Africa: Lions in the Rain - Serengeti National Park - Tanzania

After a long drive from Ngorongoro Crater on which Latow told us we were given an African massage (it was really bumpy) we finally made it to the entrance of the Serengeti National Park.

Because the park is so big we didn't actually go through the checkpoint until further in. A quick rest stop while Latow registered us there and we were back on the road.

It was quite grey out and rain was pouring down on the endless sea of grass. Unlike the Masai Mara, the Serengeti had an empty horizon with plains as far as the eye can see. The only things sticking out of the grass were these large rock formations that seemed like mountains compared to the flat terrain.

Soon we ran into a group of jeeps with their cameras pointed to the right way off in the distance. We scanned the grass until we spotted the two male lions, their coats perfectly blending in with the background.

They were walking right towards us at a steady pace and gave a small herd of gazelle quite a spook.
They weren't interested in them at all though and continued to barge a path through the tall grass right towards the road. They made it within twenty to thirty feet off the road and then started walking parallel with it.

The one male had an all blonde mane unlike any of the other lions we had seen so far. We followed the two of them down the road for awhile before the blonde one let out a small roar flashing his huge teeth as the rain continued to beat down. Making for one of my favourite photos.

The two lions started towards the road and all of the jeeps quickly got out of their way. Once they had crossed they created a new path on the other side of the road out into the never ending sea. After the two lions disappeared we kept going further into the park. 

As we got closer to our Lodge there were more and more trees and shrubs appearing on the horizon. Once we hit the heart of the park it ended up looking a bit more like the Mara than it did at the entrance. We were about twenty minutes away when we spotted a huge group of jeeps. They were watching yet another male lion grooming his fur in the rain. This one had a bright orange mane and a dark coat and was constantly having to shake with all the rain.

After awhile we realized that there was also a lioness sitting in the bushes behind him. They must have been a mating couple that broke off of the pride for a few days.

Once the male got up he did a lap around all the jeeps and then sat down within ten feet of our jeep. He was so close you could see all the colour in his eyes and it was honestly a little menacing seeing how huge they are up close.

After he practically stared us down to show who's in charge he walked between all the jeeps and off into the distance. It was then that Mom went back to her seat on the other side of the jeep and right out her open window was the female. Mom could have reached out and touched her!

Some of the jeeps followed but after the great morning we had had in the crater we decided to drive the rest of the way to the lodge.

This time our rooms were in separate hut-like buildings all over the grounds and if you wanted to go to the main lodge after dusk or before dawn then you had to be accompanied by staff who were patrolling the grounds. Once we were settled in we had someone take us to the dining room for a nice dinner and then back again after. I don't think the lights were off for a minute before we all fell fast asleep.