Honey - is that a lion ?

[Africalover]

 

@offshorebirder :

Thanks for your kind comments - I keep trying to improve my skills.

 

Now we head northeast to lobo - for more adventure.

Lobo area is different to Southern and central Serengeti.

More trees and more hilly - beautiful area. We went all the way to Kogatende, because the migration was back in Tanzania.

But we were not allowed to camp because the campsite was on the other side of Mara river and we couldn't cross the bridge - high water.

We were told to go to Lobo - another 60km.

A very long drive, sometimes in black cottonsoil.

 

Edited November 6, 2021 by Africalover

[Africalover]

On the way to Kogatende, we came across a pair of mating lions close to Grumeti river.

There is nothing like a lion stare.

 

[Kitsafari]

your excellent photos of the cheetah mum and her cubs in Seronera brought back fond memories of our first ever safari in Tanzania. We watched also in Seronera a cheetah mum, a brilliant huntress, catching young impala fawns 4x for herself and her two cubs. a Hyena had followed closely and stole each fawn during her first three hunts. Finally, while the hynea was busy fighting off other hyenas which came along on the third fawn, the cheetah family moved swifitly far away and brought down a fourth young impala but didn't kill it. the mum had left the fawn alive for her cubs to practise their hunting skills on. what a superb introduction we had to cheetahs. which is why they are my favourite Big Cat in Africa. 

 

Im so enjoying your report, and that tent under the acacia tree in the vast open spaces of the bush is so iconic of safaris in Africa. Love it!

[Treepol]

@Africaloveryour campsites in Seronera and Lobo look magical, so much space and just you and the animals. What a wonderful Seronera cheetah encounter.

[Africalover]

14 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

your excellent photos of the cheetah mum and her cubs in Seronera brought back fond memories of our first ever safari in Tanzania. We watched also in Seronera a cheetah mum, a brilliant huntress, catching young impala fawns 4x for herself and her two cubs. a Hyena had followed closely and stole each fawn during her first three hunts. Finally, while the hynea was busy fighting off other hyenas which came along on the third fawn, the cheetah family moved swifitly far away and brought down a fourth young impala but didn't kill it. the mum had left the fawn alive for her cubs to practise their hunting skills on. what a superb introduction we had to cheetahs. which is why they are my favourite Big Cat in Africa. 

 

Im so enjoying your report, and that tent under the acacia tree in the vast open spaces of the bush is so iconic of safaris in Africa. Love it!

Thanks for your kind comments, and what a fantastic sighting you had.

14 hours ago, Treepol said:

@Africaloveryour campsites in Seronera and Lobo look magical, so much space and just you and the animals. What a wonderful Seronera cheetah encounter.

Thanks.

 

When you camp wild, you most not be  faint of heart. One morning in Lobo, while preparing some sandwiches and making coffee in the in the dark, 5:30. I scan the area around as always. My torch reveals 4 pairs of eyes - aprox. 150m away. HONEY IS THAT LIONS!!! - Pia looks up -  jep, that's 4 lions walk past and looking at us. Keep an eye and I finish the sandwiches - that's my kind of woman.

More images from around Lobo :

 

[ElenaH]

17 hours ago, Africalover said:

Keep an eye and I finish the sandwiches - that's my kind of woman

cool! I'd like to be such brave! Such kind of woman ;-) Instead I was scared when "our" lions were coming each nicht to our camping place. 

Great sightings, wonderful photos and unforgettable experience! 

Were those 4 lions males?

[Africalover]

9 hours ago, ElenaH said:

cool! I'd like to be such brave! Such kind of woman ;-) Instead I was scared when "our" lions were coming each nicht to our camping place. 

Great sightings, wonderful photos and unforgettable experience! 

Were those 4 lions males?

It was 4 lionesses, walking in a single line, thanks for your kind comments.

 

We were very lucky to have most of our sightings to ourselves, especially in the north, in fact quite often we hardly met other vehicles.

Image of Grumeti river below.

 

[Africalover]

Next stop Bolongonja - northern Serengeti.

We new that the migration was back in Serengeti, but from lobo to Mara river is more than 2 hours drive.

We asked the rangers at Lobo airport if there was special campsite in bolongonja, there is not.

But Otto was lucky to get a permission for a special campsite for 3 nights. We drove to the rangerstation I Bolongonja and we were told to set camp a few km away.

It is by far one of the best campsites I've ever had. For 3 days we had the wilderness to ourselves, not a single vehicle around. Lions were 200m away and gave us a lot of attention during our stay. The migration was around, and the next 3 days we drove to Mara river and most of the time we had Serengeti to ourselves - magic. 

 

200m from camp

 

[KaliCA]

On 11/3/2021 at 1:21 PM, Africalover said:

This is not a trip report, but I want to share some anecdotes from my trip to Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Natron, together with my upcoming wife.

As always when I/we are on safari in Tanzania, we always go with our friend and guide Otto Mlanda, @Otto..The bushbaby With whom I have been to many places in Tanzania, several times - Selous, Ruaha,Katavi, Serengeti, Ndutu, ect.

Some of you might have read my previous TR.

For 2 years We have tried to do a selfdrive - Kgalagadi, Mabuasehube, Moremi, Khwai - Covid 19 stoppede that.

Instead we managed to do a trip to Northern TZ. 2021

To me going on Safari, has always been to get as close to nature and animals as possible - this we certainly did on this trip.

As always we try to only use Special campsites, to be as isolated as possible. This is very expensive in Tz - much more than Botswana.

 

Image of our campsite - Seronera 

 

One of my all time favorite spots: Sero 4. Lucky you!

We had 5 male lions visit there and playing with our camping chair. 

Just so you know, in 2015, we were allowed to camp in Kogatende just below the RANGER station and a few feet from the river, down river from the bridge. So I’m wondering if now this special site is no longer available. I hear they assign new areas for camping sometimes for different reasons. 
Thank you for showing us your beautiful images. 
im really 

Edited November 11, 2021 by KaliCA

[Africalover]

On 11/11/2021 at 4:44 AM, KaliCA said:

One of my all time favorite spots: Sero 4. Lucky you!

We had 5 male lions visit there and playing with our camping chair. 

Just so you know, in 2015, we were allowed to camp in Kogatende just below the RANGER station and a few feet from the river, down river from the bridge. So I’m wondering if now this special site is no longer available. I hear they assign new areas for camping sometimes for different reasons. 
Thank you for showing us your beautiful images. 
im really 

Thanks for your kind comments. I think I recall that you wrote a TR about your trip to Serengeti. Yes, Sereonera campsites was fantastic. But to get a special permission  to set up camp along Bolongonja river was mindblowing. 

Images from northern Serengeti.

Serval with cub.

 

[Africalover]

As previously mentioned, bushcamping is not for the faint-hearted. 

Pia and I was playing cards on our madras from the tent and Otto was taking a nap unde a tree.

I random looked to the left and saw something 100-200m away, I said Honey is that a lion.

Pia grabbed the binos and said, yes that's a lion. Necessary to say - we stopped playing cards, stood up and woke up Otto, immediately he got more alert and attentive. He was not that interested in us- for lunch- but hoped for the wildebeest, that had come past the last days. After a while he walked back to the other lions to sleep.

[Botswanadreams]

Thanks very much @Africalover you bring back very unforgetable memories from our time at Bolongonja camping in the midle of 10'000 or more Gnus with this incredible sound 24 hours.  

 

 

[Africalover]

6 minutes ago, Botswanadreams said:

Thanks very much @Africalover you bring back very unforgetable memories from our time at Bolongonja camping in the midle of 10'000 or more Gnus with this incredible sound 24 hours.  

 

 

You are welcome. Where did you camp - we were told no public or special ?

 

Wonderful morning - lots of Eland, Zebra and Wilderbeest.

 

 

[Botswanadreams]

I only can talk about 2015. We had a official booking for Bolongonia Special Campsite. I think the Campsite normally is on the southern bank of the river but people were busy to build up a tended camp. The Rangers told us to chose any place in the wild we like. So one of them jumped in our car because they only want to know where we are. This was our place around 1 km off road with a fantastic view over the valley.   

 

Our lovely Guide Zawadi Kalinga to the left (RIP) and our cook. 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by Botswanadreams

[Treepol]

@Africaloverbeautiful photos of the serval and cub and such a large herd of eland. Is it unusual to see so many together?

[Africalover]

17 hours ago, Treepol said:

@Africaloverbeautiful photos of the serval and cub and such a large herd of eland. Is it unusual to see so many together?

Thanks Treepol.

 

Images of Northern Serengeti.

[Africalover]

More images from Northern Serengeti.

[Kitsafari]

lovely images of the serval adult and cub. I can imagine the adult serval's look saying, Mister, you are in my way of sight. 

 

fantastic sighting of that large nursery creche of eland babies - i've never seen so many of them that young. 

 

[Africalover]

9 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

lovely images of the serval adult and cub. I can imagine the adult serval's look saying, Mister, you are in my way of sight. 

 

fantastic sighting of that large nursery creche of eland babies - i've never seen so many of them that young. 

 

Thanks for your kind comments. Normally it is hard to get photos of Eland, but this morning, they were not that shy.

 

Leopard Northern Serengeti

 

[KaliCA]

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing… that Serengeti landscape with all its critters is truly unforgettable. 
I have never even seen baby Eland before. They are adorable. 
Wonderful serval indeed. I actually  spotted a Black Serval in Amboseli and didn’t even know Black Servals existed. Haha. 

[Africalover]

On 11/15/2021 at 3:31 AM, KaliCA said:

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing… that Serengeti landscape with all its critters is truly unforgettable. 
I have never even seen baby Eland before. They are adorable. 
Wonderful serval indeed. I actually  spotted a Black Serval in Amboseli and didn’t even know Black Servals existed. Haha. 

Thanks a lot.

I think most of you will agree, that this male leopard is absolutely fantastic. I don't think it get´s much bigger.

We found him after we passed a bush and I looked back - bam - there he was, the biggest leopard I've ever seen.

I hope you enjoy this beauty.

 

 

 

 

[Toxic]

@Africalovera beauty indeed!  Love the light glittering off his beautiful coat.

 

[Kitsafari]

Indeed what a magnificent and handsome cat he is - i can't see any marks on his face as well.  

[Otto..The bushbaby]

On 11/12/2021 at 8:07 PM, Botswanadreams said:

I only can talk about 2015. We had a official booking for Bolongonia Special Campsite. I think the Campsite normally is on the southern bank of the river but people were busy to build up a tended camp. The Rangers told us to chose any place in the wild we like. So one of them jumped in our car because they only want to know where we are. This was our place around 1 km off road with a fantastic view over the valley.   

 

Our lovely Guide Zawadi Kalinga to the left (RIP) and our cook. 

 

 

Now is not allowed to camp at Bolongonya..nothing allowed camping or seasonal camp ....according to the renger is prottectect for the Rihno project

[Africalover]

On 11/19/2021 at 9:48 PM, Toxic said:

@Africalovera beauty indeed!  Love the light glittering off his beautiful coat.

Thanks

On 11/20/2021 at 3:52 AM, Kitsafari said:

Indeed what a magnificent and handsome cat he is - i can't see any marks on his face as well.  

!aybe because he is such a big male - nobody dares to challenge him.

 

1 hour ago, Otto..The bushbaby said:

Now is not allowed to camp at Bolongonya..nothing allowed camping or seasonal camp ....according to the renger is prottectect for the Rihno project

We were indeed very lucky to camp there. One of the best campsites I ever had in Tanzania - so isolated.

Thanks Otto for making it happened