"What started as a quiet morning in camp grew into a day full of surprises. Sometimes delays get you exactly where you need to be."

Early awake, deeply rested

Not surprisingly, on the first day in the Serengeti, as usual, I wake up early. Yet throughout the vacation I actually sleep pretty well for my standards. I do wake up early, but I fall asleep quickly and I also feel like I slept deeply. And to think that hippos and other animals can be heard throughout the night. At least I heard them when I went to bed and also when I woke up again.

Guidance through the darkness

Since it is still dark when we want to have breakfast, we must be escorted by one of the camp staff. This is done by asking using the walkie-talkie available in the room. Within minutes someone will then be in front of your tent. And regardless of the time of day always with a smile and an enthusiastic "Jambo Jambo!"

You also agree in advance when you want to shower. Then someone will be outside the tent at the agreed time to turn on the water supply. It is then a bit of a wait for the hot water, because it has to come on first. I didn't wait for it. It's a waste of water that washes away first and a cold shower is quite refreshing.

Alles lekker?

The food at Serengeti Tortilis Camp is excellent, and the staff is genuinely friendly and helpful. Everywhere we go, we notice how much people like it when you speak a few words of Swahili. They are happy to teach you new expressions and are curious about where you are from, and what language we speak.

We taught one of the boys "good morning," "hoi" and "doei" Moments later he came back and said with a big grin, "Hoi, alles lekker?" Evita and I both shot into laughter. It was SO funny and unexpected. He had obviously googled Dutch phrases for a while.

Unlike many other nationalities, here they apparently have no trouble with our gurgling "g" and rolling "r." After two tries, his "goedemorgen" sounded perfect.

So we just explained to him the Dutch form of "Pole Pole" (at least our interpretation of it). A few attempts later, he proudly exclaimed "rustaaaggg!".

Car trouble and vultures

We asked briefly if Jabiri had returned yet. We hadn't heard from him and were a little worried. One of the guys immediately went to find out for us. A little later he came back with the report: it had not been possible to fix the car, but Jabiri was on his way.

Not much later, he arrived. His messages appeared to be delayed - I did not receive them until he was already at the table. Since the ignition was still not working, it was idling at the entrance to the camp.

After breakfast, we drove to a "garage" further into the park. Of course: along the way we kept enjoying what we came across. And what we encountered was special, a cheetah with a cub. The latter was difficult to get a picture of due to his or her size and the tall grass, but fortunately we were able to witness it with our own eyes and hear it calling to her mother.

When we arrived at the workshop, my eye immediately fell on an old Jeep with a recognizable logo, that of Leiden University, my hometown. Further along is a camp where researchers are staying. But maybe the car was left here a long time ago - in fact, a battery was lifted out moments later.

Jabiri's friend tried to get the ignition working. Meanwhile, another Land Cruiser was driven onto a makeshift bridge. The passenger turned out to be Dutch. They had gotten stuck in a ditch earlier - gearbox broken. Fortunately for them, that was quickly fixed.

In our case, too, it turned out to be not too bad in the end. After a few tries, the ignition caught on, and it kept working. Unbelievable really, that something like that is just "fixed" in the middle of the wilderness. While we waited, I took some pictures of vultures circling above us. Possibly there was prey nearby.

We were able to get back on the road. Jabiri was relieved - "This problem almost took my smile away," he said. But this is Africa. Hakuna Matata.

Lioness in tree

I'm not at all superstitious, so I don't believe in "fate" or "everything happens for a reason," but who knows, maybe this delay actually led us to something special. Something we would have missed had we been there earlier. And that seemed to be true.

Because not much later we saw a beautiful lioness lying in a tree. Half in the sun, half in the shade. Jeep after jeep had gathered at a distance to admire her, but she was not distracted by anything. An occasional glance, an ear moving, but otherwise - total quiet.

Lions don't often rest in trees. But if the trunk is not too high or too difficult, they are still willing to try. Lionesses more often than males. For males, it's less comfortable. Their noble parts just get in the way.

It was the most beautiful lion sight yet. She clearly had absolutely no intention of exerting herself one way or the other; she was clearly enjoying her peace and quiet, despite all the attention from people. We therefore continued on our way.

Cute stench

That road did not last long, because practically around the corner we saw several crocodiles at a pond. And a little further still a whole puddle full of hippos. They were floating in the water. Well, water ... shit with some water through it.

I had heard about it beforehand, but my goodness what a smell! To mark their territory, hippos are busy spreading their droppings, and that certainly doesn't leave the nostrils untouched! Still, there is something cute about them as they turn themselves onto their backs with those bulky bodies.

Big balls

Our luck persisted. Moments later we encountered another lion, it was a male this time. Also in a tree! Since it was not very far from where we saw the lioness, it was likely that they belonged to the same group.

The male was clearly less comfortable lying down. He moved around a lot, lay down in different ways and seemed somewhat restless. According to Jabiri, it was obvious why; his "big balls" were in the way. A few times he seemed to want to get off, but apparently his laziness still won out over the discomfort.

Migration in the front row

That afternoon at a rest stop, Jabiri ran into his landlord - who, in addition to being a landlord, is also a guide. He told of a spot where the last large group of wildebeest and zebra were heading, on their route of the great migration. In the distance we could already see the mass gathering.

After a brief sanitary stop, we drove in that direction. We came to a place where the animals had to cross the road. And we were in the front row.

What we saw here is hard to convey well. Thousands of animals running in one straight line behind each other. And at the point where the jeeps are driving they speed up to cross the road. Visibility here, due to the landscape and clear weather, is limited only by your own eyes. And whether you look left or right, the beginning and end of the parade is literally impossible to see.

We stood still at this point for perhaps half an hour and there was simply literally no end to it.... Particularly impressive.

Travel companions for life

Zebras and wildebeests have a special partnership during migration. Every year, more than 1.5 million wildebeest and some 200,000 zebras migrate from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara in Kenya. In search of rain, of grass, of survival.

The zebras eat the long, tough grass that has to go first. Only after that comes the tender, young grass that the wildebeest love. As if the zebras are preparing the field for their traveling companions.

They also complement each other in terms of survival. Zebras have sharp eyes and a good memory for danger. Wildebeest rely more on their sense of smell and their numbers. Together, they form a living shield against predators. Evolution has made them ideal travel partners.

A perfect day

It was clear by now that the end of the parade was nowhere near. But for us, the moment was complete. We returned to camp for a hot dinner and a quiet evening. And now that Jabiri was also fully back, he could join us for dinner.

I was already looking forward to tomorrow.

Because that day would hold another big surprise....

Serengeti