Central Serengeti, (Seronera) Tanzania - August 17

After our visits to the Maasai Boma & Oldupai Gorge we went on a game drive until evening. We came to what used to be the entrance to the Serengeti and then stopped for lunch and a short hike at the visitor center’s current location.

 old entrance to Central Serengeti

 Warthogs along the way....

 current visitor center & picnic spot

 Superb Starling

 views from the top of the short hike

 Northern White-crowned Shrike

 Hildebrandt's Starling

Sunbird

We saw several lions in a couple different areas and the highlight was seeing where a leopard had dragged his kill up a tree and a bird was eating it. The cars ahead of us saw the leopard come down the tree. Shots were hard to get of the kill in the tree due to low lighting and smoke from the burning and it was dusty.

 Lappet-faced Vulture

 Hartebeest

 the plains

young elephant 

 

Thompson's Gazelle

 Tawny Eagle eating a Reedbuck

 Tawny Eagle eating a Reedbuck

 Tawny Eagle eating a Reedbuck

 Tawny Eagle eating a Reedbuck

 Pygmy Falcon

 Helmeted Guineafowl

 Black-Faced Vervet Monkey

 Yellow-billed & Red-billed Oxpeckers on Giraffe's neck

 Blacked-headed Heron

 Ruppell's Griffon Vulture

Marabou Stork



We stayed at Serengeti Serena Lodge for two nights, a step above the Sopa lodge chain. Here is a link to their site: http://www.serenahotels.com/serenaserengeti/default-en.html

The huts here have been described as “hobbit houses” and I guess they kind of do resemble them.

 we had the top floor of this unit

 balcony

 Superb Starling and baby

White-headed Buffalo Weaver

 



The food was very good here and we had Cape Buffalos outside our hut and we heard lions roaring in the night as we slept.

 Cape Buffalo

the do burning in the dry season....it was close to our room

 





We watched the sunset and then went to dinner.

 entertainment in the lounge

 turn down service in our room

 

Then it was bedtime to get ready for the full day game drive tomorrow!