Camping in the Serengeti

So up until a few weeks ago, I had never been camping. As luck would have it, my first time sleeping in a tent was in the Serengeti. Go big or go home? Oh my, in the months leading up to camping in the Serengeti, I wanted to go home. In my heart of hearts I wanted to be the brave travel blogger who wanted to do anything and everything, but man I knew my limits. So we arrived on March 4th at our Serengeti Camp, and I was in it for the duration. I guess the scariest part for me was no internet for four whole days. Panic.

We arrived at our camp on a Thursday evening, which was overcast and cool, after a fun day all of the girls had ridden in the safari jeep together. I was pretty scared when we reached the Serengeti gate and there was nothing in every direction, for as far as we could see. I felt lost.  I really couldn’t imagine our remote home, and the lack of contact made me feel panic more than once. I wish I was braver then, but after conquering many fears, I feel stronger. I did so many things I didn’t think I could do; this trip was a huge place of growth and I am grateful for that.

That said, I sucked it up and tried really hard to be at one with the Serengeti. We went on many sunrise and sunset game drives, which I absolutely loved. Seeing the sun rise and set in the Serengeti was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I soaked up every second. I loved our nightly fireside chats where we watched the Serengeti sunset, absolutely in awe of our opportunity.

It’s hard to be afraid when nature is holding you so closely. Look at the photo below, the sunrise and moonset as we get ready for another Serengeti morning game drive.

Truth be told, our Overseas Adventure Travel Serengeti Camp was absolutely amazing and not exactly roughing it. Our tents were spacious and lovely, with full beds, flush toilets, showers, and an absolutely amazing staff. The tents were so comfy that even I, terrified at all of the wildlife sounds, slept most of the time fairly well. But wildlife was all around! Due to the lack of rain in the rainy season, our first night was marked by the moo of wildebeests, which sounded like 1,000 snoring men all night long. I thought that was annoying, but in the nights that followed, we were kept awake by lions, leopards, and hyenas. Each night, our camp staff walked us back to our tents, and they would shine a flashlight into the bush, revealing glowing eyes of very large, very wild cats. It was beautiful, exciting, but yes, scary. The first time I heard lions I was terrified. By the last night, I found myself hoping the lions would visit. In all honesty, I miss their low groans and roars.

We were truly spoiled at camp, with a staff so knowledgeable and attentive, comfy beds, and amazing food. On our final day we toured the kitchen, which pulled out multi-course meals with the help of solar and a generator for us every night. The food and wine every day were SO GOOD. Veggies, soups, and dishes like coconut chicken filled us and made us really happy. It was incredible what the camp staff did with so little, and amazing to see the acacia trees with thorns they used to keep wild animals away. There were literally hyenas and baboons hanging out outside our camp looking at the food tent waiting for something, but there was no luck for them!

Our Serengeti camp staff took such great care of us, from bringing us hot water before sunrise to wash our faces to helping us with our five gallon showers, to bringing us to our tents safely every night, surrounded by wild animals. By the end of four days they felt like family, and I can hardly express the love we felt for them. It wasn’t an easy task to make this city girl feel at home in the middle of nowhere, much less make her want to come back again and again, but that’s exactly what happened. I want to go camping in the Serengeti every year for the rest of my life, if camping is like this!