The dry season has finally taken hold of the Serengeti. The famous southern plains, which only a few weeks back were green and filled with game, are now virtually empty except for Grant’s gazelle, warthog and ostrich. Our attention now shifts north to the beautiful western and northern woodlands of the Serengeti where we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the migration. The zebra herds have arrived in full force with large groups being spotted throughout the western corridor. However, it’s the large herds of wildebeest that are proving difficult to track at the moment. In fact, we recently took a scenic/survey flight over parts of the Serengeti (it would take several flights to cover the majority of the ecosystem and that is simply beyond our budget) and we only spotted some scattered herds. It appears that many of the wildebeest may be moving directly north without going through the Western Corridor this year. It has certainly been the strangest northward migration season that any of us here at African Dream Safaris can remember. We have several groups out on lengthy african safaris at the moment in the far reaches of the Serengeti so stay tuned for more updates on the migration as our driver-guides report back.
Meanwhile, wildlife viewing for resident game continues to be fantastic with Seronera Valley and the Central Serengeti continuing to steal the show. Also, the eastern fringes of the Central Serengeti at Maasai Kopjes and Sametu Kopjes continue to deliver consistent cheetah and lion action. In fact, yesterday one of our groups witnessed a mother cheetah and her four 14 month old (estimated) hunt and successfully kill an adult reedbuck at the swamp bordering the southern side of Maasai Kopjes. Also, last week our guests witnessed several hunting attempts by the Sametu pride right at the marsh in front of Sametu Kopjes. We are seeing typical lion behavior now as the dry season sets in with many of the lion prides waiting in ambush at their favorite watering holes, rivers and marshes.
A new documentary on the Serengeti debuted this week on the Discovery channel entitled Natures Most Amazing Events – Surviving the Serengeti. Make sure to set your DVR’s! It’s a great documentary filmed mainly at Ndutu in the South Serengeti and features Ndutu’s resident lion pride as well as the famous cheetah Eleanor and her six cubs. Eleanor was featured in our first Serengeti Cheetah Report that was emailed out this week.
We are delighted to announce the promotion of Sharon Lyon to Vice President of Sales here at Africa Dream Safaris. Sharon, affectionately known as the lion lady or mama simba has bee a valued member of the ADS team for over 4 years. Her commitment to ADS, and most importantly, her commitment to each of the over 500 guests that she has helped send on their dream safaris has been unsurpassed. Sharon has been on over 35 trips to Africa with one safari in the Serengeti lasting for 60 consecutive days. Now that is certainly a level of experience you won’t find anywhere else. Special thanks to Tara and Joe Parker who just returned from their African Safari and sent in this incredible shot of a black rhino in the Ngorongoro Crater.
