One of the goals most people have for a safari is to see the so-called “Big 5.” The list can change, but is generally accepted to be: elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino. We saw all of them and much, much more. We will be posting more photos (we took about 950), but for right now, here are the Big 5.
Our first stop on safari was at “The Tree Hotel”. It is a hotel designed around the water hole it is built next to. It looks like the “Ark”. We saw a lot of elephants there. The picture shows two of them standing in the water near sunset. Elephants were relatively common throughout our trip. Elephants were being hunted to extinction for their tusks, but in Kenya, no big game hunting is allowed.
Leopards are not as common as the elephant. They are actually considered relatively rare since they generally hide during the day. We were lucky to see one that had gotten stuck too close to the river. We saw a lot of lions. We think we saw three different males on different days, but aren’t sure.
We saw a lot more of the lionesses. Look at the male lion’s belly! He is obviously stuffed to the gills. At Masai Mara (Serengetti Plain), the wildebeest were getting ready to migrate and the predators were tripping over all the food. Even the vultures weren’t interested in anything! 
We saw a lot more of the lionesses. Look at the male lion’s belly! He is obviously stuffed to the gills. At Masai Mara (Serengetti Plain), the wildebeest were getting ready to migrate and the predators were tripping over all the food. Even the vultures weren’t interested in anything! 
The little white vans were everywhere. It is the most common tourist vehicle in Kenya. We 
were lucky and had a group of four (Graham and Alison Haywood from our school) and one driver/guide (Boniface). The vans hold eight passengers and one driver and have a radio.
were lucky and had a group of four (Graham and Alison Haywood from our school) and one driver/guide (Boniface). The vans hold eight passengers and one driver and have a radio. We were lucky to see both black and white rhino.
The black rhino is very shy and hard to see. The white rhino isn’t exactly friendly, but isn’t shy. The white rhino is not “white.” They were called that because the early explorers called them the “weid” (wide) rhino since their snouts are broader than the black rhino. The black rhino is darker, but isn’t “black” either. 
The African Buffalo were relatively common. Try imagining carrying those horns around on your head …
The black rhino is very shy and hard to see. The white rhino isn’t exactly friendly, but isn’t shy. The white rhino is not “white.” They were called that because the early explorers called them the “weid” (wide) rhino since their snouts are broader than the black rhino. The black rhino is darker, but isn’t “black” either. 
The African Buffalo were relatively common. Try imagining carrying those horns around on your head …We will be publishing more pictures and comments later. That's all for today ...
