"Best of Africa" Safari: The Animals

Everywhere we looked, including all around our camp, we could see migrating herds of zebra and wildebeest. All part of the Great Migration.

As our seven country safari has drawn to a close, I wanted to make a few posts that recap some of our favorite things. This will be some of our best animals encounters and photos. We traveled Kenya to Tanzania to Rwanda to South Africa to Botswana to Zimbabwe to Zambia. We recorded new species of animals until our final day at Vitoria Falls in Zambia. We had encounters with lions, so close to the vehicle, that we had to pull our cameras back inside. We had lions mating, crocodiles eating zebras, wildebeest swimming across the Mara river, and tiny baby lions as we flew overhead in a hot air balloon. We stayed in 1920's colonial historic camps, and luxurious mobile tents with bucket showers. We became part of the gorillas in the mist, while braving the deep mud. We survived tsetse flies in Lake Manyara, and an African spider bite. We got in the groove of waking up early to be the first ones out, and often the last ones back. We figured out who to give the spotlight to on our night drives.

Between Greg and myself we amassed over 10,000 photos. Here are some of my favorites from my big camera.

One of our most unique animal encounters. The circle of life. This zebra tried to swim across the Mara River but met this crocodile instead.

The Great Migration in action. Usually you would have to share these action packed river crossings with fifty other cars...but this one happened so fast that we had it all to ourselves.

In Lake Manyara National Park, we were treated to an intimate encounter with their famous 'tree-climbing' lions.

In Botswana's Okavango Delta we had our second chance to see elephants chasing away male lions.

A male cheetah, part of a coalition of three brothers, glides silently through the tall grass of the Masai Mara in Kenya.

This herd of wildebeest picked a good time to cross the Mara River, the waters were down, so the current wasn't too strong, and all of the crocodiles were busy around the corner, feeding on a freshly killed zebra.

An early morning, intimate encounter with a leopard. This fleeting moment, in which the leopard acknowledged our presence, will forever be in my memory, thanks to this photo. Deep in the wilds of the Serengeti.

Another leopard, this one outside of Kruger National Park in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, showing off some impressive climbing skills.

Not to be outdone, our lion encounters were plentiful as well! We saw them in every park we went to...except in the Virunga Mountains with the gorillas, where they don't exist.

Our top leopard encounter of the trip... and that is saying something. We first found this momma leopard's kill in a tree, then after searching the area, we found her down by the river. She gave chase to a waterbuck, then crossed the river while calling to her cub. We followed and were treated with a brief encounter with this tiny 2 month old leopard cub. Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa.

Our first leopard on our trip. This big male leopard sat, hidden in a tree, for a couple of hours before he gave us a bit of action. We had a coffee break, and even had a lunch break, while we waited for this gorgeous cat to wake up. Masai Mara, Kenya.

It seems like so long ago, our time at the Masai Mara. It was our first stop in our almost month long safari. Looking back through these pictures helps me remember just how amazing our lion sightings were there. This was one of the Taliban brothers, who rule a large swathe of the Mara.

We were on our way to the airstrip in the Serengeti when we happened upon this curious sight. Mating giraffes.

Another Sabi Sand leopard sighting. We ended up having seven different leopard sightings in the Sabi Sand Game reserve over the course of four days.

They weren't just gorillas in the mist.... they were gorillas right next to us! We were surrounded, and felt like part of the family, with the Muhoza Family of 22 gorillas. Trekking with gorillas is a must when you visit Africa.

The unusual stare of a female leopard, deep in the golden grass of the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Our first morning game drive in the Masai Mara in Kenya provided one of most special lion encounters of the whole trip. Two moms with a bunch of very young, playful cubs casually hung out with us nearby. A couple of hot air balloons flew by, but other than that, we were the only ones around.

A powerful moment as this lion pauses and put this tracker directly in its gaze. We followed this lion for a while, watching it remark its territory while occasionally calling out for his brothers.

This is an iconic Masai Mara shot.

What is cuter than a gorilla? How about a tiny baby gorilla!

This sleepy mom just wanted to get some mid morning shut eye.

A classic cat stretch from this leopard before settling down for a nap in the tall reeds of the Sand River.

These African wild dogs would have been easy to miss. Luckily some vultures were around, and a lone hyena had been looking intently in their direction. After scanning with binoculars, I managed to catch the flip of its tail and the top of its ear from a about 400 yards away.

Our favorite lion cubs from our first full day in the Mara with our guide, David.

I really wanted Greg and Sue to feel like they were a part of the Great Migration....cue this herd of 5,000 wildebeest in the Mara!

This yawning king of the jungle was captured on our Lion Day in the Masai Mara.

After waiting for a while for this leopard to move, we got so excited when he finally came down and gave us a good look.

Not many people get to see a red duiker. Even less get a photo of this shy and elusive antelope. This was one of our Lake Manayara National Park great finds. Tanzania.

Vultures led us to this hyena, who had a buffalo leg in its mouth. Then we followed the clues further to the river, where we found a pride of very full lions. Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, South Africa.

The silverback of the Muhoza Gorilla Family, in the Virunga Mountains National Park of Rwanda.

We thought it was pretty funny that we were so set on finding wild dogs that we only stopped for a second to check out this super cute baby white rhino and its mom, in Sabi Sand.

Another one of my favorite leopard photos from the trip. The intense stare is unusual, as it the perfect placement of the head of the impala.

We found African wild dogs! They were top of our list going into South Africa, and Sabi Sand delivered!

It is always worth peeking out of your room and scanning with binoculars. Look how close this leopard is to camp. We actually had another leopard stalk right through our camp as we ended dinner one night at Kirkman's Camp.

We had several really nice encounters with these three cheetah brothers in the Masai mara. It would turn out to be the only cheetahs spotted all trip.

The urge to keep moving forward drives these migrating wildebeest across rivers and over the edge of cliffs. One of these got hurt and ended up as hyena food later in the day.

This hyena is gnawing on the leg bone of a freshly killed wildebeest.

Here in the Northern Serengeti, we really felt like we were smack dab in the middle of the Great Migration.

Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania is famous for its tree climbing lions....and we saw them!

This photo really came together nicely. This is the same leopard that we had followed across the river to her young cub, here in the Sabi Sand game reserve. She was back in the tree with her kill a few days later when I was able to snap this picture of her peeking at us.

The birds here in Africa can really steal the show. It is really hard to not become enthusiastic when they are all this beautiful. With some good binoculars, you can really add a lot of species when you count all the birds. This grey headed kingfisher posed perfectly for us.

This was the only good shot of a malachite kingfisher that I got all trip, and it was on Day 2. These tiny birds are just brilliantly colored. This one was hidden amongst the reeds but luckily our guide, David, found it.

There are many owl species here in Africa, so we were looking for them from day 1. I can't tell you how many branches I checked for owls. But we couldn't find them.... until our very last stop, at the Okavango Delta in Botswana. This western barn owl was in a hole in a big baobab tree near Sandibe Camp, and a huge Verreux's Eagle Owl was not far away.

This purple-crested turaco was a tough one to get a photo of. I couldn't believe I got this one of the bird about to eat that entire fruit!

Of all the large birds, walking around the African savanna, this might be the most beautiful. The national bird of Uganda...the grey crowned crane.

A pied kingfisher waits patiently for its next victim in the Sand River, South Africa.

I'm always on the lookout for the red and yellow barbet. Not only are they beautiful, but they are also the cover bird on the East Africa Bird Book that everyone uses.

I almost got the photo I was looking for. One of Africa's most beautiful birds, taking flight. Just one pesky branch in the way.

Here is the lilac-breasted roller standing still. Just gorgeous.

Another rare find, 19 ostrich eggs, hidden in the tall grass of the Masai Mara. That's a lot of omlettes.

Check Out our extensive list of all the different animals from our trip.

Species List:
Day1: Daniel driver with &beyond. 8am pickup for 10am flight. Mara area looking green. Flew over three rhinos in Nairobi national park, then Kaberi slums and a hazy city center.
White-fronted bee eater, marshal eagle, elephant, zebra, giraffe, Cape buffalo, impala, warthog, bushbuck, tree hyrax w/babies, monitor lizard, sooty chat, lilac roller, hippo, eland, topi, waterbuck, tawny eagle, Egypt goose, shrike, little bee eater, two male lions, ground hornbill, maribu, hyena
Day 2: spring hare, black rhinos, lions 4 cubs & hot air balloon, yellow throat longclaw, sacred ibis, cattle egret, Tommy gazelle, helmet Guinea fowl, white backed vulture, griffon vulture, wildebeest herds, lappet faced vulture, patient leopard, banded mongoose, nesting whalberg eagle, jacana, black crake, spurwing lapwing, long crested eagle, blue eared starling, saddle-billed stork , brown snake eagle , malachite kingfisher, yellow billed oxpecker,
Day 3: balloon safari! Lions with two tiny cubs, hammerkop, crocodile, secretary bird , grey crowned cranes, yellow billed stork, African spoonbill, jabor goshawk, ruples starling, superb starling, genet, chameleon, red tailed monkey
Day 4: African harrier, fork tail drogon, wood dove, cheetah bros in front of camp, black shouldered kite, augur buzzard, border pride, taliban with a fresh wildebeest kill, crowned plover , sand grouse , black backed jackals, green pigeons, mating lions and selfies, picnic lunch overlooking river close to lions, leopard pays off, taliban off-road, rain storm on the way back
Day 5: black rhino with Zack, super smooth flights and border, Enoch guide. River crossing wildebeest 60 or so, after zebra being eaten by crocs and scared off by hippos, gray headed and striped kingfisher , (Taylor Angie, chip and John) sundowner. Klipspringer
Day 6: lion family rock pride sees a leopard so off-road, see more lions, African green pigeon, coucal, African green pigeon, hyena chasing wildebeest, lion bros feeding on wildebeest kill, bush breakfast, silverbird, boher reedbok, red throated tits, wattled starling, wooded vulture, white headed vulture, bateleur eagle , black rhino, hyena with fresh kill chasing off vultures
Day 7: coqui francolin, tawny eagle, magpie shrike , hippo fight class nursery, giraffes mating, fly over ngorongoro crater

Northern white crowned shrike, crowned eagle, hornbill. Little egret, gray flycatcher, morning thrush , wild pumpkin vine, hilldebrandt francolin, red and yellow barbet, gray headed kingfisher, blue naped mousebird, grey hornbill, van deckers hornbill, black winged stilt , dikdik, slender mongoose, red duiker, mountain buzzard. Tree climbing lions, pied kingfisher, crested guineafowl

Day 8: European bee eater , white pelican, giant kingfisher, cormorant, green winged pattia (firefinch), bataleur eagle, variable sunbird, white browed coucal, vervet monkey turf war, common waterbuck, walk into village and school visit, night drive- white tailed mongoose, marsh mongoose, greater galago

Day 9: 5:45am drive through Manyara to airport, lion pride with black male who took over entire park, ground hornbill, flooded lodges, pumpkin vine takeover, slash and burn to create new clearings. Fly back over Serengeti and Lake Victoria to Kigali. Genocide memorial. Dinner and upgrade at Serena Kigali.

Day 10: drive to bishop house , gorilla . Muhoza is our guide. Jerome is also guide. Seen kwisanga and sabyinyo families, now will see muhoza family, golden monkeys, 22 gorillas. Private helicopter back after foot massage, lunch, shower, and incredible cleaned shoes at the bishop house. 20 min scenic flight over two lakes and manicured, terraced hillsides. Presidential VIP welcome, bus with leather seats, private room with beer delivered, tinted car pulled up curbside for secretive getaway to the Kigali Serena. Bday Dinner at Heaven Kigali restaurant with a lap cat named beautiful.

Day 11: VIP treatment, checked bags and passports sent ahead. Arrive hour before flight to private room with best cappachinos. Leather seated bus delivery to plane, last ones on, 1st class seats. Fly to Joburg. Intercontinental with facials and ostrich steak and old dirt wine.

Day 12: fly to skukuza. Willy is guide. 4.5yr tracker and 1.5 yr guide. Kirkmans. Slender mongoose and grey duiker. Blue wildebeest, burchelles starling, yellow billed hornbill, gray headed parrot, scarlet chested sunbird, nyala, Swansens spurfowl, crested barbet, red billed hornbill, greater blue eared starling? African cuckoo, rock python, white rhino with baby. Wild dogs chasing impala! , 2 male leopards growling fighting

Day 13: kudu, African hawk eagle, double crested turaco, walberg eagle, giant kingfisher, pied kingfisher, steinbock, male lion broken hip scent marking and roaring for brothers, male leopard near river, spotted wild dogs from way far away, squirrel, bush breakfast surprise with elephants in river , brown snake eagle, burchills zebra, golden tail woodpecker, red headed weaver. Leopard kill (impala) in a tree, then trying to hunt bushbuck who barked and got away, then called to cub who was tiny. Rhino and baby with sundowner drinks, warthog goes good with malva pudding

Day 14: African hoopoe, dwarf mongoose, walking safari, tamboti tree, leopard tortoise, southern double collared sunbird, leopard tortoise, flap necked chameleon, buffalo on the lawn during dinner , 1 million ants while walking with hippos

Day 15: cardinal woodpecker, leopard in tree, greater egret, leopard with small impala in tree, giant plated lizard, leopard leads to vultures lead to full lions at river after sunset. Flap necked Chameleon. Leopard in camp! Chauffeur to rooms

Day 16: green wood hoopoe, brown hooded kingfisher, orange breasted bush shrike, blue waxbill, impala lily

Day 17: delta- tssesebbe, red lechwe, meares parrot, nursing baby lions, elephants chasing male lions

Day 18: western barn owl, eagle owl, common reedbuck, coppery-tailed cuckoo, African stone chat, side striped jackal, wattled starling, burchelles starling, sqwako heron, long toed lapwing, red billed teal, white faced whistling duck, red crested cohawn (like black bellied bustard) , Smokey Angolan vs southern plains giraffe, eagle owl, bat eared fox, spring hair, wild cat, small spotted genet, lions and hyena

Day 19: red billed buffalo weaver, black winged kite, spur winged goose, Goliath heron, African open billed stork, black crowned heron, swamp boubou, African darter, olive grass snake, yellow billed ducks, leopard night spotting

Day 20: wattled cranes, striped sand snake, red lechwe running across runway

Day 21: trumpeter hornbill