We left the Ndutu plains and headed north to our mobile camp on the Serengeti side. The camp has a stunning view on the plains all around. It’s a spot I absolutely love. We headed out in the afternoon to the kopjes and we were delighted to find a Lioness with her two small cubs just on a beautiful kopje. We spent an amazing afternoon alone with them. Not another vehicle in sight. The cubs played and nursed. The landscape was amazing. We were set for some amazing days here.
For the whole night the Lions roared outside our tents. It was amazing. We were literally surrounded. The next morning however, we woke up to a strong wind sweeping the plains. Very strong wind. Bad news for wildlife. Especially for wildlife on rocks. While heading to the Lions’ area we came across an unexpected scene of a Cheetah climbing a beautiful rocky formation for a split second. Just the time for one image. Then it was down and lost in the plains.
We drove on and found the lions lying flat in the middle of the plains. Away from the road and not doing anything. We waited hoping they would come to the rocks. Nothing. Same story in the afternoon. The wind didn’t give up. The next day it was the same strong wind, and the same Lions away from the rocks, in the middle of the plains without any interest in seeking shelter on the rocks. We drove on to the central Serengeti, came across some nice Elephant herds and a Leopard on a tree. And on the way back to camp, a rare sighting of an Aardwolf.
The next morning was our last. The wind had disappeared. As we drove down on the plains we immediately found an interesting scene of a Lioness eating surrounded by a clan of Hyenas. We photographed her struggling to keep her food until she eventually moved on.
On we drove, and finally we found one of the two dominant males in the area, the famous Lion known as Bob Marley. A stunning sight of this old boy, father of the two cubs. We followed him as he walked back to the rocks after resting in the grass.
And to end it all, we found a beautiful Cheetah walking across the plains. We followed him as he headed to a nice set of rocks. He climbed each rock to smell and scent mark, and to scan the plains for danger or prey. This brief morning goes to show how much can things change from one day to the next, and what a strong difference the wind makes in these areas.
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