King of the Jungle

After arriving at Tsavo West National Park on Wednesday afternoon, Thursday was our one full day there before starting for home on Friday. We went on safaris in the morning and afternoon, and also spent several hours sitting on the deck of that bar/restaurant, where we could watch the parade of animals coming to the watering hole below.
Getting Started

Our first safari was from 6:00 to 8:00. I was ready to go at 5:30, so I walked over to the bar area to check out what was happening at the watering hole.


5:30AM at the watering hole: a giraffe and two buffalos had come by for a cool drink before sunrise.
We all met out front, and loaded up into the Land Cruiser for a safari.


Heading out for our morning safari. Kilaguni, like the place we stayed in Amboseli (Ol Tukai) is surrounded by an electric fence to keep the big animals out, and the guard at the entrance has to open a gate when we come and go.
As we drove in the darkness, we talked about all the animals we'd seen at the watering hole: zebras, warthogs, gazelles, topi, water buffalos, giraffes, hyenas, elephants, and many others. We hadn't seen any big cats at the watering hole (they usually only show up in the middle of the night), but we had seen a few elephants, and when an elephant arrived the other animals usually stayed back and let them have the watering hole to themselves for a while.
Willie said it was funny to him that English speaking people refer to lions as "the king of the jungle," since it's so clear that elephants are the undisputed king of the jungle. "Everyone respects the elephant, and the elephant fears no animal."


As daylight dawned on the bushland, Willie stopped to talk to another guide about animal sightings in the area.







Soon we were seeing many animals: zebras, topi, Roan antelopes, gemsbok, and others.






Giraffes
We decided to drive over by the Tsavo River to search for the long-necked giraffe antelope, an animal we hadn't seen yet.


Driving toward the Tsavo River, we got within a few kilometers of the Tanzania border.
Tsavo River




You could tell from the vegetation that we were getting into a wetter area, and there were many animals all around as we approached the river.


It's the dry season, so the Tsavo River is low and it's easy to drive across. Wille told us about a colleague of his who took a client across the river during the wet season a few months ago, and the river's flow increased quickly while they were on the other side and they couldn't come back across. They spent a night in their Land Cruiser on the other side, and the river level dropped enough by the next day that they could get back to the main road and the lodge.


We never spotted the elusive giraffe antelope, but we saw some interesting birds on the far side of the river that we hadn't seen before.

Back at the lodge
Back at the lodge, we relaxed for a few hours and had lunch. Because of the watering hole, Kaliguni Serena Lodge is a place where you can see a wide variety of wildlife without going on a safari.




The grounds of Kilaguni Serena Lodge.







The ubiquitous agama lizards. The larger and more colorful ones are the males.




There were many zebras at the watering hole while we ate lunch.



Warthogs at the watering hole.



Marabou storks.
After lunch, we were watching some zebras and Thomson's gazelles when suddenly they all ran off at high speed. We thought it might mean a big cat had showed up, but then we saw what had started them: five workers (three with big guns) were walking about past the watering hole. We watched them walk until they disappeared into the bush. Willie told us later that they were going to repair a spot in the fence, and they always go with multiple people and guns just to be safe.





A final visitor during our mid-day viewing of the watering hole: a large bull elephant.
Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary
We met up at 3:00 in the afternoon for our final safari of the trip: a drive to the rhinoceros sanctuary in Tsavo West National Park. There were 20,000 rhinos in Tsavo West in the 1940s, but by the late 1980s poachers had killed all but 20 of them, so the sanctuary was formed to protect them. There are now about 80 rhinos there, which is considered a healthy number for the size of the sanctuary - roughly 6 miles by 6 miles.






A few animals spotted on the drive to the rhino sanctuary. The drive is over an hour each way.



The Taveta golden weaver makes these hanging nests by weaving together twigs and grass.


Entering the rhino sanctuary. There was an armed guard at the gate, and the rhinos are protected by armed guards 24 hours a day.





We spent an hour driving around the sanctuary, but we never saw a rhino.
It was disappointing to not see any rhinos, but the brush in the sanctuary is very thick and we knew that was a possibility. So we headed back to the lodge.
An unexpected encounter
All of the animals we've seen on this trip seemed comfortable, not stressed by our presence. But that was about to change.
Just outside the rhino sanctuary, we saw some elephants along the road up ahead so we drove up next to them for a better look. There was a mother and a calf standing about 50 feet from the road, and as we pulled up next to them they blew their horns in unison. It was quite loud that close, and the first vocalizations we've heard from elephants on this trip.

We found this interesting, and we were all watching them. I was standing in the Land Cruiser, and had an unobstructed view from the open top for photos.
While I was distracted by these two, I hadn't noticed that there was a big bull elephant present, just to the left of them. But he made sure we noticed him, when he suddenly roared loudly, stomped his foot, and charged at us! I snapped a quick photo and yelled "big guy coming at us!" then sat down inside the Land Cruiser because I felt exposed and vulnerable when I was standing and there was nothing between me and the elephant.

As it turned out, he was just trying to warn us, and he stopped his charge 50 feet away from us. Willie explained that he just wanted to let us know to keep our distance.
Thrilled by this encounter and full of adrenaline, we all chattered about it on the bumpy drive back to the lodge. A great way to end our final safari.
Final evening in Kenya
Back at the lodge, we spent the evening out on the deck of the bar reminiscing about our 8 days in the Kenyan wilderness.




Giraffes and wildebeests came by, and many other animals as well.



Our final visitor of the evening: a peaceful bull elephant who walked up toward us (he's about 100 feet away) and stood there watching and listening to us.
