In East Africa, things move at a different pace. Everything takes time—observing, driving, the little moments of everyday life. But anyone who immerses themselves in the continent...swill be rewarded: with the greatestthewildlife paradises on Earth.
Hakuna matata? Well, there are problems here, even if this common phrase in Kiswahili claims the opposite. When you have your third "punch," i.e., a flat tire. Or when your supplies have once again fallen victim to the screeching baboons that climb through open windows. But these minor annoyances are forgotten when five helpful people appear out of nowhere next to the car with a flat tire. A family of lions wanders down the road in front of you. The sun rises red-hot over the savanna.
Philbert and Jabali are joining us on our tour through the Serengeti. This is actually the best way to go on safari in East Africa: with a driver who picks the best trails and skillfully avoids potholes, and a guide who seems to be a walking encyclopedia.
Lessons from East Africa: Pole, pole
But there are plenty of lessons to be learned about safaris. The most important one is that everything is different in East Africa. Roads are swallowed up by sand, ATMs don’t work (which is why you should always have a sufficient supply of U.S. dollars on hand), and the hippo pool, where hippos are usually always visible, is empty. “Pole, pole,” Jabali grins, “take it easy.” If the hippos aren’t there today, maybe they’ll be there tomorrow. In four days we’ll be in Arusha, where there’s a bank that exchanges dollars (which it then doesn’t do), and Philbert knows all the ins and outs.
Even without a map. On the climb up to the Ngorongoro Crater, our Jeep breaks down and can only be persuaded to make it through the final stretch to the camp at the crater rim—at just under 3,000 meters—by using up all our water reserves. This is also where the urn containing Bernhard Grzimek’s ashes is located, right at the foot of the memorial stone for his son, whose plane crashed in 1959 after colliding with a vulture. By now, at the very latest, everyone is taking seriously not only the wilderness but also the potential uncertainties on this continent.
From Ngorongoro to the Serengeti
The drive from the Ngorongoro Crater to Serengeti National Park takes a good five hours—a distance of about 80 kilometers. Once you finally arrive, you have to let go of the idea that spectacular dramas are constantly unfolding in the animal kingdom here. Instead, you can easily spend two hours watching a leopard lying in a tree from your safari vehicle. If you’re lucky, it might shift its position once. A kudu also trots past beneath it. But otherwise, nothing happens. Instead, we watch as two lion cubs have fun with a meerkat.
We drive for what seems like forever behind several striped antelopes that won’t let anything divert them from their path. And we marvel at the leaping impalas, whose ubiquity in the landscape of the savanna makes them almost go unnoticed. We finally spend the night in a camp right in the middle of the Serengeti. With no fences to speak of. An evening by the campfire under the African starry sky is an absolute must on any tour. The senses are heightened in the darkness, perceiving the roar of the lions, the cackling of the hyenas, and the screeching of the baboons with unnatural intensity.
In the morning, the sun rises like a red ball above the acacia trees, bathing the savanna in soft light. Large paw prints lead all around the camp. Warthogs also scurry back and forth excitedly, their little tails held high. A few antelopes graze peacefully in the bushes. With a cup of coffee in hand, we let the scene sink in. An idyllic African postcard scene.
The Garden of Eden for Animals
In this Garden of Eden, animals have permanent residency. And depending on the season, their numbers vary from one area to another. In September, the Mara’s grasslands appear black. Wildebeests as far as the eye can see. A few zebras scattered among them. But with the onset of the rainy season in November, they migrate without a visa across the border from Tanzania to Kenya, from the vast expanses of the Serengeti across the Mara River into the Maasai Mara. You can only hope that such a herd doesn’t cross the road right in front of your car.
Because then it’s time to wait. Wait a long time. But to the delight of tourists and lions alike, the wildebeest and zebra populations are growing steadily. Thanks to Bernhard Grzimek and the then-president of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, one-third of Tanzania is now under protection. The situation is similar in neighboring countries. And Grzimek? Everyone here knows him. “Ah, Germans! Like Grzimek! Good guy!” we hear from the gas station attendant in Karatu.
East Africa: Something for Everyone
You’ll have the best safari experience when you explore the diversity of East Africa’s countries. Simple lodges and luxury camps. Big animals and small encounters along the roadside. Bustling cities and secluded savannas. Mount Kenya and the beaches of the Indian Ocean. Anyone who has ever watched a picturesque African sunset by the campfire and listened to the sounds of the night will never want to miss out on that experience again. Or how about getting a taste of “Out of Africa” at a luxurious lodge? Dining at tables set with white linens and enjoying a view of the hippo pool with a glass of whiskey in hand?
No matter how you choose to explore Kenya or Tanzania, let yourself be enchanted by the African spirit. Count the zebra crossings in the Mara and watch the fishermen on Lake Victoria. Marvel at the thousands of flamingos at Lake Nakuru, or wait for the clouds to clear and reveal the summit of Kilimanjaro. But it’s hard to say goodbye to this corner of the earth so richly blessed by nature. “We hadn’t left Africa yet,” Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “but when I woke up at night, I lay there listening, already homesick for it.” Anyone who has ever had the chance to experience Africa knows exactly what he meant.
If you'd like to explore East Africa on your own, you'll find great ideas among our private tours. Or simply write to us using the contact form.
©Susanne Pinn
