Serengeti: The Circle of Life

In the middle of the night, I’m suddenly awake and aware of my surroundings. First I hear the lion call outside our tent. I can hear it walking along our deck. I’m hardly five feet from it, with a thin layer of canvas separating us.

Then a tiger came through the tent. But Greg saved me. Wait a minute. There aren’t any tigers in Africa. I was dreaming.

The lion part was real - the guard confirmed we had two walking by our tent, who then spent the night in our camp.

The Serengeti brings me back to February 2004 when I took Jeremy to see The Lion King on Broadway. I vividly remember the goosebumps I got watching the opening number: Circle of Life. It was so powerful. But being here now, it feels literal. The grass, the herds, the predators somewhere nearby—it’s all connected in a way that’s hard to fully see at first, but you start to feel it.

Nothing is wasted.

Not the chase.
Not the kill.
Not even what’s left behind.

It all feeds the next step.

Over the next twelve hours, we would see that lesson play out again and again.

It was our third and last day in the Serengeti. We had another early start today. Edward said the best time for safari here is 6am.

However, this morning was a dud.

Meaning lots of grazing wildlife and very little excitement.

Guides kept stopping each other to ask if they had seen anything.

Nothing.

We were all on the hunt for cats.

According to Edward, usually early in the morning you can see active lions.

Since we haven’t had any sightings, we decide to stop for our breakfast picnic. We were the only jeep in the rest stop, so Edward cautiously drove through it, checking every nook and cranny. He is always safe.

There’s a temperature shift at sunrise - and I can no longer feel my extremities. My fingers and toes are numb from the cold air blowing on me through the open roof.

We start going again, determined to find something exciting.

The gazelle - who are out in the open - suddenly start running. I get excited. Is it a chase?

No. Edward said they were just doing their morning warm up.

The quiet continues. Driving. Scanning. Squealing brakes as we slow down abruptly. What does Edward see? Nothing. He is just going slowly over big ruts in the road.

He stops again. As foreshadowing of what is about to come, he points to bloody gazelle antlers in the road. That could only mean one thing. Gazelle are the main snack for cheetahs, one of the only animals fast and skilled enough to catch them.

It’s a hopeful sign … there are cheetahs nearby!

As we’re passing a rock outcropping, I notice a couple of hyena sunning themselves. Just as I think Edward is stopping so we can get a closer look, he takes off again.

I realize he is headed directly toward a lone jeep parked in the middle of nowhere. It’s a tell-tale sign they’ve made a discovery!

It is three cheetahs devouring their catch.

After feasting, they lick the blood from each other's faces

Edward could tell by the size of their stomachs that they needed to hunt again today. Yet we drove away instead of following them.

That is when I realize there are different styles of safari. Sit and wait for action, that may never happen, or move on to find something new.

We pass a tree with several jeeps parked next to it. Just sitting there, doing nothing. More than two hours ago there had been a leopard in the tree that left to go hunt - usually the only reason for a leopard to leave its safe space. People are still here waiting for the leopard to return with its feast.

We decide to go back to camp for some rest - satisfied that Edward is willing to take us back out in the evening.

But part of me is thinking that if we want to see lions, all we need to do is stay here in camp.

Instead, we go out again in the late afternoon. It is our last Serengeti game drive.

And maybe I got my best lion photo yet.

And maybe my best hippo photo too.

When a hippo opens its absurdly large mouth to an extreme angle, it's basically telling everyone around it, “Look how big my mouth is. Let’s not make this a problem.”

And the whole time, Disney’s Circle of Life is playing in my head.

Going into safari, I didn’t have any expectations. Maybe I assumed I’d see a few animals. But I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to spot them - it’s harder than you think! A couple at our camp said they only saw hippo today. Edward said it was not a good day for many visitors.

I realized that spotting wildlife is part skill, part patience, and part pure luck. Sometimes the guide sees the lion. Sometimes another jeep leads you to it. Or sometimes you catch the camouflaged movement at exactly the right moment.

At dinner, the staff surrounded Greg and me with singing, clapping, and rhythmic dancing to say goodbye. It was a moment we won't forget. It was impossible not to feel honored.

Tomorrow we visit the Ngorongoro Crater on our way back to Arusha.

 

Logistics:

• You can go on a walking safari with a national park guide: $50 per person. Best for people interested in plants, animal tracks, and insects rather than large animals, which are usually scared away.
• We were conveniently able to do laundry here. It seemed to be a flat fee for $12.
• The bottle of KWV Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa that was served to us with dinner was $50. Although R79,00 in South Africa ($5 USD), it sells for $15-18 in Tanzania.