Tanzania Adventure

Ok, so Zanzibar was not the best beach holiday we have had but when all said and done it was pretty damn good. We are too fussy by miles and need to look in the mirror! The Breezes resort is fantastic and Being stuck here for a few days is not exactly hard labour. Get a damn grip Hursts!

But the Safari will last in our memories for ever! It was just an awesome adventure from start to finish. When trying to come up with a top 5 animal experiences we were split and so have and Pete and Sammy list. However a few just stood out and we both were in violent agreement about those. There were 2 and we can’t split so they are equal number ones!

=1 The Black Rhino and her calf. - Ngorongoro

We met so many people on safari and most had been able to see a Black Rhino at some point. There are only 27000 or so left on the planet and most of these are in the Kruger National Park in South Africa so to see a Mother and Calf is very rare and we did not meet anyone else who had done this. Sammy nearly cried when we spotted the calf and Goddy nearly wrote off the jeep trying to get us to a position where we could get some decent shots. We had to be very patient and wait for the Mum and Calf to start to come from behind a bush they had been sleeping under. Nature will take its own time and patience is essential, something I am not usually known for!

= 1 The Serengeti Super Pride, 4 beautiful Cubs and ‘Brad Pitt’ the huge and ever so handsome Simba!

OK, so this involved 2 Wildebeest kills and a lot of blood and gore, but it was just an amazing 2-3 hours spent with the Serengeti’s premier predator. And there are a lot of Wildebeest - 1.8M in the Serengeti alone so two less is not a huge issue. Talk about beauty and the beast. The baby Simbas were totally adorable even if one their aunts (we guessed) was totally terrifying! It was not just the about seeing these magnificent apex predetors in their natural environment doing what they do best, but more the way the whole morning unfolded. First the Lioness on the road, next the 2 cubs and another Lioness, then the first kill find and then another kill with two more cubs and lots more lionesses. This followed by finding Brad himself strutting along a dusty track giving an Oscar winning performance of ‘look at me’! Then we meet his bother and end up having our breakfast next to them both. High fives all round in our jeep for an amazing morning and reward for a very early start.

3. Pete / 5. Sammy - Leopards and Cubs - Taranjeri

This was my second favourite, however Sammy has it as her no 5 as she argues that we never got a long time with them which is true enough. My argument is that we had only been ‘on safari’ for 2 hours when we got an encounter that most people never get at all. When you count in the 2 cubs it’s super rare and we felt so privileged to have had close up time with these amazing and beautiful animals. The photos I managed to get were not bad given that it was the first time using my new zoom lens in anger. The leopards were secreted behind long grass so getting their focus on them and not the grass was the trick.

Sammy No 3 , My No 4 - The Serengeti Cheetahs

We came to know these 3 brothers really well over a couple of days and some very up close and personal encountered thanks to Goddy breaking a few rules along the way! The first sighting was from the track and was a little way off.they had just made an Impala kill. The next meeting was early evening when Goddy drove the jeep along with an another guide right up to the tree they had been hanging around all day. The following morning we caught up with them again, this time very near the road and the following morning, very early we got some great shouts of them dozing in the long grass, again curtesy of Goddy going off piste to get as close as possible.

Like the Lions, the Cheetahs were in the prime of health and look magnificent. As there is plenty of food about at the moment due to the migration, all of the apex predators can relax a little and especially the Cheetahs who usually have to protect their kills from Lions and Hyeanas.

My No 5 - The Taranjeri Lionesses and ‘Kill’. - not on Sammy’s list at all!

This was nature in the raw but something I never expected to see, the Taranjeri Lioness hunt and Warthog kill. Sammy loves Warthogs or Pombahs as they are referred to in the ‘The Lion King’. I admit I love them as well and the fact this kill involved the loss of a mother to two youngsters was not great - it actually kept us both awake that night thinking on their fate. It was not the kill itself, it was the watching the Lioness change from this beautiful feline animal into the kill machine she can be in a plot second. I will never forget the moment she sensed the Warthog, which we could see from the vantage point of our jeep and went into ‘stealth mode and then kill mode’. Over in an instance.

Sammy’s No 5- The baby Elephants/Dumbos!

They are adorable and we got to spend time with a lot of them. The elephant populations in both Taranjeri, which has the most elephants of any of the parks, and the Serengeti are very healthy and there were a good number of very small Dumbo size infants. The term ‘Dumbo’ was applied to any young elephant that could still fit under the Mums legs to suckle. The Elephants in general were great to watch. For such huge animals they have a serenity and calmness that is very specia, and when they look directly at you they seem to look directly into your soul if that is not a little too whimsical.

Over the 8-9 days we were on safari, we encountered countless animals. What surprised us is how much we loved the birds of all sorts and sizes from the smallest finch to the huge Ostriches and of course that incredible Great African Owl we spotted on our first day. We also loved the Hippos, Crocs, Hyenas, Jackals, Serval Cat, Mongooses, Lizards, Baboons, Monkeys, Giraffes, Antelope, Gazelles, Water Buffalo, Topi’s, the list goes on.

Some other photos, some of which i may have put on before so sorry for that.

THE END
Pete & Sammy

Zanzibar – A mixed bag!

Firstly our resort, the Breezes Resort & Spa on the east coast of Zanzibar is just fantastic. We could not wish for more in terms of comfort, amazing food, friendly staff, and a beach to die for. Our room is really nice with a super comfortable bed and lovely view across the immaculate gardens to the sea. So what is not to like you ask? For a few days absolutely nothing at all. But with dodgy weather and nothing else within walking distance of the resort, or at all if we are honest, it has had its challenges.

The first day was good with nice weather and a lie in to around 8am which was shear luxury after all those early mornings. I made a schoolboy error the evening before by not applying mossy spray to my feet so got eaten alive at the beach bar. My feet now not only itch like hell but look like I have a good dose of the measles!

By Monday evening the weather started to change and by Tuesday it was not great at all. Rain and wind which affected my plans to take out the hobie for a sail. I did do a reef walk which was good but after the Safari was very low key! A couple of lion-fish, some star fish and hermit crab or two while avoiding stepping on sea urchins was underwhelming after the Serengeti. Still it filled some time for me at least and the guide was really nice. It did turn out to be an expensive trip however as bending down in pouring rain to try and encourage a striped eel out of its hiding spot cost me my prescription Maui Jim sunnies which I didn’t notice had slipped out of my T-shirt and into the depths. I was called the inevitable ‘knobber’ by senior management but as it was birthday eve, I was let off pretty lightly!

Tuesday was my birthday, and the weather was not at all good. Big rainstorms and more wind. We did manage to a decent beach walk, and had a massage in the spa but the overall sense was that the weather coupled with the inability to really get out of the resort and do anything else was quickly closing in on us. We did reminisce that on my birthday last year it was the very worse day of our Indonesian holiday when we spent a miserable 24 hours in some crap town which had less appeal than Basildon and an even worse hotel to compliment it!

By Wednesday afternoon the weather had sort of cleared up a bit and I went for a snorkelling trip which was actually very good with nice coral and loads of fish to admire. The sea was a bit choppy but OK. The thing that surprised me was that it was a tad chilly after an hour fifteen of bobbing around.

On return it was clear that Sammy had not enjoyed her afternoon at all! She had decided that it was time to see of we could come home early given that the weather forecast was not great for the rest of the week and that she was bored senseless. Walking the beach is normally a Sammy thing but you do tend to get hassled, not in an aggressive manner, by local hawkers selling trips and local merchandise so it can make what should be throughly enjoyable stroll a pain in the neck on occasions. As it happens as the week wore on we were hassled less and less as they started to recognise us and knew they were wasting their time.

We had booked a trip to Stone Town on the other side of the Island for the Thursday. The Stone Town tour is meant to be a good experience and so it turned out. This trip and the much improving weather saved the week.The Stone Town trip in particular as it got us out of the resort doing new stuff.

Stone Town is the old historic part of Zanzibar with a complex colonial past of Arabic (Omani), Portuguese and latterly British rule or protectorate. It was also the major trading hub for everything from spices, ivory and rather disturbingly the slave trade.

We had not realised that Zanzibar was the centre of the slave trade in this part of Africa and the main slave market was located in the town. The visit to the old slave market (the main are of which was turned into a Cathedral) and the other exhibits was both somber and harrowing. The museum is very well laid out and it takes you through the origins of the salve trade to its final eradication with personal stories of both slaves and the slavers which made for compulsive reading. The most visual and impactful part of the visit was to a cellar where salves waiting to be sold could be kept for up to a week. The conditions these poor people endured are indescribable. What was surprising to us was that there is still a stigma attached to people who are decedents of slaves, a fact that our young guide Yasser could not really explain.

A bit more on Yasser. He is around 28-29 and like so many guides we meet, is bright and articulate. He was an Economics graduate but has a talent for languages and history and speaks English, French and Spanish plus is pretty good at Arabic. Zanzibar is a mixture of Tanzanian, Arabic and Indian culture and Yasser gave us a detailed explanation of the relationship between the various populations. The bottom line is that the Tanzanians tolerate Indians but have little time for the Arabs.

The old narrow streets of Stone town are quaint lined with souvenir and local are and craft shops. One of the main attractions is the house where Freddy Mercury used to live and of curse we headed there to get our photo taken outside of the front door.

A much bigger attraction for Sammy were the Tanzanite jewellery stores. She has looked while we were on Safari but there was a much larger selection in Stone Town so we decided to look again. Sure enough she found a beautiful necklace which after some haggling we decided would be a great memento of the holiday and early birthday present for Sammy. We made the mistake of not getting the necklace put into a unmarked bag as for the rest of the day I was paranoid about being mugged. We did see the same guy 3-4 times and it was obvious he had clocked the bag, so we mentioned it to Yasser who went to speak with him to warn him off.

Encouraged by our day in Stone Town, mugging paranoia aside, we went for early cocktails in one of the 3 great bars in the resort. My double Hendricks were going down nicely, and I was looking forward to the special al-a-carte dinner that was going to be accompanied by free fizz of some sort. As it happened Sammy had planned something all together different and as we approached the dining area we were whisked off to a special dining room on the beach called the ‘The Tides’. Sammy had tried to book for my birthday but as it happened having this a couple of days after felt even more special. Sammy had chosen the menu ahead of time and we ate like royalty! The food was simply amazing if not a little too much to the extent that most of Sammy’s beautiful lobster was left over to be served up the next day as lobster salad! Suffice to say that Thursday was a very good day!

By Friday the weather was a little mixed again but I did manage to get out on the Hobie for a sail which was great fun. The first 30 mins was a struggle as the wind was light but it then picked up and we were flying by the end.

Come to Saturday and again mixed weather but this time no wind so the sailing had to be cancelled. I have one more chance tomorrow before we leave so fingers crossed.

In summary – the Breezes resort is fantastic and thank goodness as I think we would have died of boredom without the anticipation of the great food and lovely staff. It’s been tougher for Sammy as she does not do ‘water’ as most people know. I have kept myself occupied with the various water-based activities.

Tomorrow we head for home after a brilliant, once in a lifetime safari but with mixed feelings about Zanzibar. I think if the weather had been as it normally is this time of year it would have been better, but even with that the lack of things to do outside of the resort is an issue. We have the amazing Koh Samui still fresh in our minds and the contrast in this regard is striking.

One last Blog to do on our top 10 animal encounters/photos.

Pete & Sammy

Day 10 – Serengeti to Zanzibar

So the Safari part of our Tanzania adventure is complete and we are headed for a Zanzibar for some beach life rest and recuperation. The early mornings and early nights to bed have become a habit we easily slipped into. Sammy even said she could get used to getting up early as you get to see the early morning sunrise and the best part of the day which is very true.

Last night we were treated to an amazing sunset and enjoyed a super dinner with Goddy and were given a great send off by the staff who presented us with a farewell cake accompanied by great singing and dancing. We think the other guests were a bit bemused as to my we were getting this extra special attention but joined in the clapping that went along with the dancing and singing. They also got the left over cake! The whole team treated us so well during our stay and we have come to adore the camp and its surroundings. It’s a very special place set in the mist of an even more special place if that makes sense.

One thing we learnt over breakfast is that the head of house in the Resturant, a great young guy (everyone is young when you are approaching 67!), called Victor trained at the Breezes resort in Zanzibar we are going to be staying at next week. He gave it a great review so fingers crossed. We took our picture with him to see if any of the resort staff might remember him.

Heading to Zanzibar.

The journey from Gremeti airport (hut actually) to Zanzibar was a little bizarre and could only happen in Africa. There is some sort of organisation but its very haphazard and with planes involved it had me at least a little concerned.

Our route was from Gremeti (Serenget to Seronera is also in the Serengeti, then onto Kilimanjaro where we had landed on the way to Tanzania. Following this we would take a short 15 min flight to Arusha, a journey we had driven in 1.15hr on arrival and then finally from Arusha to Zanzibar.
The first plane was very small! Around 8 seats. I could touch all of the planes controls from my seat as we sat right behind the pilot and co-pilot. No one checked our ID at any time to match our printed E ticket with our passports etc. No security scanner and interestingly, no bagged weight check which we had been told they could be strict on.

The weather was clear and the sky blue with little breeze so we hoped for a good flight on this first leg at least. In a plane the size of a caravan that helps a lot. It was with a heavy heart that we hugged and said our goodbyes to Goody who now had the 8-9 hour drive all the back to Arusha where we had started our journey with him. We exchanged WhatsApp’s so that I could send him some of the photos he wanted and vowed to keep in touch. He is such a genuine, lovely intelligent human being and was an amazing guide and great company for the past 8-9 days. We will miss him.
We took off into bright blue skies and as the Serengeti savannah fell away from us we both knew that we would never return again. Too much to see and do in the time that is left and repeating this experience would most probably never justify itself again. Another Safari most certainly but we would go to pastures new, especially as we doubted that we could top this experience and would only be left disappointed.

The flight to Seronera was uneventful and around 40 mins. It made us laugh when the pilot, once on auto thank goodness, started to taking photos of the Great Migration on his iphone which we could see below us! Once we had landed into we were told that we would change for a larger plane for the onward journey. We were not unhappy about this as the space was cramped and 2 engines beats one any day!

Seronera airport was larger than Gremeti (not hard when you see the pictures) with 5-6 planes on the ground around the small terminal building. It was again very haphazard and at one point a family of Americans which we knew were headed to Zanzibar with us started walking towards an airplane (I have to say from a different airline so you have to ask what they were up to?) to board. I asked a guy if we should also be getting on the same plane and he yelped and started to run after them across the dusty dirt runway to bring them back. As I said a little chaotic.
The flight to Kilimanjaro was uneventful if a little bumpy in parts and we stayed on the plane while quite a few passengers disembarked. The 15 min flight to Arusha was over before it started!

One thing we did really enjoy as we flew towards Kilinmnjaro were the brilliant views of of the volcano itself. I have vowed the limb it one day but it better be soon as its a tough and arduous climb, especially on the last day to the crater as its hot as hell and you need to be up at 2am and starting the decent by 11am.

On arrival in Arusha we were again told to stay on the plane however they then had a change of heart and we were told to deplane as others were going to join us and it would take a little longer. Something very odd then happened. When we got to the terminal building they ushered us to a security scanner and told us to put our bags on the belt, remove the usual PC’s etc and go through a body scanner. I politely pointed out that this made no sense as we had just got off the plane they were going to put us back on. Sammy gave me a ‘just wind you neck in and don’t be a knob’ look so I left it there but I think they understood that this made little sense and were sort of laughing at how crazy it was, especially as our checked bags which had never been scanned were sitting in the plane hold! What is more bizarre is that as the bags went through the scanner nobody bothered to sit and look at the screen!

We reboarded and got back our emergency exit seats and headed to Zanzibar without any further major happenings. The flight took around 1.30hrs and was pretty smooth. The airport in Zanzibar, named the ‘Golden Tulip Zanzibar Airport’ was much busier as you would expect for a major holiday destination. With that said our bags arrived quickly and we soon found our driver to take us across the Island (west to east) to our resort.

The drive took us through the main a built up area and we immediately spotted the difference from Arusha. Zanzibar is majority Muslim and the signs in terms of dress were clear to see. The area is clearly poor with ramshackle houses and shops interspersed with market stores. The market for secondhand white goods must be strong as lots of shops were selling old fridges, cookers, mixers etc. As we headed out into the country area we came across young boys selling apples on the side of the road and more road side market stalls selling what looked like lovely fresh fruit and veg. The road surface in a round the airport was pretty rough and our driver mentioned the ‘African Massage’ to us. When we told him that we had just spent 8 days in safari he laughed as he know that would have been a lot worse, which it had been.

The journey to our resort was around 1.5hrs. About midway the roads went from rough track to smooth newly laid tarmac. We suspect that the Chinese had been at work as they are investing hugely in Tanzania as they are in all of Africa. The age of American and European influence in this part of the world is diminishing and the are Chinese slowly but surely taking over using investment as the tool to do so. They call it ‘sort power’ and it’s very influential and persuasive for countries like Tanzania that are trying to develop and tend on their own two feet. Not that we have seen too many Chinese tourists. Lots of Japanese, English, Americans (too many!), Scandinavians and Germans.

On arrival at the Breezes resort we received the usual friendly welcome of cool towels, refreshing drink etc. Our first impression of the resort was ‘Wow!’ It is beautiful and made a great first impression. The beach area is simply stunning and the sand so fine that it’s like talcum powder. But on the resort in the next post for those at all interested! 

Some snaps of the Breezes Resort.

It’s come all too quickly but this is the last day of our Safari. 7 amazing days have all boiled down to this one last day in this incredible environment. With packed breakfasts and of course lunches as well, we head off out of the camp at 6am sharp, still dark but with the hint of the new dawn creeping into the horizon.

It was the most still, quiet and serene morning with only bird song to fill the air with sound. It was also nearly a full moon and that created great light for early morning photographs. With mist starting to form over the savannah and the herds of Thomason ad Grants Gazelles, Antelope, Poombas, Baboons, Zebra, Wildebeest and so many other animals starting to full the grasslands it made form some great opportunities to try test my photography skills in low light conditions. I was asking to stop lots of times as one amazing sight was replaced by another. After a while Sammy and Goddy told me that I had one more stop and that we were up early to get to the lions before it was too late. That stop was Hippos and the we sped off, well not quite sped but we went as fast as the terrain would allow, in search of our Lions. As were entered into an area of the park we had bee the day before, we noticed another jeep stopped up ahead of us with huge zoom lenses handing out of the side. These Goddy told us were professional photographers and they were very selective so this could be interesting. And sure enough it was the start the most incredible 2-3 hours we had experienced on the entire trip.

At first it was a single Lioness ambling along the track. She was a beauty and we were sure she had been part of the large pride we had seen the previous day. After about 15 mins, we spotted another Lioness in the long grass next to us and right after that we noticed two small cubs close to her. This was it, the tiny Simbas we had been seeking all week. What made it even better is that the Lioness and the cubs then came to join the other female on the track right next to us. We got some incredible shots and Sammy was nearly in tears of happiness.

Sometime a gift just keeps on giving. The 2 females and the cubs started to head off into the long grass the other side of the track. Goody and the other jeep started to follow them into the savannah grass to see where they were headed. We knew this was large pride and that there would be other members of the family around. Plus we had not seen the 2 large Males we had enjoyed having our lunch next two from their previous day.
We followed the girls and cubs and soon they revealed their destination. It’s was fresh kill where 3-4 other females were enjoying their early morning meal. This sight s not for the faint hearted. To see these beautiful but at the end of the day ferocious huge cats rip a Wildebeest apart is something not for everyone, so again I will not be putting the photos on the blog.

As I said the day kept on giving and one of the females plus the cubs headed off again so again we followed intrigued as to where they could be going and why they had left this greasy kill. The reason was soon to be revealed, there was a second kill just 50m from this one. And this one had an incredible bonus, two more young cubs with 3-4 of the lionesses. We were gobsmacked as was Goddy. 4 Simbas in one place. Happy days indeed.

We stayed taking loads of photos, taking in the scene which was a combination of nature at it most compelling and these 4 playful and adorable lion cubs for around 45mins. But we had an unanswered question, where were the large male lions from the previous day and this is some thing we and as it happened the other jeep decided we had to try and solve? So off we set again.

We soon found our guy in the form of one of the most handsome and regal large Simba Lions either of us or Goddy had ever lie eyes on.And he was a performer! We followed up a dusty track with one other jeep for around 50 mins taking loads of photos and admiring his ‘Brad Pitt’ looks! He was that damn handsome.Totally in his prime and not a scar on him with a mane that looked like it had been washed and bow dried that morning. I think the photos of this guy back up this assertion.

We clocked another large male in the distance and again we were rewarded as the two brothers met and butted heads in a way that said ‘life is good and we rule it all!’ And for the next weeks at least that will be case as easy meals pass right through their domain in their thousands.
We actually found more lions as we searched ever further into this large prides territory and needed up having what was breakfast next to the two big fellas just as we had lunch the day before. It was one of the best and most exhilarating mornings we have ever had on vacation and we were now knackered!

With this amazing experience banked and all of our pre-safari goals met or exceeded we spent the afternoon cruising around looking for things to admire, enquire about and photo. We needed up back next to the river for one last chance to see the Nile crocs, Hippos and watch life by the river for a while. It never boring with eagles, herons, king fishers to admire as well as the fearsome crocs.

Back at the camp we prepared to say goodbye to the mighty Serengeti and of course Goddy who had been the most amazing guide and was becoming a friend. He accepted our invite to join us for dinner and we got to learn a lot more about him, his family and plans for the future.
Tomorrow we head for Zanzibar by way of Kilimanjaro and Arusha on tiny little planes. Once there it will be basically beach life with some diving, a little hobby sailing for me and the Spa for Sammy as well a few Island excursions I guess.

I will send one more post with our highlights and some other pictures.

Pete & Sammy

Up early again at around 5.45am for a start at 7am sharp. Goddy is keen to beat the other jeeps out to the park although we have not found that there are too many around us once we get going. The Park is so large that they soon disperse in to the vastness that is the Serengeti. The only people ahead of us were the balloon tour guys who have to be up at around 4 ready for the sunrise launch. We debated doing this but decided to give it a miss. It would be a great experience but takes a good half day from the game drive and we didn’t think that was worth it, especially as it costs $600 a person.

Today was all about finding Lions and if possible Simba’s (male Lions) and maybe a proper pride. We headed to a new part of the park across the same hippo/croc river we had crossed a few times before. On the way out we did see a nice pod or ‘raft’ of Hippos and stopped to take some photos. After that it was all about tracking down the pride that was reportedly operating in this part of the park. To do this the guides are on the HF radio chatting away and exchanging whatever intel they have. You need to be selective as some of it is bullshit so Goody was only taking guidance from trusted sources. There is some competition between the tour groups and companies and its not unusual to been throw the scent deliberately. As the day wore on and the clock passed 12am we had seen some great animals but zero sign of Lions. The Serengeti plain so vast that you can drive for 20 minutes and see no sign of life except a few birds. We did see large lines of Wildebeest starting to head to the migration and a lot of Poobas (Warthogs), Gazelles, Giraffes etc but no Lions.

As the day develops more intelligence starts to filter in and we got some advice that the main pride was not far from us so off we set to look. We went up and down one area off the main road but next to a water course and found nothing until ‘bingo’ we heard that one of the other jeeps that had been collaborating with us had found 2 male Lions under a tree. We were the wrong side of the creek but Goddy found a way over and we soon joined a few other jeeps looking at what were two amazing male Lions. Goddy reckoned they were brothers of round 8-9 years. They were very healthy and had obviously eaten recently. As we were taking photos Goddy said we should head to a new spot which surprised us immensely as this seemed a bit sudden. But as usual he had been looking for the rest of the pride while we were admiring the large Simbas and sure enough he found around 6-7 lionesses and their cubs around 200m away hidden under a large bramble like bush. One of the lionesses was out in the open eating the remainder of a wildebeest kill but the remainder were well hidden in the thicket.

So here they were, a famous or if you are a Zebra, Antelope of Wildebeest, infamous pride of around 10-12 lions which owned this part of the Serengeti. What was great is that as jeeps came and went we were left on our own and ended up having our packed lunch right next to the two male Lions. It was very surreal.

Much buoyed by this experience we started to wound our way back to the camp via various other spots and sightings. I wanted to see of I could catch Gazelle jumping as they look great when they are flying through he air. They seem to float in the air and have a turn of speed that is simply amazing. Goddy help creat the right circumstances by making some noise ext to a decent size herd. We are not too certain if this is good guiding practice but in the spirit of ‘give the customer what he wants’ it delivered for us. I got some great shots.

Our last super surprise was when we revisited the Cheetah sight we had been at the day before and sure enough they were in the same area and this time much closer to the road. The three of them were chilled out still enjoying the fruits of the previous days success. Full bellies and with the migration starting to into full swing they are guaranteed a regular supply of Wildebeest and Zebra for a good few weeks. This is a time of planet I the park with huge herds moving through on migration and a plentiful supply of water from the wet season in the rivers and watering holes plus still some rain that will last into late June. Of course things change when the herds move on a resources start to run dry. In those codifies even the top predators such as Lion, Cheetah, Hyena and Leopard will start to compete more fiercely. That is when the Cheetah are at their most vulnerable being the much smaller animal.

So tomorrow is our last day and we are going to desiccate it to seeing if we ca find the Lion pride out and about early morning doing what they do best, hunt! To do this we agreed to move our start time to 6am meaning a 5.15am alarm and no breakfast. It will be a long time, if ever. That we come back so might as well make the most!