Not bad for a Monday

At 5 am, we heard Max’s booming “Good Morning” and had 30 minutes to get ready for our first morning game drive. At 5:30 it is still dark, so Max walked us to the deck area for breakfast. There were some cold items on a buffet and eggs to order. The coffee was welcome. 

By 6 it had lightened up and we saw 2 elephants visiting the pool near the deck. We boarded the Jeep with Max driving and Ona riding shotgun. Sue sat behind Max, Julie behind Ona and Nick in the third row behind Sue. It was quite cold, and Max had blankets on the seats. We had been warned to dress in layers which we did. 

We set off down the sandy road between rows of Mopane shrubs and trees. Their leaves are divided into a butterfly shape, and tons of branches protrude into the road and scrape the canvas top of the jeep. Max frequently sticks his hand out to catch them, says “Branches” and Sue ducks. At one point on Tuesday morning, Max stopped the jeep, grabbed a machete from behind his seat, and hacked a protruding branch down. That one won’t be bothering future game drivers!

Our goal Monday was to spot the other male Lion (brother of the one we saw Sunday evening) and the 3 lionesses with cubs. On our way to the possible location, we saw a Tawny eagle, Yellow billed kite and 2 ostriches. 

Max and Ona picked up the lionesses’ and cubs’ tracks near a watering hole. They surmised they couldn’t have gone far with the cubs in tow. We drove on, following the tracks for close to 2 hours. At times Max would stop, and he and Ona would get out of the vehicle and study the tracks. We ended up going off-road several times, crunching over small logs and branches. The effect on the rider is very jarring but the scenery is dazzling and the experience so adventuresome, we didn’t mind. At one point we spotted 4 zebra, which Ona said is actually pronounced to rhyme with Debra. Julie is having trouble remembering this, but Sue has watched an Australian video on animals with Niko so many times, it’s no problem for her. 

We also saw a yellow mongoose who operates alone and a pack of banded mongoose who live in a group. They were scurrying around like prairie dogs. We saw some beautiful acacia trees and herds of graceful impala. Julie is taken with their leaping style when they run. 

We saw the beautiful Swallow tail bee eater and more lilac- breasted rollers. Also on view was the Kori bustard, the national bird of Botswana. At one point Max pulled over next to a tree with a hollowed out area, and said there was a large python living there. Ona was the only one in the group who disembarked to have a look. By this time it was quite hot, and we shed the extra layers. The moving vehicle creates a bit of a breeze which helps. 

A bit further there was a carcass of an old eland that had been killed by lions. Nick and Jules jumped out for a look. They reported there was still some fur on the skeleton. Shortly after we stopped under a large acacia tree to stretch our legs and to have some coffee, tea and cookies. 

Back in the vehicle we again went in search of the mother and baby lions. Finally, off in the distance, using binoculars, Max spotted a male Lion under a tree, and we drove over to see. It was the brother of the one we saw yesterday. He sat up with open eyes for a bit, but then, seemingly bored with us, he rolled on his side and closed his eyes. Again, we were within 15 feet of the lion. Ona had explained that they are used to the vehicles and, as long as you stay seated and relatively quiet, they are not threatened. As far as considering us for a meal, Ona said they don’t care for us. We smell like bug spray and sunscreen and they’d rather have antelope. Again we snapped a few photos but mostly watched in silent admiration. 

We returned to camp for lunch (fish cakes and veggie lasagna) and a siesta before our 4:30 tea and evening game drive. Around 3, Sue and Julie met on the pool deck. There were several herds of elephants who came for a drink from the nearby water hole. They also used to drink from the guests’ plunge pool so the camp built a shallow concrete pool just for the elephants & used felled trees to block the plunge pool. Some had really small babies with them. Dozens of elephants stopped for a drink and a bit of shade very close by. One had a mutilated trunk - Ona surmised a hyena had attacked it when young. One mom nursed a calf, and not one of the smaller ones. We learned they continue to nurse them until quite big. The herds were protective of the smallest babies, keeping them close by, but were otherwise very relaxed and easygoing despite our presence. One group trumpeted at another, and moved on. They continued to come, drink and leave all through teatime. 

We didn’t know what could top this but on our way out of camp spotted 3 giraffes. It was a striking sight. They were rather shy and we couldn’t get real close. We stopped at a watering hole and saw another display of elephants, some accompanied by old, tall bulls, and others with small babies, including a nursing baby. Several, including a small baby, submerged themselves in the water, rather than just grabbing a drink. 

We left to continue to search for the lionesses and cubs, and saw a brown snake eagle, tsesebe, duiker, and kudu (types of antelope). 

Ona and Max had one more spot to check for the grand prize, and they were right. Under the shade of a clump of trees lay 3 lionesses with 2 litters of cubs. There were 5 total cubs all about 2 to 2 1/2months old. It was incredible- like a scene from a Nature special that would have taken weeks to capture. The lionesses merely laid seemingly sleeping (Ona said they actually have a strong sense of when something’s wrong and can immediately wake up and pounce) but the cubs endlessly frolicked. We learned there are 3 types of play - social, acrobatic and investigative - all necessary for the cubs’ development. And we got to witness all 3 types. One cub started climbing and jumping from a log, then they all did. They tussled with each other and carried sticks around, checking out everything about the stick. Sometimes they climbed on the mom, but she softly swatted them back and continued her nap. Ona explained the advantage of 2 lionesses having similar aged litters - they can hunt together and help each other raise the cubs. Females will stay with their moms up to 5 years. Males only 2 years and even less if there is a single male cub without sisters. Ona remarked what a long way from the watering hole these cubs and lionesses had traveled. We watched the show with great appreciation for the experience. We did our best to put our cameras down to drink it all in without distraction, but even Max and Ona were snapping away with their cameras and phones. 

We left the scene, and a few hundred yards away came upon the sleeping male lion from the morning. We realized we had been close indeed to the cubs in the morning.

It was too late to stop for a sundowner so we returned to camp for dinner. The menu was arugula salad, risotto or beef fillet or a combo of fillet and risotto. Julie had the risotto, and Sue, Nick and Ona the combo. The fillet was flavorful but very tough and one was expected to cut it with a butter knife. But Ona had 2 portions of it anyway! Sue wished she had gone with the risotto. We heard hyenas calling in the distance. 

We agreed that it would be very hard indeed to top the sights in Monday’s game drive. We know that our words are not adequately describing the experience but hope that by recording them here we will be able to look back and evoke the memory of our very special encounter.