April is always a show stopper in terms of wildlife encounters in the African Safari Serengeti and the last two weeks of April were certainly no exception. African Dream Safaris clients and safari consultants were treated to spectacular encounters with the Great Migration: the herd sizes were so vast that they defied description. The mega herd easily comprising a million wildebeest were concentrated primarily in the Matiti and Macau plains in the south eastern Serengeti. This herd stretched west to Ndutu and Lake Masek thrilling clients who were staying in the lodges and tented camps in these areas. Yet just when you thought you couldn’t possibly count any more wildebeest and zebra, ADS clients exploring the Barafu kopjes and those adventuring even further east past Nasera Rock through to the beautiful and evocative Angata Kiti Plains were taken aback at the vast numbers of animals in this area. It was a delight to see so many healthy and robust looking wildebeest calves ranging in age from 3-13 weeks of age. Plains game such as eland, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle were also plentiful.

Big cat lovers were not disappointed with the frequent sightings of both nomadic and pride lions particularly around Gol and Sametu kopjes. Cheetah were a relatively frequent sight in the plains and a number of African Dream Safaris clients witnessed successful hunts starting with the stalk, chase and concluding with the kill and subsequent feasting. While this aspect does not appeal to everyone, it was rewarding to see the endangered cheetah, limited to around just 500 in the entire Serengeti, thriving. Leopard were spotted in the Seronera Valley as were members of the Maasai Kopjes and Makoma Hill Lion Prides.

Large breeding herds of elephant were in the Lobo and Seronera Valleys. Moru kopjes had a number of sizeable families while one particularly large breeding herd of about 300 family members kept photographers in the Macau plains busy for hours.

Giraffe and impala were plentiful in all of the acacia woodlands and bird lovers were treated to the sight of many colorful migrants enjoying their last few weeks before beginning on their long journey home across the relentless sands of the Sahara and back to Europe. In our last blog entry we mentioned clients often asking just how close you get to the lions, cheetahs and the like. Here’s our answer:

Male Lion – East Serengeti – April 2010