Back to Africa; Chumbe Island & Kenya: Simbavati Safari Camp, Tuesday & Wednesday, October 6 & 7, 2015

I apologize for being behind on my emails. Normally I have 4 hours between breakfast and lunch. That is the only time available between 5 AM wakeup and the end of dinner at about 9:30. Tuesday we moved to Arathusa Safari Lodge. The move took up my writing time on Tuesday. On Wednesday it was over 100 degrees. After our post-lunch nature walk I needed a nap so that day was gone.

So this update is for Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning at Simbavati.

Tuesday evening game drive.

Another group found a White Rhino. We were late to the party, but we were able to follow him through the brush/trees. Our guide said he only weighed about two tons, but I can't believe he was that small.

We also saw some Wart Hogs and a Pygmy Mongoose. The Pygmy Mongoose is reportedly the smallest carnivore.

At our sundowner (that is what we call our afternoon tea when we stop at dusk for tea and biscuits and wait for it to get dark) we were in the company of several Giraffes. They seemed very curious about us - but not curious enough to get close. After the sundowner the tracker scans the sides of the road as we drive back to the lodge. He is looking for eyes that reflect the light. As we passed one of the water holes we saw a Hippo that had just left the water. There was a Hyena there, too.

Final game drive at Simbavati - on Wednesday October 7.

We started the morning by watching two male elephants as they were feeding at the side of a paved road. One was so close that if he had taken one step toward us he could have reached us with his trunk. It was most interesting to observe how delicately he could remove the foliage from the bushes with his trunk, the same trunk he uses to rip trees out of the ground. After we watched him for a while he expressed his displeasure with us by shaking his head. Fortunately he withdrew instead of attacking us.

Then we went to a place nearby where another group had spotted a pair of Lions resting on a sand bar. It was the dominant male of the area with a female. They were most cooperative in posing for us. I will attach a photo.

On the way to tea we passed some of the very elegant Kudu bulls.

When we stopped for tea at a large pond there were some Hippos, some Crocodiles, and several kinds of birds including: 3-banded plovers, wood sandpipers, buffalo weavers and a white stork in the distance.

As at every drive we passed many Impala and some Zebras.

I have not explained all of the photos that are attached. They just represent things we saw that I was able to photograph.