June 24th 2013 – Lake Ndutu, Southern Serengeti Tanzania

Before the beginning of the intense safari season in Kenya we decided to take a short trip to the Serengeti National Park, in the hope of catching some of the great migration passing through the Western Corridor. It was our first visit to the Serengeti in the dry season and we were really looking forward to see how the park looks at this time of the year. After driving along the Ngorongoro Crater rim through dense clouds without being able to see ten meters ahead on the winding road, we started descending into the short grass plains of the Southern Serengeti. It was an astonishing sight, with the sky clearing up and the clouds moving so fast across the sky. A small group of Giraffes walked across a valley. The dusty and corrugated road descends into one of the most fascinating landscapes in East Africa in my opinion. The Gol mountains to the north, the crater highlands behind you and the Ol dupai gorge cutting through make for a wonderful sight, as endless plains stretch on both sides of the track, traversed by small groups of Maasai cattle and Gazelles. We reached Lake Ndutu for lunch. It was rather cold, it was dry, the plains that I am used to see in the wet season were now golden. Not as many animals can be seen on the plains as in February, but we still caught up with a family of Bat-eared Foxes curiously approaching our vehicle, various groups of Giraffes, Buffalos and Elephants around the marshes, where some waterholes are still filled with water. But the real highlight of these two days was a family of four Lionesses with their ten three months-old cubs. We had seen these Lionesses in February, the cubs had not been born yet. It was amazing to spend the evening and morning with them, watch them play with their mothers, suckle, chase each-other and fight. Looking around it was clear that the Lionesses will have a hard time in the coming months to keep these cubs alive as the amount of prey for them will not be plentiful. I really hope they all make it through this dry spell and to see them all again in December when I’ll be back.