Anyone who travels knows that things don’t always go according to plan. Whether it’s a flight delay, or worse cancelation, turning up at a hotel to find out you booked the wrong dates, or stomach ailments that won’t seem to quit, we’ve all experienced inconveniences at some point or other, big (hopefully not TOO big) and small. And if you are a traveler who hasn’t had this happen…well aren’t you just blessed by the Gods? Anyway, while things going wrong can really cause frustration and stress, at times it can be one of the best and most memorable experiences you have. This, is one such story.
Imagine if you will, waking up to a beautiful, sunny morning. The air is buzzing with excitement because today you will be entering one of the world’s most famous national parks: The Serengeti. All 14 of us on the tour along with our 4 Intrepid staff were brimming with anticipation over what the next couple of days would bring. Afterall, we already were fortunate enough to see the big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, Cap Buffalo) in one day at Maasai Mara, so imagine what we might see in a reserve 10 times the size?
We had stayed the night off the shores of Lake Victoria, about 1 hour and change away from the Eastern entrance. We stopped at a picnic area for a quick lunch and by 1pm were back on the road. It would take about 4-5 hours to make our way across a good chunk of the park to our campsite for the next 2 nights. All was going well. Yes, the roads were a bit rough in some spots, with heavier than normal rains having washed out portions, but we appeared to be making good time. Then it happened.
We had come to a section of road that was completely under water. In these situations, given how washed out previous parts had been, the driver had to make the decision whether to risk driving through it, not knowing just how deep the water was, or find a way around it. There was what looked like an area where other trucks had managed to drive out into the grass and make their way around. So, that is where we went. Not halfway down this make shift road and what we had all hoped would never happen did: we got stuck.
The ground turned out to be much softer than expected and The Beast (also referred to as Big Bertha) just sunk. A note on this vehicle. You will see in the pictures, but it’s as if a truck and a bus had a baby. It seats 24 people comfortably with tons of storage on and below. However, it has the lift and heavy duty driving power to make it through rough terrain. But it also weighs like 7000 kilos so, yeah, it got bogged.
Our driver, Stony, tried to turn the wheels every which way to gain traction but it was to naught. They tried digging out the tires and placing grates under them to create the friction needed but still no success. We watched, and waited, and played some Farkle to pass the time. About 2 hours in, the call for our assistance came. If I’m being completely honest, I was hoping we might have one of these moments: where the group bands together, does a quick heave-ho and voila! We are free! I had read about these situations occasionally happening, where the tour group has to help push the truck out of a sticky situation. Of course, those were ususally landcruisers, not Semis. So we heaved and we hoed and most importantly no one face planted into the mud. However, The Beast just wasn’t moving.
To make matters worse, we were in a section of the park where service was spotty at best, so our guide was having a heck of a time getting a hold of anyone to come assist. Oh, and then it started to rain. As if the ground wasn’t wet enough. And this wasn’t a light drizzle, no this was a downpour. So, we all got back onto the bus and waited it out, beginning to resign ourselves to the eventual fate that we may be spending the night on the bus. The only trouble with that plan was we were in big cat country so staying on the bus with all of the food and fresh meat (that would be us) was not going to work.
As luck would have it, Peace was able to get in touch with drivers towards Arusha, but they were hours away. Fortunately some rangers passed by and after some back and forth it was decided that the best path forward would be to set up camp at a ranger station and picnic site about 6km down the road. The next ordeal would be emptying the truck of all the food and camping equipment. There was space for 3 people plus our chef with that haul so the group was officially broken up. I couldn’t help but think this was how all horror films began.
11 tourists plus our guide (Peace), driver (Stony), and helper (James) remained. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. We waited as patiently as we could while it officially turned to night. Less than an hour later the trucks were back, taking all of our luggage, any remaining equipment, and 4 more people, including James. It was around 7:15-7:30 when the second round officially departed. Knowing that while the makeshift camp was pretty close by, the roads were still a mess, we figured it would take at least 45-60 minutes for them to return. So we sat back, turned the vehicle off and waited. There was a lightning storm in the distance, and as we watched we listened to an eclectic mix of music provided by one of the remaining travelers, even occasionally singing along. Had it not been so stressful due to all the unknowns I may have actually said it was an enjoyable moment.
Well, an hour turned into 2 and still no Ranger vehicles to be seen. We were starting to get antsy. However, about 9:30 the back up vehicles that Peace called hours earlier finally arrived. At this point I am ready for a bathroom and bed. But, definitely a bathroom. You see, there were no toilets on the bus, your toilet was the mud outside. And with it being dark you had to go right next to the vehicle. Was it #1, no issues. Unfortunately it was not #1 and thanks to a combo of the malaria meds and foreign travel let’s just say my #2s are a bit unpredictable at the moment. Nothing was dire as of that moment so I decided to retain at least a small bit of my dignity and hold it to the camp. Afterall, our rescue vehicles were finally here, there was sure to be a bathroom in my near future, right? Insert maniacal laughter here.
We all load into one of the 2 land cruisers and head on our way. Then it becomes quickly apparent that our drivers don’t know where the turn off for the ranger station is. Reminder – we are in the middle of a national park, in pitch black, roads have been washed out, and our drivers are from a completely different area. What could possibly go wrong? You may have guessed, but we drove some, turned around, turned around again, then went down the wrong road. And because the universe was being particularly rude that day, our rescue vehicles proceeded to get bogged in the mud. Fantastic.
Its now getting close to 11pm and my bowel situation is becoming more and more urgent. I can feel the panic start to rise, but other than people getting a little grumpy because, well, long fricking day, everyone is keeping their cool. I CANNOT be the one to lose it. So I grab my travel necklace and just start repeating “we will get to the campsite, all will be well”. At the same time, I’m also thinking “if we went down the wrong road how will help find us in this dark??”. Then my stomach starts to get a bit more achy and a lot harder to ignore.
At this point I weigh my options. I can either crap my pants in front of these lovely people, making their night worse and ruining my clothes and self respect. OR, I risk life and limb and jump out the car and hope for the best. Still not overly dignified, having to squat in front of people you just met. But, better that and at least having a chance of coming away from this ordeal alive. Privacy is nice, not being a Lion’s lunch is better.
Decision made I announce that I need to go to the bathroom, so one of the other passengers calls to the driver, who is still trying to get the truck unstuck. He asks, “#1 or #2” and when I tell him #2 his eyes go wide with worry. Well, someone in the heavens must like me because just at that moment the ranger truck appears. They rush me over and our guide and I jump in so they can take me to the station immediately. I felt horrible that we left behind my comrades in the struggle, but the Ranger didn’t give me much of a choice. I guess going #2 in the bush at night is like sending an invitation to all the wildlife for a nice dinner party.
Turns out we were only one road off from the one we should have taken, so the ride was only about 5-10 minutes long. And it was wild. If you’ve ever been on Indiana Jones in Disneyland let me tell you the imagineers did an excellent job replicating the experience of driving through rough terrain, trying to beat the odds. Then, just as we were about to turn down to the camp site, 2 lions and their 2 cubs crossed the road right in front of our vehicle! Had I not been so distracted with my stomach I would have grabbed a video. The cubs were rolling around and playing and quite honestly that moment may have made the last 8 hours worth it.
So, we get to the camp just as the other 6 emerge from finishing dinner. They had experienced their own ordeals with trucks getting restuck, lions literally circling the camp, and everyone basically being wet, tired, and terrified for hours. I quickly go do my business while an armed Ranger stands guard. Then we huddle in the mud by our tents, hearing all about safety protocols – no open food in the tents, under no circumstances walk out to the bathroom at night alone. If you have to go, stay right outside your tent and constantly be looking around you. Now, I’ve camped my entire life and the most you had to worry about was locking up your food at night to keep away from the scavengers and hope your dog didn’t pick a fight with a local farmer’s cow. I never thought I’d have to worry about being eaten. Literally. But, hey, fun new experiences!
Fortunately the rest of the group came through about 20 minutes later. We ate, got another safety briefing and then passed out. I thought there was no way I was getting any sleep, but once the adrenaline depleted I knocked out and next thing I knew it was 6:30am. We had made it through the night!
Sadly, our truck was still stuck, and 2 more had also gotten bogged while trying to get ours out. There would soon be an Intrepid Memorial vehicle graveyard in the middle of the Serengeti if they weren’t careful. What this meant is we had to wait a few hours for back up land cruisers to come pick us up, so we lost about 4 hours of game drive time sitting around and waiting. After the previous night and not having anything to do this morning, most were starting to get a bit restless and you could tell people were losing their patience. Then there they were, our rides out of here! And there they were, getting stuck in the mud AGAIN. Luckily, the rangers were right nearby this time to pull them free. So, we loaded our gear, had lunch, and finally headed off on our game drive. Then, with a perfect example of the universe balancing everything out, as we drove away from the campsite we saw HUNDREDS of wildebeest. We were driving right alongside a mass migration. If we hadn’t have stayed there that night and been stuck waiting all morning we would never have seen it. And just like that, the mood was lifted and the rest of the trip was smooth sailing. And dry.
I realize I’ve gone into a lot of detail on this adventure, but I wanted to be sure and share as many of the pieces as possible. 1) for my own memory, 2) to highlight just how much a comedy of errors that 21 hours in the Serengeti was. As I mentioned at the beginning, things going wrong or at least not according to plan can be stressful. And for some it could ruin an otherwise wonderful day, even entire trips. And yes, in the moment when things seemed like they were going from bad to worse and it felt like we were never getting out of the Serengeti, I don’t imagine any of us were happy or loving life. But, looking back, it turned into one of my favorite memories not only from this trip, but ever.
First, we survived, so major win there. We also got an unofficial night safari and got to see things we would not have if we arrived at the original camp as scheduled. But, more than anything it was the people that made this experience so special. Even when we were all tired and getting a bit grumpy everyone remained calm and kept a good sense of humor. I can imagine so many people having an apoplectic fit over just one of these issues, let alone the whole ordeal. Instead crew and guest banded together and waited out the storm, literally. And when the sun rose the next day, finally drying out the wet landscape, we embraced this experience for what it was: a memorable story that bonded us and which we will carry with us the rest of our lives.
