The Big Five in One Drive!

June 25, 2013

I didn't think that the game drives we had yesterday could be beat.  But, I learned again how unique each drive truly is.  This day we say the "Big Five" in our morning drive!  The big five are: elephant, leopard, lion, cape buffalo, and the white rhino.  Out of all of these, the white rhino was the rarest in the area.  It is heavily poached in many areas because of its horn.

We saw the leopard first.  It was playing around the bushes only a few minutes from our camp.  Then, we saw a lone male elephant walking along the road.  We got to the rhino - the first one we had seen.  It was large and seemed to constantly eat the grass.  Along the way to the male lion (the first adult male we saw), we saw some intimidating cape buffalo. 

To get to the male lion we needed to make a deeper water crossing.  The water level was above the hood of the jeep, and we ended up with about three inches of water in the jeep (which quickly drained away).  It was fun to watch the guides plan how to get across and then to make the crossing.  The male lion was impressive.  He was an older male, at the end of his reign.  We watched him lay in the sun for awhile and then let him have some peaceful moments alone.  On our way back to camp, we saw several hippos wading in the water.  These animals were best seen from land as they are known to be able to hide under water and tip boats over.  They might look cute, but those big teeth would not be pleasant to see from up close.

Our afternoon drive was spent mostly watching the two leopards from the previous day.  They were still working on the kill, and the male had carried the impala up the tree.  He was carefully guarding it, and the mother leopard was watching from a tree across the way.  It is amazing to see these elegant animals leap up a tree effortlessly.  

Our last sundowner was a fancier version of our previous ones.  Many staff members came out with drinks, food, and many smiles.  It was wonderful to watch the sun set while having great conversations with the staff.

Then, before dinner, while Mom and I were freshening up, we heard some screeching, growling, and splashing sounds from across the water.  I went to the window and witnesses over twenty baboons, both babies and adults, crossing the water and yelling about it along the way.  They began to climb the tree near our cabin, and then many of them hopped onto the roof.  The sound was incredibly loud.  We were "rescued" by Simon, one of the managers, who began banging pots and pans.  Baboons need to be chased away from the area because they will stay and take over.  They are strong enough to rip apart a leopard, although the leopards usually take the baboons as prey. 

That night, we were especially happy to have a guide escort us to and from the main lodge for dinner.