S = Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

I’ve written several times in previous blog posts about climbing Kilimanjaro in 2009, but our adventure in Tanzania did not end there.  Our week on the famous mountain was then followed by a week on the Serengeti.

One of the several lodges we stayed in on the Serengeti.

In preparing for this safari, Gilles and I had bought binoculars in the hope – and cautious expectation – that they would help us to see the animals.

It turns out the binoculars were completely unnecessary.  I never imagined that the wildlife would actually come to us.

This little guy nearly got us stampeded by his nervous mom.

It was such a thrill to have witnessed the famous annual migration of the wildebeests and zebras in search of fresh grazing.

It was fascinating to watch thousands and thousands of stampeding animals racing across the savannah in virtual silence.  It was like someone had muted the sound button. Periodically we would be ‘stranded’ on the small dirt road waiting for the long line of animals to finish crossing the road.

When we finally returned back home, I would occasionally catch myself looking off to the side of the road on my way to work, half expecting to see a giraffe or zebra there.  It took a while before I stopped looking.

Some adventures are more memorable than others and experiencing the Serengeti was definitely in the magical category.