Rising early, we traipsed up the hill to the breakfast tent to secure our first cup of wake-up coffee. After a few minutes, we finally had the presence of mind to acknowledge others as they arrived. The first comments were all about the roar of lions earlier this morning. How close were they? Had there been any encounters between them and earlier guests? I admit I didn’t hear them. Those who heard them claimed they must have been inside our compound. The staff assured us that they were up and out early to check for the lion’s location. While they sounded as if they were outside our tents, they were about a mile away and as a matter of fact, very close to the staff’s accommodations.
‘Dogga Boy’ Buffalo – Before!
‘Dogga Boy’ Buffalo – After.
As if we needed another reminder that we were in the wilderness, upon leaving our camp to explore the Serengeti, we drove around a hairpin turn and discovered a flurry of activity next to the road. Half a dozen vultures were pecking at something. Driving up slowly to get a closer look, we saw that it was the skull and horns of a Cape Buffalo. Elly speculated that it was probably one of the ‘Dogga Boys’ Cape Buffalos we had seen on our way into camp yesterday. These old buffalos, past their ability to ‘perform,’ are ousted from the herd, but usually, hang out on the periphery. They have little protection from hungry lions. Despite their age, they are hard to bring down, generally requiring three lionesses to achieve success. Based on the remains and presence of the vultures, it was probably killed yesterday evening. The pride, the jackals, and foxes all had their fill. The skull, horns, and part of the spine were all that remained. What happened to the rest of the bones? Probably carried away to enjoy some secret gnawing.
We’re going to drive across this?
Made it!
The next challenge was to cross a small, water-filled ravine. Daniel decided that one of the two vehicles would go first while the second stayed back to help if necessary – did he mean ‘rescue’? This was four-wheel, low gear time. Fortunately, the water was not deep, just short of the floorboards, but the banks were very steep and slippery – slushy mud. Climbing out of the ravine was an adventure. Sliding sideways and rolling side to side, we had fleeting thoughts of tipping over and being dumped into the foul water. Hakuna Matata! We made it! Continuing on, we scanned the Savanna and spotted several islands of boulders forming small hills. These are favorite places for wildlife as a refuge and a view to watch the surrounding area. As we approached the first one, we spied a pride of lions slowly walking up the rocks. We couldn’t see the male, but two females settled on a warm boulder, halfway up the hill, to lie and catch a nap. The location would also serve as an excellent observation post to spot today’s dinner. Minutes later, the male’s mantled head popped up at the top of the highest rock. Mufasa posing proudly, overlooking his domain and watching the lionesses in his pride. After all, HE is the king of the Savannah.
King of the Hill!
Watching them for several minutes, it became evident that there was not going to be much action. Leaving the lions’ hill, we headed for the next cluster of rocks. We’re now determined to find a rhino and a leopard. We were on a mission. The next mound was smaller, forming a hump rather than a hill. We didn’t expect any large animals. As we approached, we could see several small puppy-size, furry creatures popping out of underground holes. Young hyenas! Daniel described the mound as a nursery for the hyena cubs left by their mothers while they are out hunting. The babysitter, a male hyena, is usually in the vicinity, but we couldn’t spot him. The hyena society is matriarchal with the female being much larger than the male. A litter of two or three cubs competes for their mother’s milk. It is not uncommon for the weakest member of the litter to be pushed away from the mother and left to die of starvation. The males are very submissive and at the mercy of the females who determine when they will mate and demand all sorts of contortions from the male, to complete the mating process.
Moving ahead yet again to the next oasis, we came to a sudden stop! Daniel and Elly left the truck and walked forward to examine the tracks in the sandy roadbed. They spotted several fresh cheetah tracks but were most excited about rhino impressions. The rhino had passed by here less than an hour ago. The challenge was to figure out the rhino’s heading. They pointed at the tracks, but all we noticed were the tire tracks. So much for our tracking acuity. Daniel kept following the trail on foot for several hundred feet. The hoof prints suddenly veered left, off the road. He continued to follow them to confirm the rhino’s direction. The rule to stay on the pathway, preventing us from following with our trucks. This find was encouraging! There is a rhino in the area! We had put a lot of pressure on Daniel to deliver on his promise of seeing one. Continuing to drive slowly along the road, we scanned the adjacent areas with our binoculars for any sign. We had several ‘near rhino’ sightings – rocks or shrubs that looked like a rhino from a distance. It was fun teasing the drivers, “over there at 10 o’clock”, which caused them to stop and confirm each ‘sighting.’ After several ‘near rhino’ sightings, Daniel tried to get us distracted by telling us rhino stories and to focus our attention on our next destination. “Look at that clump of rocks, trees, and bushes! Rhinos love those settings!” Right! “We’ll find one today! Just minutes away! Keep looking!”
Arriving at the next oasis, we sat quietly and watched for any movement. Nothing! All was quiet on the front. Sensing our dissolving enthusiasm, Daniel rallied us with the ultimate distraction: Food! “Your lunch spread is beckoning you!”
Lunch is served. Come and get it.
After finishing lunch and being re-energized, we proceeded slowly, on the lookout for more wildlife. What is really special is that wildlife is so plentiful here, that you’re almost guaranteed to spot an animal every few minutes. There were always pleasant surprises at the next turn or bump in the road! One just needed to stop, silently observe, and magically things emerge. Beautifully colorful birds, vultures, a sizeable pride of lions resting and enjoying the last morsels of their kill, and a Serval cat which we had not seen before, hiding in the knee-high dry grasses. The Serval has a tiny head relative to the body size. It is the smallest of the African wild cats. It feeds on small prey such as rodents and detects them with keen hearing.
The beautiful Lilac-Breasted Roller.
Hooded Vulture
A Tobi – Before
A Tobi – After.
A Serval cat.
Bat Eared Fox eyeing us.
Mid-afternoon, we began our drive back to camp to rest, to recharge our inner batteries, and to make ready for an optional evening outing. Suddenly, Elly coasted to a stop. He had spotted something in the grove of acacia trees ahead. As we slowly approached the nearest tree, we saw a leopard resting on a branch. This was a full grown cat, relaxing while keeping an eye on a small herd of Cape buffalos grazing in the fields below. Given their size and power, the buffalos relegated cat as immaterial. The leopard is probably waiting for an Impala or Gazelle to come along. We could now cross leopards off our BIG 5 list, leaving just the rhino to be found.
Leopard getting some shut-eye in a comfortable and safe place.
Arriving back at camp, we made for our tents, looking forward to a fantastic hot shower. As we approached our tent, we were startled by a flurry of small, furry critters, the size of large squirrels with long tails, running away from our tent. Our escort identified them as Dwarf Mongoose. With an overall length of less than a foot, it is the region’s smallest carnivore. To us, it looked just like a squirrel. As we approached the tent and headed to unzip the screened flaps, we caught the last rascal ducking through the opening.
The Dwarf Mongoose on watch duty.
I know we had closed all the zippers. Well, we discovered that they are quite resourceful and had managed to pull back the zipper a mere three inches…enough to squeeze through, and get inside the tent.
As we entered, we found a mess: they had found the small bags of trail mix in our luggage. They left nothing but the wrappers. Fortunately, they hadn’t discovered my secret, emergency stash of chocolate. There was a tray on the small coffee table between the two safari, sling chairs. When we left in the morning, it held a jar of cookies, a decanter of sherry, and a couple of glasses. Now the cookie jar was on the floor…empty! The decanter was on the floor, tipped over… empty! They obviously didn’t use the sherry glasses, but undoubtedly feel very giddy at this time. Party on! They either had not found our meds nor hair and facial products or were uninterested in the look or nasty smell. This was a little creepy – as if a group of rats had pawed through our stuff. What else had they touched?
We hailed the staff on our Walkie-Talkies to please help us clean, to organize our tent and to figure out how to secure closure so this wouldn’t happen again. Oh, and please, don’t forget to replace the sherry. After examining the crime scene, our tent attendant discovered the problem. One of the zippers at the junction where the vertical and horizontal zippers come together was jammed such that it could not close all the way. The rascals were able to work on this opening until it was large enough for them to get in. The preventative solution was to put a small lock connecting the zipper pull tabs.
Our shadows on the beach as the sun sets.
Several in our party decided to pass on going out for the evening safari, to take it easy and to rest in preparation for a long travel day, tomorrow. Daniel strongly encouraged us to join the evening’s outing since he was confident we would see a rhino. Not wanting to take a chance at missing something important, we steeled ourselves and joined the excursion. After driving for about forty-five minutes, passing by the Cape buffalo remains and crossing the watery ravine again, we drove over a low ridge, to a beautiful shallow lake, filled with flamingos. As we reached the shoreline, we noticed two other trucks from our camp. What’s going on here? Surprise! They had set up a Sundowner, complete with stools, appetizers, and the mandatory bar to provide whatever refreshment we desired. The twilight with the setting sun behind us, cast our long shadows across the sandy beach towards the water. Wow! The only way Daniel could get all of us out here was to use a rhino sighting as the carrot. It worked! What an excellent way to experience the sunset, and celebrate the day. But, no rhino…yet!
Discovering our Sundowner spread.
Experiencing a sunset in Africa
Silhouette of zebras and Acacia trees against a dusk, African sky.
Returning to camp, it was now time for that hot shower. This shower, a mere trickle of water from the showerhead, was absolutely heavenly. The best shower I’ve ever had…so it seemed. Cleaned up, fresh clothing and outdoor dinner next to a warm fire was the perfect setting to reminisce and talk about what we had seen and experienced today. Life is good. A perfect ending to the day.
BUT wait! Will we find that the mongoose had their way again in our tent? We asked our escort to bring his BIG gun! “Sorry! I’m Maasai! I only use a spear” he reminded us. He assured us that he was expert with it. Sure, but have you killed a little, fast mongoose lately?
Out tent was secured! Sleep.
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