Lions of South Africa
I've been back in the states now for a couple of weeks and I've finally adjusted back to California time. It is a 9 hour difference, as far as time zones go, in South Africa and a hell of a 22 hour flight back. But now that I'm processing a ton of images I know it was well worth it.
We stayed at Ngala Private Game Reserve for our safaris. Here's a few more of the Lions we encountered on our first game drive in Kruger National Park. There were four Lions less than three years old each, three females and a single male. These were taken the next day after they were lounging around in the grass (their bellies were full). This day they were on the move, when we caught up with them, meandering across the savanna.
Our guide maneuvered our vehicle alongside the Lions several times as they walked by without a care. Occasionally they would stop and look at us. Maybe admiring us as we were them or maybe just wondering what the heck we were doing. One Lioness rounded our vehicle and took a step towards me then just stopped and looked at me a mere 3 feet away. Yes, my heart rate went through the roof I think. The look on my face was the butt of jokes the rest of the day. I don't know what I looked like but I know it couldn't have been pretty. I remember that when we locked eyes I turned to look at our guide to make sure he knew there was a Lion that close to me! He didn't seem to care just as the Lioness didn't. I was so nervous I didn't even take any pictures until after she moved on.
Here's one of my favorites because it shows you how close we really were to the lions as they walked by.
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