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PHOTO: KARMEN HARLEY
Protruding from the roof of the car like a
life-size jack-in-the-box, I had an unobstructed
360-degree view of the scene.
Perfect for photography. Less perfect
for personal safety.
Only metres away, a 200kg lion turned and stared
straight down my lens. I felt simultaneously thrilled
and terrified. We had unintentionally interrupted
his rendezvous with an attractive lioness and I really
hoped he didn’t hold a grudge.
It wasn’t even 9am and already we had experienced
far more sightings than on the previous day. This
morning we had quietly rolled out of camp at 6am,
just as the sun was lighting up the Serengeti. We
had arranged to collect our guide, Abu outside
Seronera, a small village in the heart of the national
park and home for the rangers, staff and students
working there. Abu had been studying tourism and
was on a volunteer placement at the visitor centre.
We had met him when we arrived at the park and
he offered to guide for us. Considering our lack of
sightings the previous day, having him there proved
invaluable.
Our plan was to head across the Serengeti to Simba
Kopjes (Lion Rocks) in the hopes of following a
pride on their morning hunt. Only minutes into the
journey, I signaled for Abu to stop the car. Drifting
silently on our left, a hot air balloon barely cleared
the treetops. The yellow and green of the balloon
reflected in the water below and matched perfectly
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