Balloon Ride morning! Up at 3:15 am for the hour ride over the rutted paths to the take-off spot for our sunrise balloon ascension over the savannah. The balloon is extra large with a basket that holds 16+ people. The basket is divided into five sections - four to hold four passengers each and the center section for the pilot. As our balloon drifted over the dry fields with occasional stands of green bushes and trees, the sun rose - glorious.
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| Basket section mates - it was cramped and Marv, our lone male, quipped, "if we have to squeeze in here together much longer, we will have to get engaged" |
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A glorious sunrise
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Drifting over some hills we spotted giraffes, zebras, elephants and gazelles from the air. Spectacular.
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| Lin was at the other end of the basket |
We landed softly, but were prepared to tip over - had to squeeze together on a short seat and keep our heads down. Afterwards, we were treated to a champagne breakfast on the savannah.
After our 1 1/2 hour flight and breakfast, we climbed into the jeeps for the very long, bumpy ride back to the Lodge, taking time to stop and photograph and watch the animals - ostriches, hyenas, zebras and on and on.
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| Termite Mound! |
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| The ostrich with the very pink legs and neck in front is a male in full color for mating while the females fluff their wings doing a dance to entice the male. |
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| Hyena looking for a meal. |
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| The beautiful male ostrich with a herd of Topi, a type of antelope. |
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| The lion may be king of the jungle, but this guy is king of the hill. |
We had a great lunch back at the lodge and a couple of hours to rest before the late afternoon/evening game drive, which was all about the Lions.......and just a few other animal sightings!
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| This lion walked right along side the open jeep and I could have touched him. I literally had to lean back so I could fit him in the photo because he was too close. Definitely a bit nervous, but our guide assured us they don't bother folks in jeeps. Yeah, right. |
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| Sleeping just like a house cat would! |
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| Loved the little baby. |
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| Iconic Africa - lone zebra with Acacia trees on the horizon. |
Back to the lodge for another fabulous dinner and early to bed. We thought we had seen it all yesterday, but the balloon ride and the lions blew yesterday away..
Your “up close and personal” shot of the male lion is stunning, especially when you tell the story that goes with it!
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