A Day Well Spent

The air has finally cooled down. I roll over to look at the clock. It’s 5:09am and I know that in 51 minutes I’ll be meeting outside our tent to run around the campsite before the sun comes up. My mind wanders off into amazement and disbelief that I’m camping in Namibia where lions, zebras, giraffes, and elephants roam right outside our gate.

It’s 6:00 now and we are off running, first around the campsite and then to the waterhole with hopes of seeing animals gather for a drink. When we arrive, I can tell that some people have been perched there for hours; bundled in scarves and hats, accompanied by large lensed cameras that sit on tripods. After waiting for a while, there’s no luck. We head back to the campsite for breakfast and a game drive.

Driving through the park, we see mostly zebras and springbok at first. Moving onwards, there are elephants and giraffes. A pile up of cars is ahead and one of the other drivers told us that there is a leopard under one of the trees. Our van is frantic over the binoculars until we see his polk-a-dotted coat under the tree. Amazed, we stare a little longer.

Now, we make our way to another waterhole where a hyena drinks. Zebras approach in a single file line, keeping there distance from the hyena as they stay on the other side. The hyena ignores them for a few minutes, but decides it is time for them to go, running towards them. They who is in charge, so they take off. The hyena takes a few more drinks and then sprawls out on the ground. It is out of  our sight now.

Looping back around, a herd of elephants approach the leopard from behind the tree he lays under. There are baby elephants in the herd and some of us start to worry that the leopard might attack, but our driver assures us he won’t. Instead, the elephants will be the ones to kick the leopard of his spot. The four baby elephants stay back as two of the elders chaperone them. Two more approach the the leopard and, sure enough, he moves for them. We drive parallel to the leopard as he tries to find another spot. He lays down again under shade, staying far enough from the elephants not to be bothered again.

Back at camp we have lunch and swim. Later, we go on another drive to see elephants, both young and old, and other areas of the park. After, we watch the sun dye itself a pinkish orange at the waterhole and rhinos approach for a drink.