Serengeti Expeditionary Walking Camp
The next morning, early after breakfast, Laura and I set off with Joel towards the Expeditionary Walking Camp, guided by the legendary Prim Mlay. To be two people camping under the stars in the middle of nowhere, and being looked after by a bespoke Nomad team of six – including Boniphace, a national parks ranger – was a real privilege and the experience of a lifetime. We were camping within walking distance of Ndutu lake, not a million miles away from the Oldupai ranger post where paleoanthropologists and archeologists Mary and Louis Leakey studied one of the national historic sites of Tanzania.
On the ground your senses tune in and become alert. It was wonderful to think how humans have lived in this area since earliest man. It really felt like the cradle of mankind, and it was a privilege to be standing here. Prim’s knowledge was incredible, and it was fascinating to learn about the processes of nature from him.
Being in the middle of nowhere made the unexpected sun downer, a Wild Dog gin and tonic, even more special. During the day, Prim had used the word ‘ubuntu’, meaning ‘humanity to others’, which got me thinking about the tiny spec we were in this vast landscape. Later that night, I drifted off listening to the sounds of the bush under the most incredible starlit night.