On Boxing Day, l joined four couples staying at the lodge for a game drive in Tsavo West. We did the usual - the Shetani lava flow, Mzima springs followed by a picnic lunch at the awesome Poachers Lookout that gives a 360-degree view of the enormous terrain.
The game drive was exciting for the guests with towers of giraffes, herds of zebras, long-necked gerenuks standing on their hind legs to browse on the taller shrubs, elephants and many other herbivores of the plains.
The guests were – as for those who visit the Tsavo for the first time – excited to see all this but Sam (one of the guests) wanted to see a lion, since he had never seen one in the wild. He was getting a little downcast because it was nearing the end of the game drive and we were on our way back to Voyager Ziwani.
It began to rain as we crossed Kitani River – and then we saw what Sam had been wishing for all along - a lion - not far from us. The excited group clicked away delighted at the sighting and we drove off.
But that wasn’t all. Two kilometers from the lodge, we were in for another surprise. This time – the most elusive cat of all – the leopard. Perfect view and tons of pictures later, we arrived elated at the lodge.
It was the perfect end to a game drive and we hope to have more exciting luck in 2012.
Stephen Lekatoo
Resident Naturalist at Voyager Ziwani
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