Destination Bilila Lodge
We reached our destination, where I will stay for the next 10 days: The Bilila Lodge Kempinski! It is a fascinating place and full of stories that I will tell you over the next days. The lodge itself is not yet officially open and there is still work going on, but the main buildings are finished. Few very fortunate and selected guests are staying here due to the “soft-opening” phase. I am the 123rd guest here - that’s exclusive, isn’t it?
The Serengeti National Park and the annual migration
But today we got around to seeing the surroundings of the Lodge. It is directly located in the Serengeti National Park. We had a game drive here and our goal was to see the annual migration of the wildebeest. Samuel Mmbaga is a professional guide in the Serengeti Park and explains how the migration works: Every year the wildebeest (and other hoofed animals like Zebras or Gazelles) move in herds thousands-strong from the south end of Serengeti towards Masai Mara (outside the Serengeti) in April/May and come back to Serengeti around November. The migration is caused by the lack of food. The herds start to move looking for fresh grass. The migration is not a constant move so it’s hard to predict on which location the animals will be when you are looking for them. It all depends on the rain and the available food. So we had an interesting time searching for the wildebeest.
Searching for the Wildebeest
We saw thousands of wildebeest at the horizon yesterday, so we headed towards this location. On the way we spotted again a vast variety of animals – the Serengeti is really fantastic.
We finally found the place and discovered … an empty plain. Not one wildebeest around! So we tried our luck by driving around. We were about to give up when at last we saw them: a widely-scattered but huge group of wildebeest! It was an impressive sight to see these creatures all over the place. Our wildebeest were having a rest when we reached them – but I will try to come back when they are on the move!
01
Serengeti plain with acacia tree
02
Serengeti plain
03
Road in the Serengeti
04
Birds with a twig
05
The hippo pool
06
"Zebra crossing"
07
Zebras all over the place
08
Lion prepares to jump from a tree
09
Lion
10
Female lion lazing on a tree
11
Having a flat tire when lions are around is challenging - watch out while changing the tires!
12
Rocks in the Serengeti
13
Serengeti plain - no wilderbeest around.
14
At last we found them: Part of the wildebeest migration
15
Wildebeest migration
16
Wildebeest migration
17
On the way back: A giraffe is standing on the road
18
Sleeping lion
Comments
Finally you got there. Let us see the lodge please? I’m curious how it looks finished now.
Can someone get this ‘Jessica’ out of the blog?
very beautiful pictures. looking forward to see the lodge and the surroundings thereof.
Hello Jan,
welcome to my neighbourhood
Hope you enjoy your time in Africa, maybe you visit me in Ghana on your way back
Michael
With all the Wildebeest around it looks as if the Migration has started. So when are you going to migrate to the lodge yourselves?
i love the whole snaps coz i allways love wildlife,i hope oneday i must be go there .
keep trying take more picture of this healven on the earth.
best wishes
sandeep singh
I love the Giraffe, amazing pictures…. still cant wait for the sandy beaches, keep them coming
Well done, this project was overdue in Kempinskis web activities
Congratulations to Jan, Rob, Wolfgang and the entire team behind this blog!
very good pictures and it is marvelous
jebakumar
Chennai
Tamilnadu-India
Can’t wait to see the pics of the Lodge! It’s in the middle of the serengeti, right?
Hello Jan,
great pics and page!!! Keep it up and we can read and see more…
wow..great th photos are excellent…thnks for that.
for more animals pics and hunting animals pictures plz visit…http://animalszooguru.blogspot.com
oh my good is prefek abizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
All i can say is to GOD be the glory for all the beautiful scenaries and wild life seen on this planet are a result of his hard work therefore,may we join hands together as we operate in the tourism industry in East Africa i.e iam requesting for apartnership with you. Speaking from UGANDA, Thanks.
However, i’ve liked all the above photos sincerely they are too nice!!
Beautiful and glamorous pictures.hope to visit serengeti
Thank you so much for the wonderful pictures.will visit with my mom on my 2nd birthday
Hey dude you’re SO lucky. This looks awfully beautiful!! Hope you keep having a good time! LG Sünni
Fascinating!
God is good He created all things Beautiful.
all things are made beautiful, thank you Lord for having this place as one of your beautiful spots. God bless you all.
Here we can discover a big moment of evolution and just be part of it with great admiration - what a beautiful world!