The Lion sleeps tonight


We met Colette our driver of the van we have christened the White Coconut at 7am.  Nancy and Jayson have decided that they wanted a break and so it’s just the four of us for this last game drive in Kenya before we head to Tanzania.  On our way out we spot a group of hyenas feeding on a kill, one of them saunters off with what appears to be the head of the animal which appears to be a wildebeest.  They are far away so we don’t get a great picture but it’s great to observe them.  On our other side we spot 3 jackals harassing a topi and tbr topi is having none of it chasing them away as they surround it.  We move on before we see the final outcome of this interaction but the topi is more than holding its own.  A cheetah is 

Collette takes us towards a huge herd of Wildebeest who are clearly migrating as they are assembled in a long line heading south.  Every so often one breaks away from the line and starts ringing which makes the rest of the group run to catch up running madly behind.  It’s a strange way to move this constant stop start panic run but I guess it keeps the momentum going.  Collette explains that there are two types of Wildebeest in the Mara, those that migrate and those who decide to stay in one spot. The ones that migrate are east to spot as they are on the move and the residents congregate in one spot and are generally lazing around. 

It becomes easy to spot animals as you just have to look for the cluster of vehicles and we settle into a rhythm on the drive, enjoying the views and animals without any pressure to stop and get pictures.  Zebra, Wildebeest, Gazelles, Topi and Giraffes are like deer to us now so we just soak it all in.

We are on the hunt for a lion and Colette is listening intently to the radio when we come upon a Land Cruiser that is stuck in a water crossing, it’s only 2wd which is really unusual for this country and it’s rear wheels are buried up to the fender, there is no way that truck is getting out without help.  After many efforts to extract it by another Land Cruiser they finally get it out by towing it backwards out of the mud.  

We continue on and crest - slight hill and see masses of vehicles ahead of us.  Collette says one word, Lion and we are all out of seats. The lioness comes sauntering down the path followed by the male and passes between the mass of vehicles parked in all directions. Thank god there is a ranger here to tell the mass of vehicles to stop and not follow the pair into the tall grass and soon they are out of sight and the vehicles start to disperse.  We say to Collette that we can go as we don’t want to be part of the problem but he must have an instinct to wait.  We hang around for a few minutes and then head down another path to the left and park and in a few minutes we can’t believe it but the lions are back walking through the tall grass directly towards us.  They turn at the last minute but only a few vehicles are here so it’s a much better experience.  The lioness stops on an anthill as if to survey the situation and I get a couple of good shots before they move on.  Collete mentions that it looks like the lioness may be pregnant and most likely the male has killed her previous cubs so she would go into heat again and he has mated with her to ensure that she bears his cubs.  He will now follow her around constantly until she gives birth again.  

We return via the “modern” Maasai village with concrete block houses and plastic garbage strewn as far as the eye can see.  It’s hard to resist the urge to grab a bag and start picking up the trash which is everywhere as they appear to live in this mess with no inclination to do anything about it.  It’s a stark contract with the traditional village we visited and if this is the “modern” way then I’m afraid they may be going down the wrong path.  I see many signs trying to attract tourists to hotels in the village, with the trash and the combination signs for “butchery/hotel” I suspect they aren’t having much traction. 

It’s our last day in Kenya and this is a fitting end to an amazing visit to this country.  We all say to Collette take us home and we turn around and head back to spend some well deserved downtime by the pool after two early days.  

Enjoy the days catch.  Onto Tanzania to the Maternity ward of the Serengeti. 

























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