We left India, flying over the megalopolis of Mumbai and the vastness of the Indian Ocean. A few hours later, the east coast of the African continent came into view. We were heading for the incredible Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
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This is the east coast of Somalia just north of Mogadishu. It’s pretty dry. It’s always fun to walk the passage
I’m on a jet plane and I’m telling people what I see outside the window. Whenever I say “Cuba”
When they hear “Somalia” or “Iran,” they are surprised and wonder if they are safe. |
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| Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro! Check out my post about the trek in 2014 here |
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| During our visit, there was exceptional rainfall in the Serengeti, which usually occurs during the El Niño phenomenon. |
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| Giraffes! They are graceful creatures called “Twiga” in Swahili. |
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| This is the first time I’ve seen so many animals at once. |
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Stones! This is an example of a koppie, a block of granite sticking out from the plain. Koppie is a Dutch word.
“Little Head”. These rocks are part of the East African craton (ancient core) and date back to the Archean era.
Age – Approximately 2.5 to 3 billion years. |
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| Stone! Granite has intruded into existing rocks called schist and gneiss. |
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| And of course, Tanzania is known for its tanzanite gemstones, which are mined in a small quarry near Arusha. |
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| Not all the wildlife here is large: this is a hyrax, a relative of the elephant. |
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We didn’t see many lions on this trip because the rain had made the grass grow, but this was a pride.
About 8 animals |
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| Ah, the acacia! The symbol of the Serengeti. I never get bored of seeing it. |
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One morning, the balloon flight was cancelled due to rain, so we got up and
I tried again at 4:30am, and this time it worked! |
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We were in the air for about 90 minutes, most of the time flying just a few feet off the ground.
Altitude determines wind direction, which tells the pilot where to place the balloon. |
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| Shooting from a balloon |
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| Our group inflated three balloons. |
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| We saw lots of hippos flying overhead. |
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| Special champagne, no, sparkling wine, for the morning landing and breakfast |
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| This is a short post from the Serengeti, next up is Luxor and Giza in Egypt! |
