Saturday, February 23rd, 2013
Serengeti Sunrise. Seriously amazing.
Today we woke up early with the hopes of finding Simba....and no this time I am not referring to that cute little singing lion cub from The Lion King, but I am talking about a lion. Simba is the Swahili word for lion so I guess I'm not that far off.
The starts to what would be a very good day. There were also pancakes and bacon.
As you can imagine, there are many different tour companies and vehicles out on the Serengeti roads during the day, but Hassan was very often on his phone or would stop and talk to other drivers along the way. They mostly spoke in Swahili but whenever I heard them say "simba" I knew they were looking for lions. Information was often shared so everyone could see any animals that were found. Today was a very good day of animal viewing. As you can imagine, the park is huge but you're not guaranteed to see anything. We were very lucky on this day.
Look out.......it's a Cheetah.
You can see how this giant cat would blend in with the grass.
Oh look......2 Cheetahs. Cheetahs are normally solitary animals but in this case we actually saw 3 together. Most likely we were looking at a mother and her 2 cubs. Cubs will stay with their mother for up to 2 years.
Another giraffe. They are so amazing to see striding across the landscape.
Some baboons just hanging out in a tree.
Bull elephant. This one was on it's own so it was definitely a male. Bachelor elephants will basically wander around on their own, or form a herd with other bachelor elephants. Elephants normally form very close family groups but males will eventually leave to avoid mating with relative females.
Doesn't he look pretty chilled out. I have no doubt he likes having his picture taken cause this is a major intersection.....well as major as it gets on the Serengeti.
This big male was also just chilling out. I wonder how he balances up there without breaking branches.
Animals were not always easy to find but Hassan has a very good set of eyes. One of the things he spotted.....this lazy little leopard just hanging out in a tree. I just love this guy. What a life.
Giraffes everywhere. Just couldn't get enough.
Hippo alert. This one was out for a stroll. Actually we got very, very lucky to see a couple hippos crossing the land. They only tend to leave the water at night when they will travel up to 30 kilometres (19 miles) grazing away from the water and then back. They leave a trail of urine and scat so they can find their way back.
They are not very agile on land but pretty good "little" swimmers. So lucky to catch them on the move.
One of the many herons that live in the area.
I think this is a little baby Springbox.....one of the many antelope species you will find in the area.
Simba alert!!!! Yes, there it is.....my first lion. He is a little hidden and he was not very willing to move. The remains of a recent meal were also close by. There were some females hiding in the area as well but they were very hard to spot. When the lions have an animal carcass to feed on, there will stay in the area and protect it until there is nothing left.
A very beautiful lilac breasted roller.
The location where we had our picnic lunch. That's Hassan in the orange shirt. There are a few picnic spots through out the park with toilets and little snack carts. Picnic lunches of course were provided for us throughout the entire trip. They gave us pretty much just as much food as they did on the mountain....which meant there were a lot of leftovers. I didn't work up nearly as big of an appetite animal watching as I did climbing the mountain....I can't imagine why.
A little hyena just chilling in some mud. He had absolutely no interest in the fact we where there. During the day, hyenas will often find some water (in this case a puddle) to stay cool in. Once the sun goes down they will start hunting.
I never really realised how big ostriches were until now. They are huge!!!!
Another lovely leopard. Once again an excellent spot by Hassan. This cat started way off on a tree somewhere but slowly made it's way over to our vehicle......it actually marked it's territory on our tires, which is not very common for this solitary cat. Like most animals here, he seemed totally unbothered by our presence.
He then made his way up to the tree next to us for a nap. Seriously, he looks so comfortable.
More Simbas!!!! We found ourselves a little pride. This one was a couple females with about 6 cubs. A pride will have a territory of about 20 square kilometres, so there was most likely a male nearby. They are very social animals and will raise their cubs as a group. One lioness will have up to 4 cubs at a time and the group will co-suckle. Lion cubs have a very high mortality rate.
There's a little lion cub now. He's cute and fuzzy.
The water level in the lakes are a little low this time of year and this one has revealed the skull of something.....probably a buffalo.
Another giraffe.
Giraffe horns.
And some elephants.
Big Yawn!!!!
So we had a full day on the Serengeti and managed to see so much of everything and a few surprises (like the walking hippos and the leopard spraying our car) but just was we got ready to leave my safari was made.
I think that is a little baby elephant!!!!! Insert giant smile here.
Oh yes....indeed it is.....a little tiny, baby elephant. This is what I really wanted to see this trip. A tiny little elephant. It just always amazes me how something this small can grow into something so big. I wanted to take him home with me......but I'm told he wouldn't fit in the car.
There is just something about baby elephants. They always look like they're smiling. And why not when you get to run and play. I love these little guys. I could have stayed here forever just watching them.
So with my baby elephant sighting complete it was time to head back to the Wilderness camp for a second night. We got slowed down a bit by a herd of cattle that totally blocked the way but we made it back in one piece. You would be amazed how much dirt you come home covered with. Luckily there was some nice warm water tonight followed by some wonderful lamb and a cold beer. After the sun went down I spent a little time relaxing by the fire. The camp only has a small staff but one of the nice men who takes care of the grounds kept the fire going for me. I also noticed he seemed to do some rounds around the camp, with a bow and arrow tied to his back. Not sure if that makes me feel better or not.
In summary, day #3 of Safari was one amazing day of animal watching. Still 2 days left!!! What will we see next?
Julie
1 comment:
Wow your stories and pictures are amazing!!! Love them!
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