Day Five

We made an early start today for the long bone-shaking drive up to the Galana River at Sala Gate. This drive gives you some idea of the scale of the Tsavo wilderness. Along the way we photographed Elephants and a large herd of buffalo. We also tried unsuccessfully to photograph several Sunbirds but were able to find a very obliging Secretary Bird.

Secretary Bird

We covered several of the trails around the edge of the Galana River, looking for the large Lion pride which can often be seen there but were unsuccessful. We later heard that thirteen Lions had been spotted just outside the Park on the Malindi Road! We were, however, able to find a pod of Hippos, who did what Hippos do best – sleep, fart and jossle for space.

Karen chuckles as Jason attempts to photograph Hippos with a bazooka

The aforementioned Hippos

After spending the morning searching this part of the Galana for Lions, we headed back to the campsite for a break, managing to find a Sand-Grouse pair with a chick along the way.

Sand Grouse with almost grown chick

After a rest, we then checked out the Kanderi Swamp and the Pipeline Road again. While we were waiting at one of the waterholes for something to come in, one of the local guides told us where a Cheetah had been sighted. We did find it, but the Cheetah was too far away for decent photographs. We then had one last look at Kanderi Swamp before returning to the campsite to cook supper.

Howard would like it known that he built an excellent fire and started it with one match. As none of the others were there to see this, they have declared the result void.

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