Struggling

Today we have really been struggling to see lions... We got a nice male early morning at Mdonya juu and then nothing at all or hours. Eventually we got another male at serengeti ndogo but this one was in very bad conditions. We saw it already some days ago, it is the one with the broken leg. It is a sad sight, He cannot walk anymore, he tries to hop to shade with three legs, he is only skin and bones, he is not going to make it. We called the rangers, they may put a end to his misery.
In the afternoon was way better, Kahimba called us into a sighting in Mbuyuni, 18 lions of mdonya pride were scattered all over the place. Super good fun.

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Mdonya juu

Two lioness and one cub in the first forest, time three second, to our disappointment they walked down the bank, sometimes cats really misbehave... you look for them in every corner and when you find them they disappear in no time... luckily they went laying in the middle of the river bed, on an island of green grass. The light was nice, the green grass shining, the lions lazy as usual.
We went around a bit and enjoyed beautiful elephants as usual plundering acacia kirkii, and in makutano we got a stunning herd of impala that after being spooked by an unknown something, run from the bush to the open plains at full speed... the run one after the other... running and jumping, running and jumping as only impalas can do... lekker
A couple of hours later on the way back we got the same lions again, but now they are eating a freshly killed impala.... maaaaannnnnnn cats really can misbehave... we waited them to do something for an hour this morning and as we turn the back to them they killed the impala... not fair at all.
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The big cats amended their misbehaviour in the aftenoon at Mdonya juu, we had 4 females sitting on top of big granite boulders as the sun was lowering... it was such a sightings... such a special and in the same time such a classic... the females kept basking in the fading sun and peering around for a possible dinner. Three cubs suddenly appeared from another set of smaller rocks.. they first sat on the little boulder and then walked all the way close to the female even if at the base of the rocks... it was superb with the last orange light of the day...
The beauty surrounding us was astounding, the lions, the rocks, the sunset... all was magic.... too magic for one heart only...

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Pure awesomeness

Was an incredibly difficult morning, the highlight for me was a beautiful Banded Parisoma skulking in the canopy of an acacia tortilis, we also got a cheetah but was very hidden in the shade of a bush and even if we watched it for a good time was not a brilliant sighting.... I am not a great fun of sleeping cats... anyway in all the morning we did not even see lions....
The afternoon though was unreal... we first spotted 7 lioness in Mwayenbe, they were just by the side of the road. We spent time with them and watched every detail of their beautiful bodies... we then went towards ikuka forest were a leopard was spotted in the morning... on the way to the place we saw guineafowls taking off shrieking their loud alarm calls, I watched carefully and the other side of the river I spotted 4 cheetahs... there was no way we could go close so we enjoyed them from far but in the open, they sat for a while and then moved into thick riverine bush..
We drove off and reached the forest but where we were told there was no cat... we are a bit disappointed but we decide to proceed and have a nice drive deeper in the forest.
The sun is slowly getting closer to the horizon, the light on the tree is beautiful and as the sun set and the light started to fade I spotted a leopard on a rain tree... its legs hanging from a main branch. We drive closer and we spent half an hour watching the most beautiful of them all from just below its branch. She is a beauty, she looks very interested in something and eventually she climbs the tree down... maaaan what a grace.... we went around to check and we could not see her so we drove back.... only to find her on another tree just above the road.... It was a bit late but nonetheless we served guests a cold gin and tonic for the most fantastic sundowner.. a drink with lady leopard.
She is pure awesomeness... this afternoon was pure awesomeness.

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