Safari Day 2: Tsavo East and Tsavo West

  Day two of our safari sheds light on different environments as we transfer from Tsavo East to Tsavo West National Park. An early morning start gives us a beautiful African sunrise over the savanna, and brings us an encounter with our third of the "Big 5" species, the Cape Buffalo. After our lion encounter the day before, and the constant elephant herds here in Tsavo, we only have the leopard and the rhino to go to complete the Big 5. These were traditionally the animals that hunters would target as big trophies, but if they shot and didn't kill the animal there was a very real danger the animal could charge and kill the hunter.

Elephant Crossing

  Now the big 5 are shot more with cameras from the safety of safari vehicles, although the risk is still there. Something else that day 2 brings as we pass more zebra, impala, and giraffes, is more focus on the beautiful birds of Africa. Almost like nudibranch hunting when underwater, finding the different bird life here can be a bit of a treasure hunt. I always tell people even if they aren't a bird person yet, once you come to Africa you soon will be.

Martial Eagle

Lilac Breasted Roller

  There are an incredible amount of birds of prey like the martial eagle pictured to the left, to the secretary bird which pins snakes with its long legs. Then there are colorful birds. My favorite is the lilac breasted roller pictured on the right. Hopefully I will get a picture of it flying to really show off some colors.

Mzima Springs: Natural Freshwater Spring in Tsavo West National Park

and hippos.

Home to crocodiles...

 One of the big attraction sites of Tsavo West is Mzima Springs. This natural freshwater spring is where rain water percolates through the porous lava rocks and then escapes 25 years later into a series of pools and rapids. It disappears about two miles downstream underground again. This water source provides habitat to Nile crocodiles and hippos, both of which we were lucky enough to see. It is one of the few places that we can get out of the vehicle and walk around, although it seemed to me that any one of the big 5 could have gotten into the spring area to wreak havoc on the visiting humans.

   Jumping back in the vehicle we made it back to our lodge in time for a leisurely dinner overlooking a waterhole. We were delighted with constant elephant antics at the waterhole as we ate. And just in case something rare comes down to the waterhole at night, the staff took our order of what animals we would want to be woken up for. Leopard and pangolin made my list but I guess none visited because I slept soundly through the night, waking up excited for another day in Kenya.