Into the Serengeti

After packing up our tents (and showing all the newbies how to pack up theirs) we headed to the market in Musoma so that our cook could buy the food we needed for the next few days. Then it was off to the Serengeti!

We had lunch just outside the park gate, with a group of baboons watching our every move, waiting for us to leave (surprisingly ... we were expecting an attack) before coming to search for any scraps we may have left. We then headed into the park, game driving our way to our campsite IN the park! Of course, about 5 minutes down the road we got a flat tire. The guys quickly changed the tire while those of us in the truck kept a good lookout for lions or anything else that might want to make a snack of them. As for animals, we added to our list a leopard up in a tree (which made a mad dash for the bushes as we stopped beside it) and two male lions sleeping in the shade of another tree.

Our campsite was simple with flush-squat toilets and cold showers. There were no fences and no guards to protect us during the night, only a sign at the entrance saying "Do not leave the campsite, animals can attack." We ate supper in the dark - head lamps are awesome!

My tent-mate was always worried about being eaten at night, so when we saw a set of eyes behind our tent (obviously a small animal because the eyes were close together and low to the ground), she ran for our group leader to identify the animal. Turns out I was right and it was a jackal! He ended up walking along with us and our bus driver to the bathroom and half way there said "There's a leopard!" We assumed he was joking with us until he and the driver both shone their flashlights on the same area and we saw him making his way through the tall grass. Not something you want to see just before climbing into your tent!

That night I just HAD to pee (why does this always happen to me?) so had to wake up my tent mate so she could be on the lookout for animals while I marked my territory beside the tent. Later on that night, something walked between out tent and our neighbours' ... a hyena?