Game Drives - The Serengeti and Ruaha National Parks

Waking early in the morning with the stars still twinkling down and the moon shining sleepily may signify that you will be participating in a full day game drive. Both my days in the Serengeti and Ruaha National Parks were so similar in experience, I thought I would merge them into one blog post. The game drives start early, and most parks usually open their gates by 6am as the animals come out early. You'll find elephants and giraffes looking at you blearily, chewing on their breakfast, golden lion cubs playing and running around, waiting for their mothers to wake up, and the deep red-orange sun rapidly rising over the horizon.

Most of the day is spent in the safety of the jeep, stood up with your head poking out the pop-up top, scanning for animals. Sometimes you hit a long stretch of road with no animals to speak of; other times you'll be surrounded by so many animals you won't know where to look. When the animals are sparse, you can enjoy the ever-changing scenery. In the Serengeti, it was more of a savanna with pale yellow elephant grass swaying in the wind. The occasional tree appeared, bare branches dark against the light background. As it is the dry season, the rivers are mostly empty but a few waterholes remain. In Ruaha national park, there were far more trees and shrubs with parts of the river diminished from the summer levels, but still holding on. Birds flap or soar by your head and off into the distance. A gathering of other trucks nearby signifies something interesting to see. You might think that 12 hours of game driving over the bumpy, teeth chattering, rocky, "African massage" roads would be unbearable, but the time zips by and before you know it you are on your way out with the red-orange sun lowering itself behind the trees.

Game driving is really like a big lottery, or a present you have yet to open. Nothing is promised during the day; you may see something and you may see nothing. The skill and knowledge of your driver will add immensely (or subtract from) your experience. A driver/guide who knows the different animals names and habits, and not just the big five, will be invaluable to finding and experiencing a piece of this incredible nature. Every moment is tense, as anything might be out there. Even though it sounds monotonous, it is far from it. Spying a twitching ear in the grass could lead to a whole family of lions, as you yell out, "STOP!" to your guide, and the truck screeches to a halt, nearly flinging you out of your standing position. If there is something good, you move into the best position to see the animal and sit a while, truck engine off, taking pictures or just admiring the incredible animals. 

Now that you understand the basic game drive day, here are a few highlights from my time in these two national parks.

The Serengeti:

Hyenas, vultures, and a lion fight over the carcass of a buffalo - every time the lion returns to the kill, the rest of the animals scatter

Mama and cubs laying sleepily in the shade, resting in the afternoon heat 

A giraffe in the morning, so close it nearly stuck its head in he truck, eating the thorny acacia tree with its long blue tongue and brown-yellow teeth

A pile of hippos, yawning their gigantic mouths, and a baby hippo bored of sleeping constantly bothering its mother by trying to climb on her back (the baby hippo shortly after got pushed off into the water)

Ruaha National Park:

Morning elephants come so close that they rear up a bit, making the warning sounds that come before they charge

Two lionesses stalk through the bushes and tall grass towards the unsuspecting gazelle, tails swishing meaningfully behind them

Two young male giraffes "necking" or fighting each other by hitting their necks together, while an older giraffe stands watching a bit wearily nearby

Two adolescent lions and a lioness laying lazily in the shade, unfazed by a ring of trucks surrounding them snapping pictures

A baby elephant, still very attached to its mother, following her around, always reaching up to touch her with her trunk

The gigantic baobab trees, stripped of their back by the elephants, a rainbow of stripes shelling through their bark.

The destroyed baobab tree

Baby elephant!

Giraffes 'necking' (fighting)

There is more, much more, and many include experiences you can only understand once you've seen them with your own eyes. This is not the end of our game drives, as we've still got the national parks in Malawi and Zambia to come. More days filled with surprises and nature's beauty, and even though it means a 5am wake up, I am ready to go!