Area

What was it like driving from the southern part of Seronera to Laba Laba? Simply amazing. In this order we experienced several memorable sightings:

• Five big cats in three trees close to the road, one with two leopards, two with lions. 
• Two young male lions seen from a bridge. 
• The wildebeest and zebra migration in full force, filling the plains below Laba Laba camp.
• More lions on an afternoon drive: three young females and several cubs in the company of two older females. 

A lion – and cheetah – day

On our first full day at Laba Laba we experienced a simply phenomenal wildlife viewing day with one awesome sighting after another:

First up – 17 hyenas including several youngsters at their den. And then, right on each other’s heels, seven bat-eared foxes and three female lions with several cubs of different ages. As if we hadn’t had our quota of lions, walking by slowly came three different males, one moving right past us with hundreds of wildebeest staring him down. Not to be forgotten: two male cheetahs resting up in a shady spot. 

The afternoon game drive continued in the same vein with more bat-eared foxes, four more lions, three of them in their favorite tree and more great views of the migration.

Trouble in lion paradise

It is a known fact that in the world of lions, cubs lead a tenuous existence at best. If the pride – and particularly their mother- is thriving, so are they. If not, the cubs are usually the first ones to suffer from deprivation. Lion cubs face an uphill battle for survival, with a mortality rate of up to 80% before reaching the age of two. A devastating occurrence for young lion cubs is the death or displacement of the dominant male lion in a pride. When this happens, the cubs are often summarily killed by the new dominant male.

It’s not as if male lions are trying out for the role of Scarpia, the villainous police chief lusting after Tosca, in Verdi’s famous opera. While their behavior definitely reaches operatic intensity, there is no real malice intended. It’s simply instinctive behavior. When a lactating female lion loses her litter, she quickly goes back into oestrus, providing the new male with an opportunity to spread his genes. 

While this sounds pretty grim in theory, few of us ever witness something like it. Even after decades of going on safari all over Africa the phenomenon of infanticide among lions has hitherto remained a purely abstract construct in my and Kathy’s minds. Until this day. 

Rest assured, dear reader, that this is not going to end with dead baby lions. In which case – to be sure – this article would not have been written. So spoiler alert: the cubs got away. But not before the three of us (Kathy and myself and our fantastic guide Moses) had spent about an hour or so witnessing the most amazing scenes of conflict and aggression. A veritable window into the dark side of big cat behavior. 

We were rather blindsided about what was to follow, as the setting and the lion pride’s prospects painted an idyllic picture. The pride pretty much had the world – or at least this corner of the Serengeti – at their feet. An abundance of prey in the form of hundreds – even thousands – of migrating wildebeest and zebras. Plenty of water, trees to climb into to get away from the pesky insects and seemingly little in the way of imminent threats.  

Initially – once we had gotten into position alongside a tree-lined creek – everything was indeed lighthearted – all fun and games – and we spent a good 30 minutes watching the five young lion cubs playing. Mostly with each other and also with their mother. Running, jumping, biting, mock fighting and just generally having a whale of a time. If one can say that about lions.  

One enterprising young male cub kept trying to climb up a thick tree trunk. Digging his claws into the bark, he stood on his hind legs, pulled himself up, up and came tumbling down. More than once. This future leader had what it takes though, including persistence. After three failed attempts he tried again and voila  – success! Just like any young male of almost any species, he then proceeded to show off to all the other cubs and to whomever else was watching. Walking casually along several branches, imitating an adult male lording over the area, and clambering back down and up the tree more than once. In at least one of the photos I took while this was going on, a youngish adult male lion could be seen in the background. Unbeknownst to us – and the baby lions – this young male lion was going to end up being the villain of the piece. 

At first imperceptibly and then quite noticeably, the young male walked right up to the cubs. This precipitated instant conflict as the female lion rushed up to the scene, clearly anticipating an undesired outcome. She aggressively and repeatedly tried to drive him off. He would have none of it and stood his ground. Several times the enraged female snarled at the male, baring her fangs and clearly risking serious injury by trying to get him to leave.  

It was a chilling display of a mother trying to protect her offspring at almost any cost. Accompanied by much snarling and vocalizing. Momentarily one of the cubs ran right up to the male and we feared for the worst. Just about then the lioness must have somehow transmitted a warning sound to the cubs as initially four of them and then the last one darted off to our left, pausing a safe distance away. For now at least the cubs were safe. By this stage the other two lionesses had joined the fracas and were assisting the mother, having inserted themselves between the intruder and the cubs.

That is pretty much how we left it. It may be that the crisis was later averted, with the young male interloper being successfully driven off or at least realizing that his presence was not welcome. It may very well be that he did not have murderous intent and that he simply wanted to be accepted into the pride. Which is a possibility as he was apparently related in some way to the three dominant males. The rest of the story will play itself out without us being present or even knowing the end. Hopefully the final denouement was less tragic than the ending of Tosca where in true operatic tradition, of course, everybody dies.  

About the camp and our guide 

We knew right away that we were going to get along just fine with Moses, our Laba Laba guide with whom we’d be sharing a private vehicle for the next three days. For one thing, he listened to us, on the fly adjusting what had been planned as a full day outing to a considerably less ambitious activity. Also – he was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and struck just the right balance between being informative and entertaining. We know that requesting Moses as the guide for our guests yet to spend time at Laba Laba will be a good decision. 

As for Laba Laba camp itself, we looked hard and couldn’t find anything lacking. Superbly designed and equipped rooms with ample lighting, enough power points, lots of space to unpack your stuff, an effective low pressure shower and an outdoor (enclosed) tub which we put to good use. The large king size bed was about as comfortable as they come and at night the outside tent flaps could remain up – or down. Dial in your own level of adventure. 

Even though Laba Laba is a migration camp which moves three times per year to stay within striking distance of the herds, it puts many a permanent camp to shame in terms of its common areas, facilities, and food and beverage offerings. The French-inspired cooking was delightful and the head chef talked to us before every meal. Vegan or plant-based and other dietary requirements are handled with aplomb. The quality and care extended into the wine list as well, with a fine selection of South African and French wines on offer. 

The lack of exercise facilities at the vast majority of safari camps anywhere is an issue to many visitors. Not so at Laba Laba where you’ll find a decently equipped gym tent with a rowing machine, a step master, some barbells, a Swiss ball and proper exercise mats. They may want to add a skipping rope or two. 

The camp’s lounge area and bar has a museum-quality collection of artifacts, fossils and semi-precious stones, complete with a reference guide.  

Finally, and likely as important as anything, the location of the camp was ideal. Not super far as the crow flies from the heart of Seronera, but likely three times the distance by road. This discourages casual day trippers from making the plains below the camp their picnic lunch destination, resulting in far fewer vehicles being around than what one may expect the case to be. 

Call us at 713-467-5222 any time and leave a message with our answering service, or email Bert at bert@fisheaglesafaris.com, for suggestions as to how and when one of the Laba Laba properties can be included with a Tanzania trip.  

Camp images courtesy Laba Migration Camp

Kaskaz Mara Camp

Our abode for the next two nights would be Nasikia’s Kaskaz Mara where camp manager John and his staff welcomed us about as warmly as it can be done. The camp is approximately 40 minutes by road from Kogatende airstrip. After the obligatory arrival briefing (don’t walk around unescorted at night, don’t drink the tap water), we were shown to our room. The classic tented room had tons of space with a separate shower and toilet. There was a king size bed with a mosquito net, decent lighting, and enough storage/packing space. The screened in patio/porch was a nice touch. The view from the room, over a massive plain stretching out in every direction with pretty hills in the far background, was next-level.

The food at Kaskaz was quite tasty and varied, and well-prepared. Not overly ambitious or gourmet but that’s not what Nasikia Safaris is all about. On our last night we had a lavish spread of really interesting local foods including chapati, ugali (a polenta-like white cornmeal mush), chicken stew, red bean stew, spicy rice, spinach and  plantains. All that and then a nicely decorated vanilla birthday cake. A special treat. Accompanied by some energetic singing and dancing. 

The remote bush lunch and al fresco lunch in the shade of a tree in front of camp were both fun and the staff were even more excited than we were! Our waiter Andrew was fun to talk to. I loved the spirited song and dance performance for my birthday on our last night there. The fresh fruit for breakfast and the late morning snacks for our first game drive were exceptionally good.

Our three game drives out of Kaskaz were mostly quiet with a mix of plains game, a few good sized herds of buffalo, elephants and right at the end of our last drive, a solitary black rhino. 

Wildlife viewing in the northern Serengeti in May and June is almost always challenging because of the long grass. On previous trips into the area we’ve gotten lucky on a couple of occasions, spotting lions, leopards and cheetahs on a single game drive. Not so much this time. On the plus side we had the area pretty much to ourselves and felt really spoiled not to see any other vehicles. 

The grounds at Kaskaz were well kept and paths mowed short. Unfortunately there were many tsetse flies in the area close to the camp, and a jarring absence of any tsetse fly eradication measures such as tsetse fly traps. 

Driving outside the park initially and then re-entering it at the Ikoma Gate, our game drive transfer from the far northern edge of the Serengeti to the central/Seronera area took a solid six hours, inclusive of a lunch stop. Our final destination was Nasikia’s Naona Moru Camp where we would be staying for the next couple of nights.

The Great Migration 

Just a few minutes inside the Serengeti National Park we encountered the first of many herds of wildebeest. We had bumped into the great migration! One large group of zebras suddenly bolted and massed together in the road and we quickly saw why: there was a female lion visible in the grass. She had clearly spooked the  wildebeest. 

As we drove on we encountered more and more wildebeest. First hundreds and then thousands. Walking, calling, eating. running. Following their instincts which compel them to embark on a perilous annual trek of up to 500 miles. Hazards along the way include a full house of predators (lions, leopards, hyena, cheetahs), and crossing  crocodile-infested rivers. Nonetheless the wildebeest – followed around by thousands of three to four month old youngsters – keep following the rain, year after year. 

Pretending to know precisely where the herds will be at any given time is risky behavior. While there are ‘big picture’ guidelines, the day-to-day movement of the herds is erratic at best. 

December to March: Southern Serengeti

The wildebeest and zebra herds are generally in the southern Serengeti for the wildebeest calving season from about December through the end of March. Most of the babies are born within a couple of weeks or so, from late January through mid-February. 

April to June: Central Serengeti

By April they start moving north and west, reaching the central (Seronera) area around late May and the western Serengeti (Grumeti) by early June. More or less. Some herds may take a more direct route to the north, passing east of Seronera and into the Lobo and eventually the Klein’s camp & TAASA areas. 

July to October/November: Northern Serengeti & Masai Mara

From July through October the place to be is the northern Serengeti and its northernmost extension, the Masai Mara in Kenya. With the herds crossing and re-crossing the Mara and Sand Rivers, this is the epicenter of the migration. Not surprisingly, this is also where the highest number of vehicles and visitors congregate every year, in the hope of observing a dramatic river crossing. So buyer beware: you may experience some awesome wildlife behavior in the height of the migration season up north but you won’t be alone. Far from it. 

Trying to predict exactly where the herds will be (a specific camp for a specific few days), as much as a year in advance, is at best an educated guess. More art than science, more luck than wisdom. The reason being that the migration is largely driven by rainfall. The herds come and go (and may even return to the same area) depending on local rainfall patterns and the resulting emergence of fresh shoots. 

En route to Naona Moru we started encountering simply huge numbers of Burchell’s zebra, in addition to the wildebeest. Great big herds numbering several thousand, sometimes filling up our entire field of view. The zebras were as active and full of energy as I’ve ever encountered them. Running, wheeling, kicking and biting and calling nonstop in their odd but beautifully evocative braying manner. Hundreds of them literally swamped the road ahead of us with our vehicle slicing through the black and white waves. It was exhilarating, magical – truly a once in a lifetime experience. 

For the first time ever, I observed that the zebras were feeding mostly from the very top of the grass down. This partially explains the generally accepted theory that zebras ‘open up’ an area shortly to be followed by wildebeest.

Big cats in trees

Already, it was a pretty good day on safari. And then we started seeing big cats in trees. First up were two  leopards – a female and a youngster – about midway up a tree, with the remains of a recent kill in a nearby tree. We watched them for quite a while as it was our first leopard sighting of the trip. The youngster was restless, moving up and down the branches and occasionally peering out and looking in our direction. A photo op? Tailor made. 

Not much further down the road – maybe a few hundred meters – we came upon a lion in a tree, some distance from the road. And then – another few hundred meters further on – two more lions in a tree. It wasn’t over yet. Just around the corner – yet another leopard in a tree. It was nothing short of phenomenal to see three different trees with six big cats in them so close together. 

Naona Moru Camp

There were several things which we liked a lot about Naona Moru Camp. The Seronera area has a reputation for getting quite busy due to its popularity as an area with abundant resident wildlife. With Naona Moru Camp being located in the much less busy southern part of Seronera, visitors can enjoy wildlife sightings without too many other vehicles around. We experienced that more than once. 

We also appreciated the friendliness of the staff, all of whom did their utmost to make our stay at Naona Moru as nice as possible. The room was just as large as at Kaskaz and similarly equipped. It would have been nice to have had more water pressure in the shower and more drinkable water in the room, and there were a couple of minor service delivery issues. It was a good reminder for us not to expect impeccable standards everywhere. And to not get too bothered by the occasional lapse. Expect enthusiastic but mostly unpolished waitstaff and all will be well. 

Full day game drive –  Naona Moru

A full day game drive out of Naona Moru was not quite as packed with sightings as we had hoped for. Initially it was really quiet with the only highlight being a couple of lions high up on a large boulder. Later that morning we came across four female lions on a kill. While we were a good distance away (bring your binoculars!) it was interesting seeing the various lions coming and going, with a tree full of vultures patiently waiting for them to leave. 

With our very knowledgeable guide Muba behind the wheel, we added a bunch of new trip birds to our fast growing tally which was in the 60’s by then. After lunch at a picnic spot, we got back into the middle of the migration. Lots more wildebeest and zebras. Our afternoon ended with a highlight, when Muba spotted four more lions in trees not far from our camp. The following morning, en route to Seronera airstrip, we ran into several more lions including as many as 9 youngsters and a young dominant male. 

By midday on May 28 we were off to Laba Laba, a newly opened mobile camp in the western edge of the Seronera area. More about that in our July newsletter.

For more information about Tanzania and other East African safari options and suggestions, please contact Jason at jason@fisheaglesafaris.com or leave a message with our answering service at 1 800 513 5222 or 713-467-5222 any time.