Sura ya Nne - Mazingira ya Serengeti

Chapter Four - Serengeti Landscapes

A day in the life of the Serengeti

Serengeti. 

The Masai word for 'Endless Plain'.

It's big.

Dawn arrives at six or soon after every day, every month. Swahili clocks are set to this time, this is zero hour.

In the dry season (msimu wa ukame), the skies are cloudless and blue. Now (late November) is the season of small rains (msimu wa mvuli). 

Clouds adds depth and colour to the sunrise. 

An hour later, 1 o'clock in Swahili time, the endless plain becomes visible.

This first hour of the day is a favourite with predators.

Making it the last hour for some.

The sun slowly burns away the remaining mist.

Revealing the rocky islands (Kopje)

In central Serengeti, the plains seem to stretch forever. A bit like British politics at the moment...

There is so much space here, it is difficult for the mind to comprehend. 

So much space.

So much grassland, although it would make a poor lawn; the grass here is shrubby. 

Dotted here and there is the occasional tree, providing meagre shelter from sun or rain. 

Meagre shelter that can be a trap for the unwary grazers.

The occasional rock helps to break the monotony...

Sometimes the rocks get together, providing ideal shelter for raising your cubs.

So much space, yet many trees feel that growing in a huge wide open plain is too easy, so they grow on rocks instead.

Their roots spreading painfully over the rock to reach the earth below.

Weather is all around.

After months without rain, mvuli arrives. It is these seasonal rains that the mighty migration follows.

With this rain, the scorched earth turns green. Food aplenty. But not for long.

The rain arrives...

with a passion.

The dry sand rivers become moist.

Then turn to streams

then fulfilled their destiny.

The sun starts to sink. This is the scene at 5 pm (11 o.clock Swahili time)

A beautiful sky, not truly appreciated by the local grazing herds. Once more it is danger hour.

 Night descends.

Usiku mwema

Lala vizuri

Goodnight

Sleep well

Coming Next: 

Sura ya Tano - Wahamiaji Wengi. 

Chapter Five - The Great Migration.