Re: First Morning Game Drive

We got an early start this morning and headed out on our first morning game drive. It was chilly out and the morning started off a bit slow. We spotted a couple of different birds and impala. They say here that seeing an impala is like seeing a McDonalds, pretty common. 

We met back up with the buffalo herd we saw last night and watched as they grazed. There were many young buffs including one that was only a day or two old! 

From there, our ranger followed some lion tracks. By the river, we spotted three lionesses sleeping with very full tummys. 

We saw our first herd of elephant. It was an all female herd led by an enormous matriarch. All of the elephants in the herd are somehow related. They snacked on some leaves and gave themselves dirt baths to rid of and prevent parasites. 

Next, we encountered a male rhino. He had a large round body with short stubby legs. Unfortunately, he was not very cooperative and did not let me get a good picture of him.

Then, the real excitement came. We got to witness four lion cubs chowing down on a buffalo kill. Their mom and one other lioness slept nearby already full from what they ha already devoured before the cubs ate.  All of the sudden, they all jumped up and started running away. A third lioness in their pride had arrived to join in on the fun. The two other lionesses got up and started to eat again. All the while, about a half a dozen vultures circled overhead.  The cubs started to come back, but all the noise the lionesses were making while eating scared three of them away. One brave cub gradually worked his or her way in and got some more to eat. We sat and watched this for a long time. It was interesting to see how territorial they were over their food. They would growl and sometimes get a little vicious towards one another.

We are now back at the camp where we will soon have lunch and return to another drive this afternoon.

Until then....

Xoxo, Lindsey