The Serengeti National Park
Naabi Hill marks the eastern entrance to Serengeti National Park - strange when one considers the whole region is unfenced and the animals are free to roam. Only the humans are enclosed by their artificial boundaries. We booked some public campsites near Seronera and headed into the park. 
There is a dichotomy - the savannah grassland plains make it hard to spot game, yet due to the size of the park, the humans are dispersed so the animals do not become accustomed to their presence. Thus when an animal is seen, it is viewed in its raw habitat. We called into Park HQ to enquire about entry into Kenya and crossing via the closed Sand River Gate, direct into the Masai Mara. Such privilege is usually reserved for residents of East Africa, but as we could prove we were staying with a Kenyan resident, the custom official granted us authority. This was especially pleasing, for it allowed us to follow the path of the migrating white bearded wildebeest (or gnu) northwards through the Lobo area into the Masai Mara.
The migration is a magnificant sight as thousands of ungulates move across the vast plains seeking fresh grass after the rains. It is not just the wildebeest, for the animals operate a close symbiotic relationship. To avoid excessive competition over the grasses and vegetation, each species has developed their feeding strategy. The zebra associates with the wildebeest and waterbuck, for the latter can smell water many miles away, and they tolerate the zebra due to their excellent eyesight and predator warning calls. Zebras eat the coarse long grasses that in turn exposes the grass leaves for the wide mouthed wildebeest to feed, which then clears the way for the Thompson’s gazelle to feed on the new growth and lower herbaceous plants. The topi and hartebeest have narrow, long mouths and only feed on the tender new shoots once access has been provided by their association with the other ungulates. 
2 million or so grazers chew their way across the plains in search of fresh food. In the wet season (December through to March) the ungulates are in the SE corner of the park, on the bountiful plains usually giving birth to the young fouls, which appears to be a communal activity. From March onwards the animals move NW towards the Western Corridor and the Grumeti River by May-July, when they migrate towards the ever-green Mara, staying there until the new rains fall in the SE again. 
Exploring the Western Corridor and the Grumeti River, where the majority of migrating animals are thought to congregate at this time of the year was a long drive. The predators, usually territorial animals will follow the migration, making the classic crossings of the gnu over the Grumeti, Sand and Mara rivers the spectacular event, but not as frequent as the wildlife photographers would have us believe. The major rivers have massive crocodiles, that lie and wait for the annual feeding frenzy. Smaller animals can also be seen, such as the elusive Colobus monkeys.
Lions rarely climb trees (except the adapted Kalahari lions) although we found an exception. Our lioness appeared quite content in her tree, until it was time for getting down. As she descended, she over-balanced and collapsed into the fork of the tree before falling out. 