Wild Africa

Coming from the Swahili noun meaning "travel," our safari fit that definition to a tee. For 6 days we traveled an average of 7 hours daily via Land Cruiser across the planes and through the jungles and forests of Tanzania. The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara were breathtaking to say the least. Animals in their natural habitat tainted by few signs of civilization.

We camped all 5 nights of the journey, which in hindsight was a much better option than lodges. There were always facilities available though they varied in quality (cold vs. hot shower water; outhouse vs. flushable toilets); and if you can deal with up close and personal encounters with wild animals camping is highly suggested.

Our first night, we were welcomed by large storks meandering through the tent area and perfectly willing to pose for pictures. Later that evening, a fellow camper and I headed to the bathroom only to encounter two bush pigs looking for food. The pigs found the food they sought a couple hours later when one actually entered the tent of our friends Logi and Joey. Apparently the bush pigs were fans of Vita Crackers. Luckily pigs are hungry and hoarding but harmless.

More dangerous are the buffalo which Brian encountered on his trip to the bathroom that same night. If you play dead, they won't touch you...after all they are herbivores and don't feel threatened by things that are dead. Hyenas we heard scurrying around our tents on another evening. Don't play dead or you'll end up a happy hyena's dinner given their scavenger lifestyle. Just walk backward slowly, out of harms way, and hope you never get caught between a buffalo and a hyena.

Elephants can be harmless and won't attack unless provoked. But if you see their ears start to flare and a trumpeting sound you should start to worry. Unless you are an achieved Kenyan runner, don't try to outrun the big beast; they can reach speeds of up to 25 miles/hour. A better option is to take cover in a vehicle or building. That's what we did when a hungry elephant (they eat 18 hours a day so they are always hungry) entered our campsite and picked up our trailer with its tusks and trunk looking for food.

Besides the up close and personal encounters, we were able to see just about every type of antelope East Africa has to offer, the wildebeest migration, and of course the Big Five -- Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Lion, and Leopard. It truly was a wild African experience.