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the Degree Confluence Project
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Tanzania : Mara

28.1 km (17.5 miles) N of Nyabwitagi, Mara, Tanzania
Approx. altitude: 1592 m (5223 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 2°N 145°W

Accuracy: 10 m (32 ft)
Quality: better pictures needed

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: Some of the local inhabitants of 2S 35E #3: GPS showing location of 2S 35E #4: CON - FLU - ENCE! (Identities hidden to protect the guilty) #5: Bagging a Confluence and having a beer... what could be better!? #6: Rescuing a wildebeest which had been snared near the Confluence - lucky for him!

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  2°S 35°E  

#1: Looking south at 2S 35E from about 10 meters

(visited by David Erickson, Grant Hopcraft and Anna, Amy, Cassandra, Paquita)

22-Nov-2003 -- Immediately after bagging 3S 35E, we followed up with a successful trip to 2S 35E, which is located in the middle of Serengeti National Park.

We left Seronera about mid-day and headed north planning to hit the Confluence and then keep going to our intended camping spot. Grant had checked over the maps for the area and suggested that we follow the main road through the Park, north to the junction of the Migration Camp road where we would turn west. Grant surmised that we could get within about 10-12 km from the point along this road before we had to cut cross country.

We headed out along Migration Camp road for a couple of kilometers until we reached a crest of a hill where we could look out over the intermediate terrain and decided it was as good as any point to bail off into the bush. We had about 10 kilometers to go but the terrain was nice rolling hills with mixed Acacia bush and grassland.

About 5 km from the Confluence we came across 4 cheetah (a mother and 3 sub-adult cubs) resting under the shade of a tree. We counted ourselves very lucky as woodland cheetah are not often seen!

We continued to work our way to the Confluence without too much trouble but, once we got within 2 kilometers the woods started to get a bit thick and we had to circle around a few times and verify where we were going with our back-up GPS's. In the end we made it with very little fuss. In the end we were able to get within 5 meters with an accuracy of 8 meters on the GPS.

The point is in Acacia bushland and there were plenty of wildebeest and zebra around to add some "local color". We snapped the requisite pictures, including some more risqué photos than what is usually seen at a Confluence! After our celebratory beer we headed off on a roughly reciprocal course to the road but our adventure was not over yet!

About 2 km from the point we got a flat on one of our vehicles and the spare was not in great shape either, so we decided to take it a bit easy as we only had 2 spares on the other vehicle and we did not want to risk things. So as we carried on for a couple of more kilometers until we came across a wildebeest which had had its back-left leg caught in a poacher's wire snare!

We stopped for a quick planning session and got ourselves ready with gloves, leatherman tools, and a big tarp. We drove up as close as we could in both vehicles and Grant threw the tarp over his head and we all piled on as Grant pulled the beast to the ground. Anna then went to work on cutting the snare from the tree and then pulling the wire out from the hock of the beast's leg. We all then jumped clear to let the poor fellow up to see how he would do. It seemed like he might have pulled his own leg out of joint or at least stretched thing so much that he was not able to make any use of his leg immediately. We watched him for a bit, collected a few snares from some other trees, and headed on our way for a nice night under the stars up at Lobo campground, happy for a fun day of confluence adventure!


 All pictures
#1: Looking south at 2S 35E from about 10 meters
#2: Some of the local inhabitants of 2S 35E
#3: GPS showing location of 2S 35E
#4: CON - FLU - ENCE! (Identities hidden to protect the guilty)
#5: Bagging a Confluence and having a beer... what could be better!?
#6: Rescuing a wildebeest which had been snared near the Confluence - lucky for him!
ALL: All pictures on one page