trust and space in the serengeti: a profound respect for wildlife
These days have been filled with magic.
Landed in Kilimanjaro International Airport on Friday and headed to Arusha to spend a first night at a Coffee Lodge before our departure to the Serengeti the following morning.
The Serengeti from above.
The Serengeti
7am, took a little propeller plane - Grumeti Air - to our reserve. A smooth flight across majestic reserves. Perhaps I had been anticipating this experience for a while, or the views were so incredibly pristine, but I was utterly overwhelmed with emotion. There was something already very dear to me about this place but I couldn’t yet put my finger on it…
As soon as we landed on our airstrip we were greeted by Ed - our guide for our stay (THE most incredible guide I’ve ever met) - who took our luggages and escorted us to the lounge for a refresher before tucking us into our jeep and making our way to the lodge.
We saw an elephant on the way - this beautiful dark grey elephant (solitary so had to be male, Ed pointed out) calmly having lunch in the bushes. Ed told us to stay quiet, elephants don’t like noise. And they don’t necessarily see so well, but they can hear everything. We respected the elephant’s wishes and he stayed with us for a while. This was the first glimpse at what I will talk about further down… a respect for wildlife I’ve never experienced elsewhere before.
Our days in the bush are framed by game drives at sunrise and sunset, spending time in the wild and of course discovering the lodges and tented camps that had their home in the savannah. Getting to know the people, the guides, the community… getting to know every facet of this incredible place. The behind the scenes – the mise en scene. Developing that sense of place. But above all, learning about and understanding the human-wildlife dynamics.
An unmatched respect for wildlife
I am completely awestruck at the incredible respect the people here have for the wildlife - for the animals. Already, the kindness and warmth amongst each other was visible - but clearly this spilled out across species too. And you could tell by the animals’ reactions to us and the safari vehicles: not a single flinch. On the contrary, this one lion saw us coming and started rolling onto its back showing us its belly - clearly feeling fully comfortable and not a second threatened.
I spoke to Ed about this… I asked him if there was any hunting going around. He told me not on this reserve, but there are regions in Tanzania where this is still permitted. I asked him how the animals react to humans and vehicles in those areas… he told me as soon as they spot them they’re off running away. Of course.. that makes sense.
Here, they trust.
Ed has spoken about something time and time again during our stay - and this is the need and respect for space. The way every animal co-exists on the same plain - prey, predators - respecting each other’s space. Too close and they might enter a danger zone. Too far and they might miss a meal. It’s fascinating. Space. And you’ve got so much of it here.
Just as they respect each other’s space, so did we respect theirs. Never invading - close enough to look at them, to spend time with them, but always respecting their space. Allowing their energy to prevail. It’s a beautiful thing - to not impose oneself but rather live in agreement. We didn’t impose ourselves so they allowed us to spend time with them.
They would leave their cubs roam around our vehicles… keeping a soft eye but relaxed nonetheless. It was very moving.
Human beings are just another species.The grandeur of nature is spectacular. Funnily enough, I was expecting a different sort of grandeur here but to my surprise, the Serengeti feels familiar to me. It feels like home. I’m not sure what it is but overall energetically it is aligned with us.
I am in our tented camp in the wild right now - the sound of frogs as my backdrop. I can hear movement outside… but everything is quiet. It’s fresh and our tent has been prepared for turndown. Sleeping with the tent open, just the nets closed - allowing the fresh air and sounds of nature to envelop us is a unique experience. Profoundly restorative. You feel one with nature here, in the truest sense. This is the space we’ve claimed these days… co-existing with our newly made friends. About to go to bed… knowing that around 10pm we should start hearing some lions roaring or roaming about. What a beautiful thrill to look forward to.