2014 Aug 7 - Day 16-From the Ngorondoro Crater to Serengeti National Park

It was another early morning for a day of travel to our next lodge. We weren't in a big hurry. Our driver, Bacari, stopped several times along the way to allow us to take pictures and to explain some unique features of the landscape.

While Bacari was paying the park entrance fees, we walked to the top of the rocks (a kopje, it means little head) and took in the view of the Serengeti Plains. Not a mile into the park, we saw a rare serval cat. It's a small cat that has been domesticated by some people. We saw several lions, hippos, elephants, etc. before arriving at a picnic site for lunch.

Then, just after leaving the picnic area, we saw our first leopard, the last of the African Big Five for us to see. It was beautiful. I hope we see another one before we leave.

We saw a lot more animals before we arrived at the Serengeti Serena lodge where we will spend our last two nights in Africa. The lodge is in a wooded area, favored by the tsetse fly, so there are many black and blue flags hanging in the compound. The tsetse flies are attracted to these colors and the flags are treated with insecticide which kills the flies. The flags are known as the tsetse fly national flag.

Before dinner, we were having a drink with Ron and Christina when we had a little four-legged visitor which turned out to be an African rat. Cute little guy.

Then a man named Hagai came by and played a twelve string guitar while he sang a couple of Swahili songs for us. He was very good.

After dinner we were entertained by some drummers and dancers before we turned in for the night. We have a 6:30 game drive in the morning.