Day 14 Dunia Camp

Today we are heading back to Namiri Plains so it will be another full day’s outing with picnic lunch. The great thing about all day drives is that it is not quite such an early start. Despite that I awoke very early and could see torches being flashed in the bushes. I thought no more about it, wrote some of my blog and headed for breakfast at 07.00. Angel comes over to chat. Apparently she has had quite an eventful morning. She left her tent at 05.30 and caught the glint of eyes in her torchlight. She looked carefully and saw a fully grown male lion laying at the bottom of the steps into tent No.5. I am tent No. 3….. He seemed unperturbed by her presence but when she called for more staff he ambled away. There are a lot of predators here, walking alone after dark is a no go and there are no bush walks. I can totally see why!

We depart at 07.30 and see a leopard in the same tree as yesterday and stop to take photos. The light is perfect and I have more great shots.

We drive on and today the plains are empty. Where we saw so much yesterday there is just grass, grass and the occasional hartebeest. There is a bustard and we do eventually spot two small groups of lions and a small herd of elephant but nothing else.

John says “There is always hope”. I think perhaps I have been spoilt so far! Well we drive on and start to see lots of zebra and then wildebeest. Hoorah – we have found the migration! John says “Let’s have an early lunch and then see if we can find some action”. We park in a beautiful glade of yellow acacias with the lushest and greenest grass. Lunch is quiche and salad. It slips down very well with an ice-cold beer.

We set off again and before long we are out on the Namiri Plains surrounded by thousands and thousands of zebra and wildebeest. It is exposed here and cooler with a very strong wind blowing and dust swirling around.

We spot a group of vultures on the ground so drive over to see if there is perhaps a kill there. There is not but we then notice, a short distance away, a mother cheetah and her cub. They are in some shrubbery but we can see as we approach that they have made a kill. We are the only vehicle and settle down to watch how the scenario will play out. The vultures are waiting for the cheetahs to finish eating and minute by minute more appear. We sit for 2 hours – patience is the thing. 2 other vehicles join us briefly but we see no-one else. There is only 1 camp on Namiri Plains and John recommends that I stay here in the future as it is very much like being in a private reserve. I know there will be amazing action when the cheetahs finally finish their meal. They look absolutely bloated with large swollen stomachs yet still they keep on eating. There are now 4 different species of vulture and probably 70-80 birds in total. They inch nearer and nearer and every so often the cheetah cub chases them off.

Finally the cheetahs can eat no more. They back away from the kill and complete chaos ensues. Everything happens so fast. The vultures descend on the carcass but now hyenas are appearing in the distance and running towards us. It is amazing how fast they can run and now they chase the vultures out of the way and steal the carcass and fight amongst themselves for possession. So much is happening. I do not know where to point the camera. In the meantime the cheetahs are being harassed by the wildebeest who do not want them near their young. Having waited over 2 hours to see how events would play out, it is all over in less than 5 minutes. Astonishing!

It is now getting late and have come a long way so we have to drive back to camp very fast indeed. It is a very bumpy and uncomfortable journey but so worth it. As a grand finale all 9 lions are back in their favourite tree. We watch them briefly as it is now getting dark.

When I arrive for dinner more guests have arrived. There is a variety of nationalities but everyone is friendly and have interesting stories to relate. We chat around the campfire then sit at a large communal table. I am seated next to Peter and Branco from Berlin. Zay are so outrageous darling and such fun company. It turns into quite a boisterous meal and I am sad that I shall be leaving tomorrow. Dunia Camp has been a wonderful place to stay and I shall return.