African Safari Expedition

In part one I explained a little about where our safari took place. We then continued, by plane to our next leg of the safari where once we landed we stayed in a luxury mobile tented camp on the famous African Serengeti. The camp is one where they move the entire camp periodically to follow the cyclic migration of wildebeest and zebra. Our driver and guide, Frank Kivuyo, who is intimately familiar with the territory, not only took us to see the wild animals, but gave us a great education about many of the habits and other interesting facts about the animals we saw.

Frank had made up the term “A-L-T” (Animal Looking Thing) but it stuck. We began making fun of all the times we would spot “A-L-Ts”. It seemed like everything we thought was a cheetah or lion hiding in the bush was an “A-L-T”. Frank must have thought we were crazy for spotting so many “A-L-Ts”. We were mistaking almost everything in the tall grass (logs, rocks, bushes, etc.) as an animal.

As we were approaching a river our guide Frank slowed down and pointed across the river to the other side. There, less than two hundred feet from us, were at least a dozen giraffes. We had never gotten so close to giraffes before and had never seen so many all together at one time. We were excited to see these majestic animals but Frank indicated for us to keep quiet so we wouldn’t scare them away. This was the real McCoy and there were no A-L-Ts in sight.

Our cameras were clicking and we were taking videos. The apparent leader or mother giraffe slowly and sure-footedly made it down the steep bank to the river bed below, all the while eyeing us trying to determine if we were a threat.

We were in Frank’s “office”, his Land Cruiser trying to keep quiet, but also trying to keep out of each other’s way so everyone could get great pictures. The lead giraffe stood on the rocks at the bed of the river for over 15 minutes just checking us out — making sure we weren’t a problem. We knew there was a crocodile earlier in that river close to them, but the lead giraffe didn’t seem to worry about anything else but us.

After that long wait on the ground above the river a small giraffe left the group and slowly made it down the rugged bank to the rocks below about thirty feet from the guard giraffe. He couldn’t wait any longer it seemed, and the little giraffe took a few drinks of the river water. We were waiting to see the leader take a drink, but that was not to be.

As some of the other giraffes started to climb down the river bank another Land Cruiser noisily pulled up behind us. The lead giraffe saw and heard it and immediately started retreating. He didn’t even get a chance to drink, but was scared away by the other vehicle. We had hoped to finally see all the giraffes get to the water to drink. It was hot and sunny. They had to be very thirsty. There was little water in the river and we had spotted none anywhere else in that particular area.

The giraffes all quietly left. We had to get back for dinner so Frank told us more about the animal habits and other fascinating facts we probably never would have known, as he almost magically drove us there without the aid of a map or compass. Frank knew the area like a book and with never a wrong turn he took us straight back to our tents. Along the way we spotted several more A-L-Ts along with a few real animals.

That was one of many sights we experienced in Tanzania. We will surely try to get Frank, our guide at CC Africa Under Canvas - Serengeti if we have another safari. The location will be different because it’s a mobile camp, but that’s another story and another great adventure waiting to happen.

We were so impressed with the whole safari experience our group plans to go back there on a future safari, but we will have to wait a while, possibly several years, because Frank indicated he was going to Canada for interviews at several universities, one of which he hoped to attend next year (2009). Meanwhile Safari Kay has already started planning another African Safari next year and we will hear more stories and adventures. But this time we all will understand and know the excitement of an African safari adventure