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Impressive on every conceivable level, the Serengeti-Mara is surely without equal for predators. Trademark blond-maned lions lounge nonchalantly in the shade, solitary cheetahs pace the open plains, hyaenas lope and sniff around their subterranean dens — even leopard are seen regularly in specific areas. Smaller plains residents include the dainty Bat-eared fox, all three African jackal species and half-a-dozen endemic birds, while punctuating kopjies (granite outcrops) are frequented by the colourful Agama lizard, scurrying Rock hyrax and dainty klipspringer. A great many upmarket lodges — some say too many — operate on both sides of the border, ranging from impersonal “hotels in the bush” to intimate luxury tented camps. Somewhat obtusely, crossing directly between the Mara and the Serengeti is forbidden, so most visitors opt for one or other reserve or country. For pure game viewing, the Mara possibly has the edge, but the Serengeti is more extensive, with remote corners such as Lobo and the Western Corridor still carrying remarkably little tourist traffic. If it’s wildebeest you’re after, December to March is when they calve in the southern Serengeti, moving northward through Lobo or the Western Corridor over May to July, then concentrating in the Mara from August to October. Copyright © 2002 Travel Africa. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of the author is prohibited. |
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