(This is part of a trip report to Africa. I flew United First/Business class to Africa, using 120,000 miles and $87!) Our first full day in Zimbabwe, we went on a “Ferrari Safari,” as our guide called it, as we raced along the dirt roads to see the lions! Most of the pride was gone, except for this male and the dominant female.

One thing that was a surprise was how relaxed the lions seem, but they are truly the “king” of the animal kingdom. They sleep about twenty-two hours a day and NO animal bothers them.

I thought it was weird to see palm trees in the desert, and our guide explained that the elephants brought it when they migrated over one hundred years ago (the seeds were in their dung)!

One of my favorite animals was the zebra – they were more skittish than I thought they would be.

 

It’s hard to get pictures of baby elephants, their moms are VERY protective and shield them, but these are some from that first day.

 

This is a steenbok, similar to a deer, with a termite mound behind it.

A herd of kudu…we ate some at our other camp. It was tough and not very tasty.

Hundreds of cape buffalo behind our camp one afternoon. They are the most ferocious land animal (and one of the ugliest too)!

 

We went to a “hide,” (a man-made structure, made to look natural) to watch the cape buffalo as they came to drink. The female is on the left, with two males on the right.

A bird at the water hole…

These were taken that afternoon from our front porch! (I did use a zoom lens throughout the trip)!

Our giraffe sighting, just as sunset began…

Amazing African sunset…the shadow is an elephant.

Next up, hippos and more animals.