The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 5

Fantastic interaction between 2 male lions, 3 large bull buffalo and 5 hyaena kept us busy for most of the morning as they squabbled over the rights to a zebra kill. The single lioness with the 3 small cubs showed herself again as well as a pride of 16 lions later in the afternoon. 2 more lionesses with a wildebeest kill, a hyaena with 4 youngsters and a very obliging black rhino finished off our day just in time to get back to camp before a spectacular African storm rolled in.

Major sightings of the day:

2 male lions on a zebra kill
3 male buffaloes chasing the lions off their kill
5 hyeana stealing the zebra kill
Lioness and 3 month old cubs
Many herds of elephants
Pride of 16 lions
A hippo with a new born calf
2 lionesses with a wildebeest kill
Hyeana at a den site with 4 cubs
Black rhino

To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 4

Just as we left camp we saw 7 hyaenas finishing off a baby giraffe kill from the night before, followed a few minutes later by 2 large male lions trying to work out territorial boundaries. A third male lion also showed up on the scene, but left quickly after seeing the size of the other 2 males. Several small river crossings kept our cameras clicking through the rest of the day, as well as many herds of elephants and a black rhino with a young calf. Baboons playing in afternoon light with a female leopard not too far away ended the day off rather well.

Major sightings of the day:

7 hyaenas on a baby giraffe kill
2 large male lions
1 young male lion
Many herds of elephants
Several herds of buffalo
Several river crossings of wildebeest and zebra
3 crocodiles eating a zebra
2 leopards
Black rhino and calf
Baboons playing

To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 3

We started off with a female leopard first thing in the morning – which is never a bad way to start the day, but the real highlight was our first crossings of the safari. After a day and half of build up and anticipation, the wildebeest and zebras took the plunge and crossed the mighty Mara River. There was the usual mix of panic, chaos and crocodiles, which all made for some fantastic photography! A clan of 7 hyaenas also popped up for a late afternoon photo shoot, as well as 5 ground hornbills and 2 very playful baby giraffes.

Major sightings of the day:

Leopard
Hippo
Several crossings of wildebeest and zebra
Crocodiles
Elephants
7 hyaenas
Buffalo
Ground hornbills
Baby giraffe

To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 2

Cats and kills were the keywords of the day. A cheetah chasing and catching a thomson’s gazelle started us off, and was quickly followed by a large male lion dragging his topi kill away from some vultures that looked a little too interested for his liking. The single lioness with the 3 small cubs were working their way through a large zebra kill, while the mother with the 4 cubs played happily next to a warthog that didn’t make it. Earlier on on the day, we found 6 sub-adult lions reuniting after being briefly separated, and in between all the cat action, many herds of elephants were seen along with numerous buffaloes.

Major sightings of the day:

Female cheetah chasing and catching a thomson’s gazelle
Many herds of elephants
Several buffalo
Male lion dragging a topi kill
6 sub-adult lions reuniting
2 hyaenas
2 black backed jackals
Lioness with 3 small cubs on a zebra kill
Lioness with 4 small cubs playing around a warthog kill
Numerous bird sightings
To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 1

What a start! We seemed to pick up right where we left off last year – the big 5 on the first afternoon. The rarest of the five, the black rhino came out early in the afternoon, and the leopard (which completed the set) arrived out of the darkness on our way back to camp. The afternoon was all about lions however, and a female with 4 small cubs kept our cameras clicking most of the afternoon. Another lioness with 3 little cubs tucking into a fresh warthog kill also welcomed us back.

Major sightings of the day: