The adventure travel gal: an african midnight rendezvous
NONE of the travel information I was able to dig up in preparation for going on safari discussed what it was like being out there in your tent, in the middle of the night, with only a flashlight to wave into the night sky if you had any “trouble” as your strongest communication tool for assistance. They all discussed the game drives during the day and the typical “you’ll see this many giraffes, this many zebra, this many lion if you are lucky, etc.” But I went anyway.
It was early October when my then husband, Keith, and I arrive in Tanzania. We eventually make it to our camp deep in the Serengeti after a small plane ride where I literally rode with the luggage in the tiny tail of the plane so the weight distribution was proper and therefore safest for our inter-country air travel.
Kusini Camp [http://www.sanctuaryretreats.com/lodges/tanzania/kusini-camp] is managed by Fred and Carol, two of the coolest people we have ever met. We went game viewing daily in the open-topped Jeep, as expected. When evening starts to roll around, we have more decadent dinners than I would have predicted in the desert and then relax by the fire listening to Fred’s crazy hunting stories. The highlight of one being the discovery of the perfect hideout from predators…in the dead carcass of an elephant poached for his tusks. We hear a slight noise to our right.
As we look over, the Masai tribesman, who is monitoring the perimeter of the camp for wild animals, shines a light on the stone bird bath about ten feet away. There is an enormous Cape Buffalo drinking from the birdbath. A magnificent sight up so close. This is when I knew that nighttime was going to be the best time.
Shortly afterwards, the Masai tribesman with rifle in hand, escorts us back to our tent. As we settle down for much needed sleep we notice the deafening quiet. I can’t stand it anymore. It’s silent but I know there is activity out there in the bush. I want to experience it. I jump up, grab the spotlight provided and start to survey the land around us through the thin mesh windows that separate us from them.
Under the magnificent light of the stars in the blackest of skies, I see an elephant slowly moving toward our tent. He grazes on the grass surrounding our temporary canvas residence and drinks from a small pipe that provides it with some washing water. I think I would do the same. He is loud when he eats and a bit clumsy fooling around out there, but so graceful at the same time and so close I could smell his leathery breath. He could charge at any minute if I got in his way, but I feel safe inside these walls and watch him from only a few small feet away.
Later, I wake up to a subdued roar, and realize it wasn’t my other half who is laying sound asleep on the other side of the bed. This time I cannot see anything, not even a set of yellow eyes, but I can hear the growl. I set up shop by the zippered opening to my tent waiting for him to emerge. I sleep on the wooden floor yet never see him. However, I bet he saw me.
The next night I could barely contain my excitement. This time I am ready and want the entire wild kingdom at my doorstep. While I lay in the tent I hear a lion again. He came back, maybe he liked it there as much as I did. I just kept listening. Fred was able to confirm my suspicions in the morning. Fresh tracks proved there were lion in our camp the night before.
On the fourth day we head to a different camp in the western part of the Serengeti – Kirawira Camp on the Grumeti River [http://www.serenahotels.com/serenakirawira]. During the night at Kirawira I am also able to feel the excitement of being out in the wilderness. I awake halfway into the night. This time to watch a hippo casually stroll by our tent and then head over to my aunt’s tent. The big fellow saunters through the low sparse trees. Until this point I have only seen their shiny heads in the water looking like giant rocks. I find out from the camp director that hippos kill more humans than any other animal in Africa, yet they are vegetarians so will spit you out after they are done chewing. Not a nice image…
In the morning our guide wakes us up with coffee and tea at sunrise, one of the cooler parts of the day. As he leaves our porch he is confronted by a small herd of Cape Buffalo which have come to graze. He waits and watches the buffalo, looking harmless, chomp on their breakfast in the faint morning light. The game drive will start when we are ready. We are on “Africa time”: the clocks are run by the animals not humans.
Our last night and we begin our tent ritual by sitting on the bed with all of the tent windows unzipped so we can look out and watch the darkness. A large bat lands on the meshy “front door”. As it hangs there we observe it’s quick tiny movements. All of a sudden, a long very furry blur leaps up and grabs the bat, whisking it away. “Where did that come from?”, I ask. It all happened so fast and to this day I haven’t figured out what it was.
While the safari drives across Tanzania were awe-inspiring, the most thrilling part of our trip was not knowing what kind of visitor we would have each night and how close it would venture to mingle with a couple of city folk.
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About the Author
Hi, a little Bio on me if you are curious… I have spent over 17 years in the children’s consumer products industry working at companies such as Mattel Toys & HIT Entertainment. My areas of expertise include Marketing/Branding, Sales/Retail, Licensing & Product Development. Some of the brands I have played a key role developing are Barbie, Sesame Street, & Thomas the Tank Engine across multiple categories including toys, apparel, accessories, stationery, home goods and health & beauty aids. In addition, I earned my MBA in Marketing at Hofstra University and have taught as an adjunct professor at the Metropolitan College of New York and been a guest speaker at various universities. As a member of the Licensing Industry Merchandiser’s Association (LIMA), I have also taken part in outdoor mountaineering experiences internationally that have raised over $50,000 for the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation successfully tying in career interests & personal passions.
building a wood bed for my scale crawler