Misty mornings
After a very cold & wet game drive the previous night, none of the guests were too keen on getting up before the break of dawn for yet another cold drive….
I was waiting by the coffee station when I saw in the feint early morning light the guys dragging themselves towards the lodge, everyone covered from head to toe! A very unusual sight here in Zulu-land….
Well, we had our coffee & decided to head out North. It was still fairly dark when we left the lodge & the cold winter air cuts like a knife, even through all the various layers of clothing & blankets!
The sun came out, but we still couldn’t see more than a few meters ahead of us, the mist was too thick. We drove up onto the hill & were rewarded with a breath-taking sunrise! We were staring out over the valley of sleeping buffaloes, caught in the moment when suddenly a lion called just ahead of us!
Naturally we decided to investigate, who wouldn’t??? Well, we heard one call in front of us, then another called from behind us, & then, right next to the Cruiser, one of the Bafana Boys came out of the mist! He gave us a long, intense stare with those magnificent amber eyes before turning around & started marking his territory.
We followed him, & every few paces he would sniff, turn around & spray. This went on for a long time when suddenly his body language changed & he crouched down…
We waited in anticipation….
Then, from behind a bush came another lion! The first one jumped up & greeted his brother with a huge cat-hug! The 2 of them played for a few minutes, & then went back to business… marking their territory. Unfortunately for them, they both wanted to scent-mark in the same tree at the same time…
Jip, that’s right, both fell out!
They can be very lucky that it wasn’t a big tree & that they fell less than 1meter!
Well, needless to say, we had an awesome morning & we were all very glad that we withstood the temptation of sleeping in!
This is the bush, so one can always expect the unexpected!
Photos and Text by Mandie Pool - Amakhosi Ranger
