Last day Seronera

We wake up and as we go out for breakfast two of the tiny dik dik antelopes are grazing just outside our door.

Nice start to the day. We fill up the tanks for the exhausting activity of sitting in the vehicle and looking out the window and we are set.

Andrew thinks we should go back to the kopji’s this morning and past there head out to the open plains. On the way we get to witness an amazing event. Just off the road there is a termite mound from which the termites have departed. These can vary in size and depending on that different creatures turn them into homes. This one belongs to a large troop of banded mongoose. What is unfolding is a stand off between a spotted spitting cobra and the troop of mongoose. Now both can be predator for each other and the cobra would like nothing better than a little mongoose to consume , however with a whole troop the tables are turned and the cobra is in trouble. We watch this dance between the two , the mongoose coming in and the cobra rising higher and making itself bigger. 

In the end a truce is called and everyone goes their own way. Wow!

We get to the kopji where we saw the cubs and lioness, there is no one else there and after a little bit out comes one lioness on the ledge, than the second, then the third and then…… following behind a tumbling bundle of cubs six in total! So this is their home and probably what the Mum was saying to the little one in subsonic vocalization yesterday was for the cub to head home. Andrew tells us there is a lot of communication which we just can’t hear. We are so relieved to see all six alive and happy.

We head out onto the plains observing big herds of migration.

The roads here are very corrugated and bumpy but through that also murder on the tyres. We end up getting a puncture in one of the rear wheels. Andrew jacks up the car and within no time the spare is on, I swat away the tse tse flies to try and feel useful.

We get to see some subadult male lions sunning themselves on rocks and an actual mating of two lions on a rock ledge with a fair amount of growling happening.

We head back to camp hoping to find somewhere to fix the tyre. It turns out the best that can be done is getting an inner tube as the hole is too big for a patch. There is a petrol station and they have one tube, hurrah they can sell us. In the process of putting the tube in the attendant snaps off the valve and the tube is useless. I can see the disappointment in Andrews eyes. We are leaving tomorrow for the Western Serengeti with only one spare.

For our last night we invite Andrew to join us for dinner. As we are sitting there engaged in heavy conversation, there is some noise coming from inside and out come about 7 staff one with a guitar all singing. We think a little entertainment for the guests, but no, they all encircle our table and out comes a cake in the shape of a heart with a good bye message on it. We are very touched as nothing like this happened to any of the guests the previous 3 nights. They have made a special treat for us. Andrew is speechless, which does not happen very often:)