As mentioned previously, we set out this morning to see hippos and crocs. The section of the Grumeti river where the hippos and crocs were located is a two hour drive from our camp, so we left the lodge early. On the way there, we came across three cheetah, a mother and her two one year old sons. We found them in a tree, and followed them for half an hour as they stalked some Thomson’s Gazelle.

Things really kicked into gear today. Our wakeup call was at 5:15am for our 6am drive to the balloon. The balloon flight was outstanding, lasting a little more than an hour. We then had an extended game drive until around 12:30pm, and another game drive in the evening. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s a view from the balloon of some of the wildebeest. They look almost like ant trails when viewed from a few hundred feet AGL.

This morning we took an hour flight north to the lodge we’re at now. Our lodge overlooks the Serengeti from a hill. The first pic is the view from the lodge itself. Those dots down there? Each is most likely a wildebeest, although they could also be zebras, antelope of various species, lions, leopards, hyena, and, well, you get the picture. The Great Migration started 3 days ago, and should last about 8 days.

Welcome to Ngorongoro Crater. Today’s trip into the crater was our best game drive yet on this trip. The crater forms a natural enclosure, roughly the size of San Francisco. There’s little shelter in the crater and abundant wildlife, leading to many sightings. Between the massive tectonic plate shifts that created the great Rift Valley and the volcanoes that created the crater (one of many in the area, actually), this place has certainly seen its share of geologic adventure.

Today was another long day. It took about 3 hours to exit the Tarangire game preserve. On the way out, however, we happened upon two adult lions (one male, one female) with their 3 cubs. So that was good. Plus some friendly warthogs, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately the lions were not close to a road, so I was unable to get any decent photos. You’ll just have to trust me.