Day Seven - Luxury Moment

We arrived at the Ngutuni Lodge to be met with damp facecloths to remove the grime and freshen us up and a glass of fresh pineapple juice; then we sat on the balcony overlooking the waterhole whilst our rooms were prepared. Dave and Jason immediately decided that luxury becomes them. We certainly intended to enjoy ourselves here but there is no substitute to us for being out in the bush with the animals. The waterhole is only about 40 metres from the balcony of the Lodge restaurant, so we had a front-row view of the goings on there. A group of Pied Crows were constantly being harassed by a pair of Spur-Winged Plovers, which were nesting in a scrape close by. Elsewhere, a flock of nine Maribou Storks were resting, drinking and trying to catch fish from the waterhole.

Maribou Stork catching fish in the waterhole

Jason and Howard watching the action at the waterhole

After a lovely lunch of gammon and stir-fried chicken with vegetables and potatoes, followed by a selection of sweets, Dave went to his room to photograph whatever came to the waterhole, whilst the rest of us sat at the veranda of the restaurant to do the same. A few other birds came in at various times but the one which gave us the best shots was the Bulbul, which also serenaded us as we sat there with feet up, camera in one hand and drink in the other...Bliss!!

Our Bulbul Pavarotti

After a while, we decided to take a drive around the sanctuary, leaving Jason and Dave watching the waterhole. On our drive around, we photographed Masai Giraffe, Oryx and a surprisingly relaxed family of Warthog, who let us take several photographs before they wandered off. These attractively ugly creatures are usually very shy and are most often seen with tails in the air, going full-steam away from you, which is why they are sometimes referred to as the “Tsavo Express”.

Warthog - The Tsavo Express

After a lovely dinner Jason, Karen and Howard took a night game drive through the sanctuary and saw a large herd of Giraffe, Zebra, a Mongoose, several Impala and a Jackal.

Although it is not our normal safari choice, preferring a more “back-to-basics” camping, Ngutuni Lodge has provided us with a welcome moment of luxury. For people who prefer a less hard-core safari, this place offers great service, lovely rooms with private balconies overlooking the waterhole, excellent food and friendly staff all at a fraction of the price of the up-market lodges in the National Parks and Reserves. If you are looking for a budget safari experience but don't want to rough it in a tent, Ngutuni Lodge would be an ideal place to consider.

Next stop Tsavo West National Park, where Rhino prosper and crystal-clear water bursts from the ground to create an oasis in the middle of semi-arid scrub land.

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