Game Drive Recap

We covered a lot of ground in our game drives throughout Kenya and Tanzania and were lucky enough to track down "The Big 5" (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, and the elusive Black Rhino) over the course of the first three days.

The set up of the game drive is simple - go out into the expanse of nature, observe amazing animals in pristine settings, repeat as needed. Between drives there is literally nothing to do, so you just get to be. Eat, drink, swim, read, rest - it's been one of the most relaxing and enjoyable experiences of my life.

Hezron, a friendly, knowledgeable, seasoned safari pro, picked up where Salaton and Josef left off and guided us through Tanzania. Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, Tarangire - the landscapes of each location are as spectacular and diverse as the animals that inhabit them. We don't have time to thank each and every animal that took time out of their busy schedules to share their world with us, but a few deserve some special recognition:

The "surprise standout" awards go to. . . the eland (a massive, magnificent beast) and a sweet ostrich street fight. Trust me, you do not want to be wing slapped.

The "we could stare at your weirdness all day" award goes to. . . the giraffe. What an awesomely majestic oddity.

The "we get it. You're super big and strong" award goes to. . . the full-grown male elephant that charged us in the Serengeti. You quickly appreciate an elephant's size, strength, and speed when you have a six-ton bull gunning for you. Even Hezron laughed a bit nervously as we sped away.

And finally (as you may have guessed from Court's earlier post), the award for "best lead animal in a feature length game drive" goes to. . .the mamma cheetah of Maasai Mara! (Insert raucous applause here.)

This cat really showed us something. We came across her on our first morning out feeding on a fresh kill with her six cubs - if you've ever wondered if it's possible to look adorable while graphically gnawing at a gazelle, the answer is yes. The very next day on our cab ride to the airport (read bonus game drive en route to the dirt airstrip), we actually got to see this same cheetah stalk and take down a gazelle. Precise, graceful, silent movements as she inched to within 80 meters of her prey, and then she just took off, absolutely exploding with speed and easily taking down her target.

Maya (age 3), Santi (age 4), Dave (age 30), and Kevin (age 31) asked for photos of elephants, crocodiles, and rhinos, so they get priority. The rhino and croc were tough to find, so you'll have to look carefully. . .Enjoy kids!