Italian
The story of this great journey is composed of 5 chapters that will be each accompanied by images and published weekly.
Chapter 1: From Tarangire to the Central Serengeti
Chapter 2: Towards the north of Serengeti
Chapter 3: The Great Migration
Chapter 4: The Serengeti Plains
Chapter 5: From Ngorongoro to Lake Natron
From Tarangire to the Central Serengeti
The name of Tanzania derives from the union of Tanganyika (as the country was called during the English administration) and of Zanzibar who joined the country in 1964. The size of this nation is approximately 3 times that of Italy. It is a country of great ethnographic, cultural and naturalistic interest, which also preserves indelible traces of the origins of man. The wealth of fossils found in those territories and in particular the discovery made in the Olduvai gorges of “Zini”, a skull of Australopithecus boisei estimated to be 1.8 million years old (also called zinjanthropus boisei – nutcracker man – for the presence of particularly developed molars) and in Laetoli, of hominid footprints dated between 3.5 and 3.7 million years, have meant that the area has been defined as one of the cradles of the human race1.
But the reason for our trip is the extraordinary wonders of the animal world that this country offers. Thirty-three percent of Tanzania’s territory is made up of sixteen national parks and protected reserves. Among the most famous are Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park and Kilimangiaro National Park. Wonderful national parks that I have been lucky enough to get to know in large part. And it is in the heart of Tanzania that we are headed. Once again I will come back to Africa for a very special trip that I have been preparing for a long time: traveling from the town of Arusha to Serengeti Park, visiting some of the most extraordinary areas in terms of wildlife, in the hope of being able to witness the extraordinary and unique spectacle of nature … “The Great Migration” in the north of Serengeti, on the border with Kenya. We will then return from the east along the road that leads to the Oldoinyo Lend’ai volcano, in the Rift Valley. This volcano, which stands, as we will see, in the context of a lava stone desert, hard, harsh but of rare beauty, dominates Lake Natron where the largest colony of pink flamingos in Africa nests.
The journey with three off-road vehicles begins in Arusha from where, after just over 100 kilometers we reach the Tarangire National Park which means the river of warthogs (Taran – river and gire – warthogs).
Crossed by the river of the same name, this park, which covers an area of 2600 square kilometers, is characterized by beautiful umbelliferous acacias and in particular by numerous gigantic baobabs, “mi buyu” in the local language, with the most bizarre ramifications with heights that can exceed 20 meters. These gigantic trees that can live up to 400 years, have trunks with a diameter of up to 10 meters inside which they can contain over 100,000 litres of water, as a reserve for the long months of drought.
The tracks inside the park wind not far from the river thus offering the possibility of coming across the greatest number of animals attracted by the water and the surrounding swamps. The savannah never ceases to amaze and involve. We travel along tracks between majestic baobabs that alternate with umbelliferous acacias in a plain populated by herds of zebras, antelopes, buffalo, giraffes, elephants, warthogs and ostriches. There is not a stretch without some animal, and it is easy to see them because it is the dry season and the grass is not very tall. We stop for a frugal lunch at the beautiful Saranghiri Safari Lodge which stands on the top of a hill and overlooks a wonderful valley, crossed by a stream and populated by numerous herds of elephants. Some herds stop under large trees in search of shade, others are inside the stream to drink and cool off, others still, in single file, proceed into the valley headed who knows where! The guides invite us to continue the journey and so shortly after on board our off-road vehicles we are once again in the dust accompanied by the radio playing the well-known song Jambo, Jambo bwana… surrounded by extraordinary landscapes.
It is almost dark when the last rays of the sun that make their way through the branches of the acacias illuminate Lake Burunge and we reach the Burunge Baobab Lodge.
A very beautiful lodge, recently built in respect of the surrounding environment with a gigantic baobab left in all its majesty in the center of the guests’ reception room.
At dawn the light is different, less intense than the sunset. The stars disappear quickly and the turtledoves begin to sing. It is time to leave again. A long journey awaits us.
We are headed to the center of the Serengeti.
In the early afternoon we reach the southern part of the Serengeti National Park which is called “The endless plain“. There could not have been a more appropriate name. We are right in the middle of a plain that disappears into the horizon where threatening clouds and thunderous thunder predict a tropical storm, very intense, but which does not last long.
The guides move with ease along the tracks that in some places are barely traced or hidden by puddles of water from recent rains. We are all focused on observing the nature that surrounds us, each with his own thoughts. A radio call from one of our off-road vehicles breaks the silence that hovers in the car. The guide answers and rushes along a track to the left. We can’t see anything on the horizon but I don’t want to disturb our guide who drives the vehicle with great skill.
Then, almost suddenly, he stops and not far from us, camouflaged by the color of the plain, we see two beautiful cheetahs: a mother with her cub. We approach and they ignore us totally. They have just hunted and in front of them we can see the body of a gazelle. But they seem alert, as if they fear something. They slowly approach their prey. Crouching down, they give a few bites and then stand up again as if they were sentinels on alert. Shortly after, we understand why. A large hyena is coming, it has smelled the prey and wants to take it. It approaches boldly but when it is about to reach the gazelle, the mother cheetah promptly attacks it, making it run away. Finally calm, the two cheetahs begin to eat undisturbed. Around them and us the “usual” endless plain. We move then directly to our next camp when after a few kilometers here is a pride of lions: two males, two females and some cubs. They walk majestically. They approach our off-road vehicles and watch us curiously before continuing, giving us a wonderful show. The storm is approaching and shortly after it rains heavily. It is time to go back but on the main road we get a flat tire. It is dark and we change it cautiously because … you never know.
The storm has passed, the moon peeks out on the horizon and then here are the lights of our tented camp, the Serengeti Kati Kati Camp!
Once we have taken possession of the tents, we sit around a large bonfire, telling each other about the experiences we have had during the day. The sky is crystal clear, as it can be at these latitudes, illuminated by millions of stars that seem to be close enough to touch.
Returning to the tent I find a surprise. A small gazelle is crouched not far away, perhaps it feels safe here.
As I fall sleep, the deep silence of the night is broken by a distant roar.
1 The skull was discovered in the Olduvai Gorge in 1959 by the famous English archaeologist and paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey who subsequently, in 1979, discovered at Laetoli a series of fossil footprints unmistakably left by upright walking hominids.
