Capturing the Moment

Maybe the shot of the day. Lilac-breasted roller showing off its colors. We woke up this morning with the realization that today was going to be our last day in Tsavo National Park. We have made so many great memories here, and had so many incredible wildlife encounters, but there is more of Africa to see. But before we left, the group decided to wake up early and squeeze one more morning game drive in. After a quick cup of Kenyan coffee of course. Excited for a new day, we piled into our vehicle. Right out of the gate we came across four black backed jackals, which we hadn't seen yet. It was also necessary to stop and take pictures of our first sunrise in Africa. It has been so overcast that we haven't had the pleasure of those famous African sunrises and sunsets. It was a good start. We continued on past some very large birds which turned out to be white backed vultures and a tawny eagle. The early morning golden hour just made everything we came across more beautiful and pho...

  I never expected to have such a long, intimate encounter with a big, male leopard. Tsavo National Park can provide some real safari magic, and it certainly provided that this morning. The fact the we were the only car with it the whole time just made it even more special.     If you are on your first safari here in Africa, you are often confronted with finding the famous 'Big 5'. The Big 5 consist of elephants, cape buffalo, lions, leopards, and rhino. Some parks have all 5 of the big 5, and will use that in their marketing as a claim to fame. However, it certainly does not mean that you will be lucky enough to see all 5 species. Rhinos are still far and few between and can be quite difficult to locate. But often, it is the leopard that eludes safari goers the most. They are in almost every park, but operate mostly at night, working under the cover of darkness. Still, early morning and late afternoon game drives do provide an opportunity to find one. Today was our lucky...

  We spotted our first group of wild elephants racing their way down to the water hole.     Tsavo West National Park, located in southeastern Kenya, is part of the larger Tsavo ecosystem, one of the country’s oldest and largest wildlife reserves. Covering nearly 9,000 square kilometers, Tsavo West is renowned for its dramatic landscapes, including volcanic hills, dense woodlands, and open plains, which create a diverse habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. It is a very different ecosystem than the other major parks in East Africa, which gives us a chance to see some different creatures. One of our first sightings in the park was a tiny antelope that could fit in your handbag, called a dik dik. After facing death-defying Kenyan truck traffic for the entire morning, the smiles are real for leaving the highway, popping up the safari top, and entering the dirt tracks of Tsavo West National Park!     The park is less crowded compared to some of Kenya's other reserv...