We rearranged our one full day at Sasakwa, moving the board meeting to the middle of the day and taking advantage of the early morning and late afternoon light for game drives. It is indeed a special privilege to experience a game drive in the Grumeti Reserve. First of all, the Singita guides are simply outstanding. On the first afternoon we had Bernard and the second day we had Mishi, the first female guide I’d ever experienced in Africa which was great. Unlike the national parks, you hardly ever see or pass another vehicle and being able to drive off-road opens up a whole new dimension and we were able to get so much closer to any animal we spotted. Perhaps you pay a bit more, but the game viewing is unparalleled.
We watched a secretary bird for a while with their beautiful crown feathers—the way they pick up their feet to walk resembles an old-fashioned typewriter. A huge herd of elephants walked past our vehicle while we sat there mesmerized. We found a cheetah with its frisky cub and a family of lions, the babies suckling their mother. A highlight for sure was the pride of 19 lions—we parked the vehicle and just sat there observing them – some of the lions just five feet from the truck. We followed giraffes as they gracefully galloped across the plain. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, we’d have a new sighting that would surpass the prior one. It was an exhilarating morning and we returned to the lodge for an early lunch – quite possibly one of the most beautifully presented buffets I’ve ever seen (and tasty too!)
After our final board meeting we enjoyed a last game drive which was equally spectacular. We gathered all of the vehicles together for the African tradition of “sundowners” and raised a glass of bubbly to the setting sun, followed by the farewell dinner, also under the stars and with local Maasai singing and dancing Although this was my ninth safari, I’d forgotten how incredibly special it is to be in Africa and promised myself not to wait another 10 years to return to this special place.