January 17, 2015 - Journey to the Birthplace of Humankind - Olduvai, Serengeti

The camp that we are leaving, Dunia, is the first experience that we have ever had in tented accommodations.  Dunia (pronounced dun-ya) is a moving camp and although high end you can tell that things are temporarily established.  It was a great atmosphere, safe and we would recommend it to others. The people running the camp are all locals and most are married with young families.  They come from a village over 2 hours away and work 8 straight weeks and then 2 weeks off.  Quite a sacrifice by Western standards but you wouldn't suspect it given the warmth and friendliness of their service. While we were there we did learn some Swahili.  "Jambo, Jambo" is their greetings to others much like we say hello.  "Asante" is thank you and "Karibu" is welcome.  Add "sana" to asante or karibu and it is thank you very much and you are most welcome.  Let's see how long we remember that!

Today we head out to Olduvai (pronounced Ol-do-vie) which is in the southern part of the Serengeti and is a permanent camp run by a Maasai tribe. We will be staying with them for 3 days which will be our longest stay at one place for the entire trip.  We have been told that the terrain is very different in the south compared to the central Serengeti and likely the majority of the migration will still be down there.  The central Serengeti has high grasslands whereas the south has short grasslands.  This is significant  since we understand that the wildebeest prefer eating short grass.  Hence, this is why the migration is constant throughout the year and its progress is impacted by the amount of rain and water available to them.  We also find out that Zebra often proceed the mass migration because they prefer the longer grass and eat it creating an effect much like mowing your lawn. 

So we head out around 8:30 a.m. to go approximately 110 kms.  This journey will take us 8 hours to complete and the length of time is only partially impacted by stopping to look at and photograph wildlife.  We have gotten into the habit of actually watching the wildlife instead of simply snapping pictures.  You get to see some pretty interesting interaction between male, female, juvenile and babies of the various species. When you get to see the pictures that we took and how close up to them we were, it will be hard for you to believe.  The second and the majority of the reason the trip took so long is 90 of the 110 kms. is "off road".  The overwhelming majority of the route is simply paths that have been created by guided tours' land cruisers.  No gravel, no sides to the path but lots of bumps and muddy ruts that slow you down to under 5 kms/hr at some points. We do get the luxury of a major gravel/dirt road for about 10 kms when we pick up the passes for the Ngorongoro Crater Reserve (pronounced gor-un-gor-o) but it is back to not only "off road" but "off path".  Our guide races over the open plains with no paths at all up to 50 kms/hr because the Serengeti in this area is so flat that he rarely has to dodge a depression in the terrain. Did I mention he is a really good driver? I, of course, am standing up looking for the damn groundhog holes.

Even though the main purpose of the day is to get from Dunia to Olduvai, it is the most spectacular day for seeing wildlife.  The first half of the journey has wildlife sprinkled around and while you see lots of variety (gazelles, ostriches, water bucks, hardebeest, etc.) none of them are in big herds.  By mid-day we starting see Zebras by the dozens, then by the 100's and finally by the 1000's.  They spread out as far as the eye can see to the horizon in all directions and while in abundance, not yet to rival the million plus herd of the migration. Slowly but surely, we starting seeing wildebeest that will make up the majority of the migration population. Again, initially by the 100's then by the 1000's.  The driver estimates that we saw between 15,000 and 20,000 for the last 30 minutes of our trip.  But interwoven with these big herds, we see predators appearing, most of which, we get really close to. First we come across a pride of 10 plus lions (including big Leo himself) sitting on Kopjes baking in the sun.  They don't even bother with us.  Then our driver goes "off path" and races to the horizon where we can see a solo land cruiser stopped.  We come across a mother Cheetah and her 2 cubs and get as close as 25 to 30 feet from her.  She doesn't seem to mind our presence and walks ahead of the cubs indifferently.  Wait till you see the pictures! Several minutes later we come across another lion pride made up of 3 females (one pregnant) and 3 babies.  This time we get within no more than 20 feet of the pride and they are all sleeping lazily.  The guide actually shuts his engine off and I'm wondering, what the hell, what if they attack?  Guess he knows something we don't know. Anyways, great pics once again.

  

When we finally get within a few kilometres of Olduvai,  you can see a large Kopje where the camp is and off in the horizon there is a mountain range at least 10,000 feet high. As we get closer to the camp we start seeing herds of cows and goats and only the Maasai are allow herds because they have been forbidden to kill wildlife for food. As we pull up to the camp, we are blown away.  Large tourist tents line the outside of the Kopje and their dining room, lounge area and other buildings include the Kopje as part of their design.  This is no Super 8.  Incredible architecture and the nicest facilities yet.  What a surprise. The view is spectacular beyond anything that we have ever seen. The camp is elevated looking down on a panoramic view of open plains that you can see for 10's of miles. Incredible architecture and the best facilities yet.  The 17 tourists tents line the outside of the Kopje and like the other tented camp,  you are escorted by the Maasai during darkness. Before dinner, Di and I join Louise on her porch for a drink and take in the sights. For tomorrow, we decide to do a walking tour with two Maasai warriors instead of a driving tour and we will visit the famous archeology dig site of Dr. Leakey where he discovered the first human-like foot print that is 3.5 million years old.   

That is why it is called the birthplace of humankind.