Well, the time has come to say good-bye to beautiful Botswana. What an amazing trip we took! Many thanks go out to our handler, Kelvin, who organizes trips for us around Africa. My next stop will likely be South Africa. I know it will be amazing too!
Botswana Wildlife
The magnificent sunrise treated us to more spectacular scenery. A solitary female lion laid in wait of a hunt while tsessebe grazed on the golden grazes. Baboons darted from one tree to another. Fighting for territory, one baboon tried to shake another off the swaying tree limb! The babies just clung to their moms.
Lioness in a Tree!
A lone giraffe stared at us when we stopped to admire it, but what was truly remarkable was to find a pride of lions with one of them resting on a tree branch like a leopard! This is extremely unusual. I have only heard of one pride which adapted to climbing trees in Tanzania. I was pleasantly surprised by this incredible experience!
While the rest of her pride rested in the shade below, the lioness jostled on the tree branch for a comfortable position. She switched between snoozing with her legs dangling over the branch to full alertness, ready for her next kill.
After changing positions a handful of times, she finally sauntered along the branch to the trunk where she leapt to the ground to join her mates. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to end our Botswana safari since lions bid us farewell in Chobe and in Khwai.
Another Leopard!
But wouldn’t you know, my all time favorite, a leopard, rested under a tree right next to the bush airport. Seriously?!?!? She was a slender, young beauty that provided that coveted yawn shot just minutes before we had to leave. Ahhhh!
The culture, the people, the wildlife, the nature, the experience…priceless! Thank you, Botswana. ETB
The sleeping lion photo at the top is the best. That’s a comfy cat.
I love your sleepy kitty in a tree! Her spots are very alluring. Looks like a fabulous trip.
We were all Africa ..but he looks like he is sleeping on the branch. Let’s follow each other .