It is like nowhere else, says Sarah Sands
The panoramic setting of the African bush is majestic but the view from my Serengeti hotel — bleached yellow grassland dotted with acacia trees and the distant movement of herds of zebra or wildebeest — is etched deep.
This scene is ancient, at its best as the sun goes up and comes down, which feels a natural daily rhythm that is usually out of sync with our working life. The Serengeti, in northern Tanzania, is the setting of one of the most dramatic wildlife scenes on Earth: the river crossing of more than one million wildebeest and attendant wildlife from Kenya’s Masai Mara.
In Serengeti in September, when we visit, the herds — principally wildebeest and zebras — are north and will arrive in pursuit of the greenery produced by rain in our region in November. But the rain has started in bursts and we see lines of wildebeest trooping nearer.
Safaris tend to be a two-day affair; other passengers on our flight were off to Zanzibar to round off their holiday. But there are rewards for digging in. Each drive is different and if, like me, you are interested in birds, there are 500 different species here. The trees too are fascinating, particularly as you get used to them in daylight and then in the silhouette of dusk. The soil is volcanic crust so great areas of the Serengeti are barren. Then acacias, the sycamore fig, the fever tree or the sausage tree with its distinctive fruits, rear up. They are home to the eagles and vultures as well as prettier specimens such as lilac rollers, bee-eaters and superb starlings. And the trees are as concerned with survival as the wildlife. A guide explained how the acacia would exude a chemical when a giraffe had munched too deep into its branches to persuade it to move on.
African adventure: elephants at a watering hole (Richard Waite)
The Serengeti feels remote and it is. It takes four flights to reach it from London, via Nairobi and Kilimanjaro. An eight-seater plane hops between lodges; we fly first to Arusha, a small hub airport used mostly by hikers and described jauntily as “The Geneva of Tanzania” on account of the number of international conferences that take place in the city. Then up and off again. “Everyone alright? Sick bags in front of you” calls the pilot cheerfully. These are fully in use by a passenger behind me.
Suddenly, after about 20 hours of travelling, we pass the rhino-flecked Ngorongoro crater and descend to a landing strip which marks the start of our first safari. At our hotel, a Four Seasons, there is a glass of champagne and cold towels waiting for us. My husband and I raise a glass with a German female doctor and wonder at our fortune.
A suite at the Four Seasons (Richard Waite)
En route, we see African cape buffalo and a newborn giraffe still with his umbilical cord. There is a pod of hippos biffing each other to make space in the low water levels and a crocodile. All are waiting for the rains to come.
The lodge itself is discreet and in local style. There are more than 70 rooms but the architect has created a low-lying cosy effect by designing everything in curves, with a meandering wooden walkway between the rooms that all have views of the Serengeti. A watering hole lies at the front beyond the infinity pool. So yes, you can swim with the elephants.
Outdoor bathtub (Richard Waite)
As with the rest of the national park, the Four Seasons flourishes against the odds. No plants can be introduced here from outside so the hotel cannot grow vegetables. Yet the chef manages the freshest-tasting salads and the wine list, from South Africa, is terrific. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff, a mix of Masai and other locals.
Our room has a terrace which is directly above the elephant route to the watering hole. The heavy footsteps become familiar. We are warned that baboons will enter if we leave the window open. I wouldn’t blame them for trying — there are comfortable beds and powerful showers. An acquaintance said on my return they could not persuade their wife to go on safari because of the discomfort. I blushed.
We are up at dawn and in the back of a 4x4. We drive for around four hours and our most spectacular sighting is a leopard stretching on a low tree branch. Back at the hotel lunch is waiting — tapas of tomato salsa, aubergine and hummus, after which we sit out on the terrace with binoculars until the shadows fall and we fill our plates with a delicious Indian buffet.
A luxury hotel in the middle of a national park could be a rich ghetto and Four Seasons is keen to root the place in its surroundings. A discovery centre gives fascinating insight into the geology and history of the region, including the shocking tally of hunted lions. In 1925, 50 lions were bagged in two months. In 1937, the Serengeti became a permanent game reserve, which was visionary in the conservation time scale; today around 4,000 lions thrive here. The numbers of endangered animals here are commendable: 3,000 elephants, 40,000 buffalo. However, the black rhino is only 50.
The Discovery Centre team plays its part in conservation, including de-snaring injured animals. It is a mighty effort to protect these animals, led in particular by the work of the Friedkin Conservation Fund, which has invested more than $300million in Tanzania since its work began in 1987.
The highlight of the trip was a walking safari followed by a camp dinner. We followed an armed ranger and guide, tracking animals via their footprints and faeces as the orange red sun fell beneath the horizon. After an hour-and-a-half we spotted a campfire, a chef and waiters. We dined by candlelight at a table on a high rock as if at the Savoy, while a ranger on lookout spoke softly to us. What animals did we have in England? Was it true we hunted them on horseback? I shall never forget that evening.
It was a long journey back after a night at the Legendary Lodge in Arusha, a colonial building surrounded by manicured lawns. It was a 2.30am start for the drive from Arusha to Kilimanjaro airport and I was a little tired. But as the plane to Nairobi ascended above the clouds, there was Kilimanjaro set off by a sunrise you would consider too gaudy in a painting.My husband had a birthday the next day. Birthdays are not marked greatly by us but for Four Seasons it was a day of celebration that started with a cupcake for breakfast and ended with dinner in the wine room and a conga sing-song from the kitchen staff. I’m not sure how I retrain my husband to be satisfied with a card and an extra helping of spaghetti bolognese in future.
The sun rises and the sun sets in Africa. It is like nowhere else.
Details: Tanzania
Four Seasons Serengeti (00 255 768 982 100; fourseasons.com/serengeti) offers the Essential Serengeti package from $1,540 per night, based on two people sharing a Savannah Room. Includes round-trip transfers between Seronera Airstrip and the Safari Lodge, three meals per day, beverages, including house wines, local beer and well spirits, plus daily game drives, internet access and laundry credit. National Park fee is not included
