Today we did a whole day drive instead of breaking mid-day. This made our morning start a little bit later with breakfast at the camp. 

This morning started with something that I was unable to get on film, but it was quite a sight.

We were working our way towards an area where there was a male lion. We were getting close, but not in good view of him yet when we see him in a dead run. Turns out his prey turned on him and he was being chased by a herd of buffalo. They chased him until he was well clear of most of the herd. He then went and cowered in some bushes. We knew he was in a relatively small area of bushes, but he stayed out of sight.

Shortly after, John learned of the location of a lioness who had given birth 3 weeks prior, so off we went. She had them hidden down in a dry creek bed. They were climbing over mom and nursing, so we watched them for a while. The father was laying nearby keeping watch (in theory…he was napping in reality). I’m quite sure he’d be up moving in a flash if the cubs sounded in distress.

We came upon a good sized herd of elephants. They were at a very small pond, covering themselves with mud. They had multiple young elephants who were acting very much like human children.

This guy was to little to reach the water easily, so he improvised.

We came upon more babies, this time Topi.

buffalo

As you can see, it was a stormy day. We managed to escape the rain for a while.

Grant’s gazelles

aligator

We found a nice spot for lunch…with a vocal pod of hippos. Apparently there are multiple names for a group of hippos: herd, pod, bloat (yup), or crash.

Giraffes are great landscapers. They cause the flat-bottomed trees as they eat to their longest reach.

juvenile bateleur: John called this a juvenile butler eagle. The adults have much more dramatic plumage.

I have tried to get pictures of mongoose, but they are super quick to run away. This is the best I could get. 

Brand new Topi. Mom appeared to have just given birth and was cleaning the little guy off. Umbilical cord was attached.

More scenery (with grazing goats and sheep)

We went back to check on the cubs again. Mom was off, likely hunting, and the babies had themselves well hidden. We could see them moving around, but that’s about all.

We did, however, find dad keenly on watch protecting them.

We decided we should head back, as the storms were closing in. We didn’t make it in time and got caught in a downpour. There was no visibility, so we stopped…for at least 45 minutes. In the meantime everything around us flooded. The safari trucks are usually open, but have a fabric lining that covers the sides and front. It “seals” with velcro. Needless to say, they aren’t made with flash flooding in mind.

We eventually made it back to the camp, just a little damp.