We drove eastwards through the herds of Zebra and Topi until, about an hour in, we were halted in our tracks by a flooded bridge.
A tributary of the Grumeti was in full flood, swollen and fast with the rains from last night. The concrete bridge was hidden below the fast-flowing water creating a waterfall of sorts along its downstream edge..
Nothing to do but wait a while for the level to drop…….. seems familiar….
time for a cup of tea!
After about an hour the level was definitely dropping slowly and
the force of the water seemed to have lessened some, though the bridge was
still underwater. We were discussing waiting another 30 minutes when a car-load
of local Indians rocked up in a Range Rover – quick discussion with Mussa, some
laughter and a dismissive wave and they were in 4WD and plowing through the
water and quickly safely on the other side waving fists in the air out of the
windows. They were kind enough to wait on the other side and cheer Mussa on as we
followed them.
And then onwards to testing at Seronera
**Check out separate blog post on the Covid-Test process at Seronera**
https://ellieinthewild.blogspot.com/2021/05/pcr-covid-testing-seronera-serengeti.html
From the testing site we drove just around the corner to the airport to meet up with a Asilia vehicle and guide, said goodbye to Mussa and hello to Penwell, which actually was a ‘hello again’ since he guided a safari I did in 2018 to Selous when he was working at Asilia’s Roho ya Selous camp. So that was a lovely surprise! I had company in the shared vehicle with a charming young German couple on honeymoon which was quite a treat to witness their delight at seeing their first warthog at great distance, first impala, first baboon and gave me a fresh insight into the absolute wonder and thrill of the first game -drive of a first safari.
As we headed towards Namiri Plains the ground levelled out into
truly the endless plains that the Serengeti is named for. Golden and green and
open all the way to where the land rises to Ngorongoro in the hazy distance away
to the south and as far as the eye stretches in the other directions. The
plains are broken only by a multitude of rock kopjes and an occasional tree
making this prime lion and cheetah country.
We arrived to our first big kopje (I’m not going to pretend to
know all the names – I think it was either Masai or Boma) to find a small herd
of safari vehicles and a medium pride of lions sunning up on the rocks
including a particularly fine male. This was by far the most vehicles I had
seen in one spot during the trip – about 10 probably and we didn’t spend very
long there. “Ah we have plenty of lions at Namiri” said Penwell dismissively and
we left the rocks behind. After that point we didn’t see another vehicle other than from our
camp for the next two days.
On the drive east into Namiri Plains we saw quite an array of wildlife; giraffe, reedbuck, ostrich, rock hyrax, buffalo, warthog, impala, zebra, wildebeest, a cerval darting into the grass with a mouse in its mouth.
Namiri Plains – Asilia
I would describe Namiri as an open lodge … some sort of hybrid between a regular lodge and a tented lodge. The main lounge/bar/dining and the guest suites are all constructed with a combination of rock and wood-paneled walls each being open-fronted with sliding mesh-screen panels across the whole front wall in the guest rooms. This gives quite an open, airy feel despite the solid-walled construction on three sides and provides that essential connection to the outside.
Massive, swooping canvas coverings almost encase each suite providing much-needed shade especially across the deck where huge bean-bag chairs and an outdoor bathtub offer the perfect spot for viewing the marshy area that stretches the length of the lodge. Fed by a natural spring, this is a major water source during dry season so likely to see a lot of animal activity in the vicinity.
The lodge has a organic-sleek vibe, almost minimalist-feeling in some
ways although that’s referencing more the style than the amenities and luxury
level. Gorgeous bathrooms; pool and deck with a view over the marsh; really
fabulous food served en-mesa style and an outstanding and wonderfully friendly
staff. Really a stunning camp/lodge in a truly remote corner of East Serengeti,
tucked away by itself surrounded by miles and miles of open plain, home to the
greatest concentration of lion and cheetah in the eco-system.
· The property
is quite large and in the heat of the day can be quite a trek to/from the guest
suites so there is a little Zebra-uber electric jeep that can ‘whizz’ you back
and forth if needed.
After lunch, a tour, and a quick refresh in my room we met back up at 4:30pm for an afternoon drive. I have no idea which direction we headed (I will confess to being totally disorientated the whole stay) but as the air cooled into evening we found 3 bull elephant sauntering along together, peacefully grazing and wandering around a wet area where yellow-barked acacias glowed golden in the evening light.
A little way further on a pride of lion (4 lionesses and 10
cubs/juveniles) were gathered in the grass near a large acacia. We were able to
park up about 20 feet away and watch as they seemed to be getting ready for
some evening/night activity. Alert and watchful, eyes scanning the middle
distance in all directions it looked likely that at least the four adult
females would be on the move at some point. Alas not soon enough for us to
witness as the light was fading fast and we had to head back to camp.
Quite a lively camp-fire crowd since the camp was busy with guests
from US, Kenya, ex-pats from Dar, 2 sets of honeymooners – nice to see after
many sparsely booked properties along the way and hopefully a sign of business
picking back up all-round.
Very nice dinner with the manager, Bryan and then to bed.
Hyena in the night and lion quite close in early morning.
Video of Namiri Family Tent - the regular tents are identical just without the extra twin bedroom and bath.
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