In the woods
Another early morning alarm at half four, as Thursday is supposed to be even hotter than yesterday.
We have some water, but its really too early for anything else, and I'm not going to pay for a small cup of Nescafe!
We climb into the vehicles at half five, and move off to the Park offices to clear our paperwork and collect our guide.
Then a twenty minute drive to the gate to Magdhi Gate where our checked paperwork and passports are double-checked.
Fifteen minutes behind schedule, we drive in, and up a lumpy bumpy track to the grassy plains beyond. Here we hoped to see elephants, but didn't. Quite how 30 vehicles all failed to find a single elephant is a mystery.
We drove for a hour before the shout went up, that a tiger had been seen. We cruised over to find the tiger walking through some woods on its way to a watering hole.
But already the craziness was taking hold, as the drivers failed to leave enough room for the tiger to cross the road, this was put right with some shouting, and he wandered off into the bush.
He was later re-seen having caught and killed a cow, eating it just on the edge of visibility, dragging the carcass round to get to the best bits.
Then he was hungry, and the race came to guess where he would cross the road and to jockey for position.
This was nothing compared to what happened next.
The tiger approached, again to find the road full of jeeps, and again a space was cleared so he reached the road at the far end of the group. The tiger ambled off, and that should have been that, but once one driver broke ranks to get as close as possible, all drivers did, so there was the scene of about twenty jeeps, four abreast, tooting horns, revving engines trying to chase the tiger, having already twice that morning disrupted the tiger's behaviour.
We left the scene and went to breakfast.
After which, the jeeps congregated at the watering hole, all was fine until the tiger showed, and you could hear the revving engines of jeeps just arrived, trying to get through where there was no gap.
Which is when there was an accident.
There was an almighty crash and then came the shouting. Meanwhile the tiger reached the watering hole and had a soak.
Not much else to report of the trip, so we returned to the park gates, dropping the guide off at the offices, then back to camp for an hour or so relaxation until dinner at one.
And big news!: there was chips to choose from. My digestion wept with joy.
Jools and I then had an hour's snooze, but upon waking at three, she didn't feel like going, so I went for the afternoon safari on my own.
We went to the area we all visited yesterday, and right away found a cub basking in one of the watering holes.
Only problem is that there is only viewing for two jeeps there, and a long wait can be had to get your turn, even if that is possible
We joined the queue, and Americans in front of us with huge telephotos and asses to match, would not let the driver move, hogging one of the view points.
We managed to get past them, then when we got to the front, the cub got up and walked into the grass, us getting shots all the time.
We left, but then new came that the mother and two more cubs arrived, we wanted to go back, but the line was worse and we would be at the back. So, the driver reversed us up to the "exit", and from there we were able to see all four tigers interacting. But it also meant when the first jeep left, we had to move to let it out.
We moved on.
We went to the spot we had seen the single tiger yesterday, and stayed half an hour. There were some alarm calls but they stopped, and when I said I didn't want to back to the first place, it was agreed we wouldn't.
News then came of a second family group, a fifteen minute drive away. So off we went down a little used track, bumpy, lumpy and going up to a ridge.
And when we got there, a mother and four cubs were lazing around, mostly just out of sight. But on almost adult cub, decided to go hunting. Hunting for peacock.
Just play really, but suddenly the tiger broke into a sprint, we all tried to keep up with it as it ran along the track, in and out of view.
Peacocks and monkeys scattered, and the tiger caught nothing
In the woods
Another early morning alarm at half four, as Thursday is supposed to be even hotter than yesterday.
We have some water, but its really too early for anything else, and I'm not going to pay for a small cup of Nescafe!
We climb into the vehicles at half five, and move off to the Park offices to clear our paperwork and collect our guide.
Then a twenty minute drive to the gate to Magdhi Gate where our checked paperwork and passports are double-checked.
Fifteen minutes behind schedule, we drive in, and up a lumpy bumpy track to the grassy plains beyond. Here we hoped to see elephants, but didn't. Quite how 30 vehicles all failed to find a single elephant is a mystery.
We drove for a hour before the shout went up, that a tiger had been seen. We cruised over to find the tiger walking through some woods on its way to a watering hole.
But already the craziness was taking hold, as the drivers failed to leave enough room for the tiger to cross the road, this was put right with some shouting, and he wandered off into the bush.
He was later re-seen having caught and killed a cow, eating it just on the edge of visibility, dragging the carcass round to get to the best bits.
Then he was hungry, and the race came to guess where he would cross the road and to jockey for position.
This was nothing compared to what happened next.
The tiger approached, again to find the road full of jeeps, and again a space was cleared so he reached the road at the far end of the group. The tiger ambled off, and that should have been that, but once one driver broke ranks to get as close as possible, all drivers did, so there was the scene of about twenty jeeps, four abreast, tooting horns, revving engines trying to chase the tiger, having already twice that morning disrupted the tiger's behaviour.
We left the scene and went to breakfast.
After which, the jeeps congregated at the watering hole, all was fine until the tiger showed, and you could hear the revving engines of jeeps just arrived, trying to get through where there was no gap.
Which is when there was an accident.
There was an almighty crash and then came the shouting. Meanwhile the tiger reached the watering hole and had a soak.
Not much else to report of the trip, so we returned to the park gates, dropping the guide off at the offices, then back to camp for an hour or so relaxation until dinner at one.
And big news!: there was chips to choose from. My digestion wept with joy.
Jools and I then had an hour's snooze, but upon waking at three, she didn't feel like going, so I went for the afternoon safari on my own.
We went to the area we all visited yesterday, and right away found a cub basking in one of the watering holes.
Only problem is that there is only viewing for two jeeps there, and a long wait can be had to get your turn, even if that is possible
We joined the queue, and Americans in front of us with huge telephotos and asses to match, would not let the driver move, hogging one of the view points.
We managed to get past them, then when we got to the front, the cub got up and walked into the grass, us getting shots all the time.
We left, but then new came that the mother and two more cubs arrived, we wanted to go back, but the line was worse and we would be at the back. So, the driver reversed us up to the "exit", and from there we were able to see all four tigers interacting. But it also meant when the first jeep left, we had to move to let it out.
We moved on.
We went to the spot we had seen the single tiger yesterday, and stayed half an hour. There were some alarm calls but they stopped, and when I said I didn't want to back to the first place, it was agreed we wouldn't.
News then came of a second family group, a fifteen minute drive away. So off we went down a little used track, bumpy, lumpy and going up to a ridge.
And when we got there, a mother and four cubs were lazing around, mostly just out of sight. But on almost adult cub, decided to go hunting. Hunting for peacock.
Just play really, but suddenly the tiger broke into a sprint, we all tried to keep up with it as it ran along the track, in and out of view.
Peacocks and monkeys scattered, and the tiger caught nothing