Day three in Serengeti.
As usual the group rose early, had a full breakfast, and we were on the road by 7:30am. Our destination was one of the largest animal gathering areas—visited by both predators and prey—in the southern Serengeti.
A network of streams criss-crossed a large area, keeping the tall grass growing, fresh and green even in the driest season of the year. All the wildlife in the area knew about watering hole and would visit to get a drink and eat before the lions, who were taking naps in the tall grass, began to make dinner plans.
Just after eight in the morning, after a short viewing of the other wildlife, we approached the watering hole—Central Station, so to speak—where the streams crossed and kept the grass uniformly lush.
An old worn out termite mound on the outskirts of the green area, about five feet tall, served as an observation platform by the big cats. On our way in it was not occupied, as all of the resident lions were still sleeping in. The flattened tall grass used for bed was still too comfy for them to leave. Lions, especially adult males, are very lazy in nature and sleep about twenty hours a day.
We slowly cruised around the green area, enjoying the endless herds of Cape Buffalo and Zebras that marched towards their grazing areas nearby.
Next thing we know, a gorgeous black male lion with full mane is sitting on top of the lookout mound and was scanning the entire area, as if keeping an eye on his kingdom. We were all stunned by his majestic presence and for a while we stood still and admired his beauty and graceful strength.
I came to my senses, snapped out of his hypnotizing spell, grabbed my camera and moved to the front of the vehicle. He was directly in front of me and about the same eye level. I asked everyone not to move and started to click away. I got some decent shots of him sitting on his throne, basking in the sun with his sphinx pose, but nothing to write home about.
After about fifteen minutes of giving us, by far, the best experience of our lifetimes he stood up, scanned the horizon from left to right to chose a direction for his morning patrol. Towards the end of this scan his expression changed and he started sniffing the air more frequently. His upper lip and whiskers started to shake uncontrollably and his jaw dropped.
I was stunned; I couldn’t believe I was actually witnessing this heaven-sent scene. But I came to my senses quickly and took few shots before he jumped off the mound and went on his way to investigate.
This experience will stay with me as long as I live.