30th – Cats, cats, cats…. Oh my!

We departed according to plan – after breakfast the tents were mostly already taken down. We started with the visit to a Maasai village which the Planterra Foundation (part of G Adventures) has helped (among other villages) with building ovens with chimneys in the huts to get rid of all the smoke from the fire places.

After that we set out on the 4-5 hour drive to Serengeti. We passed through the check in for the Ngorongoro NP as it was on the way, a bit later we entered Serengeti where we checked in and had our lunch. Game drives are game drives, so just a short list of noticeable events:

• Cheetah with 3 cubs
• Leopard with 2 small cubs
• Lion with cubs – but after all the previous encounters it didn’t feel as awesome as the two others

Yes, 3 big cats in less than 4 hours. It was amazing. The cheetahs were out in the open so they were relatively easy to see, unfortunately the leopards were more hidden away, making decent shots difficult.

Camp was reached and dinner was had. A small vehicle came by the camp with refreshments, or as some of us called it; the Bar Car. A small bottle of Zanzi might have been bought (a Tanzanian version of Amarula).

The camp isn’t fenced so there is a chance that animals will come through during the night.

Full game drive tomorrow with lunch at camp (not much time is wasted on this as we are in the area anyway). The drive will likely be great but I’ll be relaxing having seen all the cats. Only missing rhino of the Big 5, but the biggest (only) chance to spot those won’t be until we reach the crater – and even then chances are slim.

I have less than two memory cards left, so I should probably try and limit the constant shooting when something interesting appears. My 50-500mm has been hitting my batteries but when reaching the crater after tomorrow we get to recharge, so I’m not as worried about that as I am with my memory capacity.

Two giraffes fighting. It's fascinating seeing them using their necks as clubs.

This was how it looked when entering Serengeti. 

Giraffe with yellow-billed oxpecker.

Blue-eared starling.

Red-headed agama lizard.

Speckle-fronted weaver.

Three cheetah cubs on the run.

The female cheetah with the three cubs in the background.

They might not be it, but they do look fluffy!

Leopard cub hiding in the bush.

The mother with the two cubs just visible.

Lioness with cub. 

Grey-backed fiskals.

Yellow-collared lovebirds.

Crocodile.