Serengeti sunrise

It's 6am, and we're off in the Landcruiser looking for beasties.

Not my usual dawn routine, but apparently this is the best time to see the big predators. They sleep in the shade during the heat of the day. Seems sensible.

First stop is a spot we'd visited the previous evening, where lions had killed a buffalo.

Sure enough, 3 lions are there gorging themselves. We get to see pretty well - maybe 50m away.

Next stop is the hippo pool. They come out of the water at night to graze, and then get back in to protect their skin from the sun. But we're too late, and they're in the water already.

Next, to a leopard kill we'd also seen the previous evening. As we approach, 2 young leopards come ambling past us on the track. Amazing - just feet away. And leopards are among the hardest to find.

Then back to the lodge to see what the scavenging hordes (of touroids) had left us from the breakfast buffet.

Oh, and the sunrise was good too.