A weekend @ Tsavo

It was not even a month since my last visit to Tsavo that I began to crave for another visit. My 3rd visit to Tsavo was in end July 2017. When you have a friend who is crazy as you are, it was not difficult to pack your bags and set out on a weekend safari! The worst part of the two hour journey was the road construction work on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway. The diversions on gravel road took a toll on the body and the vehicle as well. Anyway when we finally made it to the park gate, I could feel the excitement building inside of me. My mind was wondering on what animals would I see. I was hoping that once again we could spot lions but I really wanted to see the fasted cat on the planet, the Cheetah.

As we began our drive in the park, I began to feel like I was in paradise. The dry wind blowing across my face and the smell of fresh air was priceless. Since we only had one night, time was critical. We checked in to Ashnil Aruba lodge and began our game drives. Even with the dry weather, the abundance of elephants was amazing. But taking a closer look, these giants were not having a easy life. We heard stories of many calf’s and old elephants dying due to the harsh climate.

As the day progressed, our efforts were diverted to locate the big cats. Spotting a big cat by no means is a easy task. Sometimes you need nothing but luck. You have to be at the right place at the right time. Otherwise within seconds the animal may vanish in to the bush.

Lady luck was on our side that evening. We spotted two young lions and a lone lioness towards the evening. We spent quite some time with these cats that we didn’t realize the light was fading fast. As we began our trip back to the lodge the African sunset was starring at us.

As we ended the day, we were extremely happy with what we saw. The next morning we went on a game drive but unfortunately there we no big cat sightings. After breakfast we checked out began our journey back. We decided to exit the park from the Voi gate instead of the usual Buchuma gate. And thus what was siting by the side of the road? Two Cheetah’s were chilling under a small bush! This was the cherry on the cake! My first sighting of a Cheetah. I was thrilled and we stayed near the Cheetah for nearly half an hour.

What more could you ask? A weekend safari at one of the biggest game parks in Africa! As we got to the highway, I began to think how lucky we were with the lions and the last minute cheetah. As we got closer to Mombasa, I began to think when am I going back to Tsavo???