The morning was nice and cool as it usually is late August in Murchison Falls. A night storm passed the camp in the early morning hours, luckily only skirting our camp with some showers. The camp mood was relaxed as after yesterday’s walk, our visitors were preparing to go explore the River Nile. The sun was already shining and bathing the surrounding ridges with fresh morning light. I had already been up since dawn, awaiting our visitors to begin the program. During my many walk-throughs around the camp, I noticed a few hartebeest and waterbuck on the hill across making strange fast moves – going up and down, then sideways. At first, I did not pay extra attention to it, though I should have!
Walking back to our vehicles, I still felt something was happening there and went to grab my binoculars. As I was once again approaching the guest tents at the end of our camp, I saw Ondrej – one of the guests – already peeking through his binos across the nearby hill. “What are you seeing?” Ondrej casually replied “Two lions” as if it was a daily occurrence to see while you brushing your teeth in the morning.
As I finally and somewhat belatedly paid adequate attention, two lionesses were stalking a few antelope on the hill, perhaps only 100 meters from us. We had clear sight, though a 15-20 meter deep ravine separated our campsite from the hill on the other side – hence the lions were never near us. I went to call our head ranger George for him to see – and we spotted one of the lionesses hopping through the grass on top of the hill but soon disappearing.
We have been coming to our camp in Nyamsika for four years now and witnessed a number of wildlife around – from elephants looking for borassus fruit to passing hyenas, and roars of leopards and lions at night. As for seeing lions, once we witnessed one young male come to drink in the Nyamsika river, while we enjoyed our sundowner, and saw a young adult hiding in the Borassus palm nearby. Sure during our walks we regularly see footprints. Though this morning it was indeed a special start of the day.
Another lion footprint on sandy patch
