Capturing the Moment

  We traveled for a while, soaking in the early morning misty plains of the Serengeti from our extended land cruiser safari vehicle. Our morning reverie was interrupted by a group of vultures fighting a hyena over a freshly killed wildebeest. It was the groups first fresh kill. Not everyone was into the gruesome action. You couldn't even see some of the heads of the vultures since they were neck deep into the carcass. But this is the circle of life. Pretty soon there won't be much more than bleached bones left, thanks to the vultures and hyena. We continued on after the vulture show, and quickly came upon two male lions and a female. As we hung out with them we were surprised to see a third male lion pop up, and then a little later a fourth male lion popped up! The mane male and female were the same mating pair we had spotted two days earlier. She now looked like she was pretty over it, and disengaged from the male every time he attempted anything. The mating pair, and two of b...

They get close here Lion in a Tree   When people go on their first safari one of the major goals is to find the 'Big 5.' This group of animals was nicknamed by the hunters during colonial times, not because of their size, but because if you shot one of these five animals and only wounded it then it could charge and kill the hunter. Hence there is no giraffe on this list. The Big 5 consist of Lions, Elephants, Buffalo, Rhino, and Leopard. Cuteness factor with baby lion cubs   We were lucky enough to encounter all of the Big 5 here in the Masai Mara. While a lot of the major national reserves and parks in Africa house the Big 5, it can be quite difficult to see them, especially in just one park over the course of several days. We managed to see the Big 5 in just one full day here in the Mara.   We had several lion encounters including a family taking down and eating a warthog, which if you haven't read about the click here for a play by play. We saw another...

   Entering Samburu National Reserve The Ewaso Ng' iro River Everyone took a deep breath as we passed through the entry gate to Samburu National Reserve. This is our first wildlife stop on the trip. We arrived mid day and our wonderful guides took us towards Larsen's Luxury Tent Camp, our home for the next 2 nights. Our Safari Rides Samburu landscape    The environment around us is very dry, with lots of shrubs and acacia trees, but not much grass. It is home to many of the famous African animals like elephants, zebra, giraffe, lions, leopards, and hundreds of species of birds.  The dry landscape is pierced by a river who's waters provide the lifeblood of this area. Babies in tow Reticulated Giraffe       Because of the transition to this arid environment Samburu is a hot spot for those in the know looking for some of Kenya's rarer species. There are 5 big animals here in Samburu that you probably won...

Finding Africa's Big 5    If you are looking for Africa's "Big 5" then Kruger National Park should be your destination. For those not in the know the Big Five is a term left over from colonial hunting days in Africa for the five animals that if a hunter shot but didn't kill, the animal could charge and kill the hunter. This elite group of potentially deadly animals include elephants, rhino, leopard, lion, and cape buffalo. Now the term is thrown around more by enthusiastic wildlife watchers in safari vehicles trying to shoot a photo of the Big 5.  African Elephant   Even though these animal sightings are heavily sought after, to the point of camps having recent sightings boards up with moveable magnets for each animals, it can still be quite a challenge to see them all. If you are in a place like Kruger National Park in South Africa and get quite lucky then it is possible to see them all in a day, but the longer you stay in the park the better your ...