Ole had found a super nice pricing to stay at the Kuba Kuba tented lodge in Seronera, in the heart of central Serengeti. It is a semi-permanent ultra-luxurious lodge, with 80m² tents, hot running water and electricity and even a swimming pool. We stayed for three nights and had two full days of safari.
After wandering around for a while in Seronera, we arrived to a kopje, where a leopard was resting a few meters away from a lioness! It is always esxiting to spot leopards, the most elusive of the big cats, especially when they are not on a tree.
Just 500 meters way, there was a second leopard, eating a kill. It was rather far from opur vehicle. The follwing shot was with a 300mm and the TC 1.4 teleconverter, effectively a 840mm equivalent focal length.
Later, we met a couple of lions honeymooning in Seronera.
After lunch and some rest, we drove towards the hippo pool, about one hour away from our camp. Along the way, we spotted dik-dik, water-bucks, topi and the usual herds of zebras and wildebeest.
The next morning, we set early for our second day in Seronera.
A young male lion was feeding on a wildebeest kill. A group of hyenas was waiting for their turn, which came only after they were chased repeatedly away by the lion.
Vultures were flying low, waiting patiently for their turn on the carcass.
We stopped at the rest area, where there was a tiny water pool that attracted some interesting birds.
Before noon, we located a pride of lions resting under a tree. It was the pride of the male we saw the day before, copulating in Seronera. The couple was continuing its honeymooning, only a few meters away, while the rest of the pride members were digesting their lunch.
A while later, we came across a herd of elephants.
We spotted a cheetah in the bush and waited for a while to make a hunting move, without any luck. In the afternoon, we heard from some guides that it had hunted a Thomson gazelle.
Before returning to the lodge, we stopped by the Seronera water hole to watch a herd of elephants drinking water.
On the third day, we had the chance for a morning safari before taking the plane back to Arusha.
We had the chance to enjoy Serengeti form the plain during the short 45 minutes fly to Arusha on the Cessna Caravan. After a couple of hours waiting there, we took the plane to Zanzibar.
Next: Zanzibar