Camping in a Serengeti bush camp with no fences in sight sounds crazy right? Well it sure was! Let me continue our East African adventure with our bush camp in the mighty Serengeti, followed by a safari the next day.
Over dinner we were briefed about camping in the bush. In a bush camp there are no fences to keep the animals out. So we have to be super careful when camping out here.
But the main rules are NO FOOD in the tent! And if you need to go to the toilet during the night, you’re best off doing it next to your tent, if you can.
Although if you have to leave your tent, make sure you shine your torch and scan the perimeter first. Now if you see green eyes these guys are chilled and most likely impala or antelope…
But if you see red eyes shining back this is a predator so calmly zip your tent shut. If that is even possible haha.
Surviving the night in the Serengeti bush camp
After dinner we left the mess hall and headed to the toilet block to brush our teeth and get ready for bed.
We heard some rustling in the bushes and shined our torch to see two dik diks hanging out near the tents. Once I got to the toilet block I shined my torch around the perimeter and so many green eyes reflected back. There was a herd of impala five meters from me, it was crazy!
As we were leaving the toilet block I could hear one of the girls say “WHAT IS THAT??” We all shone our torches and there was a fucking hyena lurking around the toilet block!!.. Meters away from us. We all slowly backed away and headed to our tents.
I have to admit camping that night sure was intents 😂
The dead silence of camping in the bush amplified every rustling in the bushes, the laughs of the hyenas and eventually the roars of the lions off in the distance. What a memorable camping experience this was!
The next morning we got up and it was still dark.
We ate breakfast as we watched the sun rise.
What a breath taking sunrise this was!!
So after officially surviving the night in a bush camp it was time to go back on safari through the Serengeti!
In the Serengeti they offer sunrise hot air balloon rides.
Now I don’t want a bar of that at all. Hot air balloons scare the shit out of me. I have done it once before Hot Air Ballooning over Luxor, Egypt and never again.
And what if the air balloon crashed in to the Serengeti Plains? And you some how survive the crash and then get eaten alive by a pack of hyenas or lions…. I’m not willing to take that risk haha plus I’m scared of heights.
None the less any day on safari is always the best!!
You never know what you are going to see.
As we left the camp site there was a bush full of guinea fowls screaming.
These guys are the alarm for the bush. When they do this it means there is a predator close by and it warns all the other animals that someone is about to die.
Lucky for them but unfortunate for us we didn’t get to see a kill. This time….
We passed a giant rock with Rafiki perched ontop getting ready to do his morning motivational speech to the wild life… I’m assuming it was the usual speak of there is alot of grass land here and we need to keep on top of it….
…. So we can see the predators coming, we need to eat as much grass as possible today and try not to die blah blah blah.
Although these maribou storks didn’t seem to care too much about it all.
Not far down the road we spotted a lioness in the tall grass. This must of been what Rafiki was talking about earlier.
There was wildlife everywhere!
Crocodile’s in the rivers…
Giraffes nibbling on some trees….
Did you know that giraffes are mute animals? Now I was thinking alot about this. If they are mute, how do they communicate with each other?
I came up with the speculation that the little horns on the top of their head work as antenna. And that they can communicate telepathically with each other.
Dik diks and monkeys were also on the side of the road.
Apart from the name dik dik being hilarious they are also Africa’s smallest antelope. They mate with the same partner for life. (Insert joke about one dik for the rest of her life)
Off in the distance was two of my favourite African animals heading towards us.
The giant African elephant. These guys are so beautiful and majestic.
As one came closer he raised his trunk. Now for us humans this is a sign of good luck. But for the elephants they do this to show which direction the herd is going.
The other elephant saw the trunk then crossed the road with the quickness to catch up.
It’s not uncommon to see vultures hanging out in the tree tops here.
As we started to head out of the Serengeti we came across this huge herd of elephants!!
This was easily one of my Africa highlights on this trip.
There must have been 50 elephants in this herd.
Big mummas and their calf’s.
They came so close to our car it was amazing!
Some of them started stripping the bark off a tree with their tusks to eat. The bark is a favourite food source for elephants as it helps their digestion.
Elephants don’t have the best digestive system as it works at 50% efficiency.
Also elephants are alot like humans. Either left or right handed. You can tell which they prefer by which tusk is worn down more.
Wow! What an amazing two days it’s been in the Serengeti. Memories I will cherish forever.
Now we head back to the Meserani Snake Park to continue our great migration north to Nairobi Kenya.
Once again I hope you enjoyed my photos and incoherent rambling. Stay tuned for more of our East African adventure stories with Africa Travel Co.
Happy travels!