After witnessing a river crossing and a crocodile kill yesterday, we felt like anything we encounter today would be icing on the cake. The Serengeti is a massive national park here in Tanzania, and somehow, no matter how long you are here, or how many times you visit, you will always be surprised by what this place has to offer. It is the true definition of wild, and a world class safari destination. We set out early from our mobile tent camp, Under Canvas, into the beautiful sunrise over herds of migrating wildebeest.
We paused at a group of hyenas lapping up something that was killed in the night, and then again at a beautiful African green pigeon that posed just long enough for a photo. We kept driving up, into a rocky hilltop, to see if our pride of lions from last evening had gotten into anything overnight. We found them lazing right in the middle of the road, not having moved to far from where we spotted them yesterday. Two large females and seven cute cubs kept us entertained from just feet away.
Then, all of a sudden, there was a change in behavior from one of the adults. She quickly stood up, and looked intently down the hill. Our guide, Enoch, took note, and looked far in the distance in the same direction. Binoculars really can add a whole new layer to an African safari. Amazingly, he spotted a leopard, climbing down a lone tree. That was what the lioness was focused on. Leopards can be a threat to lion cubs, and lions can be a big threat to leopard cubs. We sped off from the lions, and drove down the hill in search for the leopard.
I forget who spotted it first, but we could just barely catch glimpses of the leopard moving through the tall, golden grass. When she crossed our dirt road, Enoch deftly maneuvered our vehicle into the tall grass to follow. It was impressive driving, especially since there were hidden boulders all around. We were far enough away to not spook her, and only one time did she stop and take an intense look at us. Then she glided off through the tall grass, almost invisible to anyone who didn't already know she was there. It was a magical, early morning encounter. Yet another example of the early bird getting the worm.
We were still soaking in the feelings of that intimate leopard encounter as we cruised through the morning. With the big wildebeest herds in the area, the predators were quite active. We saw a hyena, right in the middle a big herd of wildebeest, chasing them all over the place. It reminded me of a border collie in the middle of a herd of sheep. The hyena finally separated one wildebeest from the herd, and chased it off into the distance over a hill and out of sight. We found two brother lions eating a very fresh wildebeest kill. At one point, one of the lions casually picked up the wildebeest with its mouth, and dragged it off to a more comfortable eating location. It showed just how strong these animals can be.
We also came across another river crossing. This one, Enoch called a 'safe crossing.' It was a small tributary river to the Mara River, and no crocodiles. The impressive thing was the size of the herd, how they just kept coming, and the cliff which they were jumping down. That didn't look too 'safe' to me. My suspicion was confirmed, when later in the day we saw a hyena feasting on one of these wildebeest, which had probably injured itself on the crossing.
After passing the Gardenia Pride of lions, lounging in the open plains, we found a nice spot to set up our morning bush breakfast. This is something everyone should experience at some point on their African safari. We took in the events of the morning, and soaked up the feeling of being surrounded by the wilds, while sipping coffee and enjoying our picnic.
The afternoon game drive was punctuated by reptile sighting from Sue, a rarely seen agama tree lizard. It pays to scan for small things on safari as well. Then we were drawn towards a hyena with its fresh wildebeest kill, thanks to about fifty vultures standing nearby, waiting their turn. It became very entertaining when the hyena was so full, and so thirsty, that it needed to abandon the kill for a few minutes to head down to the river for a drink. It tried to leave several times but couldn't when it saw the vultures coming in as soon as he turned his back. The hyena would then race back towards the kill and bowl through the vultures, sending them flying and squawking in all directions. It was like something out of the lion king cartoon.
The day was capped off by a rare sighting of a black rhino. We had been searching for a while, and had just about given up hope, before Enoch spotted him moving through the bushes from pretty far off. We raced forward to a better vantage, and had a great view as the rhino strolled right behind some wildebeest and zebra... looking absolutely huge compared to the other large grazers.
You just never know what you might find on safari in Africa. Check out all the pictures below and follow along with the ride!
A hyena with a mouth full of blood, also enjoying the wildebeest migration.
As always, keep traveling and keep posting!
- Dai Mar