Going on safari at Salt Lick Safari Lodge in Tsavo West National Park in Kenya gave us a close encounter with a pride of lions that got us even closer than we’d got to wildlife in the Masai Mara. And that was saying something. That encounter almost felt like a bonus, as the wildlife watching opportunities had been breathtaking – from the lodge! We’d been gazing at wild animals all day in the safety of the public spaces – and private; we even had close views from our room!
While it might have appeared from our recent posts on going on safari in the Masai Mara in Kenya that the animals walk up to a picturesque spot and pose like supermodels, not all game drives will have you filling the memory cards on your cameras. But one game drive at Salt Lick Safari Lodge became one of the most memorable of the trip… for a very close encounter with a pride of lions.
Over the course of three days on safari at Salt Lick Safari Lodge in Tsavo West National Park we would do four game drives – along with a memorable cultural visit to a village, savour sunset on a hilltop to a soundtrack of live local music, and plant some trees for a reforestation project. On a few of the game drives, including a night drive, many of the animals we’d been used to seeing as a matter of course in the Masai Mara, failed to make an appearance.
One great thing about staying at Salt Lick Safari Lodge, however, are the fantastic viewing opportunities afforded by the balconies at the property that allow you to watch the frequent visitors to the waterhole – elephants, zebras, buffalos, monkeys, baboons, giraffes, warthogs, and more, you name it. Not to mention the views from the rooms!
After a couple of ‘unsuccessful’ safari drives – ‘success’ measured by how many (few) species we’d spotted; that’s the reason that wildlife lovers make a beeline to the Masai Mara for ‘The Big Five’ – we even considered canceling our other game drives and staying at the lodge so we could just sit and watch the dynamics between the different animals. Note: elephants are bullies.
On Safari at Salt Lick Safari Lodge – A Close Encounter with a Pride of Lions
One safari at Salt Lick Safari Lodge that we were glad we didn’t cancel was an early morning drive on the second day. Our incredible guide, Oliver, who is the senior warden at Salt Lick Safari Lodge, told us about a pride of African lions who were lazing about under some trees.
A lot of the time on safari in Kenya, as we’d quickly learnt from experience, can mean a not-so-reliable sighting of a few pairs of ears in the distance, with people desperately trying to make out the hazy shapes of animals before disappointedly driving off. Then spending the next ten minutes checking and rechecking cameras, in the hope of some evidence that lions were actually there. This drive, however, was to be different…
Oliver drove us to the spot he’d heard about, where we found a dozen minibuses jam-packed with tourists, all with cameras or binoculars to their eyes. Oliver was pretty calm about the several sets of ears we could barely make out in the distance.
The lions were so far away, they looked like rocks. We couldn’t see any point in staying. Lara was more eager to return to Salt Lick for the better views of wildlife from one of the balconies – or even our room, from where we had fantastic views of the waterhole where the elephants and other animals drank every day.
But Oliver said there was an old track that would take us closer, which the other drivers (from tour companies, not from Salt Lick) wouldn’t know about, as it was overgrown with grass. As Oliver didn’t want the other vehicles to follow, and scare the animals off, we would need to wait until the other vehicles left.
Once the last mini bus was out of sight, Oliver drove off the dirt road and onto a barely discernible track in the direction of the clump of trees. As we drove nearer, the number of lionesses we could see increased. And then we noticed the cubs. Oh my, there was a tangle of fur.
Lara counted twelve cats of various ages and in various states of repose. They had clearly – or hopefully – just eaten, and were licking their lips and lazing about, some sleeping peacefully, others yawning. We hadn’t yet attracted their attention…
After I clicked off a few dozen frames, however, one lioness immediately sat up and took notice. She appeared to become increasingly interested in what could potentially become dessert. Us. We were sitting in an open jeep. Our safari at Salt Lick had become potentially dangerous.
Her sudden movement stirred the other lions. A few more sat up, and then another got up and started sharpening her claws on the tree. The rest started sniffing the breeze. A few lions showed us their very beautiful but sharp-looking teeth.
One lioness struck a pose we had seen in the Masai Mara — a pose that our Masai Mara guide, Edward described as a lion’s “stalking pose”. She was hunched down close to the ground, her ears back, paying very close attention to us. Her tail started swinging from side to side. It reminded me of the pose a kitten takes just before it attacks a butterfly.
Had we gone from trying to capture tempting photographs to tempting fate?
I leaned over the front seat to check whether our driver was carrying a just-in-case-of-extremely-dangerous-situation firearm. Perhaps sensing our apprehension, Oliver asked if we had enough photos and we both quickly and firmly answered “Yes!!!” in unison. Oliver was as cool as a cucumber.
We drove off. Not fast enough, but still somewhat relieved. We had lunch waiting back at the lodge and we weren’t too keen to become someone else’s meal.
When we arrived at the restaurant, the friendly waitress asked us if we’d be having drinks with lunch?
“Yes!!!” we responded in unison. It was a safari at Salt Lick we wouldn’t soon forget.
