African Safari Page #4

and the full moon is shining

the falls deliver an enchanted and

magical display of a rare phenomenon,

the moonlight rainbows.

After a night of magic,

I embark with Dany on the most

daring balloon flight of the journey

in the deep canyon

over the Zambezi rapids.

At the end of this smooth

early morning flight,

we have to find a suitable place

to land on the Zambian side of the river

as we have no authorization

to fly to Zimbabwe.

Oh shoot, the wind turbulence

pushes us down into a thorn bush.

There is no way to deflate the balloon

without damaging it.

Dany has to take off again

and find another place to land.

If two-seat design makes the balloon

more maneuverable

and gives it a greater flying range,

it also makes the landing

much more challenging.

But for me it is all part

of the adventure.

I actually enjoy the unpredictability

of these rough landings...

as long as no one gets hurt.

- We gonna land there?

- Yeah.

There is a lot of untouched wilderness

in Zambia

worth exploring.

But the short-rain season

has come early

in the East African plains

and we are anxious

to head to the Serengeti

for a chance to see the herds

of the great migration.

The journey is going

to take about a week.

First, we will drive along the Zambesi

all the way to Lake Kariba,

before cutting across

the Northern part of Zambia

to the border.

It is not the shortest way,

but it is so spectacular.

It's definitely worth the detour.

As we drive along the river,

I spot lions tracks on the dirt road.

With a little luck

we'll catch up with them.

It would be great to see them

swim across the river.

There is no better expert than Kevin

to handle this kind of situation.

Back in South Africa,

after months of patient work

he was accepted by a pride

of lion as one of their own.

If we catch up with the lions

roaming in this area,

he will use his skill

to try to get as close as possible.

I think I saw a lioness down there.

Yes you're right, I think you're right,

let's check it out.

A beautiful lioness and a big male...

Hey Kevin, there is another male

in front of the car,

This could get very very interesting.

Lions, like all cats,

don't normally like water.

But if river cuts through

their hunting ground,

they don't mind crossing the water.

Occasionally they will even go

for a swim in the heat of the day.

Our first stop in Tanzania

is the Tarangire marsh land,

where lots of big game animals gather

during the dry season.

Next we will head to

Lake Manyara forest,

Ngorongoro crater, Serengeti

and finally Mount Kilimanjaro.

I think I see Dany and Marc over there

by the edge of the marsh.

Yes it is them,

but the balloon isn't up yet.

Well, maybe the conditions aren't right.

There is a slight wind

coming from that side.

It would so be nice

to be able to fly today.

There are a lot of animals out there.

Yes and most of them are

on this side of the marsh.

We'll see.

So Dany? What is happening?

Are we going?

I don't know yet.

We are going to be blown away.

- Too much wind?

- Yes.

Coming form that side.

Wrong direction, we wait a bit.

Maybe right before sunset.

Yes.

Smile for the camera Mara.

Right before sunset,

the wind suddenly dies down,

enabling the Cinebulle

to take off safely.

As I am heading north

to pick up Dany and Mara

on the other side of the marsh,

I am really puzzled to see the balloon

coming down already.

That was not the plan.

With the arrival of the first rain

the prior week,

some of the larger herds

have already left the area.

But there is still plenty

of wildlife around.

I don't understand what Dany is doing.

Mara... do you copy?

Mara... do you copy?

What is going on?

Yes Kevin, copy.

We're having engine problems.

It keeps on cutting off,

we probably gonna have to land.

Guys, you need to land there otherwise,

I can't get to you.

Hold it for me.

We're landing.

In order to fix the engine,

Dany has to pick up some spare parts

in the nearest town,

a full day's drive away.

So we decide to leave

the Tarangire early

and head to Lake Manyara,

somewhat disappointed

by the turn of events.

Hey, a leopard.

He is heading for the trees back there.

Let's go off road to have a closer look.

Do you see him?

No... I think he went behind the bush...

There to the left,

in front of the termite mount.

Yes... I see him now.

I think it's a she, look up in the tree.

Fantastic, a mating couple.

What a sighting.

We'd be lucky to see them mate

before it gets dark.

It is hard to believe

that Lake Manyara

with its small tropical forest

is less than an hour

drive from Tarangire.

For me, this is a very special place.

I spent my early childhood here,

while my father studied

the social behavior of elephants.

From a very young age,

this wonderful experience

ignited my passion for the wildlife.

I've been hooked ever since.

It's so good to be back

here after all these years.

This is where my dad used to take us

right up to the elephants.

What a childhood.

Traffic jam in the forest.

I love it.

I am jealous you're going up

in the Cinebulle today.

It's going to be spectacular.

I got a problem.

We're going to land very fast.

Oh my...

The balloon is open.

How come?

You see. On top.

I don't understand what happened...

That is weird.

Poor Dany, he looks so depressed.

I can understand. I mean,

first the engine failure, now this...

I hope he can fix it quickly.

Don't you think you should give

the hot seat to me?

No... Mara.

This is not the way it works.

You flew in Tarangire

and now I fly in Lake Manyara.

Well no more crashes.

The next day the balloon was fixed

and the conditions were perfect

for a flight over the forest canopy.

The vegetation below

is not a rainforest.

It is a ground water forest.

It seldom rains around here

but natural springs that surge up at the foot

of the great rift valley escarpment,

provide moisture

for this lush vegetation to grow.

Beautiful.

It's gorgeous.

I truly feel like a bird.

As soon as we clear

the top of the escarpment,

we reach the slope of

the Ngorongoro crater,

the largest volcanic cauldron on earth

and one of the most unique

African ecosystems.

The forest that blankets

the southern half of the crater

is a direct result of the clouds that

often get stuck on this side of the hill.

We are only three hours

from the dry Serengeti plains

but it feels like we are

in the middle of the Amazon

and as soon as we get to

the edge of the crater

it is going to be

a totally different landscape.

- Better than I imagined.

- Isn't that something?

Only 20 km in diameter,

the crater teems with a great variety

of wildlife,

making Ngorongoro a miniature version

of the Serengeti.

In the half hour it took us

to get down here,

all the clouds have vanished.

But they could come back

just as quickly,

it's not unusual to have four or five

weather changes in one day.

And look at the vegetation,

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