Tanzania > Tents blown over

I sleep well in my tent. During the night, I did hear sounds from hyenas and lions. According to fellow travelers, the hyenas even walked between the tents. I didn’t notice that. Around the truck, there are fresh lion tracks. The Djoser group was already active early this morning. At five o’clock, in the dark, they took down their tents. At six, just as I step out of my tent, their truck drives off. In the kitchen, I grab some coffee and something to eat. After the game drive, there will be more time for brunch. We drive the truck into Serengeti National Park. Today we’re going a lot slower than yesterday. Above the park, a few hot air balloons float in the sky, giving people a view of the wildlife from above. I wonder if you can really see much from the air—a balloon can’t exactly stop or go back. They fly low over the landscape. Meanwhile, we spot a herd of topis. The blue patches on their hind legs have earned them the nickname “blue jeans.” A few hundred meters further, a cheetah lies atop a termite mound, keeping watch over the surroundings. What a beautiful animal. When I check my photos, I see the last ones are completely black. My camera has stopped working—it seems the mirror isn’t flipping up anymore. Now what? I try different settings. Maybe dust or moisture got inside. While I’m distracted by the camera problem, we arrive at a lion family.

Tanzania - A hot air balloon flying low over the Serengeti

Some females lie in the grass while six cubs play nearby. Such a shame my camera broke right now. I use my other camera to try to capture them. Even at the hippos further along, my main camera still refuses to work. Then suddenly, one photo comes out fine. I try a few more shots. The results are random—sometimes fine, sometimes not. I have no idea what’s wrong. When we later spot a mongoose sitting atop another termite mound, the camera seems to work normally again. I get a razor-sharp shot of it. Fingers crossed for the rest of the trip. In a nearby pool, some hippos play, coming up with their mouths wide open—showing just how huge they are. This pool is still far from the road, but further along, hundreds of hippos lie in the river. The water is saturated with their droppings, which they spread around with their tails. We ask Zak to drive to the other side so the sunlight hits the hippos better—this makes for beautiful shots. Even without the camera, it’s fascinating to watch. There’s always movement: some hippos spin in the water to keep their skin moist, their four short stubby legs sticking up. The massive hippos contrast sharply with a small turtle walking along the bank. In the distance, a few jeeps are parked—there’s a lioness lying there, calmly watching the people.

Tanzania - A cheetah watching its surroundings

After a while, she gets up and walks right past our truck into the bushes. By the end of the morning’s game drive, we’ve also seen hartebeests, zebras, giraffes, and a secretary bird striding through the field. It’s nearly noon when we return to Ngiri Campsite. The combined breakfast and lunch is ready. I’m hungry. Silvia has made pancakes paired with a pasta salad—an odd combo, but I enjoy it. Then I lie down in my tent for a bit. The sun beats down on the canvas, making it hot inside. I briefly consider Patrick’s advice to put my mat in the second kitchen building, where it’s cooler. I set an alarm for the afternoon game drive and quickly fall asleep. After an hour, I wake up. Outside, the weather is changing—clouds are forming and dark ones hang in the distance. Will it stay dry? When I close up my tent around three o’clock, it seems more a question of when it will rain. I carefully zip all the flaps shut. Under a threatening sky, we set off for the second game drive of the day. Soon we spot a cheetah on a log, scanning the area. The dark clouds make it hard to get well-lit photos. The cheetah stretches, stands up, and walks straight toward our truck. What a sight. Without looking up, it walks right behind the vehicle and disappears into the bushes.

Tanzania - The river is full of hippos

Then the rain begins. We close the windows on one side of the truck. Soon, a heavy downpour hits, and we close them all. Water streams in through the cracks. The power inverter is switched off as a precaution. I put my camera safely in my bag. What a sudden storm. Since we can’t spot anything in the rain, we drive to the visitor center. I put on my rain jacket and walk through puddles to the bar, where I have a beer under a canopy. The rain pours down non-stop. After twenty minutes, it’s dry again. Patrick has bad news: the storm also hit our camp. Silvia reported that several tents collapsed and belongings got wet. There’s nothing we can do now, so we continue the game drive. Meanwhile, I wonder what in my tent might have gotten wet—probably everyone is thinking the same. Gradually, baboons reappear after the rain. A lilac-breasted roller perches at the top of a bush. The bushveld seems to wake up again. But with the recent rain and cloudy skies, we don’t see much else—just warthogs, topis, a few giraffes, and two dik-diks.

Tanzania - A topi antelope with characteristic leg markings

Patrick suggests heading back early to assess the damage before dark. When we arrive, my tent is still standing, though it’s shifted a bit. Other tents have blown over completely. I hesitate before opening mine—what will I find? I hear some travelers say theirs are dry, others say they’re full of water. I open mine—apart from a small damp corner, it’s dry. I’m lucky. Around the campfire, we dry wet mats and sleeping bags for others. Zak heads out with the truck to find extra dry mats. Silvia’s tent, borrowed from the Djoser group just yesterday, has been destroyed. She shows us a video of the storm—tents being blown over. That group must be glad they left yesterday; their tents wouldn’t have survived this. Despite the chaos, Silvia has managed to cook dinner, which we eat under the kitchen shelter. Everyone is hungry. Mats continue drying by the fire. It looks like everyone will have dry gear for the night. Luckily, this is our last night in tents—tomorrow we head back toward more populated areas. By nine o’clock, there’s nothing left to do or anyone to help, so I head to bed to sleep.

Tanzania - The tents at the Serengeti campsite