Saitoti Wandai will wake you up with a coffee at the time you want
At five in the morning, one would think that not even the acacias of the savannah are up. However, in the great plains and forests of the Serengeti activity is frenetic.
A moment of maximum activity before the nocturnal animals, such as pangolins, foxes, and galagos , retire to rest, and the best opportunity to see leopards and lions taking advantage of the fact that the zebras and gazelles have breakfast carefree and still sleepy.
It is also the time that Saitoti Wandi (the young man in the photo) cautiously approaches the nine stores in the Olakira camp and, with a loving hodi (hello in Swahili) and a thermos of strong Tanzanian coffee (or tea) wake up guests who want to join the first morning game drive.
It is difficult for him to take off the sheets, that is true, and more so when it is very likely that you have spent half the night awake, astonished at the clarity with which and the Milky Way and its constellations seen through the panoramic roof of your store and how close the footsteps and roars of wild animals feel – yes that was a lion –.
But we already know that being an early riser has its reward and more so in this camp that he travels twice a year following the great migration route.
So upstairs, the jeep's engine is already running and several Maasai blankets with hot water bottles are waiting for you next to the binoculars on the seats.
In the trunk, in case Oatmeal Cookies have only whet your appetite, there is a great picnic basket full of fruits, breads, cheeses, cold meats, scones and much more coffee (from €670 per person and night).
_*This report was published in **number 123 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (December)**. Subscribe to the printed edition (11 printed issues and a digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The September issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device. _