One of the lions, just after the kill. All photos by Robert Corkery.
Close up on an impala.
Mom and cub after the buffalo dinner.
Over the years, I’ve traveled a decent amount. Not so much as some, but I definitely have a good number of stamps in my passport. That means I have tons of travel tales and photos. And I’d like to share them. So today, I’m launching another regular column for the blog – Travel Tuesday. To start, I have some photos from a safari we took to South Africa a few years ago. We were at Motswari Game Reserve and to this day, this trip is still one of my all-time favorites.
Seeing wild animals close up – not in a zoo – was amazing. There’s no way to adequately express just how cool it was to see lions, giraffes, cheetahs, zebras, elephants, rhinos, monkeys and more right there in front of me as I sat in an open-top jeep.
To top it off, on the very first day, on the very first trip out, we saw two lionesses take down a buffalo. They worked in tandem to make the kill and it was both fascinating and terrifying. I can still smell the blood and hear the sounds of the flesh tearing and the buffalo’s distress calls. I didn’t want to watch, but I had to. This was survival of the fittest – National Geographic and the Discovery Channel in my face. I still get chills just thinking about it.
And if you ever get the chance to go on safari, do it. I’d go again tomorrow.
And a not quite so scary looking view of a lion.
{ 4 comments }
Do you remember the name of the tracker? He had such a fitting name but none of us can remember…
Hi Leslie, Was it Patience? Or else something like that?
Absolutely amazing photos, Robert! So true, Sandy. I will never forget the various safaris I went on while in Africa, including the one on the Okavango Delta where I was fortunate enough to witness a kill. I always feel that it is a privilege to observe nature in such an intimate way. It is unfortunate that economics play a role in safari access—I was grateful that my employers at the time included me on these special trips 🙂
Kezia: Maybe we need to go on safari together sometime after you get your PhD! And I will let Robert know that you like his photos!
Comments on this entry are closed.