One of the most famous of the “big five”, the Lion or Panthera Leo is a member of the family Felidae and is one of the four big cats in the Panthera genus. Large males can exceed 250kg in weight and it is the second largest living cat after the Tiger.

Lions in their natural habitat currently live in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia and have a critically endangered population in northwest India. They used to live in North Africa, the Middle East and Western Asia but have all been wiped out since.

About 10,000 years ago the lion was the most widespread large land mammal besides humans and they were found in most of Africa, much of Eurasia from Western Europe to India and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.

Being a lion cub is actually quite hard however, lionesses in secure habitat such as Kruger National Park may frequently reach an age of 12-14 years old whereas lions seldom live longer than 8 years. (more…)

Tags: rhino, safaris, lion, vacation, safari, holiday, africa, national parks, kruger park, lodges

The African lion is fabled as the King of the African Jungle. On a recent vacation to the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya, I was awed at the sheer respect that the African lion commands. It was one of the most rewarding trips in all my wildlife safari vacations.

It was the morning a day after our arrival at Olarro Camp located in the Maasai Mara, one of the best animal safari destinations in Africa. We departed camp at around 6.00am in the morning for our much awaited morning game drive. Our Maasai guide, Sammy, and the camp manager Sean packed us in their open Land rover truck and off we went on a popular game track. We were pleasantly surprised at Sammys spotting prowess that, less than a kilometer from camp, had already spotted a lone male cheetah. Probably on its early morning hunting stakeout, the cheetah wasnt very amused at our unwelcome intrusion and trudged along grudgingly.

The mating Lions
Off we went to look out for the elusive lions in the short savannah brush. We were negotiating a blind corner when ..Wham a pride of 3 young males in the company of a lone female. The minute I spotted the lions, I knew this is not the situation you want to seem too intrusive. One seemingly larger male Lion with a slightly darkening mane was separated from other 2 young and was busy courting a Lioness.

(more…)

Tags: hunting, kruger park, safaris, adverture, resorts, african, south africa, travel, animals, vacation

If predators like cheetahs, lions, hyenas and leopards are your platter, the Serengeti National park is the place you would want to be. Serengeti is best known for the large scale mammal migration that plays out every year here, when large mammals move around the plains in an elliptical or circular trek, mostly controlled in their movements depending upon the rain and the vegetation on land.

The maasai are the local people who have been gazing their sheep for years and generations at the Serengeti, and according to them, “Serengeti” means a place where land never stops, everything is in constant motion. Serengeti offers a wildlife spectacle like none other, with vast stretched of treeless land and the most dense wild life cover in the world, Serengeti tops the wilderness list by all standards.

The best time to go to Serengeti is during the large scale wildebeest migration process, which occurs during the months of September and December. If you are lucky enough and you are able to intersect the migration, it could be one of the best experiences of your life. (more…)

Tags: travel, lodges, resorts, kruger park, big five, safaris, holiday, animal, safari, hotels

The African lion is fabled as the King of the African Jungle. On a recent vacation to the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya, I was awed at the sheer respect that the African lion commands. It was one of the most rewarding trips in all my wildlife safari vacations.

It was the morning a day after our arrival at Olarro Camp located in the Maasai Mara, one of the best animal safari destinations in Africa. We departed camp at around 6.00am in the morning for our much awaited morning game drive. Our Maasai guide, Sammy, and the camp manager Sean packed us in their open Land rover truck and off we went on a popular game track. We were pleasantly surprised at Sammys spotting prowess that, less than a kilometer from camp, had already spotted a lone male cheetah. Probably on its early morning hunting stakeout, the cheetah wasnt very amused at our unwelcome intrusion and trudged along grudgingly.

(more…)

Tags: lion, leopard, elephant, camping, holiday, safaris, travel, animals, south african, safari