Now that we have made it to Tsavo West National park here in southwest Kenya, it is time for the group to get into the safari flow. A usual day on safari looks something like this:
6am: Coffee and Tea
6-8:30 Morning Game Drive
8:45 Breakfast
1:00 Lunch
3:30-6:30 Afternoon Game Drive
7:00-8:00 Cocktail Hour
8pm Dinner
This schedule means that you are out for sunrise and sunset, giving you the best lighting for photos, as well as it is when the animals are most active. There are opportunities for night drives and walking safaris to mix things up, but we haven't gotten into those yet.
We stayed for 3 nights here at the Kilaguni Serena Lodge. In that time we so an uncountable number of animals. Elephants were trumpeting all around us, zebra and giraffe walked down the road, and tiny little antelopes called dik-diks darted this way and that away from our car. Kilimanjaro loomed in the distance as we had exceptional clear weather.
The big sightings included a young leopard who raced across the road and darted up a rocky hillside, two male cheetahs, and a very rare black rhino. It seemed that every game drive gave us a reason to have a celebratory drink when we returned to the lodge. Most of the land was very dry as Kenya's rainy season did not provide much rain this year. However, where there was year round water we found hippos and crocodiles happily swimming through. We didn't find any elusive lions here but I have high hopes at our next park, Amboseli, for lion sightings.
My guests did get a good introduction into just how beautiful the African birds can be. We saw just about every color of bird we can imagine, and birds of all sizes. Ostriches and secretary birds stalked through the plains, while lilac-breasted rollers and kingfishers provided flashes of brilliant colors in the trees.
Take a look at some of the photos and sites from our game drives in Tsavo West National Park.
*The rugged landscapes of Tsavo is mostly rocky, dry, arid bushlands dotted with the occasional baobab tree like this one. The late afternoon light perfectly caught the whitish bark of this baobab tree while its surroundings remained cloaked in shadows. *
Our days here start with hot coffee before loading up into our modified extended Landcruiser safari vehicle for a morning game drive. By the time we get back to camp we are ready to dive into the delicious breakfast buffet pictured here.
This group is safari ready. Pictured with our driver James, in front of the 'Blue Rhino.'
The lush, Mzima Springs in the middle of the arid Tsavo landscape. These hippos are in heaven, having found ever-present water. A few large crocodiles also swam by as we watched. Notice all the baby hippos are huddled in the middle of the hippo cuddle puddle.
Dale and Jennie paying no heed to the warning signs :)
*This black rhino sighting was amazing. They are one of the hardest wild animals to show people here in Africa. Black rhinos are incredible endangered, plus they are quite reclusive. They live in thick, tall brush, so catching a sight of them is a huge bonus for any safari. *
We were very lucky when this black rhino emerged from the dense bush surrounding this waterhole and gave us a nice long look. The rangers here in Tsavo National Park keep a very close eye on the few remaining black rhinos in the area, and they do not disclose their whereabout to anyone.
Contrasting colors of a mom and baby zebra
*Sometimes I can get just the right lighting to make these impala in the grass photos look almost like a painting. *
*The birdlife here in Kenya is off the charts. With over a 1,000 species I tell guests even if they are not birders when they arrive, they will be by the time they leave. This is a grey headed kingfisher, perched near the springs in Tsavo. *
*Zebra at the waterhole. I feel like I could just sit at this overlook and watch the comings and goings for days. *
A tiny antelope called a dik-dik looks like it could easily fit in a handbag and be the newest fashion accesory.
Our first big cat sighting was a leopard, darting across the road. But the first big cat that spent some time with us were two cheetah brothers. Here is one of them.
*An orange bellied parrot looking down from its perch.
Cape buffalo are one of the Big Five that safari-goers all look for. Those were the five species in the old days of the great white hunter, that if you shot but didn't kill, they could charge and kill you. We weren't messing with these tough looking guys, but I did really like the later afternoon light on them.
You can check out the location here on pinmapple.com:
[//]:# (!pinmapple -2.995267 lat 38.129595 long Tsavo West African Safari: Part II d3scr)
-Dai Mar