Day 4, Searching For Lions, Rhinos And Leopards

I arranged to stay a full third day in the park since I had yet to see a rhino, let alone a leopard. Luckily, Livingstone Trails could accommodate my request. It was also nice to relax into the rhythm of each day, now that I knew the routine.

Highlights on day 3 included a black-backed jackal sniffing around a dwarf mongoose hiding in a dead tree. The mongoose would pop its head out of a small hole each time the jackal move away. These interactions are a lot more interesting than watching impala stand motionless under a tree during the mid-day heat!

We also spotted the same lions as the first day, only they were about 100 meters back from the road this time, meaning they were barely visible without binoculars.

Despite being so far away, they were still fun to watch, and we stuck around a good 15 minutes. The lead truck, which I was in on this day, stalled again. Stuard bravely stepped out of his truck, cited how highly illegal it was for him to exit the vehicle in the park (let alone in the vicinity of 5 lions), and gave the truck the necessary push start.

At the end of the day, I overheard another guide telling Stuart about how his truck saw 2 lionesses kill a zebra and drag its body down a river embankment (and out of view). It must've been quite a sight!

Hippos, elephant, zebra, giraffe, impala. The usual suspects were all present on Day 4.

In the lead truck, we were entertained by Elson, the Livingstone guide. Being the first truck meant we had the best chance to see wildlife before it potentially ran away from the road and further back into the bush.

I caught a glimpse of a white rhino towards the very end of the day. Through my binoculars, I saw its full profile with the big horn, but it didn't stick around long, and soon all I saw was its butt chugging further back into the dense bush.

Back at camp, I saw a much better sunset from atop the water towers then I did on the sunset game drive.  We heard and spotted a hyena patrolling around our campsite as well.  Shining a flashlight out into the darkness, its glowing eyes peered back at us.

Still hoping to spot a leopard, I signed up for a 3-hour morning game walk my last day, rather than another drive.

Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.