A Wild Day in the Wild

Mike was the first one to notice the pack of wild dogs hanging around the watering hole while he was having coffee. Sean, the guide, made it a point to track the dogs on our morning game drive. We followed the dogs for awhile, found some hyena, wildebeest and impala but witnessed no real interaction among the animals. We waited patiently while the dogs snoozed, until finally, the elephants scared them away with a loud demonstration of machismo.

Sean jumped on a lead and did a "Ferrari Safari" for a surprise: a pride of lions. There were six large females and five cubs hidden under a tree taking a morning nap. Super sweet. We left the lions and had a nice coffee break with Amarula and little turtles before returning to camp for breakfast and a massage.

We were back tracking the dogs on our dusk game drive and experienced the thrill of the hunt and the excitement of a kill. The ten dogs methodically tracked an impala, killed it and devoured it within minutes. It was scary and emotional for us to witness the frenzy just feet away from the bloody mess. Once again, hyena and elephants were in on the action and it was a nail-biting scene of wildness.

We moved on after quite the show and we were somewhat late to a sunset goodbye cocktail party in the bush. A lovely surprise and beautiful setting was prepared in honor of our last night. On our way back to camp in the dark we were treated to a final sighting: a leopard right outside our gate. Dinner was enhanced by joyful enthusiasm and lively conversation, celebrating such an incredible day in the wild.