Serengeti !!!!!

Well, if the Ngorongoro Crater was impressive, our trip to the Serengeti was incredible. We flew to a dirt airstrip in the north very close to the Mara River, staying for three nights at a tented camp. Within hours of arriving, we were witnessing our first river crossing of hundred's and hundred's of wildebeest, and just a few zebra. The spectacle was repeated for us the following day. It took some patience on that first day -  we sat for maybe 2 1/2 hrs before the first wildebeest crossed. Other vehicles had given up and left the sighting. The wildebeest would move towards the river, concentrating their numbers, and then retrace their steps, obviously nervous. When the crossing did finally start, wildebeest in the distance trotted/cantered towards the river's edge to join the crossing. The actual crossing went on for maybe 30 minutes with a continuous stream of animals. A dream wildlife experience since childhood ! On our second day, our guide drove us to Seronera in central Serengeti. The drive was long (over 3 hrs) at some speed, and despite our growing concerns, as soon as we arrived we understood why he had brought us there. A recently burned area was covered, and I mean covered, in zebra and Grant's gazelle. Just incredible numbers of animals. No wildebeest at all - they would arrive later in the year as part of their annual migration in search of better grazing. As expected with all the prey animals, the predators were there as well - lion, cheetah, spotted hyena and leopard ! We were delayed starting back for the north, as we watched lion on a zebra kill - lionesses, cubs, and a large male lion arriving later. The predators were there in the north as well, and on every ridge we encountered another group of lion. Besides these flagship species of the Serengeti, we also encountered many other animals and birds - elephant; giraffe; eland; coke's hartebeest; topi; buffalo; oribi; klipspringer; dik dik; black-backed jackal cubs; griffon, white-backed and lappet-faced vultures, secretary birds, and many more.