovered the Zinjanthropus skull. It’s incredible to find fossils still lying around and know that newly documented species are still being unearthed there today!
From Oldupai, we travelled to the stunning Ngorongoro Crater, staying at a lodge perched on the crater rim with breathtaking views and abundant wildlife below. After two black rhino sightings, we were also to witness the historic arrival of the first-ever white rhino into Tanzania. Our safari concluded at a serene, exclusive lodge in bustling Arusha, where we explored vibrant markets and visited Shanga, a wonderful community project supporting local artisans (find out more here).
Bookings are now open for next year’s “Gorillas to the Serengeti Safari“