Evening Game Drive – Lion Hunt!

The afternoon was too hot to do anything except sit in your room. We did head to the lobby and played a couple games of cribbage in the “lobby” while sweating profusely. But that was about the only time we did anything mid-day.

We headed back up around 4pm for tea and to hook up with Dierdre again for the afternoon game drive.

The morning drive we had all hoped to see lion but after Themba and another tracker went out on foot (with rifles) for over two hours, they found the pride sleeping in an area that we couldn’t get a vehicle into. And we certainly couldn’t get out on foot to view them.

We set out to find another pride, given that lions sleep most of the day into twilight so we weren’t going to see any movement from the pride that morning until later. We rounded a bend and bumped smack into two baboons on a rock. The big male was being preened (groomed) by a female and they just sat there content to do their thing as we stopped to watch.

A bit later we found African Buffalo. They are huge and aggressive and not so nice looking. We happened upon two of them just hanging out about 50 yards off the road. Too far away for a good view, Dierdre took us 4-wheeling over rocks and ruts – this Land Rover could handle anything. As we got closer, Dierdre warned us to not make any sudden movements and to make sure we moved slowly. It seems that the aggressive nature of the buffalo often caused them to charge anything, event the trucks. So, we got within 10 yards or so, good enough for great pictures and to observe them.

We continued onward, viewing a variety of animals along the way. Soon enough, sunset was upon us. Another perfect sunset in a once foreign feeling place that had become more like home, like the place where visions are realized and where the sight of a sunset can bring forth a sense of wonder we seem to lose as part of living our everyday lives.

Tonight's cocktail hour was special in that it was Erica’s birthday. As we arrived at our sunset viewing point, we found a few of the staff there with lanterns and chairs set up for perfect sunset viewing. A small table had been set up with snacks and the bar on it. And champagne was popped as we arrived. What a perfect surprise for a birthday and one not soon to be forgotten. After hanging out for 30 minutes, we were on our way again, this time for the lion hunt.

As it was dark, the lions were on the move, and so we were. We were headed toward a pride that had been spotted earlier. In constant communication with another truck, they had found the pride as they were heading straight toward us. Dierdre quickly left the road and we found ourselves driving through the bush toward a place they should be walking toward. We saw the other truck in the distance, its headlights and spotlight shining our way.

And then it was lights out! And Dierdre cut our engine. And dead silence. With nothing but the sound of the bush as a backdrop, the excitement (and a bit of tension) was palable. We had no idea what to expect. A quick flash of the floodlight by Themba, and then it’s there. A lion….no more than 50 feet away. A quick follow and then it’s lights out again. As Themba continued to flash his light, we found at least 8 more lion, gently walking right across our path.

As they moved, we moved, always getting out in front of them for a (ahem) killer view – pun intended. So we had many shots of them as they stalked.

According to Dierdre, this was their stalk. They continued to walk, sensing for prey through sight, smell, sound. As they continued their walk, Themba shined his light elsewhere and uncovered eyes – Impala eyes! We were going to be part of a kill!

Then it was lights out for good. It wasn’t fair to give either animal an advantage. So we waited. It was quiet, and dark. And lions were everywhere. And there we sat in our truck, like little prey. We were told not to talk and not to move. This was a little scary.

Dierdre told us to listen for sounds….and then we heard it, the sound of running. Of dead grass rustling. Of branches being bent. Sometimes you can hear the crunch as the neck breaks. But there was no crunch. No roaring. No sounds of a struggle. The impala had escaped.

Exhilerated (and a bit disappointed) we began tracking the lions again and ran through the entire cycle. Impalas = 2, Lions = 0.

We headed back toward the road and continued on our nighttime journey through the bush.