Even though I arrived in Arusha, the literal FIRST order of business was to immediately go on Safari to Serengeti & Ngorogoro. I had pre-arranged everything through one of my friends from the Girls Who Travel Facebook group, so I was all set and ready to go!

That said, the Serengeti/Ngorogoro Safari was nothing if not BREATHTAKING. However, there’s not a terribly large amount of things to be said about it, so this is going to be another photo heavy blog. The Safari itself was organized by 7Wonders and it was fine. It was a camping safari. The food was “ok” — palatable and enough volume to get through the day. Our 4×4 was a solid vehicle that had no trouble, and I had a really great group — a pair of sisters from Saitama – Yuiko and Hinako, and a couple from Prague/Zanzibar – Mitchell and Fran. Enough yapping though, let’s get to the pictures!!!

Driving into the park, the first thing we were able to see was one of the biggest draws for this time of year, the Wildebeest Migration. The phrase “as far as the eye can see” was never more accurate than in describing just how many animals were gathered for what is definitely one of the most epic experiences of my Africa trip so far.

Almost immediately after we passed the Wildebeest, we came upon some giraffes. I commented that they were a richer color than I’d seen before on other game drives, and our guide informed us that these were a subspecies called Masai Giraffes. They were so cute, you get two photos.

After the giraffe, we came upon a large herd of elephant. I thought I was totally elephant-ed out, but something about these guys was just so beautiful. (In hindsight, I think it was the fact that there were SO MANY BABIES!) Many photos ensued.

Here’s a cute shot of the team taking photos out the pop-top of our 4×4!

We actually stopped at a really nice picnic area *within* Serengeti, which I wasn’t aware you could even do, but we had an awesome time derping around and walking up to a viewpoint to see Serengeti from above. I didn’t know this before, but Serengeti means “endless plains” and you can really see why here…

Around the lunch spot there were also a TON of chameleon, which I don’t believe I’ve ever seen in real life before. I was able to sneak up on this one somehow and get a really cool shot, that I think might actually be one of my favorite trip photos thus far.

When we arrived to our campsite in Serengeti (you can also CAMP in the national park. WHO KNEW?!) We were greeted by some friendly inhabitants… the local zebra herd! Just, you know, wandering around camp having a snack.

Later that same night, quite a few hours later, we had another campsite guest. In Jane’s honor, here’s a bootyshot of our evening elephant!

 

That’s kind of it for Serengeti! Don’t get me wrong, we actually got to see a a pair of lion, a leopard, AND a cheetah, which was AMAZING, but the photos just aren’t as cool as the ones I included. I’ll add the cat photos to my facebook album, promise!

On Ngorogoro day I was PUMPED to get started! We had camped on the lip of the crater, so in the morning I snapped a quick photo before we headed down to the floor.

Once we went down, we saw a TON of cool things in Ngorogoro, but I’d have to say my favorite, hands down, was the hippo pool we got to visit. So, again, two hippo pool shots for you!

This big guy also was giving some SERIOUS face, so I *had* to feature him. I mean, c’mon, who could resist?

After Ngorogoro we headed back out of the Ngorogoro Conservation area to Panorama campsite, where we got to stay in these funky “igloos.”

I. Kid. You. Not.

Our last day was a game drive to Lake Mayanara, which frankly I could have done without since I’m not much of a birdwatcher. The “winner of the day” as my friend would say, was this cute baboon photo. LOOK AT THAT GLARE!

Overall…. I HIGHLY recommend getting out to see Serengeti and Ngorogoro. They were both *completely* worth it, even though I had done quite a few game drives on my overland safari as well. Ngorogoro Crater was everything I hoped for, and Serengeti was full of smile-inducing surprises. If you’re looking for a good budget option, definitely check out 7wonders safaris as well – they’ll negotiate with you and while they’re certainly a budget option, they’re safe and reliable.