Memories of the Serengeti
I’m a pretty pragmatic person, however when I visited the Serengeti it brought out the more philosophical side of me and warranted prose from the heart, not the head, to describe it’s raw and unrivaled beauty. As soon as we passed through the Serengeti’s stone gates entrance, we could see rolling savannas and legendary acacia trees, where out of vast grasslands, Kopjes rose like lush tropical islands set on giant granite boulders that erupted through the earth’s crust millions of years ago. Candelabra trees created a perfect oasis for a pride of lions.
Waves of wheat-colored grass shimmered in the wind revealing a considerable habitat of hidden wildlife. There was a steady pulse in the air as gazelles, impala and warthogs grazed harmoniously while cheetahs, nose to the wind, watched in the distance. The sapphire sky allowed sunlight to filter through white puffy clouds that stretched down from the heavens while herds of elephant could be seen in the distance protectively arranging their young in the middle while they lumbered along the African Plains. Pristine and remote, the Serengeti was a never-ending plethora of natural beauty that whispered of an ancient time before man exploited the land and stole her resources.
We would be changing camps every couple of days, traveling deeper into the Western Corridor of the Great Rift Valley, with its rivers, prairies, and rolling hills teaming with wildlife along with many surprises like colorful lizards, ostrich, miniature looking deer called “dik-diks,” and bat eared fox. We were patient and allowed the Serengeti to reveal her secrets rather than force ourselves on her. Pink flamingos flanked the rivers filled with hippopotamus and alligators while African Hawk Eagles soared above. Herds of zebra and white bearded wildebeest moved in synchronicity across the horizon.
At dusk, my husband and I climbed the granite Kopje behind our camp and watched herds of giraffe and buffalo cross the savanna as the sun went down. Dinner was served under a green canvas tarp with lanterns lighting up a beautifully set table of linen and china. We sat down with tour groups from all over the world and reminisced about day’s unrivaled concentration of wild animals, which were the beating heart of the Serengeti. It was the trip of a lifetime.
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