Safari Day 1

We left on Tuesday at 7:30am for the first day of our Safari. I went with June, Les, Roger, and Angela who were also volunteers at A Rocha, although they were in their 60s and 70s. June and Les had been on numerous other safaris, so I was glad to be going with a group that knew what to expect and could ask to go to certain places that were special. Our drive/guide was Bonaya, and the tour company was African Memorable Safaris.

 We headed away from Mwamba and onto the road towards the Sala Gate of Tsavo East. The road is dirt and either really bumpy or washboard the whole way. We had wanted to get to Lugard Falls before lunch, so the driver was going very fast. After one particularly bad stretch of road Bonaya stopped to check on something, and discovered that a u-bolt had broken on the right-rear wheel; we were stuck. About ten other safari vehicles stopped to see if they could help, but the break required a mechanic. We transferred into another vehicle and were driven to Sala Gate.

Our broken-down van and others trying to help.

Along the way to the park, we saw a herd of elephants trying to get shade under a bare tree, and the safari vehicle we were in drove right up to them. I was pretty surprised that we were allowed to leave the road in what seems like a very fragile habitat, but I later learned that driving off-road is not allowed inside the park. We were just outside the park at that point, although I still think it was not a good idea to trample the soil and vegetation. It was really exciting to see my first herd of elephants, but we didn't stick around too long so that we wouldn't disturb them.

Elephants trying to get some shade.

After driving for about an hour to the park entrance gate, we were dropped off and waited for about 3 hours for another vehicle to come get us. While we were waiting outside the park, I saw a waterbuck in the distance, crocodiles being called in by one of the locals like dogs, and zebra that were probably within park boundaries. The stop also had a beautiful view of the Galana River, where we saw some shorebirds foraging (like Greenshank). We also had lunch while waiting, since we wouldn't get to the lodge in time, and it was a really delicious plate of beef tips, rice, vegetables, and fries.

View of the Galana River from the Sala Gate.

When our new vehicle and driver got to the gate to pick us up, we went into the park and began speeding towards the Voi Lodge where we would spend the night. We did stop to look at some animals, but we were going so fast that it was hard to spot anything. When we were about 20km from the lodge, our driver heard from Bonaya that the van was repaired and he was on his way to get us again. So we turned around and sped back towards the Sala Gate. I don't understand why we didn't just do a normal-speed game drive while Bonaya drove to the park, which would have been much more enjoyable than rushing around on those bumpy roads.
Once we got back into our original vehicle with Bonaya, we started going more slowly so we could see our surroundings and spot wildlife better. We started seeing more zebra, elephants, waterbuck, giraffe, and lots of different bird species. We also saw ostrich, gazelle, impalas, dikdik (tiny deer), and lots of hornbills. The landscape in Tsavo East is mostly open plains with scrub/brush and thicker trees around any water, so it is really easy to see lots of wildlife, since they are not hiding in thick bush.

I was really excited to see giraffe, they are so strange!

Zebra in their natural habitat.

Adult and calf zebra. There were lots of young animals to see.

Our most exciting siting of the day was a cheetah resting in the shade of a tree. We could tell it was a cheetah because it had black "tears" from the eye down to the chin. There were about eight other safari vehicles there also looking at the cheetah. When the drivers spot something interesting, like a lion or a rhino, they will get on their radios to let all the other drivers where to go, and that is why there are often pile-ups around special wildlife. I would much rather be out in the bush than on the road with forty other safari vehicles, but this is how it is for tourists.

The cheetah we saw on our first game drive.

We got to the Voi Safari Lodge at about 6:30, which is when it starts to get dark. The lodge is perched on a steep hillside with beautiful rooms and a beautiful view of the savanna below. There is a watering hole at the base of the hill where we saw elephants coming in at dusk to drink. There is also a blind near the watering hole, so you can get up close to the animals that come in to drink without disturbing them, which is really important also for making sure the animals don't become accustomed to humans. This was not the case at our next lodge.

Me at the Voi Safari Lodge in Tsavo East.

View from the Voi Safari Lodge.