2024 African Safari Plus: Getting to Tanzania (6/30/2024)

Sunday, June 30, 2024

At Basecamp Wilderness, we were given a box lunch and driven to the Mara Ol Seki Airstrip for the Safarilink flight to Migori, Kenya.

Looking down on the access road to the Mara Ol Seki
Airstrip and waiting safari vehicles (KSS)

Look for the shadow of the airplane (KSS)

A stop at the Serena Airstrip (KSS)

Kraals and crop fields (KSS)

Maize fields in varying states of growth (KSS)

We waited in a van until two more passengers arrived;
Migori had a paved runway and new facilties (2023) (KSS)

Ha! No pictures at the border crossing, leaving Kenya and entering Tanzania.

The van (which must cross the border multiple times per day)
dropped us off at Tarime Airstrip in Tanzania (KSS)

Taking off once again

Tanzania is supposed to have more agriculture than Kenya

Safari tent camp

Oh, no, Serengeti National Park also does control burning

Mara River is one of the sites for the Great Migration
river crossings, with crocodiles chomping at the herds
of wildebeest (and zebras), but we were too early (KSS)

Pilot and co-pilot, and only four passengers

Back to dirt runways at Kogatende Airstrip

We have arrived at Serengeti National Park,
and were given another box lunch! (KSS)

We had the afternoon game drive on the way to the
safari camp; almost immediately, Kent spotted this
Agama agama/Rainbow Agama/Rock Lizard (KSS)

Kopjes/outcrops of granite that appeared when soft volcanic
rock and ash eroded exposing the metamorphic rock,
with a Ficus burkei/Strangler Fig Tree on top

Aepyceros melampus/Impala

Smoke from controlled burning must
discourage visitors more than encourage
the Great Migration to come

Volcanic rocks at a seasonal stream we crossed

The drive to the Nasikia Mobile Migration Camp
took us through burned savanna

Our tent accommodation at Nasikia; the camp is
mobile in that it spends June-October of the migration
year in the northern part of Serengeti National Park,
and December-March in the southern part of the park

The Great Migration is the movement of millions of animals following where food is available, meaning seasonal grasslands for the wildebeest (about two million), zebras (about one million), and gazelles. With all this prey, the predators come out for a meal as well. When the calving grounds in southern Serengeti dry out, the animals follow a western corridor north to Maasai Mara in Kenya. The Mara River is the most reliable water source in the north. They seek to return to the calving grounds, usually through a more easterly "corridor." But there is no set timetable or route.

We even had a screened porch

Bed with mosquito netting

Being winter, there was little need for
mosquito netting on the bed, but it was
always lowered while we were at dinner

Bathroom with double sinks

Flush toilet and bucket shower

Buckets for each of the sinks,
and a larger tank for the shower

Our tent was Faru/Rhinoceros, and
you can see other tents down the lane

A view of the living room/bar and dining tents

Living room and bar

Bao la Kiswahili/mancala game board

Every evening there was the
menu board for dinner

Chapati and red bean soup

Local salad, beef skewer, roasted chicken, spicy brown
rice, steamed cauliflower and green beans

The controlled burning was so close to camp,
we could hear the flames crackling

Next: Naskia Game Drives A.

2024 African Safari Plus: Basecamp Wilderness Game Drives B (6/29-30/2024)

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Giraffa tippelskirchi/Maasai Giraffe (KSS)

The morning game drive began at 6:15 and included
a bush breakfast; the safari vehicle was equipped with 
a folding table and camp stools!

Egg and corn fritter, bacon, sausage, and a pancake

Giraffe and Tragelaphus oryx/Elands (KSS)

Giraffes and Phacochoerus africanus/Warthogs

Although considered one of the Ugly Five, we began to
consider the warthog as kind of cute; and everyone here
 calls them "Pumba," Swahili for silly or foolish,
the name given to the warthog in Disney's Lion King

The Ugly Five are hyena, warthog, wildebeest, Marabou stork, and white-headed vulture.

The domestic cattle appear to be a type of
Small East African Zebu cattle breed (KSS)

Equus quagga/Plains Zebras

Balearica regulorum/Grey Crowned Crane

A male Loxodonta africana/African Bush Elephant;
how can you tell he is male - he is alone

Today lunch was a cheeseburger and "fries"

Handmade strawberry ice cream

Afternoon game drive:

Sagittarius serpentarius/Secretary Bird;
here you can see the long tail feathers

Secretary Bird; here you can see the head feathers

A real dazzle of zebras (KSS)

I usually do not like to take a photo of animal rear ends

Vachellia tortilis/Umbrella Thorn Trees

Lamprotornis nitens/Cape Starling (KSS)

We would also see Egyptian geese, guineafowl, grey herons, white-crowned lapwings, a grey-headed bushshrike, red-billed oxpecker, Marico flycatcher, and a white-browed robin chat.

Panthera leo/Lions relaxing (KSS)

Damaliscus lunatus jimela/Topi
aka "Blue jeans with yellow socks"

More topis (KSS)

Elephant moms and babies

Giraffes seemed to always walk in a very spread out line (KSS)

We would also see vervet monkeys, hyenas, hartebeest, wildebeests, Thomson's gazelles, Grant's gazelles, bush duiker, and Cape buffalo.

Sunday, June 30, 2024

Cossypha heuglini/White-browed Robin Chat

We would also see Egyptian geese, Swainson's spurfowl, Cape turtle doves, white-bellied bustard, white-crowned lapwings, secretary bird, white-headed buffalo weaver, African red-eyed bulbul, superb starlings, and southern ant-eating chat.

Today we went on a walking safari, led by a ranger with
a rifle and a Maasai with a spear, then our safari guide,
followed by another Maasai with a spear

We had to watch our step on the uneven rocky ground

Rocky ground

Lichens

The smallest antelope (Sylvicapra grimmia/Bush Duiker)
has the smallest poop

Peltophorum africanum/Snouted Termite mound

After startling us by tossing a stone into a hole
resulting in a warthog storming out, the ranger
and Maasai check out another hole

The Maasai cut walking sticks for us, and
here we trudge through knee-high grass

Crossandra subacaulis

Datura stramonium/Thorn Apple is toxic (KSS)

We would also see a scrub hare, banded mongooses, hyenas, zebras, impalas, wildebeests, topis, Thomson's gazelles, giraffes, and warthogs.

Next: Getting to Tanzania.