Adventure Trip

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to go on a jeep safari once again – this time in the afternoon, which meant experiencing a completely different time of day.

Again, several jeeps arrived, but the first to come by randomly was the driver with whom we had traveled the day before. He warmly greeted us and invited us to get back into his vehicle.

For a moment, we feared that we might be experiencing the same tour again, just a few hours later. But right at the start, he took a different path than all the other drivers. Suddenly, we were alone and could quietly observe a group of giraffes up close.

We learned a lot about giraffes, saw a very old specimen in its likely final years of life, and passed by a hippopotamus that had been lying in the exact same position at the same spot since early morning.

It seemed to be one of the 'losers,' as our guide explained: a male animal that had lost the fight against a competitor the previous night, who was now allowed to surround himself with the group’s females. The trainee accompanying us today told us that veterinarians would examine the hippopotamus and remove it should it die there, considering potential diseases as a cause. Otherwise, nature would take its course – likely involving crocodiles and hyenas.

So it was a calm ride.

Until our jeep got stuck in the sand. 🙈

The day before, I had wondered if something like this could actually happen here. Now I knew.

There might have been something wrong with the differential gear. In any case, the vehicle only sank deeper into the sand with each attempt to free itself.

We were reliant on help and were quite relieved when other jeeps finally arrived. However, the first attempts to pull us out were unsuccessful. There was certainly a certain tension in the air – after all, we had just been on our way to see the lions. 🦁

Eventually, we were indeed freed. However, since our jeep could get stuck again at any moment, the driver who had pulled us out remained nearby just in case.

As a thank you, our guide wanted to show him where the lions were currently located.

They were on the hunt.

In the tall grass, they lay almost invisible, waiting. Meanwhile, a group of elephants with several babies was slowly approaching. We weren't quite sure if we actually wanted to witness an attack or not. Definitely not a successful one.

The elephants moved forward cautiously while the lions remained completely motionless in the grass.

And then it was time for our scheduled drink break. 😳

So we drove a few hundred meters further to the other side of the tall grass. There, we spotted a herd of antelopes. We actually got out, received drinks and snacks, and observed the antelopes – fully aware that just a few hundred meters away, several lions were lying in wait in the grass.

Just a safari break. 😉

Shortly after, we got back in and started our way back. However, we didn’t get far.

Because suddenly, the lions emerged from the grass.

One after another, they moved towards us. 😳

For our guides, it was probably less surprising than for us when they eventually veered off, walking between the jeeps and boats and further towards the antelope herd.

And at that very moment, we had to turn back.

So we don’t know how the story continued for the lions and antelopes.

Nevertheless, we were impressed.

And perhaps a little relieved as well. 🦁🦌