Tanzania Safari Report

Tanzania has a diverse collection of national parks and the Serengeti is Tanzania’s crown jewel.  Endless plains dotted with acacia trees with healthy populations of game, including vast herds of wildebeest, elephants, lions, hyena, and cheetah.  The park is famous for the wildebeest migration where nearly a million wildebeest follow a circular route of ancient paths around the park in search of fresh grazing.  We were fortunate to visit the Serengeti when the herds of wildebeest and zebra were returning south to give birth.  Our days were filled with wildlife encounters:  cheetahs at a kill, lions lazing in the grass, and elephants meandering through acacia forests.  But what struck me most was the vast sense of space.  The plains stretched to the horizon and were filled with migrating wildebeest.  We stopped one evening to watch the sun set and as we enjoyed our gin and tonics, the only sound was the bleating of the tens of thousands of wildebeest that surrounded us.  It was just us and the wildebeest and zebra.  There wasn’t another soul in sight.

We spent our nights at two of Alex Walker’s Serien Camps (South and Kusini) and the Sanctuary Migration Camp.  Both are luxurious mobile camps that moves throughout the Serengeti following the migration.  Each canvas camp is set in remote area with large comfortable tents.  exceptional food, friendly staff, and superb guides.

We also learned about conservation work taking place on land outside of the parks.  Chem Chem Lodge and its sister camp, Little Chem Chem, are located on concession land between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks.  Both lodges are involved in a number of important conservation projects.  Their director spoke at length with us about projects working with the local community in keeping game corridors open, allowing wildlife to move between the parks to access water and grazing.  The involvement of local communities is vital as elephants, lions, and other game must pass through villages and farms as they move between the parks.

Tanzania is home to more than 100 different tribes and ethnic groups.  The Maasai of northern Tanzania are arguably the most recognizable with their brilliant red cloaks and long spears.  We had a few opportunities to visit villages for a look at how the local people live.  We walked through a small village in the foothills of Mt Meru and learned about their coffee making skills, banana plantations, and spent some time with the local healer and heard about the medicinal herbs growing in the area. 

The cultural experience that truly affected me was our morning hunt with the Hadzabe Bushmen.  They are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on earth and have lived this way for thousands of years.  With fewer than 1500 Hadzabe left, their very existence is threatened.  Arranged during our stay at Kisima Ngeda, a tented camp on the northern shore of Lake Eyesi, we spent a morning following the Hadzabe on a hunt.  It was fascinating to watch them run effortlessly through the bush searching for game with their bows and arrows.  The Hadzabe speak a click language (similar to the San of southern Africa) and our local guide translated our questions and told us about their daily lives.  We watched them collect wild honey and roast a small bird they shot on a fire.  This was a special encounter to see how human society may have looked thousands of years ago.