Tips On Spotting Lion Country Safari

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

The big five. Whoever gave that name and whoever designated which animals should be included in their revered group must be given honor since he (or they) have picked the best constituents of the group. But the question still arises why other more graceful and robust animals were not included in the list.

Why are not giraffe, being the tallest member of the animal kingdom is not chosen for the big five? Or the hippos and the gorillas, are they not large enough?

Actually, the term big five was not given primarily to the five members because they were large or graceful or tall. The main category facilitated by the hunters (and not the tour operators) is the difficulty of cornering these large animals and bagging them.

The lion, being one of the big five along with the rhino, buffalo, leopard, and elephant is very much esteemed since it is the king of the jungle. Though safaris are not exactly characterized as jungles in the typical sense, lion country safaris are still very much sought after.

Lions tend to be lazy though. However, it is their instinct to give as much distance away from humans if possible. This is why they are rather hard to hunt than those of the plains games like the antelopes, wildebeests and the likes. So how would one maximize lion country safari game viewing?

For one, you have to know the right season. It is usually the dry season that encourages the congregation of both preys and the predators in common places. These places are normally around the riverbed, water holes and the lakes. If you would not want to take the risk of getting to near with the lions and other wild animals, you may chose to avail small shelters that overlook the spots where animals naturally proceed. Nonetheless, you can maximize the use of your open vehicle.

Summer is not only good because it is when most animals group. This is also the season when vegetation is significantly thinned. Thus, better game viewing. It is strange how the biggest of elephants can camouflage with the thickest grasses but that still is the way that it goes.

Dry season varies depending on the region where you are camping. In the eastern Africa, first dry season occurs between January to March and the second dry season is from July to October. In southern Africa however, dry season extends from May through October.