Encounter with the Night Stalker

“The skill of the leopard is beautiful but not its heart” – African Proverb

It was just over a year since I fell in love with the African savanna. In every safari trip I always look out for the big cats. By now I have seen the lion and the cheetah couple of times but there was one big cat which I had encountered only once, THE LEOPARD! The leopard is an amazing cat with highest success rate in hunting among all the big cats. Last time I encountered a leopard was at the Masai Mara, chilling on a tree. But in Tsavo, I have never encountered one. Then, I got to know that there was lodge in Tsavo West which hangs a piece of meat and a leopard comes in the night to eat it. I could not believe this because usually leopards are known to make kills. Thus began my plan to visit this lodge with my usual travel buddy Kamran. We visited Tsavo West on the last weekend of November 2018 and it was the first time I would be visiting Tsavo West.

As compared to Tsavo East which has a lot of flat terrain, Tsavo West is more hilly and greeny. Its much more scenic and the weather is cooler. We entered the park around 11 am and was at the lodge in time for lunch. The lodge was on of the oldest lodges in Kenya and the place was stuck in a time capsule of the 1960’s! After a decent lunch and settling to our rooms and relaxing for a couple of hours it was time for our evening game drive. Since we didn’t know much of the West, we took a hotel guide since we had to make it back before dusk for the evening spectacle!

We made are way to Shethani Lawa flow area is known for its black soil which is dried up lawa from an ancient volcano. Also in the surrounding area one of the youngest mountains in the world which are still being formed. After than we made are way to the Mzima springs which is a fresh water spring which caters to the water supply to the coastal city of Mombasa. This area is a place where you could get down from the vehicle and relax a bit, walk around and enjoy the calming noise of the flowing water. Also, you could witness the hippo’s relaxing and crocodiles sun bathing on the shores.

As the sun was going down, it was time to head back to the lodge. We got back by 6.30 and it was time for an unforgettable experience in my life. This lodge for over 20 years have been hanging a piece of meet on a tree which was a couple of feet from the dining area and there would be a leopard coming in the night to each the meat. Now, the time the leopard could come at 7 pm or even could be mid night or even not come at all! It was a gamble but the odds favored us. Kamran and myself got our cameras ready sat on our seat and waited……. The night got darker. The night got quieter. And then out of the dark thick bush emerged a beautiful female leopard!!! I was thrilled! She got on to the tree and started to bite and rip off the meat. And just like that within minutes she vanished into the bush! We were so happy to witness the leopard so close! And we slowly started to pack our bags and then alas!!! Another leopard appeared out of nowhere!! This time it was male and he was too late to the party!! Again he too climbed the tree trying to find scraps which his lady friend would have left behind. With not much luck he too vanished into the bush! What a night it was! Two leopards within minutes.

Next day morning was a complete change of weather. It was clod, rainy and foggy. I felt like I was in a mysterious land like no other! After breakfast, we packed our bags and began our journey to exit the park.

As we were closing upon the gate, Kamran spotted something in the bush. We stopped the car and looked closely and to our amazement it was a pack of wild dogs!!! Spotting a pack of wild dogs is extremely rare. Wilde dogs are classified as endangered and spotting them was a treat! We spent nearly an hour near them. They too were curious about the car and was taken up by our presence. After they got fed up with us they vanished into the bush. This was the cherry on the cake!!

After we left Tsavo West, we headed towards Mombasa and we decided to take a diversion through Tsavo East! We entered the park through Manyani gate and left Tsavo East through Bachuma gate. It was a normal drive but no luck in spotting any big cats.

What an end to a trip to Tsavo West. Two leopards and a pack of wild dogs! What more can you ask? It was truly memorable trip. With each trip I begin to realize that I am slowly falling in love with the hidden beauty of the mother Africa!

“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same” – Brian Jackman