Today we begin with sunrise. Our schedule for today is a wee bit different as we will have our regular morning and back for lunch. The plan is to have an early dinner at 7:00 and then go for an evening game drive at 8:00 to see the nocturnal animals. Some of our group decided to include the afternoon drive as well… but Leslie and I took naps instead. It’s exhausting driving around all day looking at wildlife!
We didn’t take any photos at night so I’ll just focus on the morning…. Featuring Colete and her boy cub!
Our sunrise is blessed with finding a beautiful boy lion along with a couple of girls. Always a great way to begin a day.
After we leave the lions we encounter another small pride of lions with three cubs. In the same area are some elephants, also with some young ones in tow. The lions are cautious but it also looks like they might have a deeper interest in the baby elephant. The older females let the lions know there will not be any messing about. And even the calf attempts a mini charge towards the lions. Meanwhile the lion cubs are anxiously awaiting from the sidelines for their moms to come back and protect them.
Bernard and Micah find Colete with her boy cub!
For solitary animals they sure don’t seem bothered by the vehicles, walking right between the trucks and even sneaking a glance or two at the occupants. 😉 We watch them consider a gazelle lunch but the inexperienced boy starts the chase way too soon and comes back with nothing. Cheetahs do need to hunt during the day though as that is when their eyesight is the best.
Time to get back for lunch but first a stop to see the Hippos!
Hippos come out of the water at night to eat. They stay in the ponds all day as this protects them from getting sunburned. Then they graze on grasses most of the night. You don’t want to be downwind when you find a ‘pod’ or ‘bloat’ of hippos as they ‘poo’ in the water and it usually sits there. Unless they happen to be where the water moves well. They can hold their breath for 5 minutes and if feeling shy they will raise their nostrils to break the surface and get another breath of air. At one point a baby hippo was catching a ride on the back of its parents. Babys are cute no matter what the breed.
After lunch it’s nap time and showers. The animals that we see this evening are a lot of spotted hyenas, white tailed mongoose, springhare, scrub hare, and of course some antelope trying to find a comfy and safe place for the night. We encounter the male lion we saw at sunrise and hear him call for his brother. The two meet up and are now looking for their ‘girls’. Time to eat they say- but we don’t know if they found anything this evening.
Along the way home we enjoy the 360° view of sky. It is a star studded evening for sure.
Lala Salama
Leslie and Vickie.
🐆🐘🐆
Leslie & Vickie’s 2026 Safari 
Leave a comment