Africa Safari - 2005 - Part III - Serengeti hippo pool

and the dutch complain about congestion!

 

Africa Safari - 2005 - Part III - Serengeti cheetah !

off we go !

For a better vantage point, cheetahs always perch on mounds (cars included for the Masai Mara ones)

 

Africa Safari - 2005 - Part III - Serengeti - our first leopard

While in the Mara, we did not have good luck with sighting a leopard. We did manage to get the tail of one, as it ran away when it heard the sound of our jeep! But the story at Serengeti was different. We saw so many leopard while there, that we thought..leopard..aaah...big deal!

phenomenally lazy creatures

but look at those teeth

Serengeti giraffes look stupid too!
:P
hornbill ?

 

Sights of Africa on the way to Serengeti

The pecten (shell logo) is everywhere!

cotton seed oil for sale!
hippo pool in Serengeti

 

Africa Safari - 2005 - Part III - Serengeti National Park

Welcome to the Serengeti(in Masai this means endless grass plains) National Park

our ride
little monkey searching for food

I forget which gate this was !

 

Africa Safari - 2005 - Part II - Fishing on Lake Victoria

Our first stop in Tanzania was a lodge at Speke bay, owned by a Dutch family. It was really nice to be on this largest lake in Africa, which is the source of the Nile & borders three countries (Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda). It is off the tourist track, and i would highly recommend this place.

The waters of the Lake Victoria

We stayed in one of those "huts" on the lake

The view from our "hut"

and we went "fishing" on the lake too ! (more in next entry)

Africa Safari - 2005 - Part II - Welcome to Tanzania

At the immigration post in Tanzania

The Kenyan Immigration post

The "wired" border

People cross over the border....no passport checks (except for us)

 

Africa Safari - 2005 - Part II - Off to Tanzania (Lake Victoria)

so we were to be picked up by a jeep coming from Tanzania to take us over. However, he was stopped at the border and could not make it. So, from the mara (where my cell phone worked), I called my agent in Holland (who was awesome), he got in touch with some agents in Kenya, who took us to the border post, and we crossed over the border and entered Tanzania on foot, along with several 1000s of people, who were not asked for their passports, but we were. It was a little creepy walking across the border on foot, dealing with the immigration authorities there...but everything went well
:)

waiting for our ride

Poo used this "toilet" at the border. Behind the wire fence in the backgroud is Tanzania, this side being Kenya. The "toilet" was just a hole in the groud, but locked !

 

Africa Safari - 2005 - Part 1 - Masai Mara

luxury shower at the bush camp

Mr Hyena

Pumba just outside our tent !

 

Africa Safari - 2005 - Part 1 - More from the bush walk + sunset !

sunset from the comfort of an arm chair in the middle of the bush with glass of wine

welcome to Africa

The service...was Xcellent !

 

another favourite picture of mine!!

I am really proud of this shot...why?
the African sky + rainbow + the colour of the grass in the mara + a pride of lions moving to eat a recent kill....everytime i look at this picture...my heart tells me to move to East Africa!
-A