Pride of Africa
Here's the most recent image from my safari last week. This is number two of the "big five"; the Lion (see my previous post about the leopard).
We got into the Ngala Game Reserve camp midday after a gorgeous drive where we viewed plenty of Giraffe on the side of the road. On our first game drive we found lions! We left camp around 4PM with no idea of what to expect. After a little while of driving deeper into the reserve we came to a sudden stop and our tracker jumped off his seat (which is situated on the hood of the vehicle) and into the passenger seat. We were all wondering what would prompt him to get in the vehicle when our guide pointed across some grass ahead and said, "See that white spot, that is a Lion lying belly up."
I think there was a bit of a communal gasp as we drove towards them. Sure enough what our untrained eye couldn't see from the road we found up close and personal. There were four Lions lounging in the grass. We got closer and closer as I scrambled to get my camera in position. Soon enough the driver got us within about ten feet of them. I think that raised the heart rates of everyone in the vehicle - I know it raised mine!
The Lions seemed unaffected by our close intrusion. At first they kept a close eye on us as we drove up but when the engine turned off, which happened every time we stopped to admire the wildlife, they just relaxed and rolled around stretching in the grass. Fear and excitement made for a good adrenaline rush. We sat for a few minutes and snapped away as the Lions seemed to pose for us.
There were three females and one male and our guide estimated not older than three years old. He said that they have never seen these particular Lions before and that they were not a part of local pride. Their bellies were full and after a while we noticed that a nearby tree had several White-backed Vultures perched in it. No doubt a carcass was close by.
We drove on and at sunset stopped in a clearing. At first I think the consensus was that their was more wildlife but then our guide jumped out of the truck and set up a little table and served us cocktails and wine...right in the middle of the "bush"! We got to watch the sunset over the African savanna with a glass of wine in hand not knowing what creatures lurked beyond the trees. What an experience!
Posts
