Astrolopithicus, Lions and Leopards!

Mar 2 - Astrolopithicus, Lions and Leopards!


Another early start past Masai villages led us off the crater rim and down into the Serengeti.  Stretched out before us stood the vast plains of green grass that are so attractive to the migrating animals.  Our first stop was Oldapai Gorge where we were given an interesting lecture about the work of Lois & Mary Leaky who made the discoveries of Astrolopithicus, our ancestors from 2 million years ago.  We viewed their dig site and visited the onside museum which has casts of footprints hat date back to 3 million years ago.  It is fascinating to think of early man and the relation to the environment here in this ecosystem that has remained essentially unchanged for millennia.  Next it was off to our mobile safari camp which is set in the woodlands in the Southern Serengeti perfectly placed to catch the migration that has just arrived from the north.  As we drove in we started to witness enormous herds of zebra and wildebeest.  It seems our timing was perfect because we could see lots of young babies that were less than 2 weeks old.  Here and there one would see an orphan searching frantically for its mother.  

As you can imagine this is the ideal time to see the predatory cats in action and it wouldn't be long before we came upon 3 female lions who were absolutely bursting after a big feast on our afternoon game drive.  Our camp was absolutely lovely - luxury in the bush.  Set on a bluff overlooking a lush green woodland and a beautiful blue Lake Masek, our intimate camp features 6 spacious walk in tents and a main lounge area with couches and a dining table.  Hemingway would be jealous!  Did I mention they offer South African wines and wonderful gin and tonics around the fire after a a gourmet bush meal at the candle lit dining table.  These mobile camps are designed to follow the migration so that we are exceptionally well placed for game viewing. Our tents feature a comfortable double bed with hot water bottles waiting after dinner, a dressing area with wash basin and an ensuite shower and flush toilet.  The entire camp is run on solar and thus it is eco- friendly.