Game drives and a surprise!

As a part of the reservation I made at this lodge, I receive two 2-hour long game drives each day. One is at 6:30am as the sun comes up and the other is at 4:00pm as the sun begins it’s descent and the animals come out because it’s starting to get a bit cooler. I have been the only passenger for the 2 game drives I’ve been on so far & they have both been so exciting! I so enjoy being out on the savannah in the midst of this beautiful land!!

Yesterday afternoon we saw so many different animals & birds – all different species than I’ve ever seen before in the wild. Most people who come on game drives want to see the big 5 – elephants, African buffalo, lions, leopards & rhinos. So far I’ve seen 3 of these. I’ve not yet seen a leopard or rhino. For me, though, the highlight is seeing all the different species in their natural habitats and hearing stories about each of them. My guide has been so helpful with the names of each animal, as well as additional information about them, which I’ve found to be so interesting!

Here are some photos from yesterday afternoon’s game drive.

This morning’s drive produced a few animals I could photograph, including a pride of lions & some hippos, which were so cool!! Most of the time we spent driving through the savannah on very undeveloped, two-track, very muddy roads near the Tanzania border. I now a have a visceral experience of what off-roading must be like!! I’m so thankful for the skill of my driver in getting us back safely!! But, that being said, I loved being the only ones out in that part of the savannah this morning!!

The surprise of the morning came when my driver stopped at the side of the Mara River & had me get out of the car. I was met by another team member and escorted to breakfast by the river!! There were about 20 of us in the end that gathered here for breakfast. This area of the river is known as the hippo pool & there were several hippos in the water in the area of the river by my table. I was told by the armed conservationist that the current was too strong right now for those hippos to cross to our side of the river. That was a comfort to know, since the hippos are considered the most dangerous animal in this area. It was so amazing to have breakfast in this most beautiful place!! It is definitely one of the gems of this trip so far!!

Tonight there are New Years Eve festivities here that will include performances of Masai dance and Kuria dance. I’m looking forward to seeing a bit of the culture of these tribes who live on the lands just outside of the park.

Happy New Year to you all from here in Africa!! We will get to midnight 9 hours before Chicago 😀