Adventures of NaDave: H'moon 15 - Safari 2 (Animals)

Day 2

As we promised, we were up early and on the trucks. We first drove straight to the river and saw lots of neat activity…male impala sparring with their horns, giraffes circling each other….just amazing beauty as we looked around. We then drove around back into the bush to spot larger game. Around and around we drove, looking for animals, we’d stop when we’d see something and then move on. After a couple hours, we then headed back to camp to catch breakfast. Everyone stretched and loaded up on food. Then it was back out on the truck. Again we drove around, looking for it all. The radio made some noise, and a female lion was spotted by other trucks, potentially hunting some impala! We got there and sure enough, a lion was crouched down, looking at some impala with an appetite. We were all watching, waiting for the lion to make a move (and cheering for the lion for a kill, sorry Impala!) Then the lion took off, and went around some bushes out of our sight. We rushed the truck around, and found the lion sitting on the ground, breathing deeply, but no kill in sight. But it was still incredible to see a hunt!

Eventually late morning came, and everyone was struggling to stay awake. It was also heating up outside, so we headed back to camp. We re-hydrated, grabbed some lunch, then it was time for nap and shade, just like all the other animals!

Then it was time for our second evening-sunset drive. Off we went out to some far reaches where some monkey/baboon families were playing. Then we circled back and found some hippos playing in the water. Then we spotted an elephant crossing the river, and using its trunk as a periscope snout! We then stopped for a bathroom break at a restroom area, and while we were away from the truck, a blue-ball monkey hopped in the truck and started looking for food! We successfully scared it away, but not without some drama (see the video!). As the evening came to a close, we headed for a final spot by the river, and our guides said that commonly the lions come out of the bush and down to the water. And they were right, the female lions and cubs (we never saw any male lions, nor zebra, rhino or flamingo). They strolled right through our group, and down to the river’s edge. And amazingly, there was a hippo right near the water, which let out a huge yell as the lions came near, and then swam away. Wow!

We headed back to camp, snapping some final photos of the sunset landscape. We retired again to some good food, good conversation, and lots of laughter. Everybody shared their sights of the day and talked about where they were headed next. As we sat around the campfire, we noticed movements in the sand, and those were sand spiders!

It was time for bed and off we went. And our guides told us to be careful at night if we had to go out. “If you see eyes, go back in your tent!” Nadine had to go out once, and was too scared to go very far, before doing her business, and coming directly back into the tent.

Our safari ride