Tags
Cokes hartebeest, giraffe, Grantj's gazelle, hornbill, Hyena, Impala, lion cub, marabou stork, Ndutu, Shifting Sands, Tanzania, Thomson's gazelle, Von der Decken's hornbill, White stork, Wildebeest, zebra
The afternoon’s safari
included observing how difficult it is for giraffes to drink,
a herd of wildebeest and zebras migrating firstly alongside us and then crossing our path, many of the zebras stopping to drink, though not the wildebeest,
and an enchanting time again, as night fell, with some lions. It took some while for us to realise just how many there were in the heap and in the bushes, but in the end we counted seven cubs and three lionesses. A delightful moment was when one of the latter just went and lay down on top of the heap of cubs.
The next day, Monday 15th February, meant it was time to leave Ndutu and move on, or rather to retrace our path. This involved a much sunnier drive across the plain than when we arrived, and some great wildlife moments: a spotted hyena washing its meat, dozens of white storks at a watering hole and wheeling in the sky (sorry, no decent picture of that), and baby Thomson’s gazelle and wildebeest.
We also stopped at ‘Shifting Sands’, an isolated sand dune that moves under the effect of the wind, a most curious phenomenon. Shortly afterwards we were out of the Park.
(Soon: Ngorogoro Crater)
Olive Simpson said:
Wonderful photos as always – but I still find it hard to like a hyena. Pussycats steal the show for me!
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Musiewild said:
No contest for me but the hyena was curiously fascinating.
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susanpoozan said:
What a wonderful post to look through, I loved the giraffe drinking! Thank you for sharing such a feast.
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Musiewild said:
It was good to see for real what we’d only seen on the telly before.
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tootlepedal said:
What good value you got from your visit.
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Musiewild said:
I think I’ll not calculate a cost per animal! If I fixed by all those wildebeest it would come out very low!
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maryhutton2 said:
Lovely pictures – I hadn’t realised that giraffes need a strong pair of knees in order to drink. So glad you had another chance to see lionesses and all those cubs.
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Musiewild said:
It’s almost unbearable to watch those giraffe …
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Gerry said:
I’ve always wanted to see a giraffe at liberty. How wonderful to see them folding themselves up to drink, and then unfolding and striding along next to the trees.
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Musiewild said:
Seeing a giraffe for real is… surreal! And drinking, well the left-hand one looks like a bendy toy, doesn’t it.
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