What better introduction to a safari adventure than an elephant waiting for you as you enter your tent.
We hardy have time to process the moment as we rush to get our gear ready for the first evening drive.
We leave camp at 4PM with just four guests in the vehicle, a Scottish couple and us. We have the second row. The drive starts off slow as the couple was interested in birds. Lots of birds and lots of time spent looking at specks in the landscape.
Of course there are those birds that interesting to non-birders as well.
As the light starts to get low and pretty more and more mammals appear.
Sun Downers
At sunset we stop for sun downers (they take your drink order on the way in from the airport) and small appetizers, not very good – greasy sausages and potato slices.
Night Drive
The night drive gets more interesting when we stumble upon a pack of wild dogs. Supposedly there are 14 in this pack. They aren’t bothered much by the vehicle and the guide shines a spot light on them briefly so we can see them and have a chance at a photo. In the dim light it’s very difficult to take a clear photo.
Suddenly the dogs are spooked and run off as two female lions appear in their place.
We follow the lions to where their cubs are feeding on a zebra carcass. I can’t believe how close we are. We stay there a long while. The guide shines the light back and forth on the mothers and their four cubs.
It’s a long way back to camp. We spot other interesting subjects in the darkness. Both excited and tired we arrive back in camp after 8PM where the others have already started dinner.
August 24, 2016
For links to all the posts in this series see the Botswana/Zimbabwe page.