Safari (almost there folks!)

Right, time to talk about the animals.

I imagined David Attenborough at every turn, it was like stepping into an episode of Planet Earth! Name a safari animal and we will have seen it: lions, elephants, leopards, water buffalo, rhino, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, impala, hyenas, hippos, ostriches, flamingos, buffalo, wildebeest, gazelles, lizards, monkeys, baboons, eagles, secretary birds (love the name) and many many others.

Zebras, impala and wildebeests roamed all three parks like exotic versions of New Forest ponies, deer and cattle. The first day we wanted to get every zebra on camera, but by the end it was more like "oh, there's a zebra...meh...!" There are still so many sights that I cannot possibly imagine getting blaze about. As I can't write about every single 'animal encounter', I will present the prizes to different categories (drum roll).

Most exhilirating
Cheetahs, Serengeti
After an hour of not seeing much, Charles got a tip-off from a fellow driver that sent him screeching off in the opposite direction to a dry lake bed. We arrived with pink cheeks and hair all over our faces not knowing what we were going to see, and edged in furtively (strictly speaking we weren't allowed to be there, but Charles had a decent sense of adventure...). Under a tree were two beautiful cheetahs sleeping. We got within 3 feet of them and could see every little detail. After a few quick snaps we hurridly left the area and continued on our way. Did you know Cheetah's aren't true cats because their claws don't retract?

Most impressive
Elephant, Ngorogoro Crater
We had several sightings of elephants through the trees, but one in particular stuck in my mind. As we were driving through the forest on the edge of the NC we heard a rustle, looked round, and saw the most beautiful, impressive, enormous but graceful animal I've seen. It was a bull elephant, and was munching away about 10ft from the jeep. I know their ears are big, but I had not appreciated quite how enormous they are until he flapped them. They are about 2/3 the size of the whole elephant! Did you know Most elephants' tusks are different lengths. This is because they are the equivalent of right and left handed - they use one side of their head more when rootling for food, so one tusk gets worn down quicker than the other.

Most 'Lion King'
Lion, Serengeti
In the distance we saw a huge male sitting like a sphinx on the edge of a kopje (rock), surveying the 'endless plain'. We did feel the need to sing the Disney soundtrack, I'm afraid...
Lion encounter 2 We saw quite a few lions asleep, but in the Ngorogoro Crater we were treated to a male leaving his pack of three sleeping females to cross the road right in front of us, pose in the sunlight, and flirt with two more females. They are so beautiful, it's hard to imagine them tearing animals to shreads (but I'm willing to believe it!)

Most scary
Hyenas, Serengeti
They were the first animals we saw in the Serengeti (apart from zebras), and actually very impressive. There was a small pack of them wandering over to some carrion on the side of the road. They really are hideous looking creatures. Their front legs are far longer than their back, so they walk with a strange gait (like a gorilla). Their faces are pretty grizzly and their fur is not what I call groomed. All in all, impressive, but grusome!

Most smelly
Hippos, Serengeti and Lake Manyara
We had two opportunities to see a pool full of hippos: a very touristy 'view point' in Lake Manyara, and a much more natural view in the Serengeti where we stood on a rock above a river and covered our noses as we watched over 100 hippos sleeping, mating, grunting and generally stinking! I can't stress it enough - they really really smell!! I loved seeing them - they've always been something I associate with Africa and 'adventure' (probably from the stories Papa told me about his expidition days in the Bangweulu Swamps) so I had to pinch myself. I have moments like that when I can't believe I'm actually here!

Most rare
Leopards, Serengeti and Rhino, Ngorogoro Crater
Charles was preparing us not to see any leopards, as we'd already seen 3 out of the Big Five and you have to be very lucky to spot any. However, we saw a group of jeeps under a tree so screeched to a halt, looked up, and there were two leopards dozing in the tree above our head! At one point the female woke up, growled at the male, paced the branch, and settled back down with all four paws and tail dangling. Very exciting.
On our last day, the only animal we hadn't seen was the Black Rhino (which are cunningly actually white...). There are only 28 in the Ngorogor Crater, so we didn't really expect to see any. Eagle-eyed Charles, however, spotted what looked like a rock to us. As we tried to identify which of the nearby rocks it was, it stirred, got up and posed very thoughtfully for us!

Most funny
Monkeys, Ngorogoro Crater
We stopped for a loo break in a car park in the trees at the NC, that was littered with 'cheeky monkeys'... One jumped off the roof of the loo block onto James' feet, one came in our jeep window then left when we said "erm, Charles, there appears to be a monkey in the car", but the funniest incident by far was yet to come. One climbed in the roof of the other jeep, with most of the volunteers still in it, and erm, 'did it's business' in Katy's seat! Katy brought hair straighteners. It was very funny.

Briefly, our accomodation was the most luxurious I've ever stayed in and the buffet's were the highlights of our stays...we fell on it like hyenas - might as well make the most of it!

Wow, I've written such a lot and feel like I've barely started! I'm so glad I went. Thank you to Mum and Dad, it is my birthday and Christmas presents for years to come - and what a present...

Lxxx