Donna Mayer Todd, a WSB-TV employee, made one of her travel dreams come true -- an African safari. She is sharing some of her days on the continent with wsbtv.com readers.

Arriving at our first lodge, the Kirawira Tented Lodge, we realize we will not be “roughing it” this trip! Located on a hilltop with views of the woodlands below, the lodge is made up of individual sleeping tents which are more like luxurious cabins made of canvas. Each tent is constructed atop a raised wooden deck, is decorated with hardwood furnishings and has a complete tiled shower and restroom. The dining and lounge tents are just as beautifully appointed, the staff is gracious and caring, and our dinner is delicious. We’ll be here for two nights.

The lodge is located inside the Serengeti National Park and there are no fences to separate us from the residents. Guards are waiting to escort us to and from our tent for dinner to insure our safety. When we leave at 6AM for an early morning start to game viewing the next day, a guard is again ready to escort us. He tells us that he saw a cape buffalo outside our tent a bit earlier. Cape buffaloes are very dangerous because they will charge without giving any warning. Thank you very much for meeting us or asante sana in Swahili!

We drive toward where lion roars were heard overnight. We see some paw prints, but we do not find the lions. Continuing on to the Mbalageti River, we come across a very different kind of spectacle. Crossing the river is a group of giraffes. We stop to watch and see 15 of them carefully crossing the shallow water and bounding up the bank on our side of the river. That is a large family group. They maintain a little distance between us, but just browse, seemingly unconcerned, as they move along. Very graceful animals.

We stop at a point on the road where we are in the midst of plains stretching out on both sides of us, ahead and behind us. There are large numbers of wildebeest and Thompson’s gazelle, less impala and zebra, and a few cape buffalo scattered about. There are dark dots, more animals, all the way out as the plains meet the horizon. Gene and I are both reminded of descriptions of the American West before the westward expansion, when the American bison covered the plains in the same manner. It is awesome and we eat our picnic breakfast from the hood of our vehicle, and take it all in. Peter tells us the Serengeti wildebeest are estimated at about 1.7 million, the Thompson’s gazelles at about 440,000 and zebra at over 250,000.

Our drive continues and later in the day we find a train crossing, of sorts. A single file line of wildebeest is approaching the road. We cross that point and stop the vehicle to watch. About 1,000 of them, mostly following each other calmly in line, walk across the road and continue onward. A few males continue to challenge each other as the herd moves along. The line is led by the dominant males and the rear is brought up by the weaker individuals. We see the final one is limping. Hurt, part of a moving herd on a long journey, and holding the rear position where predators are likely to strike, its survival appears to be shaky. Perhaps it will stop at some point and become a resident for the season, taking its chances until the herds return.

Another huge scene later in the day contains wildebeest, Tommies, cape buffalo, zebra, two saddle back jackals, a couple spotted hyena, and warthogs. The diversity, the inter-dependence in some cases, and the ability to live side by side with possible predators amazes us.