SERENGETI & NGORONGORO

Transcription

1 1 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Serengeti & Ngorongoro SERENGETI & NGORONGORO The Ultimate African Bird and Wildlife Experience Tour Duration: 14 days Group Size Limit: 11 Tour Category: Easy The most awesome wildlife experience on Earth? This is it! Serengeti and the adjacent, and almost equally famous, Ngorongoro Crater are so remarkable that one cannot do justice to this incredible place in words alone. Over two million large mammals live in this immense African wilderness that has miraculously survived, thanks to the remarkable understanding of the people of Tanzania, who despite all the pressures upon them have kept faith with the vision of the park s founders. These vast herds still circulate across the Serengeti in the same way as they did when Man s earliest ancestor s walked these very plains, followed by their attendant carnivores in a cycle of life that has continued unbroken for millions of years. How incredible that we can still say this about any place Lions (Nik Borrow) on Earth at the beginning of the 21st century, when so much of our planet has been changed out of all recognition! We shall travel through this magnificent region, where some of the best birding in Africa can be happily combined with the world s most exciting wildlife viewing, with some really fine driver-guides who are great companions as well as endlessly patient and accomplished individuals who will make sure we really do have the experience of a lifetime. We will travel in 4x4 Land Rovers or Toyota Landcruisers that have been specially adapted for safari work, with large roof hatches that make observation and photography easy. These vehicles are a huge improvement on the safari minibuses still used by some bird tours, being more comfortable, more spacious (with a much larger opening in the roof) and better able to cope with any difficult road conditions. They cost a lot more than a minibus, and this must be reflected in the tour price, but we have never met anyone who did not consider these excellent vehicles as worth every extra penny! The awesome gathering of gnus (wildebeeste), zebras and carnivores on the shortgrass plains of the southeastern Serengeti only occurs between January-April each year. This is absolutely the time to visit the area. It is peak season at the lodges, so the most expensive time for a safari, but there is simply no comparison with the other months of the year. Commencing our journey at Arusha, in the shadow of the two great volcanoes, Meru and Kilimanjaro, we will first look for a wide variety of forest birds (many of which we will not see further west) and visit the dry bush country towards the Kenyan border before we head off into the wide blue yonder. Next we will explore the thornbush and baobab country of Tarangire National Park, home to large numbers of African Elephants, Yellow-collared Lovebirds, Ashy Starlings and much else besides, as well as bird-rich Lake Manyara National Park. This will, however, provide just a foretaste of the glories to come, for our next destination is the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, both a scenic and a wildlife wonder of the world. Here we will have some thrilling close encounters of the animal kind, as most mammals in the crater are extraordinarily unafraid of vehicles, and some great birding. Pride of place here goes to the critically endangered Black Rhinoceros, but other stars include Kori and Blackbellied Bustards, flocks of pink flamingoes and some marvellous Hippos. After this wonderful experience we will descend from the Crater Highlands into the endless plains of the southeastern Serengeti. We shall be visiting the area at the prime season, when the rains have turned the entire area from a parched thirstland into a green paradise that attracts over a million large mammals, the great majority being Brindled Gnus (or Blue Wildebeeste), Common Zebras and Red-fronted (or Thomson s) Gazelles, to the shortgrass plains. Here we will be based first in the south-central Serengeti and finally in the famous Lake Ndutu area, the finest Serengeti wildlife area of them all. As well as being a fantastic experience in its own right (chatting round the campfire under African skies, quite possibly with Lions roaring in the distance, is something one never forgets!),

2 2 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Serengeti & Ngorongoro being based in these remote lodges will get us right in amongst a fabulous selection of birds and mammals, including such dramatic and highly photogenic subjects as Lion, Leopard, the incomparable Cheetah, Secretary Bird, numerous eagles and vultures, the huge Kori Bustard, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse and Southern Ground Hornbill, specialities such as Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Fischer s Lovebird, Ruaha Red-billed Hornbill and Grey-crested Helmet- Shrike, never mind a sea of gnus and zebras. The rich bird and mammal life of the Serengeti is awesome enough, but the whole experience is made even more special by the amazingly beautiful scenery, with dramatic cloudscapes and sunsets, seas of bright green and tawny grass, those evocative flat-topped acacia trees, and granite kopjes and distant mountain ridges rising above the plains. By the time we end our East African odyssey we will have seen so many avian, large mammal and scenic wonders that it will be hard to appreciate that all this has happened to us in just two weeks! Serengeti and Ngorongoro will produce Beesley s or Pygmy Spike-heeled Lark (Nik Borrow) vivid, unfading memories that one will treasure for the rest of one s days. Birdquest has operated tours to Tanzania since Itinerary Day 1 The tour begins around midday at Kilimanjaro airport, from where we will drive the short distance to the area east of Arusha for a two nights stay. Our small hotel is delightfully situated amongst coffee plantations and vegetable gardens in the verdant country at the foot of Mount Meru (4565m). If it is clear we will enjoy a superb view of both Mount Meru and the snow-capped dome of Kilimanjaro (5895m) rising high above the partly-forested landscape a very fitting introduction to Tanzania! A walk beside a small lake and along a wooded valley should reveal the near-endemic Taveta Golden Weaver, as well as Little Grebe, Long-tailed Cormorant, Sacred Ibis, the noisy Hadada Ibis, Common Moorhen, African Jacana, Red-eyed Dove, Red-chested Cuckoo, the superb African Emerald Cuckoo, African Palm Swift, Brown-hooded and perhaps Giant Kingfishers, Speckled Mousebird, Silverycheeked Hornbill, Whiteeared Barbet, African Pied Wagtail, Dark-capped Bulbul (split from Common), Blackbacked Puffback, Common Fiscal, Red-winged Starling, Collared Sunbird, the stout Grosbeak-Weaver, Layard s Weaver (split from Blackheaded) and Baglafecht Weaver, as well as the attractive Sykes s Monkey. Day 2 This morning we will visit an attractive crater lake surrounded by forest where we may well find the localized and near-endemic Grey-olive Greenbul as well as White-breasted Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Striated (or Green-backed) Heron, African Fish Eagle, Tambourine Dove, Brown-breasted Barbet, Crowned Hornbill, Little Greenbul, the lovely Rüppell s Robin-Chat, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-breasted Apalis, African Paradise Flycatcher, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Tropical Boubou, Olive, Amethyst and Bronze Sunbirds, and Spectacled Weaver. Finally we will visit Arusha National Park, a relatively small but extremely beautiful sanctuary which includes the summit of Mount Meru as well as extensive montane forests. Large mammals are not as conspicuous here as further west, but even so we should see good numbers. Some large marshy clearings and areas of open grassland hold African Buffalo, Common Zebra, Common Warthog, Common Giraffe, Bushbuck and Waterbuck, whilst in the forest we are sure to come across fabulously shaggy Guereza Colobus monkeys with their long and wonderful tails and perhaps disturb the little Harvey s Duiker. Amongst the birds we may well encounter in the park are the striking Augur Buzzard, Scaly Francolin, the spectacular Hartlaub s Turaco, Scarce Swift, Common House Martin, Black Sawwing, the near-endemic Stripe-faced Greenbul, Placid Greenbul (split once more from Cabanis s), African Dusky Flycatcher, Montane Whiteeye and, with luck, one or two of the less common residents of the montane forest such as Ayres s Hawk-Eagle, the superb African Crowned Eagle or the lovely Bar-tailed Trogon. Day 3 Before dawn we may locate the attractive African Wood Owl and, if we are fortunate, the delightful Small-eared Galago (one of the bush babies) close to our lodge before we head off to some open grassy plains not far from Arusha in search of the highly localized Beesley s (or Pygmy Spike-heeled) Lark. This Tanzanian form is so geographically isolated from the range of the Spikeheeled Lark in Southern Africa that it is no surprise that genetic studies have shown it deserves specific status. This is wonderful lark habitat and we should also encounter Rufousnaped, Foxy (split from Fawncoloured), Red-capped, Athi Short-toed (split from Somali Short-toed) and Short-tailed Larks, and Fischer s Sparrow- Lark. Also frequenting the area are Lanner Falcon, Crowned Plover, Grassland Pipit, the interesting goodsoni form of the Plain-backed Pipit (which may represent a distinct species), Isabelline Wheatear and the smart Capped Wheatear. Careful searching should turn up Temminck s Courser and perhaps some lingering Caspian Plovers. Nearby are extensive areas of thornbush where we could well find such species as Eastern Chanting Goshawk, Bluenaped Mousebird, Spotted Morning Thrush, African Grey Flycatcher, Upcher s Warbler, Rattling Cisticola, Grey Wren- Warbler, Red-faced Crombec, Banded Parisoma, Yellowbellied Eremomela, Brubru, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Scarlet-chested and Beautiful Sunbirds, Kenya Rufous Sparrow, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, the smart Grey-capped Social Weaver and Blue-capped Cordonbleu. Along the highway from

3 3 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Serengeti & Ngorongoro Serval (Nik Borrow) Arusha, we should encounter our first Common Buzzards, Speckled Pigeons and Whitefronted Bee-eaters. From bustling Arusha, where Yellow-billed Kites (split from Black) and Pied Crows hunt for scraps, we will drive westwards, first through rolling, partly cultivated landscapes and then through steadily drier bush country, until we reach Tarangire National Park. Here we will spend two nights at a comfortable game lodge (with tented safaricamp-style rooms ) with a spectacular view over the meandering Tarangire River. The park protects a huge swathe of acacia savanna and thornbush country, and the gigantic baobab trees that tower above the thornbush are a very attractive feature of Tarangire, and something that will be completely missing once we travel further west. As soon as we enter the park the excitement will begin, for this is a superb place for seeing African Elephants, often at very close range. We are likely to come across some standing quietly amongst the tall grass, motionless apart from the slow flapping of those huge ears and those slowly chomping jaws, as yet more grass disappears into those gigantic stomachs, while at other times a party may lumber across the road in front of us or make their way slowly across the glistening shallows of the Tarangire River. Yes, this is what Africa is all about! At this time of year the rains have turned Tarangire green and the lush growth of grass provides a bonanza for the local mammals. While elephants still stand out, other game is less conspicuous, but we can expect to see Common Zebra, African Buffalo, Kirk s Dik-Dik, Waterbuck, Grant s Gazelle, the graceful Impala and Brindled Gnu (or Blue Wildebeeste). Olive Baboons wander into the tracks, confident that they have the right of way, and cheeky Vervet Monkeys can be a hazard at any of the viewpoints where visitors leave their vehicles ever ready to leap down from the trees and run off with the best of the picnic. Other likely mammals include Unstriped Ground Squirrel, Dwarf Mongoose and the diminutive Steinbuck. Day 4 Tarangire has a rich avifauna and the prime specialities here are two Tanzanian endemics, Ashy Starling and Yellow-collared Lovebird, both of which are commonly seen. Common Ostriches stride across the open areas and noisy Helmeted Guineafowl, Coqui and Crested Francolins, and Red-necked and Yellownecked Spurfowls scuttle away from the roadsides. Raptors are numerous and may well include Black-shouldered Kite, African White-backed, Rüppell s Griffon and Lappetfaced Vultures, Black-chested and Brown Snake Eagles, the tailless, acrobatic Bateleur, Gabar Goshawk, Tawny, Steppe and Long-crested Eagles, African Hawk-Eagle and the small but fierce Pygmy Falcon. Colourful European and Lilac-breasted Rollers, Magpie Shrikes and Longtailed Fiscals scan for insects from prominent perches and Red-billed, Von der Decken s and African Grey Hornbills fly conspicuously between the trees. Amongst the many other species we should encounter are Hamerkop, Marabou Stork, White-faced Whistling Duck, Egyptian Goose, Knobbilled Duck, Water Thickknee, Blacksmith, Senegal and Three-banded Plovers, Green and Common Sandpipers, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Namaqua, African Mourning, Ring-necked and Laughing Doves, Brown and African Orange-bellied Parrots, Barefaced and White-bellied Go-away Birds, Common Cuckoo, White-browed Coucal, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Mottled Spinetail, Mottled and Little Swifts, Grey-headed and Striped Kingfishers, European and Little Beeeaters, Rufous-crowned Roller, African Hoopoe, Green Wood Hoopoe, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Redand-yellow and D Arnaud s Barbets, African Grey-headed Woodpecker (split from Grey), Flappet Lark (a bird that gives itself away by its far-carrying purring wing-beat sound), Barn, Red-rumped, Mosque and Lesser Striped Swallows, Pangani Longclaw, Arrowmarked and Northern Pied Babblers, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Tawnyflanked Prinia, Northern White-crowned Shrike, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Slate-coloured Boubou, Common Drongo, African Black-headed Oriole, Superb and Wattled Starlings, Redbilled Oxpecker, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, White-headed and Red-billed Buffalo Weavers, Golden-backed and Redheaded Weavers, the smart Black Bishop, the equally fancy Pin-tailed Whydah, the extraordinary Strawtailed Whydah, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, the showy Eastern Paradise Whydah, Reichenow s (or Kenya Yellowrumped) Seed-eater and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. With a little luck we will come across two or three of the scarcer denizens of the park, which include Hartlaub s Bustard, Dusky Nightjar, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Collared Palm Thrush, Rock Cisticola, Pale Wren-Warbler and the strange Parasitic Weaver. Day 5 After some final exploration in Tarangire we will cross the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park. We will spend some time here enjoying the waterbird spectacle, for there are often thousands and thousands of waterbirds present, including Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, Little, Great and Intermediate (or Yellow-billed) Egrets, the strange Black Egret, Squacco, Grey and Purple Herons, the huge Goliath Heron, the colourful Saddle-billed Stork, Yellow-billed Stork, Glossy Ibis, African Spoonbill, Spurwinged Goose, Red-billed and Hottentot Teals, Blackwinged Stilt, the beautiful Long-toed Plover, Spurwinged Plover, Little Stint, Ruff, Common Greenshank, Curlew, Marsh, Wood and Common Sandpipers, Whiskered and White-winged Terns, and Brown-throated Sand (or Plain) Martin. In the distance are vast numbers of flamingoes. The unusual groundwater forest at Manyara holds Ashy Flycatcher and often other species of interest. After leaving Lake Manyara we shall climb up a spectacular escarpment, with wonderful views out across the vast shimmering expanse of the lake and its fringing groundwater forest, and then travel through the rich

4 4 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Serengeti & Ngorongoro Golden-winged Sunbirds (Nik Borrow) agricultural lands and forests of the Crater Highlands before reaching the Karatu area for an overnight stay. Day 6 Today we will ascend the Crater Highlands until we reach the Ngorongoro Crater itself for a two nights stay. The beautifully-constructed game lodge where we will stay is carefully built into the rim of the crater and offers awesome views. Gazing down from the observation areas, one can see the entire crater laid out below one like a map, and even make out distant elephants, rhinos and herds of antelopes and buffalos! Many interesting birds, including a number of montane forest species, can be seen in the lodge grounds or elsewhere on the largely forested rim and outer flanks of the Ngorongoro Crater, including Hildebrandt s Francolin, Olive Pigeon, Schalow s Turaco, African Cuckoo, African Black and Nyanza Swifts, Cinnamonchested Bee-eater, Common Scimitarbill, Moustached Green Tinkerbird, Tree Pipit, Black-headed Mountain Greenbul, African Stonechat, Cape Robin-Chat, Mountain Thrush (split from Olive), the skulking Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Redfaced, Hunter s and Lynes s Cisticolas, Brown-headed and Bar-throated Apalises, Grey-capped Warbler, Brown Parisoma, Blackcrowned Tchagra, Waller s Starling, gorgeous Variable, Eastern Double-collared, Tacazze, Golden-winged and Malachite Sunbirds, Speke s Weaver, the striking Yellow Bishop, Jackson s Widowbird (with its fascinating and distinctly amusing bouncing display), the almost equally impressive Red-collared Widowbird, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Yellow-crowned Canary, East African Citril and Streaky Seed-eater. We should also see two or three of the more difficult species, which include Mountain Buzzard, Brownbacked Woodpecker, Brown Woodland, and Mountain Yellow Warblers, the dainty White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, the colourful Black-fronted Bush Shrike (a bird with a truly extraordinarily song ) and the attractive Oriole- Finch. Mammals are rather hard to find, for a change, but we should come across the attractive Blue Monkey. Day 7 Even without its extraordinary wildlife, Ngorongoro Crater would be a very special place, for this is one of the scenic wonders of the world. The immense caldera is over 16 kilometres across, covers over 260 square kilometres and is over 600m deep! Some 30,000 large mammals are resident in the area and they can be seen speckling the grasslands from the crater rim. Montane forest covers the rim, but the floor is predominantly grassland, although there are patches of woodland, lakes, swamps and rivers. The sides of the caldera are steep, with precipitous cliffs in places, restricting the flow of large mammals into and out of the area. This morning we shall descend from the rim by way of a tortuous mountain road. Early in the morning there is often a sea of mist covering the crater floor, with just the rim catching the first rays of the sun an incredibly beautiful sight. And down there, below that cotton wool blanket, so much wonder awaits us! The commonest and most conspicuous large mammals are Brindled Gnu, Common Zebra, Grant s and Red-fronted (or Thomson s) Gazelles, the ugly but amusing Common Warthog, African Buffalo and African Elephant, indeed most of these are hard to get away from as big herds of zebras, gnus, gazelles and buffalos are constantly meandering across the crater floor as they feast on the bountiful grass of the long rains. Ngorongoro is one of the most reliable places in the world for seeing the endangered Black (or Browse) Rhinoceros, mainly because they have nowhere they can easily hide (and neither do poachers!), and we shall enjoy some marvellous views of these magnificent leviathans, perhaps at close range. The crater also has a high predator population. Spotted Hyaenas and Black-backed Jackals are quite common, whilst the local Lions are often both approachable and highly photogenic. Towards the southern end of the crater is Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake with glistening salt flats at its periphery. Here, thousands of Greater and Lesser Flamingoes slowly sift for brine shrimps in the shallow water and the lake s margins provide a resting place for flocks of White Storks and feeding places for Cape Teal, Kittlitz s Plover, Grey-headed Gull and Gull-billed Tern. In our vehicles we should be able to get wonderfully close. At this time of year we are likely to find flocks of inter- African migrant Abdim s Storks actively feeding amongst the incredibly green, wildflowerspattered grasslands, while other birds in this habitat or amongst the beautiful, yellow-barked fever trees (a kind of Acacia) include Blackheaded Heron, the distinctive African Fish Eagle (perhaps surveying its domain from the top of a fever tree), the huge Martial Eagle, the lovely Grey Crowned Crane, the huge Kori Bustard (often to be seen in full display), Blackwinged Plover, Dusky Turtle Dove, Bearded Woodpecker, Yellow-headed and Greyheaded Wagtails, Banded Martin, Northern Anteater Chat, Winding, Desert and Pectoral-patch Cisticolas, White-naped Raven and Cape Rook (or Black Crow). Marshy areas hold Black-crowned Night Heron, the uncommon Black Stork, Yellow-billed Duck, Northern Shoveler, Southern Pochard and Lesser Swamp Warbler. If we keep on checking the Western Marsh Harriers we may come across the attractive African Marsh Harrier. For the photographer, the crater is a true paradise, for not only are both mammals and large birds very used to vehicles and people, allowing amazingly close approach (almost touching distance at times, which creates quite an impression!), but the wonderful skyscapes and the constantly moving shadows of the clouds on the dappled crater walls produce an incomparable backdrop. No wonder so many of the world s greatest wildlife photographs and films have been made here! Day 8 Today we will drop down from the Crater Highlands into the shortgrass plains that form the western part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, keeping a lookout for new birds, such as Taita Fiscal, along the way. This is Masai country

5 5 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Serengeti & Ngorongoro and from time to time we will encounter these proud cattle herders with their traditional red cloaks and spears (and no doubt some of the young men who nowadays like to dress up and pose for photographs in return for a consideration!). If the great herds have already moved into the southeastern extremity of the area, following the progress of the rain, we could be treated to a first incredible introduction to the Serengeti plains. We will make a stop at the famous Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakey family have discovered so much about our earliest ancestors, and where we may find Redfronted Tinkerbird, Abyssinian White-eye and the hulking Southern Grosbeak-Canary (or even, if we are lucky, a wintering White-throated Robin or Irania). Eventually we will enter the Serengeti National Park as we head for the south-central sector of the park for a two nights stay. As we leave the shortgrass plains behind the landscape changes and we can gaze out over a sea of tall grassland, peppered with acacias along the watercourses and punctuated by hills and kopjes of huge rounded granitic boulders, that stretches away to the far horizon. At this season Leopard (Nik Borrow) the cloudscapes are often dramatic, making for some incredibly beautiful sunsets. Day 9 At dawn a low mist often hangs over the Serengeti grasslands, the trees and kopjes projecting above a white blanket, providing us with yet another incredible wilderness scene. In this region of Serengeti there are great expanses of tall, moist grasslands haunted by Harlequin Quail and attractive White-bellied and Black-bellied Bustards and quartered by numerous migrant harriers Montagu s, Pallid and Western Marsh, as well as migrating Lesser Kestrels. Here we should also find, the beautiful little Two-banded Courser, Black Coucal, Plain-backed and Red-throated Pipits, strikinglypatterned Yellow-throated and Rosy-breasted Longclaws, Fan-tailed and White-winged Widowbirds, the miniscule, whirring African Quail-Finch and a confusing array of cisticolas including Croaking and Zitting. If we are in luck we will find the secretive Fan-tailed Grassbird. The miombo woodlands in this area hold two very special birds, Ruaha Red-billed Hornbill, a central Tanzanian endemic that just reaches to this southern part of Serengeti, and the highly localized Grey-crested Helmet-Shrike, a species restricted to a few areas in northern Tanzania and adjacent Kenya. We should have no problem finding the hornbill and with a little luck a noisy and inquisitive flock of helmet-shrikes will come in to investigate our recording. One of the most impressive species of the area is the Southern Ground Hornbill and we are likely to see these huge, ground-feeding birds stalking along right beside the road or flying heavily up to a convenient tree branch. At Seronera, location of the park headquarters and one of the original lodges, one of the kopjes has an educational boardwalk snaking amongst the boulders and trees, complete with interesting and unusual metal sculptures of Serengeti creatures. It is a great place for a walk, with many tame birds and Yellowspotted Hyraxes. Here we should find Olivaceous and Buff-bellied Warblers, Redthroated Tit, Marico Sunbird, Vitelline Masked Weaver, Green-winged Pytilia and Black-faced Waxbill amongst others. A rubbish tip, not on the usual list of visitor attractions, is a great place for close-up views of grotesque but impressive Marabou Storks. Other birds we should find during our travels include African Harrier-Hawk, Grey Kestrel, Spotted Thick-knee, African Green Pigeon, Whiterumped Swift, Woodland Kingfisher, Spot-flanked Barbet, Cardinal Woodpecker, the localized White-tailed Lark, Grey-rumped Swallow, Red-backed Shrike, Greybacked Fiscal, Black Cuckoo- Shrike, Red-billed Firefinch, Village Indigobird and big flocks of Red-billed Queleas. From a mammal viewpoint, our time inside Serengeti National Park may well be comparatively quiet compared with the grand finale around Ndutu, as the large herds tend to avoid the tallgrass areas until the shortgrass plains are grazed to the limit, for the cover makes life easy for Lions and other predators. However, we will now be concentrating on quality rather than sheer quantity. This is by far the best area in the Serengeti to look for Leopard and, with patient searching, we should be rewarded with great views of one or more individuals resting in a tree in the thin gallery woodland along one of the rivers. There is something special about Leopards maybe it is those cold eyes looking at one, or those beautiful spots, or that feline grace mixed with sheer power, or how seldom seen they are compared with the diurnal large cats, or all these factors combined! We may also come across a group of Banded Mongooses living in a termite mound and watch both Wild Cat and the beautiful, lanky Serval Cat stealthily stalking through the grass, while antelopes in this area include Bohor Reedbuck, Kongoni and the even more awkward-looking Topi. Small lakes and pools in the area are home to groups of Hippopotamus and we shall enjoy spending some time watching these huge animals watching us, waggling their ears or rearing up and opening those huge mouths. Day 10 After a final day spent mostly in the park we will reach the vicinity of Lake Ndutu, where we will stay for the next four nights. After dinner one can sit around the campfire and chat away under a crystal clear African sky ablaze with stars. Indeed this is the kind of primeval night sky that is now just a distant memory in developed countries, but almost unchanged from the one which our earliest ancestors gazed upon and began to wonder about. We may well hear the throaty roaring of Lions in the distance a reminder that here we are not the masters.

6 6 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Serengeti & Ngorongoro Caspian Plovers, Brindled Gnus and Common Zebras (Nik Borrow) Days Lake Ndutu is situated right on the border between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park. At this season the Ndutu area is often the most exciting place in the Serengeti. Over one million grazing mammals stream into the shortgrass plains after the onset of the rains in November, occurring at a density of many thousand per square kilometre in places, or even tens of thousands! In places the plains are largely empty, but in places they literally seethe with mammals mainly Brindled Gnu (which will have calved earlier, and so will now be accompanied by numerous youngsters), but also huge numbers of Common Zebras and Red-fronted Gazelles. We should enjoy some amazing experiences here as our vehicles drive right amongst these vast gatherings of large animals until we are completely surrounded and look out over a sea of large mammals that may stretch away to the horizon a truly awesome sight. The constant grunting of the gnus and the braying of the zebras, and the constant motion of the accompanying Cattle Egrets and Wattled Starlings as they try to keep up with the herds, add something special to this most African of experiences. Predators are of course attracted to such a wealth of potential food and we should encounter Lions, perhaps a whole pride trotting along on the edge of a herd, which will part to let them through, or lolling around with full bellies like huge domestic cats. Ungainly but powerful Spotted Hyaenas, less lovely but curiously impressive nonetheless, will also be seen regularly, and both they and the Lions typically allow one to get amazingly close. Here also, feeding on carrion or small mammals, are Common Jackals and delightful Bateared Foxes, while Cape Hares and sometimes even a Honey Badger may be disturbed amongst the sea of grass. If we can leave early enough, we may well see the wallaby-like, nocturnal Spring Hare bounding across the dry grassland in the predawn. In the woodland, Kirk s Dik-Diks (surely the most endearing little antelope in Africa) and Scrub Hares are quite common, while at night, Common Genets come right into the dining room at our lodge, sitting on the roof beams and waiting for a handout, or scampering around the floor as if they were pets. Birdlife is also rich and varied in the Ndutu area, due to the juxtaposition of grasslands, woodland and two saline lakes, Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek. At the lakes we can drive close to thousands of flamingos and many other waterbirds including Pied Avocet and Common Ringed and Chestnut-banded Plovers. A visit to a large marsh may turn up Greater Painted-Snipe, as well as some Common Snipe. Amongst the woodland, open grassy areas and scrub we should find Dark Chanting Goshawk, the endemic Grey-breasted Spurfowl, the pretty little endemic Fischer s Lovebird, Black-and-white, Great Spotted and Diederik Cuckoos, the impressive Verreaux s Eagle-Owl, Slendertailed Nightjar, Usambiro Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Wire-tailed Swallow, Blacklored Babbler, Silverbird, Chin-spot Batis, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Swahili Sparrow, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Crimson-rumped Waxbill and White-bellied Canary. At this time of year most birds are in full breeding plumage, and the star amongst the local seedeaters is the uncommon but striking Steelblue Whydah. Even the surroundings of our pleasant lodge are very birdy. Lesser Masked Weavers and endemic Rufous-tailed Weavers will be noisily constructing their nests, while a succession of birds comes to drink at a small pool, often making for great photographic opportunities. Out on the shortgrass plains the avifauna is quite different, and here we will be looking for the aptly-named but bizarre-looking Secretary Bird, Hooded and White-headed Vultures, Collared Pratincole, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and the very attractive Yellowthroated Sandgrouse, as well as many species already familiar to us. One of the best of all our experiences in this fantastic place will be a hunt for the glory of the Serengeti plains, the incomparable Cheetah. For the best chance of success we will set off early and drive far from the nearest road. Here the grass is long enough to give some cover to predators, but not much. By careful scanning we should locate Cheetahs hunting in this area and we may be privileged to spend some time with them, perhaps watching them stalking gazelles or even witnessing a kill. The sheer speed with which the chase begins and ends, for it is all over in about 15 seconds, is breathtaking and, harsh as it seems to us, all part of the natural pattern of life here on the plains. These graceful animals are quite fearless of vehicles and so we may enjoy some extraordinary close encounters and with a bit of luck we will be entirely alone as we follow these marvellous creatures across their ancestral lands. The lodges in the Serengeti plains are so widely spaced that, although in some popular areas one regularly encounters other vehicles, it is easy to escape into more rarely visited places where we shall feel as if we are in the midst of our own immense private game reserve. On one of our days based at Ndutu we will head out into the wilderness, crossing the shortgrass plains in our four-wheel-drives until the long granite ridges of the Gol Mountains dominate the scene. On the way we will stop from time to time to explore the attractive rocky kopjes that dot the area, but will only alight once we have checked carefully that there are no Lions at home! Eventually we will arrive at Nasera Rock, a huge granitic monolith at the end of one of the main ridges. Here we are far indeed from any lodge, or indeed from any other humans other than a handful of Masai. The great thing about the Gol Mountains is the fact one is allowed to walk here, in company with a Masai guide. From Nasera we can climb into the hills to look for birds and admire the stunning

7 7 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Serengeti & Ngorongoro scenery, looking down on the verdant valleys and surrounding plains, peppered with patterns of moving gnus, zebras and gazelles. The Gol is a marvellous area for feeling one is completely alone in the world, and indeed we may see no other vehicles the entire time we are in this huge area. The rolling landscapes and beautiful skies make for great scenery, and we should be able to find mammals and birds in wonderful situations, with backdrops of the hills or the skyline. Here we may watch Giraffes striding out across the wide valleys as they make their way between the wooded ridges, see heavy, cattle-like Eland thundering along at unlikely speeds, observe lines of Brindled Gnus making their way, who knows where, smile as a Cheetah tries unsuccessfully to hide from the Red-fronted Gazelles and wonder how Klipspringers have managed to climb right up on top of Nasera Rock. Birdlife in this area includes Greater and Common Kestrels, the saturnine Spotted Eagle- Owl, Red-fronted Barbet, the highly localized, distinctive flavibuccalis form of the Black-throated Barbet, Longbilled Pipit, Rock Martin, White-browed Scrub Robin, Northern Wheatear, Schalow s Wheatear (split from Abyssinian Black), the striking Cliff Chat, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Hildebrandt s Starling (much less common than Superb), Yellow-spotted Petronia and Purple Grenadier. Day 14 After a final opportunity to see wonderful things, we will leave the Serengeti plains this morning, feeling both happy and sad. Happy to have seen so much, sad to be leaving it all behind! After re-crossing the Crater Highlands we will make our way to Kilimanjaro airport. Here, in the early evening, our African journey will finally have come to an end and it will be time for some fond farewells to the driver-guides who have looked after us so well and indeed become our friends. Accommodation & Road Transport: The lodges are of normal Birdquest standard throughout and are often wonderfully situated (the lodge at Tarangire has big walk-in safari tents with proper beds and a conventional bathroom attached). Road transport is by Landrover or Toyota 4x4s and main roads are mostly good or reasonable (but there are also plenty of rough tracks in the sanctuaries and some off-road driving). Walking etc: The walking effort is easy throughout. Walking is restricted to a few specified areas in the national parks/game reserves. This is of little hindrance and indeed we can approach many large birds and mammals far more closely in a vehicle than we could on foot. Climate: Most days will be warm or hot, dry and sunny, but overcast conditions are fairly frequent and there may well be some rain. At higher altitudes temperatures are cool to warm. Bird/Mammal Photography: Opportunities are outstanding.