Its hard to pic a photo of the day, but this might be it. We put in our time after finding this leopard resting high in the branches of this fig tree. It moved once to an open branch, which was great. But climbing down the tree to grab a drink in a nearby creek was better than I could hope for. Patience pays off again.
Our day in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve began with one of those sunrises you don't forget. It reflected off the infinity pool and over a lone acacia tree in the savanna beyond. After a big camp breakfast, and plenty of Kenyan coffee, we climbed into our open sided Land Cruiser with our expert guide, David, and set out for a full day safari.
Our goal of the day was simple, to find male lions. But as always on safari, you never know what you will come across in the wilds of Africa.
Not long after sunrise we came across our first pride of lions, then another, and another. By the end of the day we had encountered five different prides of lions. We watched mating lions, others resting on termite mounds, and one massive male came so close to the vehicle that I instinctively pulled my hand back in. It ended up laying down in the shade just under our vehicle. Pretty wild when you are in an open sided vehicle!
It didn't stop there. A trio of cheetah brothers also put on a show for us. They were lounging just off the road, nuzzling and licking each other before wandering off, marking trees as they went. There is something so beautiful and sleek about cheetahs. With their numbers down from around 100,000 in the late 19th century, to 6,500 today, it is always quite special to share an intimate encounter with them.
Throughout the day we also added new birds species to our growing list. One of my favorites, the African Green Pigeon, was a big hit, as a huge flock of them flew out of one fruiting fig tree. I always tell people who are interested in Africa that even the pigeons are beautiful!
At midday, we stopped for a bush picnic lunch, under a lone tree in the middle of the wild. We had a beautiful view overlooking the Mara river. I also kept my binoculars handy, as we had passed a small group of lions not too far away. There is something very special and unique about a picnic lunch surrounded by nothing but wilderness and the sounds of Africa.
As we started to finally make our way back in late afternoon, dark and heavy clouds began to build. We could see rain sweeping across the horizon. We pulled over and unrolled all the flaps on the vehicle in the nick of time. The skies opened up, the rain poured down, and we even got some good thunder rolling across the plains. Our timing, and plan for the day couldn't have been better. Most other folks had their afternoon game drives canceled by the rain.
That evening we toasted the day with a glass of South African Pinotage. We traded stories and photos from the day. There were selfies with lions, tales of leopards and cheetahs of the past, and astonishment at the number of lions seen in one day. We fell asleep to the sounds of hyenas and tree hyrax outside our tents. Another amazing day on safari.
One of my favorite photos of the day. The lion and Sue both turned and looked at the camera at the same moment. I'm going to show this photo to people and say, 'come with me on safari, and this could be you!'
We got to enjoy breakfast at the camp today and a beautiful sunrise over the pool and savanna. Not a bad way to start the day here in Kenya.
This was our first jackal experience on safari so far. We are racking up the new species!
Hippo yawn! I got the photo, but now I need to find one with big hippo tusk.
Portrait of a king. This lion doesn't have to worry about much out here in the wild. He barely glanced our direction in the safari vehicle, even though we were just a few feet away. I guess the only thing he worries about are those pesky flies.
Cheetah are a little lower on the pecking order. They have to eat their food fast before hyenas or lions steal it.
There is something powerful about this scene. A female lion, barely visible as she stalks through the golden grass of the Mara.
You can go an entire safari without seeing a leopard. And even if you see one, it can be far off or hidden from your camera. This was a rare opportunity indeed!
It was so hard to pick a cover photo from today's safari drives. Two cheetah brothers share a tender moment.
I love the painted lines on the face of cheetah. They are graceful, sleek, and mesmerizing to watch in action.
Our rarest find of the day.... 19 ostrich eggs. Even our guide got his camera out for this one.
Can't have lions without lion food. The zebra are plentiful here thanks to this being their northernmost stop on the great migration, along with all the wildebeest.
A regal looking male lion, watching a female lion in the distance...his mating partner for the moment.
We started our day with an intimate Cheetah sighting. We had seen them a few days earlier looking very skinny....but not anymore. Word had it they took down a zebra.
The golden grass of the Masai Mara always makes for such a beautiful backdrop for these incredible animals.
As we drove by some hilltop bushes I just barely noticed two eyes peering out at our vehicle. I yelled 'stop', and then casually said 'there are a few lions right there.' This is the Masai Mara for you! The treasure hunt is real.
We were on the lookout for large male lions today, and we found them!
I always cross my fingers when I lead a safari to have a good leopard in a tree encounter. They are such photogenic animals. This one was hiding up higher where we could hardly see him, but eventually he came down to this picture-perfect perch.
This is one of the brothers who run a pride called the Taliban. They have a prime location in the Mara where the wildebeest migration likes to hang out.
There is nothing quite like a big maned male lion on a windy day in the Masai Mara.
Leopard on the move in a giant fig tree.
Greg and Sue hanging with the king of the savanna.
Its so good being back among the animals on safari in Africa!
Greg in a faceoff with a big tusker.
It is easy to see the elephant, but did you see the leopard?
After staring down a misbehaving elephant, we decided to enjoy a cold tusker beer to commemorate.
A cheetah walks in between our vehicles.
The andBeyond guides here at Kichwa Tembo Tent Camp pull out all the stops. This was a bush lunch picnic, close enough to lions for me to see them through the binoculars.
One foot in Tanzania, one foot in Kenya. The border of the two countries goes right through the plains here. The Kenyan side is called the Masai Mara, and the Tanzanian side is the Serengeti. The animals don't know a difference.
As always, keep traveling and keep posting!