{"id":24378,"date":"2022-09-23T18:00:02","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T22:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=24378"},"modified":"2022-12-28T23:49:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T04:49:58","slug":"youll-never-guess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=24378","title":{"rendered":"You’ll Never Guess"},"content":{"rendered":"

Linda Lou Burton posting from Mbuzi Mawe Serena Tented Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania<\/em>\u2013Now I know about kopjes. Big rocks, jutting up in the wide-open savannah. Big rocks where lions like to nap. So I\u2019m thinking \u2013 just how safe is my tent, really? It\u2019s just canvas, with a zippered flap. And those kopjes aren\u2019t only in front of my tent, they are behind it too; in fact, Mbuzi Mawe Serena Tented Camp is clustered around the base of some rather marvelous looking kopjes. A very, very long way from the Walmart, or, well, anything. Here\u2019s an aerial view of the camp – buildings snuggled against kopjes, and then, savannah. I’m pretty sure our tent is in the middle, snuggled in the trees just right of the triangle sidewalks and facing the grasses; the large lounge and dining tents are left of the triangle.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s what they say about themselves: Discover a refined retreat within the natural beauty of Serengeti National Park. Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp\u2019s 16 canvas tents offer spacious style and home-like comforts. <\/em>Reachable by a winding stone path, our tents are dotted through the rocky glades of the camp; they stand on a stone platform. The expansive main bedroom has two queen beds, covered by mosquito nets. A seating area offers comfortable chairs and stylish lamps; unwind and read a book. The bathroom opens off the bedroom and includes a flushing WC, twin basins, and a shower with 24-hour hot water. Each tent has a private outdoor terrace with safari chairs and sun loungers; have a seat and admire the panoramic views. Tucked within the center of Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp, our tented dining room offers a welcoming atmosphere, as well as an expansive terrace with sweeping views of the plains. Located within the camp\u2019s central lounge area, our stylish bar is a welcome spot for a cocktail with friends after a successful day on safari.\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I have found the above to be basically true, although one detail is omitted \u2013 we are not to wander around after dark unaccompanied! Be inside our tent, flap zipped, after dark. Call security for an escort if we want to walk around. Yes, we have a phone in our tent. We\u2019re to call for security, or room service, anytime we feel uneasy, or hungry. A big difference in this tented camp and our first two, as well as all the Lodges \u2013 they were FENCED IN. Although we were staying inside the Parks, the Park\u2019s animals couldn\u2019t roam around our tents\/rooms. Until here. Have we seen a lion lurking? Well, not yet.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>My curious self wanted to know more about this particular camp. What does Mbuzi Mawe mean? You\u2019ll never guess, unless you\u2019ve been studying your Swahili\/Afrikaans\/Dutch. Mbuzi Mawe translates to “klipspringer.\u201d Which means: rock jumper, which is a very small antelope that lives on kopjes (also a Swahili\/Afrikaans\/Dutch word). Have I seen any klipspringer\u2019s today, as I gazed at my kopjes? Well, not yet. These little fellows are tiny \u2013 less than two feet tall at the shoulder, weighing less than 40 pounds. Their yellowish-gray coat is great camouflage, and (like the lions) they mostly sleep during the day. I wish I\u2019d seen them, or could tonight \u2013 it\u2019s said the romantically inclined monogamous critters like to \"\"<\/a>dance on the rocks in the moonlight. Imagine that, with their tiny odd hooves, Designed by Nature for ease of rock climbing. And yes, I said monogamous. Dad looks after Mom, and the kids. Something\u2019s working for the klipspringer\u2019s way of life: they are classified Least Concern by the IUCN with no major threats to their survival.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Note how they feed \u2013 one on lookout while the other eats. They\u2019re so pretty, they almost look like painted dolls. Mbuzi Mawe! More pictures below (not mine) of the Mbuzi Mwae Tented Camp and the kopjes where both lions and klipspringers hang out.<\/em> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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The above is our tent, note the yellow dining\/lounge tent through the trees. Least walking!<\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Memories of my morning massage, as good as the kopjes for taking a nap.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mbuzi Mawe Serena Tented Camp https:\/\/www.serenahotels.com\/mbuzi-mawe<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Serengeti National Park https:\/\/www.serengeti.com\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Next Post: Let Sleeping Lions<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Lou Burton posting from Mbuzi Mawe Serena Tented Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania\u2013Now I know about kopjes. Big rocks, jutting up in the wide-open savannah. Big rocks where lions like to nap. So I\u2019m thinking \u2013 just how safe is my tent, really? It\u2019s just canvas, with a zippered flap. And those kopjes aren\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4318,4319],"tags":[4535,4533,4526,4530],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24378"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24378"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24510,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24378\/revisions\/24510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}